Here Goes Nothing

by Emma K. Ohland

This femme queer update of Much Ado About Nothing finds across-the-street neighbors Beatrice and Bennie endlessly feuding and just maybe falling in love, sparking questions for Beatrice about her asexual identity, her place in their friend group, and her plans for the future.

Genres: Romance, Young Adult, Queer, LGBT, Lesbian, Shakespeare, Retellings

272 pages, Hardcover

First published November 5, 2024

About the author

Emma K. Ohland is a 20-something author who has been telling stories since before she knew how to write them down. She grew up in the middle of a cornfield in Indiana, but her imagination often carried her away to other worlds. When she’s not writing, reading, or smelling books, she enjoys traveling, crocheting, and daydreaming in coffee shops. She graduated with a B.A. in English literature and currently lives with her partner, their energetic cat, and their dog who thinks she’s a cat. Her first short story will appear in the YA anthology Out There spring 2022 and her debut YA novel Funeral Girl will be published by Carolrhoda Lab fall 2022.

Reviews

[rachel x]

did they even try with this cover?

[Rae Quigley · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars, received ARC copy from NetGalley -

I really, really loved this. The author stayed true to the heart of Much Ado About Nothing while injecting it with her own story, and it read *true*. I normally hate recent pop culture references while I'm reading, because it can take me out of the story, but Emma did such a good job at it that it felt like it made sense.

For me, a book automatically earns a star if it brings an emotional reaction out of me, and I cried several times during this read. It's so relatable, trying to figure out your place in a family, in a friend group, in the world - especially when dealing with confusion around identity, or grief. The dialogue and actions felt authentic, and realistic, and I'm so glad I grabbed this when I did.

[Mariana ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I ate this one upppppp!!!! I don’t know anything about the original Shakespeare play, so I can only speak of this as a story on its own. It was really intriguing and fast paced, and made me want to stay up all night to finish it!

The story starts off with our MC Beatrice being pulled into a new friend group because her sister (and only friend) is now hanging out with her new boyfriend and his besties. Beatrice isn’t happy with this arrangement because 1) she feels like a 5th wheel, and 2) a girl she doesn’t really like (Bennie) is part of that group.

She starts hanging out with these people more often and one day overhears them talking about the fact that Bennie has a crush on Beatrice. I wasn’t the biggest fan of this at first, because I personally prefer to see crushes develop instead of getting a pre-established crush. HOWEVER!!!!!!! The way this played out was soooo interesting! It was just really compelling to see Beatrice freaking out about this revelation and not knowing what to do in front of Bennie, and also starting to think about her own sexuality because of the prospect of being with a girl.

AND THEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There’s a SICKKKK revelation that truly shocked me! The fact that the group was just setting Beatrice and Bennie up by making them believe the other had a crush on them was SOOOOO SICK AND TWISTED!!!!!!!! 😱 I was SHOCKED!! And I felt soooo bad for Beatrice! She was finally understanding herself and her sexuality better, so finding out it was all based on a deception and her own sister was manipulating her HURT!

The rest of the story develops really naturally after this reveal, and I enjoyed where things went – with Beatrice and Hero’s sisterly bond, with Beatrice’s self-discovery journey, and with Beatrice and Bennie’s romance.


Now for the characters: Beatrice was a really relatable MC, to me. She was just so lost in life and didn’t know what she wanted to do in the future; she had no friends and always felt like a 5th wheel; and she was asexual!!!! aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I’m SO EXCITED to see more asexual representation, ESPECIALLY when there’s still romance in the story!!! 🥹🥹🥹 I think Beatrice’s struggle with her sexuality was really well portrayed! Some of my favourite lines that made me feel very #seen:

➤ “I couldn’t tell if my heart was trying to tell me that I liked Bennie. Or just that there was an excitement in being liked.”
➤ “I didn’t have a celebrity to claim as my queer awakening. I wasn’t even sure I was fully awake yet.”
➤ “Everyone around me was either already having sex or constantly talking about it, and I felt like that was ludicrous behavior. Like the whole universe was hypersexual and I was normal. I mean, I liked romance in movies and books, but I always saw it as separate from my reality—something that happened in those spaces, but not to me.”

