Good book nice concept, not quite time travel, I liked it. I liked the little bits of history woven in, I like the ending

THE HUNDRED LOVES OF JULIET by Evelyn Skye had so much promise. I'm genuinely surprised that this made it to print. I generally love retellings, but this story really, really needed one last developmental edit. The novel is basically the reincarnation of Lauren Kate's FALLEN (2009) + the European vacation and unplanned pregnancy of E.L. James's FIFTY SHADES FREED (2012) with a Romeo and Juliet spin. Thus, I guess it makes sense that it feels like the execution of so many tropes feels dated and done.

The first half of the novel was actually okay, even if the characters felt a little underdeveloped. Since there's reincarnation, of course Helene and Sebastien need to have a chance meeting and have some immediate tension and attraction between them--even if things feel a bit cheesy. But it's the second half where we find the major issues. Helene and Sebastien never actually figure out the source of their curse and what exactly the cure is. They only have half-baked theories and Helene's optimism. Additionally, how everything unfolded with Merrick felt bizarre and underdeveloped. It just wasn't believable. The resolution was basically Sebastien's connections in Switzerland from being super old and wealthy solve all the problems. Too easy. Also, the conflict with Merrick that follows them to Europe really shouldn't have been an issue at all if Sebastien's connections were really that awesome--but also it should've been something Sebastien was super aware of considering the circumstances.

Despite all the criticism I've offered, I did really love the vignettes interwoven throughout. That's where there was some really great storytelling. Unfortunately, the vignettes alone cannot fix the issues in the overall plot.

I received a DIGITAL Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this book. The premise of this book was so interesting and it really hooked me almost immediately. I loved seeing all the different versions of Romeo and Juliet through the years.

I did read the last like quarter of the book in fear of something happening but I'm not going to spoil if my fear became a reality or not.

4.5 stars rounded up

I already loved this book, but that author's note at the end put it over the top and pushed it up to five stars for me. Seeing the story through that perspective broke my heart. My sincere wish for health and happiness for Evelyn Skye and her husband.

This was an amazingly beautiful story about love and heartbreak. To live and watch your soulmate die over and over would be agonizing. It was a wonder that Sebastien was as mentally stable as he seemed to be. His and Helene's love for each other and the stories of their past selves were poignant and achingly lovely. This was such an imaginative take on Romeo and Juliet. The ending didn't quite go like I thought it would, but I love where it went.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

In this spin on the classic tragedy of Shakespeare’s star-crossed lovers, Juliet dies, over and over again, as Romeo lives on, fated to meet his Juliet in life after life with the same tragic results. He goes by Sebastian the Alaskan crab fisherman this time around, and had gotten better at avoiding his Juliet when she inevitably returns. Helene, an aspiring writer, has just escaped to Alaska to cut ties with her terrible marriage to a gaslighting and controlling editor. When Helene and Sebastien cross paths, she is shocked to see her favorite recurring character brought to life from her pages, and he is just shocked to see her. He tries to be rude and avoid her, but resistance is futile, as the fates keep pushing them together, finally trapping them in his cabin during a blizzard. At least there is more than #Just!OneBed.

The romantic details are swoon-worthy and the narrative is compelling, richly written, and well-plotted–I’d even go so far as to say admirably meta. Helene has amassed scraps of historical fiction that she would like to piece together into a narrative, and the ridiculous story that Sebastien is claiming might be the way to do it. One can’t help but wonder if this is true for author Skye: taking all the orphaned bits of writing to turn them into a novel is a brilliant move, and it works.

I received a free advance reader’s review copy of #TheHundredLovesOfJuliet from #NetGalley.

Absolutely breathtaking and brilliant. I loved this story so much, I can’t recommend it enough. 5 huge stars.

2.5 stars rounding up to 3. This was a cute story with an imaginative and highly unbelievable premise. Helene and Sebastien could have been better developed characters and the writing was decent but it felt more like a YA novel. I'm not a big romance fan but if you are you will probably enjoy this book. Thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC.

I wil lalways have a soft sopt for Evelyn Skye because she was one of the first authors that helped me fall in love with historical books (thank you, The Crown's Game) so I knew I wanted to pick this up. But Romeo and Juliet retellings can be hit or miss because it's such a classic and well known story it can be hard to find something fresh. But I loved the eternal.reincarnation element of the story, it really amped up the longing and desire which is so much a part of the the original play for me.

Thank you very much for the opportunity to read this book early! I really enjoyed it. I thought the writing was very well done, and the story kept me interested. I believe my students/patrons would also love this book and will be acquiring it for the library!

This really was a great book. I felt it had the perfect mix of romance, magical realism, and historical fiction. I was fully engaged during the entire story and loved the message the book was sending.

What a unique book written about one of my favorite stories of all time! We are all familiar with Romeo and Juliet, but the ending gets me every time. What if Romeo and Juliet continue to live in history, finding each other over the centuries? In this novel, Romeo survives but is cursed as his Juliet becomes different women who always perish no matter what he does. When he sees Juliet again, this time in the form of Helene who is a tourist in his Alaska town, he knows he has to push her away to save her. But with Helene’s persistence and curiosity bringing her closer and closer to him, can they find a way to save both of them?

I loved the flashbacks to past lives and the romance of love threading throughout time. What a lovely sentiment that love is so strong to withstand even death. The author’s note at the end and her personal connection to this storyline made it even more poignant. What a lovely, hopeful book!

