Roman and Jewel by Dana L. Lewis: Book Tour

Thanks for coming to my tour stop for the Roman and Jewel blog tour with Turn the Pages Tours! Check out their website to see all the other tour posts. Keep reading to find a summary of the book, my review, a character dreamcast, and the book purchase links.

Cover of Roman and Jewel by Dana L. Davis

Title: Roman and Jewel
Author: Dana L. Davis
Publisher: Inkyard Press
Pub Date: 1/05/21
Genre: YA Contemporary
Edition: ARC (Advanced Reader’s Copy)
Goodreads Link
Rating:

Summary

If Romeo and Juliet got the Hamilton treatment…who would play the leads? This vividly funny, honest, and charming romantic novel by Dana L. Davis is the story of a girl who thinks she has what it takes…and the world thinks so, too.

Jerzie Jhames will do anything to land the lead role in Broadway’s hottest new show, Roman and Jewel, a Romeo and Juliet inspired hip-hopera featuring a diverse cast and modern twists on the play. But her hopes are crushed when she learns mega-star Cinny won the lead…and Jerzie is her understudy.

Falling for male lead Zeppelin Reid is a terrible idea–especially once Jerzie learns Cinny wants him for herself. Star-crossed love always ends badly. But when a video of Jerzie and Zepp practicing goes viral and the entire world weighs in on who should play Jewel, Jerzie learns that while the price of fame is high, friendship, family, and love are priceless.

Review

Roman and Jewel was so so good. It’s one of those books that’s hard to review because I enjoyed it so much, and I don’t know what to say beyond that. I laughed a lot. I cried a little. I was sold by the first chapter based on how strongly written the characters were. I already felt like I had a good grasp on who Jerzie and Aunt Karla were, and they were so easy to fall in love with. I truly can’t decide who I love more out of the two.

I didn’t expect this story to be so funny, but between the predicaments Jerzie got herself into and the personalities of her and her family, I was non stop laughing. I read this in one night until the wee hours of the morning because I couldn’t put the book down. There was also a scene between Robbie and Jerzie that had me so emotional and was full of great wisdom. I love books with scenes that go straight to your heart.

Zeppelin was another enjoyable character, and his backstory really added some depth to the book and him and Jerzie’s relationship. I also liked the parallels between Roman and Jewel’s relationship and Zeppelin and Jerzie’s relationship. Which leads me to the fact that I have very complicated feelings about Cinny. I will continue to have these feelings, but I don’t hate her which is good I guess.

Overall, I definitely recommend this to people who want to read a fresh reimagining with vivid characters and a compelling plot. I love Broadway, so this story was right down my alley. I need the entire Roman and Jewel hip-hopera script though please. And I need the music to be made too. I’m too invested in this story to not get a full version of it.

*Thank you to the publisher and Turn the Pages Tours for the ARC. All opinions are my own*

Dream Cast

These are just some of the people I had in mind to play characters in a Roman and Jewel adaptation. Also I’ve never used Timothée in a dream cast because I try to use an array of different actors, but this role was definitely made for him. Also, I couldn’t decide on Jerzie because I think Lovie could play her or Cinny.

Note from 2024: I made special graphics for my dream cast, but because I don’t own the rights to the images, I’ve played it safe and removed them. Instead, I’ve linked the photos below.

Denée Benton as Jerzie
Lovie Simone as Jerzie
Mo’Nique as Aunt Karla
Ryan Destiny as Cinny
Timothée Chalamet as Zeppelin

Where to Buy

Harlequin | Bookshop | B&N | Amazon

Author

Dana L. Davis is a novelist and Hollywood actress with previous series regular roles as: Carmen Phillips on TNT’s Franklin and Bash and modern day mimic Monica Dawson on NBC’s cult series Heroes.

She currently stars on the animated series Star Vs. the Forces of Evil, Craig of the Creek, and She-Ra. Dana has guest-starred in over 20 prestigious primetime series, including 911, Scorpion, Code Black, Grey’s Anatomy, and CSI. She made her film debut in Coach Carter with Samuel Jackson.

In addition to her work on screen, Dana has become a motivational speaker for teens. Her stirring assemblies empower and encourage youth, helping them to redefine what it means to win and lose.

Extremely versatile, Dana is a screenwriter and a trained Violist with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Music from Loyola Marymount University. She volunteers for nonprofits like Empowering Lives International, an organization which provides training, resources, and encouragement to underprivileged East African children.

Dana also created her own nonprofit organization Culture For Kids, LA, an organization which gifts inner city children tickets and transportation to see performing arts shows around the Los Angeles area.

Dana was raised in the Midwest and currently resides in Los Angeles with her 9-year-old daughter.