I also really liked Beatrice and Hero’s sisterly relationship and how it developed throughout the book. It felt very realistic and while they both messed up, I understood where they both came from, with their flawed choices.

Beatrice and Bennie’s romance was really sweet! 🥹 I do wish it could’ve been developed a bit more – I would’ve liked to see more moments between them to fully establish their feelings for each other. But, other than that, I really liked them. Bennie was soooo cute! I love how she gave Beatrice the friendship bracelet she’d wanted to give her 8 years prior, and how she invited Beatrice over to build a Billy bookshelf because Bea’s favourite moment the whole year was their little Ikea date, and how she promposed while they were building the shelf because she knew Beatrice wouldn’t like a public promposal. 🥺🤧😭 And Bennie was sooo understanding and supportive of Beatrice when it came to her asexuality + her struggle with the future. They were just so cute, and I wish we could’ve seen more of them!


I do wish the book had been a bit longer (to better establish Beatrice and Hero’s sisterly bond at the very start of the book, to develop Bennie and Beatrice’s crushes a bit better, and to expand upon other things – like Beatrice’s relationship with her father). Bea’s story isn’t all wrapped up neatly – she still doesn’t know what she wants to do with her future, her father is still a bum, and Bennie is still going away to college next year. However, sometimes that’s just how life is, so I guess this story had a great ending, given that Beatrice was so lost in life. Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and I’d definitely recommend it!!! 🥰🥰🥰

[Hayli Bixenmann · Rating 3 out of 5]

You know...I gotta say. Usually when I read romance novels, I usually DNF them since they tend to be too cheesy for me. But...I surprisingly really liked this book. It was a really great YA romance about these two girls who are enemies, but they soon realize that they like each other.

The book is also about how the main character (Beatrice) and her sister, Harriet (mostly known as Hero), dealt with the highs and lows of sisterhood.

Back to my main point. I really liked the book. The only part I was confused about was the chapter titles. Like...I get that they had to do with Shakespeare, but I just...the chapter titles didn't really make sense to me. Some of them did make sense, so that's good...But I guess the chapter titles caught me off-guard. But other than that, the book was fun to read. I had a fun time reading it, and I hope you do too!

[Jenia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aaaah this was so cute 🥺 I watched Much Ado About Nothing yesterday, remembered again how much I lovvvve that play, and really wanted to read a queer retelling. Here Goes Nothing delivered!!

I'm not a huge fan of YA contemporary romance in general (just not in that stage of my life myself), but this was just so freaking cute. It's a great retelling in that it stuck to all the good plot beats you're excited to see (yesss eavesdropping scene), it had some fun smaller Easter eggs (I giggled every time at the dog being called Ursula lol), and changed the plot points that just don't fit for the 21st century audience (hemhem you don't wanna break this Claudio's nose). I was really rooting for Beatrice and Bennie, just as much as I always root for Beatrice and Benedick. Also I love the (grey?) ace rep with Bea, it was really nicely handled.

SMALL SPOILER

My one small negative is I wish theyd gotten together a taaaaad earlier, I woulda loved to see a couple chaps of them as a couple. And also I guess I wish there was a "our own handwriting against us" scene because it's so cute in the original, but oh well

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shakespeare but make it queer!

I'm so excited I get to publish another book. This story is about sisters, it's about not knowing who you are in a time when everyone expects you to, it's about first love and the exploration of sexuality, and there's a chaotic queer friend group and libraries and windmills and prom!

I love it so much and I hope you will too.

[Misha · Rating 5 out of 5]

(rounded up from 4.75)

This was a delightful contemporary retelling of Much Ado About Nothing. The banter is enjoyable and organic, the issues about identity, revenge porn affecting young women, and parentification when you lose one parent and the other has checked out so the older sibling must step up. This was also moving and had a lot of emotional moments about learning to grow up and step back from being a big sister and just being sisters together. Highly recommended!

[Emilie · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars

I’m going to be honest: while I am familiar with some of Shakespeare’s other works, I am not familiar with Much Ado About Nothing.

That being said, Here Goes Nothing was just as enjoyable with my lack of knowledge. I felt pulled in by the story and characters very quickly, and I kept wanting to know what was going to happen next.

