Pasta Girls

by Taylor Tracy

""Sweeter than zeppole. This book has something for everyone.""—Jake Maia Arlow, Stonewall Honor Author of Almost Flying

In this queer, contemporary, and neurodiverse spin on Romeo and Juliet from Stonewall Award Honor author Taylor Tracy, two New York City girls from warring restaurateur families befriend each other during the busiest week for their respective Italian the Feast of San Gennaro.

Hot-headed and energetic Romea Marino is starting ninth grade with a full plate. Between confusing social dynamics of high school and juggling extracurriculars, Ro can only find peace in the reliable comfort of her kitchen, where she’s able to follow in her dad’s culinary footsteps, whipping up Italian-fusion recipes.

Thoughtful and reserved Julianna Cangelosi is dying to help in her family’s restaurant, which serves traditional Italian dishes. But because Jules suffers from anxiety and struggles with overstimulation, her parents are wary of their daughter being in the chaos of a New York City kitchen.

When Ro and Jules meet on the first night of the San Gennaro Festival, sparks fly…until they learn that their fathers own dueling Italian restaurants across the street from each other. But the more the girls hang out—Ro teaching Jules how to cook; Jules taking Ro to her favorite spots around the city—the more their feelings grow. Can they rewrite the old tale of star-crossed kids from rival families and create a new recipe for love and friendship?

Genres: Romance, Middle Grade, Contemporary, Lesbian, LGBT, Young Adult, Mental Health

Audible Audio

First published September 9, 2025

About the author

Taylor Tracy is the author of the Stonewall Award Honor Book Murray Out of Water. Taylor writes books filled with humor and heart that explore the joys and hopes of queer kids, focusing on mental health, found family, and the importance of a sense of community. She lives in New Jersey with her family, including a fluffle of mischievous rescue bunnies, and loves everything her home state has to offer: the best bagels, pizza, and beaches. When not writing, she can be found down the shore, in the rock gym or next to her growing pile of books to read and love.

Reviews

[Bookishrealm · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute sapphic retelling of Romeo and Juliet

What Worked: This was such a unique and endearing way to recreate the world of Romeo and Juliet. Though it didn't have the tragic ending in the original work, Pasta Girls was able to keep the same energy/atmosphere with the family conflict, intriguing side characters, and a lush, vibrant world. As someone who enjoys the inclusion of food, recipes, and culture in books, Tracy did a brilliant job capturing the tantalizing creations in each of the Italian restaurants. Jules and Ro were well developed, complex characters that truly captured the experiences of the intended audience. Not only did the book highlight their relationship, but it also showed their intricate feelings and thoughts about their identities, families, and communities. Though I can't speak to the accuracy of the neurodiversity representation, Tracy seem to handle each character's experience with compassion and thoughtfulness.

What Didn't Work: There were a few moments where the book reached lull and the pace of the book slowed down. Additionally, there were a few references to other pop culture/bookish related things. This is not inherently a bad thing; however, I do think that it can prematurely date a book.

Overall, this was a great read and I'm looking forward to reading more from this author in the future.

[Katie Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children’s Books for a complimentary early release copy of Pasta Girls by Taylor Tracey.

I liked Pasta Girls, this was a cute and wholesome sapphic romance read but the book touches on lots of important topics too, it focuses on growing up, what comes next in life, family, mental health, grief, wellness, communication, and being comfortable with one’s queer identity. I felt that all of these topics were approached nicely, they came into the story line rather naturally, and I liked how things played out. The romance storyline is very cute but it’s more subtle as family and friendships are mostly focused on which I didn’t mind! I enjoyed these friendships and family dynamics, some are a bit toxic due to miscommunication but you can tell all of these characters do care for one another once they actually communicate with each other.

Romea and Jules made a cute pairing, I enjoyed their romance I especially loved their adventures and dates. Some of my favorite scenes between them have to be once Ro starts to teach Jules how to cook. Those scenes are very cutesy and wholesome but I also enjoyed the cooking descriptions for them. Another aspect that I enjoyed about Pasta Girls are both girls grand mothers, I loved to see the scenes with either girl interacting with their grandmother. Those scenes were very sweet and I loved seeing them give their granddaughter advice on different subjects.

Overall I’m very pleased with my read of Pasta Girls, I found both characters to be enjoyable to read from and could sympathize with them on many occasions. This was such a sweet and wholesome read for me, I liked how certain things were handled, I was routing for Romea and Jules my entire read, and hopeful with the characters that things would resolve in a positive way for the both of them and their families.

[Bargain Sleuth Book Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins Children’s Books/Quill Tree Press for the digital copy of this book; I am leaving this review voluntarily.

There are so many reasons to love Pasta Girls! The book is a queer, LGBTQIA+ love story that gets inspiration from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. It weaves neurodivergent experiences and non-binary perspectives. There’s a culinary culture featuring the Italian, New York City scene. The book challenges traditional romance tropes and also touches on metal health challenges.

