Serve Love Mend

by Jenni Sauer

A YA Much Ado About Nothing Retelling

Unknown Binding

Published May 21, 2026

About the author

Jenni Sauer writes fairy tale retellings for soft, angry hearts. She didn’t go to college, but she has a degree of mental health and has her masters in optimism from the school of life. Her proudest achievements include staying soft despite the trauma she’s lived through and holding on when life tried its hardest to take her out

If you’re looking for her, she’s probably bent over her laptop plotting treason—er, her latest story idea—or procrastinating on that by making another playlist or cute aesthetic. Or you can find her on Instagram @ivorypalaceprincess

Reviews

[Abigail McKenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

classic jenni sauer, here she goes again: reading my mind and putting it in a book 🙄😂 I eat it up every time 🫶 I loved this so much, as I knew I would, which is always the most satisfying. the girlhood, the friendship, the romance, the banter, it was all a 10/10 and I had a grand time. 5 stars from me!

*content warnings for mild profanity and mentions of sexual abuse

**I received a copy of this book from the author. A positive review was not required. All opinions are my own.**

[Amelia E. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marcus and Thea are my favorites but I love them all 😌

[Verity Buchanan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I liked this more than I would have liked reading the play itself, which sounds rather insulting to Wm. Shakespeare, but to each his own. I had only a nodding familiarity with Much Ado About Nothing's plot and characters, though finishing the book made me more interested in reading the play for comparison purposes. In signature Jenni form, this book was sweet and tender, full of small intentional ways to show the characters living life and being fleshed-out, whole people. It really feels like a warm hug.

I enjoyed it a lot. I didn't resonate with every part, but it was a good read. I laughed, I melted, I got the feels.

Content: Not salacious, but a considerable amount of talking about sex. Given the source material, this is not surprising I suppose. Maxed out the amount I'm comfortable reading about attraction and kissing. Rare, mild expletive in dialogue (super in character and considerably less of it in than All Quiet on the Western Front). I would offer to adult friends with discretion.

[Nathaniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Indelible. I mean...incredible. Yes, that's the word I'm looking for.

Jenni Sauer never lets me down.

[J. Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely Much Ado About Nothing retelling!! I absolutely loved the world it was set in, and the little nods to the rest of the Evraft universe!! Thea and Marcus my beloveds. That is all

[S.H. Dontell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book and am leaving my free and honest review!
As this is a Jenni Sauer book, y'all will NOT be surprised to hear that I adored this book! The world building was gloriously cozy and aesthetic, and I want to live on Messina so badly. The characters were amazing, and they all grew throughout their arcs in the book so well. I was especially fond of Thea and Marcus—they were so CUTE.
I really enjoyed how different yet similar each of the main characters and their relationships ended up being! I also REALLY liked the way Much Ado About Nothing was retold here. Some of the changes fit the story so much better, while she still kept some of my FAVORITE lines from the play!
All in all this was a beautiful story of growth and sisterhood, and I really enjoyed it! (Side note: this is one of Sauer's more adult-ish books, so there's some frank discussions about sex. Tastefully handled, but it's still worth noting!)

[Kelly Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Serve Love Mend is a Much Ado About Nothing retelling, which is all I needed to know to put it at the top of my TBR. Jenni Sauer is the queen of writing girls supporting girls (especially the soft, angry kind), and this book is the cutest cottagecore Shakespeare version of that, but it still doesn’t pull any punches. I loved Adalet’s 2am baking, Maizy’s perpetual scowls, and Thea’s bug ramblings (complete with wrong words). But my favorite was Zadia. She’s stubborn, organized, a stickler for the rules, will tell you like it is, and fiercely loyal and protective. I loved when she got her soft moments. This was a sweet, cozy read with wit and depth. Five shiny stars from me!

[Payton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't even know where to begin except to say I absolutely adored this book. Yes, I know, I say that with all of Jenni Sauer's books, but I really truly mean it. This book was incredible, I absolutely devoured it.
Never before did I ever think there was a book I needed, but that was what Serve Love Mend was. A book I needed to read, needed to hear the stories of these four incredible women.
I love this book, this story, these characters, so so so much.

[Blake Barrington · Rating 5 out of 5]

I lucked into getting an ARC and I was so, so excited, because I love this author.

This was such a sweet book.

Jenni Sauer is an auto-buy author; everything she writes is sweet and heartbreaking all at once. Her ability to show characters with deep kindness and deep insecurities is lovely, and it's very much on show with Adalet, Zadia, Maizy, and Thea.

This is an excellent "girls supporting girls" book. While there is romance--really, really good romance--most of the book concerns the developing friendship and sisterhood between our four POV girls. And they are such wonderful girls! Each is so different and so interesting. I think Zadia and Thea were my favorites, but this was by a small margin, as I also really love Adalet and Maizy.

Thea and her relationship with her fiancé, Marcus, was one of my favorite parts. I so badly want to one day have a man who I can blab about all of my niche research and, even if he doesn't understand, wants to listen just because it brings me joy. I loved them so much and they were my favorite couple in the book.

I also really loved Zadia and her complex relationship with Derrick.

The handling of Adalet's relationship in the book also fascinated me and I was so happy with how it went.

I don't know much about Shakespeare. I've only read two plays (Romeo & Juliet and Othello), so I'm no expert. One day I do mean to read some more of his plays (I'd like to try some of the comedies), but for now, I'm a noob. So I had to look up and read the plot of Much Ado About Nothing because I wanted to be able to catch the references in the text. I really loved this telling of the story, and I love that minor characters got much bigger voices in this story than they apparently did in the original play.

Even if you know nothing about Shakespeare (like me), this book is amazingly sweet and cottagecore and all of the spring vibes. You can enjoy it without knowing the play (again, like me) and I 100% recommend it when it release.

[R.C.Lloyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read an early copy of Serve Love Mend, and Jenni outdid herself with this one. It's a nostalgic and raw glimpse into the lives of four young women, finding themselves, falling in love, hurting, and carrying each other. I especially loved the way their stories ended.

This one feels like a classic girlhood book, think Anne of Green Gables and Little Women. So make yourself a tea and join Thea, Adalet, Maizy, and Zadia for tea.