It’s very much a YA coming of age book, but not in a bad way. I really loved the relationship between sisters Hero and Beatrice. Being the older sister to a younger sister, I found their relationship very relatable.

I also appreciated the journey of Beatrice’s confusion with her own identity. This is something I struggled a lot with growing up, and I too felt behind others my age.

This book does deal with some difficult subjects, but I think it handles them well.

Overall, an interesting and relatable YA book.

I received a free copy of this book for review purposes. All opinions are my own. Thank you NetGalley.

[Gabby Sequeira Lucero · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t think I was this book’s target audience, and didn’t really connect with the main character. However, this was still a really cute queer retelling of Much Ado About Nothing!

[Mora]

this was not the worst much ado i've read! the banter and dynamic between ben and bea was cute, and i liked how they both fit into their friend group while still having their own rivalry that was more friendly than actually hating each other (there really wasn't any reason for them to hate each other and the author, at least, knew that). there were a lot of changes to the actual plot of much ado, especially on the back end, that were objectively fine but didn't do anything for me in terms of saying something new about the play.

but oh my god stop talking like a) a primer about queer identities and b) internet therapy speech. though with the internet therapy speech at least these kids ARE on the internet in this day and age and very much could have picked up all of that from there.

[Griselda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got to preview this book thanks to NetGalley.

I gave it 5 stars because it’s an easy read with not so easy topics. What I mean is: the flow of the story was good. It didn’t spend a lot of unnecessary time in unnecessary scenes that didn’t contribute to the overall story. But yet, it tackled the heaviness of topics such as identity crisis, death of a loved one, online bullying, sexual exploitation, sexuality and the confusion of the spectrum, slut shaming and family dysfunction. I also call it an easy read because it kept me company through my insomniac nights, and not all books can do that.

I did enjoy the diversity element within the characters and how they all complement each other. I especially appreciated reading about non-toxic teenagers. Well, besides Johnny of course. I suppose the argument could be made that Beatrice was toxic too but I wouldn’t agree with that because she did take accountability and made the effort to change accordingly. She was just learning. Growing up. Being a teenager. I also liked that it didn’t stick to typical lgbtq stereotypes. These characters actually felt real. 3 dimensional.

I’m also really happy that Leo also had his own character development. He wasn’t just portrayed as a loser of a father the whole way through. Part of me wishes they had more of a happier ending but then I remembered that usually relationships with parents happen later on in life, not senior year so, this works. They didn’t end it on a bad note. It’s super interesting seeing their dynamic though. Beatrice is just as hard on Leo and she is on herself. Which makes sense since they’re practically similar in character. Both disassociating after the death of her mom. He became less available and she hid behind a mountain of responsibility. Both run away from their problems when it gets overwhelming. Both get triggered and angry somewhat easily, especially when it’s an issue of insecurity. Both try to do the right thing but it never feels like enough. Both try to justify their actions when others are clearly communicating that it’s not working. Gosh, if Hero wasn’t in the picture, I don’t know how they’d learn to cope with things😂.

But my favorite person was Bennie. She was cool, smart and most importantly patient. I love that they had witty banter. And I loved how the rumor made everything feel more exciting. The only thing I wish is that we’d get to know more info on their past. I get being mad that someone nicknamed you “Dorky” but we never got a complete picture as to why Beatrice really hated her. If she spent more time on that, the whole shift would have been way more dramatic. I wanted to hate her then fall in love with her, but I never hated her. There wasn’t a real reason for it. So instead I just liked her then loved her. But still, what fun! And giving this the queer angle definitely added to it, especially with an asexual perception. It would be a completely different, and possibly a shorter story if Beatrice knew what she wanted from the get go. And that would mean less Beanie (Beatrice and Bennie ship name) and that’s no bueno.

I’m not sure if the author is planning to write a sequel but if she is, I’m all for it. I’m invested in them now. 😂

I will say that what I was most delighted about this book is that the antagonist of the story wasn’t a person but a concept. Yea Johnny was a horrible human being and even Leo provided its conflict but they were more like obstacles. The real antagonist was miscommunication. And that makes this book all too relatable.