It’s still very frustrating to see when parents don’t pay attention to their children or have a different view of who their kids really are. The parents in Pasta Girls just would not listen to the girls until the two worked together to explain themselves. It makes one wonder if the parents had completely disassociated from their own childhoods. It’s no wonder the girls were sneaking around behind their parents’ backs.

This is a very cute book where the word lesbian isn’t a bad word.

[Rikki Ziegelman · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute and heart warming YA novel with a lot of love woven between the pages. As a native New Yorker I loved reading about the 2 classic Italian families and the San Gennaro festival. I am giving it 3 stars because the 2 girls and the 2 families were very, very similar - and often it was hard to tell who was related to who. Because of this, I think it lacked a bit of depth. However it was a really adorable read and I think teens will love it!

Thanks to NetGalley & the publishers for the ARC!

[Raaven💖 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

The dads fighting felt like Bob and Jimmy Pesto from Bob’s Burgers.

This was such a cute little book. I’m a certified Romeo and Juliet hater, but books like this make me want to give it a chance again. I love all the retellings. This sapphic neurodivergent retelling was so cute and fun. Jules and Ro both love their families and their communities and it was so nice to learn about Little Italy. Seeing kids be so passionate about their culture was great to see. Jules has extreme anxiety and has a hard time in crowds and Ro helping her was so sweet. It was also sweet to see Ro teach her how to cook. I liked the addition of an aroace character even though it wasn’t mentioned except as “they don’t get crushes so they don’t really understand what it’s like to have one” I would have liked to see Melissa’s sexuality explained more, but it’s ok.

I always get so frustrated seeing the way parents completely ignore or belittle their children in books like these. Like they didn’t want to listen to a thing they had to say until the girls worked together to explain themselves. And I completely understood why they felt like they had to sneak around and lie.

In the long run I learned a lot about Italian food and I loved seeing the girls fall for each other. I appreciated how they explained how Lesbian isn’t a bad term and how there were good talks about grief and about how Jules might be missing her older brother off and on and how she shouldn’t feel guilty about it. The end put a smile on my face for sure.

[Alexis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for this ARC!

Pasta Girls is a queer, (loosely) Romeo and Juliet based middle grade romance written from two perspectives. Jules is 13 and about to make a big choice about perusing music at a public high school in NYC, or continuing on at her current private school. Ro is a year older and is having trouble navigating her first year of high school, mostly because of her ADHD that makes it hard for her to manage tasks and physical objects. Jules is anxious and autistic, and her family has a wealth of supports for Jules to navigate her life.

I think my students would appreciate this queer, neurodiverse novel set during the NYC San Gennaro Festival. Did I love it? Not exactly, but I do think it brings some needed perspectives to the middle grade romance realm.

From my view as an adult reader making collection development choices for my 6th-8th grade readers, I have a few reservations. Ro’s ADHD often reads more like a diagnosis list than a real human’s experience of ADHD. Jules’ autism and anxiety is much better written and actually feels within the story. Anytime Ro’s ADHD is mentioned I feel like I’ve skipped to a page in a technical manual. as someone who works with many students with ADHD, the day to day experience just felt too clinical for me and took me out of Ro’s own voice.

The Romeo and Juliet vibes? Very loose. I also don’t know how many middle grade readers have read or seen a production of Romeo and Juliet so maybe it’s a moot point?

This one kind of dragged for me. The conflict between the two families just wasn’t fleshed out enough for me to feel the urgency to finish this to find out what happens.

2.5/5 stars
Pub. date: September 8, 2025

[Donna Metler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recieved a free eARC of this book from NetGalley. Thank you for the opportunity to read it.

Romeo and Juliet is a classic tale of woe and romance between children of two warring families. In this case, Ro and Jules are two 14 yr olds, children of two competing and combative Italian restaurant owners. The girls meet at a street fair, fall for each other, and have to both deal with their own budding romance..,,and their parents’ animosity.

Like most LGBT romances, this is extremely age appropriate. As in, the romance is hand holding and a few kisses on top of a Ferris wheel, the dates are making pasta and trying out food, often in the company of friends and family, and the girls are just plain sweet characters.

Happily, the ending is much happier than in the original, with the help of a couple of Italian nonnas :).

Overall, this is an enjoyable book that would be very appropriate for middle school age readers. Unfortunately, the fact that it has two female co-protagonists likely means it cannot be used in classrooms in my state. I hope it makes it into homes instead.

[Kayleigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This queer YA spin on Romeo and Juliet was so cute.
Jules and Ro are both just fourteen years old with a crush on the girl from the Italian restaurant across the street, but their dads have a long-standing feud that they can't get over. I loved that there were a couple fun Shakespeare quotes thrown in like "a plague on both your houses" and while the story was nostalgic, it's a good standalone.
Both Ro and Jules have a deep connection to their families and their heritage and that shows up in their love of cooking, really using food to take care of each other. The friend cast was well rounded and full of queer characters, but it really just came down to a group of kids enjoying the week-long food festival that their families partake in. This leads to reading about a ton of delicious food and I definitely wanted to stop and make pasta.
This would be a cute middle/high school read.

