Abuzz

by Amy Chase, Stelladia (Illustrator)

Sparks and stingers will fly in this modern reimagining of Shakespeare’s classic romantic comedy Much Ado About Nothing!

Sparks and stingers will fly in this modern queer reimagining of Shakespeare’s classic romantic comedy Much Ado About Nothing! Inspired by Shakespeare’s beloved romcom Much Ado About Nothing with a modern queer twist, Abuzz tells the story of teenage couples at Messina High falling in and out of love thanks to verbal spars, idle gossip, and jealous schemers. Ben and Beatriz, former friends, can’t stop fighting on their way to senior graduation, threatening to tank college applications and years of hard work. Meanwhile, Hero and Claudio are new on campus, hoping to find their footing as new romance blossoms. Together with friends from the school clubs and sports teams, they have to find a way to get the feuding seniors to stop everyone from picking sides in their conflict before it tears the school apart. Meanwhile, scorned juniors DJ, Connie, and Roach see the chaos as their perfect opportunity to completely topple the social pyramid and position themselves to rule the school. School Principal Leo is stuck between her duty as Hero’s parent and her duty as a leader to the buzzing student body while the bumbling academic counsellor Dogberry and her student assistant Vergil verbosely stumble their way through upholding the integrity and safety of the school halls.

Genres: Young Adult, Graphic Novels, Comics, Queer, LGBT, Retellings, Graphic Novels Comics

Kindle Edition

First published November 18, 2025

Reviews

[Gabriele | QueerBookdom · Rating 2 out of 5]

Representation: queer non-binary white Usian protagonist, demisexual Latina secondary character, queer Spanish secondary character, queer non-binary white Usian secondary character, asexual aromantic Latine tertiary character, non-binary Black tertiary character.

Content Warning: bullying, emotional manipulation.

It was all way too hasty and banal.

[Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love the queer normative take on Shakespeare’s comedy “Much Ado About Nothing”, but I found the dialogue to be clunky and did not give me high school vibes. I also wasn’t a fan of the art style.

[Heather Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A queer retelling of Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing,” making the story incredibly accessible, and an ever present reminder of Shakespeare’s lasting legacy and timelessness of his work!

[Vanessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent take on Much Ado About Nothing; its rather ambitious to take on Shakespeare and condense it such an extreme. The art was distinct. I don't know if I liked it or not, but I did enjoy the vibrancy of the colors.

[Sesana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Much Ado About Nothing modern high school AU. It's fine as far as hitting the story beats go. Too many shallow, unlikable characters, though.

[Adriana · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love the representation, how it's totally normal for kids to be referred to by their preferred pronouns with no one even blinking at their orientation or preferences. But that was it.
Maybe if things were more focused on one couple or character, with more pages to fully flesh them out.
The art has a very distinctive style that I appreciate helps it stand out, but it's not for me.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you for the eARC! This adaption of Much Ado About Nothing was super cute and I love it. The artwork was wonderful and it was very inclusive. I absolutely love Shakespeare and this adaptation was great for an updated world.

[Linda Hawkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Abuzz was a page turner, and was abuzz with high school drama, character development, and clever writing. The style of art and coloring was appreciated as it allowed the reader to follow who's who. For me, this was a great introduction to the world of the graphic novel.

[Kate · Rating 1 out of 5]

That....wasn't very good. I try to reserve 1 star ratings to things I truly hated, and I didn't hate this. But it's honestly hard to give it a 2 star. Outside of the fact it was a Much Ado About Nothing retelling, I don't really think there's anything positive to say. I mean, the representation was good, I guess. But it honestly felt like too much in such a small book. I think the characters were boring. I think the story wouldn't have worked AT ALL if it wasn't a retelling. I think the artwork wasn't very good.

Honestly, I started this review having given it a 2 star, but I'm dropping it. The thing that saved this was that it was quick enough to not have to read it for long. While I don't think there was anything inherently wrong with it, I think it was clunky and boring.

[Jasmine Shouse · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this in one sitting! Much Ado About Nothing is my favorite play, so I really enjoyed this modern, queer take on it. The art was well done, if a little clunky at times. Lots of bright colors and plenty of diverse characters. This was fast to read with plenty of nods to Shakespeare.

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

[Jimmy Gaspero · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this retelling of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing. The dialogue was modern and the retorts just as quippy as they are in the original. The queer representation was refreshing and so needed in stories like this about high school kids. Stelladia's artwork was unique and interesting and held my attention.

[Carolynne R · Rating 5 out of 5]

Abuzz was a fun retelling of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing with relatable characters in a setting that takes me back to my high school days! Sprinkled with teenage angst, misunderstandings, heartbreak, hijinx and fun wordplay made for a great read.

[Stacey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute storyline, but I didn't love the art style.

[Jadyn❀ · Rating 3 out of 5]

*2.5* would’ve liked this so much more if the one friend Hero made at the beginning didn’t conveniently disappear from the story when the big miscommunication goes down.