[Ana Sofia · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this queer YA Shakespeare retelling of Much Ado About Nothing, we follow Beatrice and Hero, two sisters who are navigating the throngs of Senior and Sophomore years of High School, and their childhood friend, Bennie, who is back from Boarding School.

I adored this retelling so much. Not only are the conversations around queer identities relatable but the found family the sisters find in their friend group was really comforting. What I always look for in YA contemporary stories are healthy relationships that help young readers identify what a good, strong and supporting friendship can be so that they can find and look for one it in their everyday life as well. I am confident this would make an amazing movie adaptation.

I believe this book to be a wonderful read for any teen in the verge of making big decisions regarding their future, like college applications and career choices, but also regarding romantic relationships, intimacy and bullying.

As an adult, I wish I had read this book when I was Bea's age. Navigating one's identity can be confusing and make you feel alone, having friends who are open to talk about their own experiences and sexuality is really important and this book does a wonderful job representing different identities and sharing with the reader what they might feel like...like the author said in the Author's Note and in one particular scene at the end, we live in a. world where representation matters and having these characters in this book give me hope for young readers, that they might read this book and find answers to their own questions.

Moreover, it's important to mention this book opens conversations about bullying, SA, public humiliation, lose of a parent and child neglect. I believe it important to expose young readers to these subject so, if they ever face the same or similar situations as the characters, that they know what to do or who to turn to. However, it's just as important to be aware when reading.

This book is definitely written for younger audiences, is easy to digest which would make it appealing to a nonreader and fun for an avid one. That being said, for adult audiences as myself, I felt a lack of development that could make the book longer and fuller, however, I understand I am not the intended audience. Even still, I deeply enjoyed the experience of reading this book and would, for sure, recommend to any young readers that seek book recommendations.

[Cindy Stein · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this modern adaptation of Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing," Beatrice, a high school senior, lives with her younger sister, Hero, and their father, some years after her mother's untimely death. As the book opens, her neighbor, Bennie, has returned home after spending two years at a boarding school. Beatrice and Bennie have always had a somewhat fraught relationship, which continues as they end up in most of the same classes. But then Hero starts to date one of the boys in Bennie's close friendship group and Beatrice is thrown into this small group. When she overhears Hero and her bf saying that Bennie has a crush on Beatrice, Beatrice goes into a tailspin, questioning her own sexuality and trying to sort out her feelings about Bennie.

The plot of this YA book most tracks the play with some important changes. The author does a good job of showing us Beatrice's inner turmoil and her fierce connection to Hero, plus so much of her father's dysfunction.

The book is very good and I recommend it, even though I had one quibble about how the author resolved an issue of sexual harassment experienced by Hero.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐ I received this as an ARC thanks to NetGalley.

I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. Here Goes Nothing is a fast and easy read that covers important topics and opened my eyes to a subject matter I previously didn’t know too much about. Prior to Here Goes Nothing I had never read Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing. After reading I did look it up and saw the similarities between the plots but with a modern twist and make it queer. I really enjoyed the found family trope and the relationship between Beatrice and Hero.

The pacing at the beginning seemed a little off and came off rushed. In addition, at times I felt like parts of the storyline or plot were left unfinished or we never got the full details of a certain situation/problem.

Personally, I believe the story could have used an epilogue but who knows maybe a second book will come out? Overall, Here Goes Nothing is a cutesy coming of age story about discovering one's sexuality/identity and I would recommend giving it a read.

[Maddie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing book about first love and exploring one's sexuality whilst navigating the trials and tribulations that is high school. However, the book also navigates the challenges that come from sisterhood and how a bonds between sisters is unbreakable, despite conflicts that may arise. The book also details a very adorable and strong friend group, which made this book so much more enjoyable and heartwarming. This book was super cute and had me kicking my feet until the wee hours of the morning. It was super fun and was such a comfort book for me. I really enjoyed the current pop culture references as I found it more relatable and entertaining. However, there are some difficult topics handled in the book, such as bullying, family issues, and more. These topics were handled respectfully and carefully, ensuring that younger readers will be able to learn from these topics and deepen their understanding on these social issues. Overall, such a great read and I highly recommend it to people of all ages, not just teens, who are interested in a coming-of-age enemies-to-lovers queer romance book that will make you cheeks hurt from smiling so hard.