Wow. This is a new author for me , but I have a soft spot for Romeo and Juliet and was curious about the story. I am floored. This book was funny and sad, and full of love and adversity. The idea of Romeo and Juliet back together over and over through history such a statement about the depths to which love can connect two souls. The author has written a poignantly sweet story that makes one think about what decisions we would make about beginning an epic love with someone expecting to lose that person. Do we go forward with both eyes open and hope for the best or do we walk away to avoid the devastation that may be the result? That decision may be different for each of us, but the author illustrates in this story that grabbing on to something good is really worth it in the end. None of us know how or when our personal story will end, and we should make the most of every day we have. I recommend this book to everyone. I am voluntarily submitting this honest review after reading an advanced complementary copy of this book thanks to Netgalley.and Random House Publishing Group, Ballantine, Del Rey.

Anyone who knows me knows that Romeo and Juliet is my favorite thing. I read it every year multiple times a year with my students and I love the story, it may not be Shakespeare’s most refined play, but for me, Romeo and Juliet’s love has always stuck out. In this modern interpretation of Romeo and Juliet, Juliet, dies, over and over again over centuries, while her Romeo tries to undo the curse that keeps him alive. He is cursed to watch his love die over and over again, but when Sebastien meets Helene, the newest incarnation of his Juliet, he hopes that things can be different. This was a fun romance read, especially for those of us who are fans of the original.

The Hundred Loves of Juliet is about Helene, a 30-year-old soon-to-be divorcee who decides to shake up her life by moving to Alaska to work on her novel. There she meets Sebastien, a crab fisherman who looks kind of familiar...? Almost like a made up guy that she used as the main character for all of her novel vignettes. But who is also a giant jerk and doesn't want anything to do with her. It turns out that he is the real Romeo Montague from Romeo and Juliet and who was cursed with immortality after accidentally killing Juliet. He is also cursed with meeting the reincarnated Juliet every 20-30-ish years. In every case, she dies suddenly and tragically. Helene is the newest version of Juliet, but it also turns out that she has memories of her previous lives and Romeo that she thought were unrelated fiction stories. The two try to figure out why Helene is different and if it could possibly be the end of the curse.

Cool premise, right?? I thought so! This basically gets you to halfway through the book and I was feeling it! I love retellings and reimagined versions of classic stories and liked how this one had such a new spin on the original story, while not being a straight retelling. As a fellow 30-year-old woman who also had a Romeo and Juliet obsession in middle school, I was really looking forward to seeing how the story progressed. The blurb also states that this story is partially based on the author's own experience with the love of her life having a very serious health condition, which could end his life without a lot of warning. I thought that having such a traumatic situation inspire a novel like this and really think about soul mates and the length vs. the quality of love was a super interesting concept. (Although Juliet never reincarnating into a person of color despite Romeo meeting her in parts of Asia, Hawaii, etc did make me go hmmmmmm)

And then...

I'm not kidding, the book literally turns into Fifty Shades Freed. European vacation, crazy ex kidnapping Helene and forcing her to withdraw a ton of money to pay him off, and a surprise baby. Um, what?? Not exactly how I thought this book was going to go! It went from cool-premise-Alaska-is-awesome-I-want-to-date-a-crab-fisherman to oh-my-god-what-is-happening-she's-gaining-weight-only-in-her-stomach-and-is-nauseous-and-has-an-irregular-period-but-hasn't-had-it-in-a-few-months-must-be-the-pastries?!?!?!? Can we go back to the crab fishing drama??

I'm rating this book 2.5 stars rounded up to 3 stars because I truly enjoyed the first half but the second half was so incredibly bonkers that I'm not sure what happened. I still kind of feel like I fever dreamed the second part. Sooo I recommend this if you want a wild ride or if you just want to read the first half? Thank you to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for the electronic advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange for my honest review, my thoughts are my own!

Classic literature fans and die-hard romance readers will love this one! I thought the story was simple, but very cute and whimsical. The quotes and language in this book were beautiful, and I was completely invested in all the sappy, sweet goodness. This is a total comfort read. I wish I could have read it in the winter with a cozy blanket and fuzzy socks! So cute!

A beautifully written story about the transcendence of love and being with your soul mate against all odds. A unique reimagining of Romeo and Juliet. Engaging, dramatic, and emotional. A lovely novel especially if you're looking for something unique.

Loved this one. So beautifully written and will tug at your heartstrings long after reading!

Thanks to the publisher for the advanced copy

This book had a hold on me. I could not put it down! Sebastian's story as Romeo broke my heart. Emo romances are my favorite and this just really delivered. The non linear timeline was written really well and added to the drama and suspense. I loved the ending when the watch started working again. The author's note also tugged at my heart. I didn't love the blackmail part of the story line as much. Some of it just seemed a bit more dramatic than it needed to be, but I was still entertained. 100% will be reading whatever is next from this author.

Actual rating: 3.5 stars

I was so excited to read this book, because time travel/reincarnation romances have fascinated me since high school *cough* A Thousand Pieces of You *cough.* The first half of the book was very cute, and I liked Helene/Juliet—she was a fun, spunky character. The last half of the book, though, just didn't impress me as much. I think the plot was supposed to feel high-stakes, but I lost interest in the storyline, and the ending, while sweet, was a bit cliché in my opinion.

I did enjoy reading the flashbacks (traveling back in time!!) and I think the premise of a Romeo-and-Juliet curse is unique and interesting. The bottom line: This story might be a tad cheesy, but it's an easy romance read with a fun reincarnation/soulmate storyline.

Read the Author's Note!! It's the most heartwarming moment of the entire book.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A lovely take on Romeo and Juliet with a fun twist on the time travel romance. Very sweeping and romantic. Great for a winter afternoon curled up with a cozy blanket.