This will be published 9 September 2025 and I received an advanced copy from Netgalley in exchange for my review.

[Jasmine Shouse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Based on Romeo and Juliet, this is a cute Middle Grade queer romance full of heart and delicious-sounding food. Ro and Jules are a sweet couple figuring out how to be together amidst their families feuding. I enjoyed the parallels to Romeo and Juliet, and I think this book would be a great introduction to that classic for junior high students. As an active parent of Scouts, I appreciated Ro being so dedicated (even if it is hard to believe she Eagle'd as a freshman. I loved the representation of autism and anxiety, though the ADHD sounded more like technical explanations than actual rep. The writing itself was a little repetitive, but I've noticed that tends to happen in Middle Grade books.

All in all, a fun read, and now I want Italian food.

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

[RStanley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for the arc for my honest review.
5 out of 5 stars/3rd pov with the characters being Ro and Jules
Two classic Italian families in new york city. One San Gennaro festival. A revamp to the classic Romeo and Juliet story.
Ro and Jules are two 14 year old girls who are the children of the rival Italian restaurant owners. They meet at a street fair party, share a moment on a Ferris wheel, and then continue to see each other even after they find out about their feuding families. Will they have a happy ending or will their families drive them apart?

I loved this book for it's modern take on Romeo and Juliet. I loved how they referenced it but it's still very unique. I also looked every cooking moment. The food seems to a character as well.

[The Sapphic Book Lounge · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a mother to 4 wonderful young daughters I appreciate tween/teen reads that give them an opportunity to read all types of young love stories. This book was adorable. I do think that the maturity and personality of the MCs comes across a couple years younger than the age they are supposed to be in the book, but a charming read all the same. The story focuses less on a romance and more on the family dynamics of the two girl's families. The play on Romeo and Juliet with Ro and Jules is a cute approach. I think it's important that young adolescents have literature that addresses challenging family dynamics, mental health, the way that family, expectations, and society place stress on children and this book does that well while keeping things appropriate.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun YA enemies to lovers/Romeo and Juliet style story that has two neurodiverse teen girls from feuding Italian American families falling in love over their shared love of good food and having to work to get their families to reconcile.

I loved the ADHD and Autism rep, the Little Italy setting, the great food descriptions and thought it was excellent on audio too narrated by Hayden Bishop and Jeremy Carlisle Parker (a fav!)

Recommend for fans of books like A Bánh Mì for Two by Trinity Nguyen or The dos and donuts of love by Adiba Jaigirdar. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Manon the Malicious · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was provided an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was pretty good and cute, a nice middle grade. I liked the characters and the setting. I really liked how the neighborhood was such an important part of the story. I just wished the adults had been less annoying. The pacing was also a little of. It was very long for a while and then everything sped up and got solved a bit too easily for me. But it was still a very good middle grade novel. I really liked the grandmothers and the friends and the two main characters. It was a cute story overall and I can't wait to read more books by this author.

[velvetlikesbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to get an eARC of this book. I quite enjoyed the plot and characters of this book. The Romeo & Juliet rewrite was really cute and well done. Jules and Ro's relationship was adorable in every way. Watching these young kids fall in love was very wholesome for me. I often got annoyed and irritated with their parents, and I felt like that part of the story was wrapped up a bit too easily, considering how rude they were for most of the book. This book is perfect for any young kid. I would definitely recommend it.

[Yapha · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a sweet retelling of Romeo & Juliet set at the San Gennaro Festival in New York City with the daughters of two rival restaurant owners falling for each other. There were a lot of clever throwbacks to the original. Ro and Jules were both sweet and kind, but something in the writing kept me at an arm's length from the story inside of being able to feel immersed. For grades 5 & up.

eARC provided by publisher via Edelweiss

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pasta Girls: DNF. Bummer! I really loved Murray Out of Water, but this one, Tracy's prose-novel debut, felt much less polished--the verb tenses are inconsistent, and despite a lot of front-loaded explanation about both protagonists and their families, the characters still felt difficult to keep track of.

[Lilly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet, insightful queer novel for younger folks and older folks alike! I enjoyed the Romeo and Juliet roots but appreciated the diversity and inclusivity present as well as the touching on of bigger topics like neurodiversity and divergency, grief, and generational expectations/trauma.

[Liz Wine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adored this story about two queer, neurodivergent girls navigating their blossoming relationship to the backdrop of a family feud!

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Too cute 😭🍝

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was very sweet - and in a stunning turn of events, the use of Italian was actually correct! ANDDD the audiobook narrator used completely correct pronunciation! A delight indeed!