[Jasmine Shouse · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars
I love a good Shakespeare retelling, even more so when it's queer! This one will hold an even more special place in my heart because it explores asexuality.

When Bennie transfers back to Messina High School, Beatrice is not happy to see her. But as Beatrice's sister Hero gets involved with Bennie's best friend Claude, Beatrice finds herself drawn into the friend group she never wanted with the girl she isn't sure she likes.

I loved this rendition of Much Ado About Nothing, and it doesn't shy away from the hard-hitting topics like assault and harassment, long-lasting grief, death of a parent, and the strength of moving forward when authority figures fail you. The banter between Bennie and Beatrice was cute, and the exploration of identity ,and what to do post-graduation are topics most teens can relate to. This is the kind of book teenage me would have definitely appreciated.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

[m · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fabulous modern Shakespeare retelling, Here Goes Nothing really encapsulates the trappings of adolescence and high school melodrama. Enter stage left, Beatrice, an eighteen year old who has been parentified due to personal circumstances. She doesn't quite know who she is because she's been too busy being the best sister/mom she can be, and for Beatrice that's enough. But when her younger sister, Hero, starts branching out and embracing new people, Beatrice is forced to grapple with feeling left behind. And it doesn't help one bit that in order to be near Hero she also needs to tolerate Benny, her irksome neighbor who stirs complicated feelings within her. There's something so resonant about her journey of self discovery and her imperfect, but very human, choices.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this e-book in exchange for an honest review.

[Helen Zoss · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun book! I loved Beatrice’s journey throughout the story and how much she grows into herself by the end. I also LOVED the witty banter between Bennie and Beatrice—they have such good chemistry! I laughed out loud so many times while reading!

I also thoroughly enjoyed the focus on sisterhood and how people can love their friends and family but also hurt them through their love—and how it’s important to find the balance in that.

[Cam Rasp · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ll be honest, I’ve never read Much Ado About Nothing (bad English major/teacher moment), so I did not know the premise at all.

I LOVED this book! Really well-written YA is hard to come by, imo. I think it’s a great read for young adults who have questions about their identity and is such a positive example of acceptance.

I picked this one up because I’ll be hearing from this author at TeenBookCon in Houston, and I can’t wait!!!!

[_bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everyone loves a cliched retelling! The only negative I had was how closely it tied to Much Ado About Nothing’s pacing of events. I related so much to Beatrice’s struggle with labels (similar ones I think). I love that Hero had an amazing voice in this story (unlike the original). Bennie and Beatrice ❤️ Claude and Hero 🩷 Shakespeare with a queer twist is epic.

[MG · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up. This was a fun queer take on Much Ado About Nothing. Retellings tend to be pretty hit or miss for me and this one was mostly a hit. I ended up skimming a bit at times, but I found the story and characters enjoyable. It was definitely a decent adaptation overall.

I read an ARC of this book from NetGalley. All comments are my own.

[Ann Zhao · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a heartwarming story with so many layers, and yet I wish it never ended! I loved the sister relationship and the exploration of asexuality. Modern adaptations of Shakespeare are one of the best genres.

[Anastacia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bea is a high school senior in Indiana. She reconnects with a girl she knew named Bennie. Most of the book is agonizing over every little thing and yelling at her so-called friends. The romance isn't really there, but the end is cute.

[Amelia L · Rating 3 out of 5]

cute queer retelling! appreciated the modern update

[Jenny Ashby · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the "Much Ado" tie-in, less enamored of Hero's storyline in this version. I also could've used some more decisive retribution for the real villain of the book.

[aspeccharactersoftheday]

Beatrice from Here Goes Nothing is acespec!

https://www.tumblr.com/aspeccharacter...

[Michele T · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a lot of fun!

[Jessica Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed all the characters and their relationships. What a great spin on a classic!

[Natalie Bricker · Rating 3 out of 5]

i just wish this was written like…differently

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite Much Ado About Nothing adaptations!!