i was so so excited about this because of the premise. i love a tale about star crossed lovers. and on top of that, anything that has a time travel esque / reincarnation plot as well. however, i unfortunately didn't love this book as much as i thought i would. the characters fell flat, the plot was not fleshed out enough, and the romance lacked chemistry. i thought the plot also wrapped up a bit too nicely and cleanly. i really wish i had loved this more because the premise and plot was so brilliant!!

This book had a very interesting premise. Helene goes to Alaska to write and escape her husband whom she is leaving. While there she runs into Sebastien and realizes he is literally the man of her dreams. He is exactly like a character she made up years ago and and has written about. How can this fictional character she created be real?

While I liked the overall story, I found the writing kind of simplistic and it did not work for me. I also did not like how Sebastien was controlling at times and kept things from Helene.

The Hundred Loves of Juliet by Evelyn Skye is a nearly perfect, magical, and creative romance.

I tend to be highly critical of romance stories, especially if they are formulaic. At best, they bore me. At worst, they annoy me with third act break-ups and love triangles. The Hundred Loves of Juliet, I’m thrilled to report, is none of those things. And I adored it!

I love stories with magical elements, so this tale of immortal and re-incarnated star-crossed lovers definitely hit my sweet spot. Sebastien/Romeo has lived many lifetimes yet barely ages. Cursed with immortality, he repeatedly falls in love with Juliet re-incarnated, only to experience her horrible death anywhere from two days to two years after they meet.

When Helene encounters Sebastien in a remote Alaskan town, she is stunned. He looks and acts just like the main character in her stories. Sebastien is equally startled at her appearance. He knows instantly that Helene is Juliet. But because of the curse, complications (like Helene could now be doomed to a tragic death) ensue.

I wasn’t a fan of the secondary storyline with Helene’s estranged husband. And I would’ve loved more time in the Alaskan setting. But those are small quibbles.

The Hundred Loves of Juliet is perfect for readers who enjoy the tropes of forced proximity, grumpy-sunshine, and fated-lovers. I also highly recommend it for anyone who thinks they are too cynical to enjoy a romance.

Thank you to Ballantine, Del Rey, and NetGalley for this eARC.

Thank you to Netgalley for the eARC.

This book was an interesting retelling of Romeo and Juliet. But, it just did not work for me entirely. I can't put my finger on it, perhaps it was characters or development or plot... I just didn't find myself wanting to reach for it.

I came to this for the Alaska vibes but stayed because of a story I surprisingly cared deeply about. This modern day reimaging of Romeo and Juliet payed homage to the work, but also turned it on its head a bit, and I appreciated every choice Skye made.

I will start by saying that I was very excited to read this book. The premise of an everlasting love between Romeo and Juliet, and what those lifetimes might look like, was intriguing. I even enjoyed the vignettes scattered throughout, and it became clear to me early on that the author might be attempting to break a fourth wall with this novel (sure enough, the author's note confirmed this).

However, I did not enjoy the execution of the plot, and the lack of character development was an issue. The plot took a strange twist once Merrick became involved. The tension that was supposedly derived from his attempt to foil the HEA was nonexistent, and his actions were far-fetched. Even if the premise itself was far-fetched, I honestly did not care nor was I concerned about his meddling.

The characters were not fully developed which made it difficult to care about Sebastien and Helene's romance. There was more chemistry present in the short vignettes, and I found it too convenient that Sebastien's connections could solve all problems.

3.5 Stars but rounding up.

I loved the premise of this one. Helene and Sebastian are the original Romeo and Juliet. Or rather he is the original aging at a snails pace and she is a reincarnation.

Sebastian is working on avoiding meeting Juliet for the second time in his life- because it always ends with her death.

I thought that this was fun and interesting- I liked the dual timelines and the flashbacks to the original Shakespearean play. The characters were interesting and I think the idea that this love is greater than time- is a romantic one.

I would definitely recommend.

The title is very fitting for this book, but it was missing a few things that could have made it a five-star book based on the premise. First and foremost, the writing was a bit lackluster, and second, the main characters lacked chemistry. And since I didn't enjoy the ending, I've been left between deciding on 3 and 4 stars, so I will settle on 3.5 and round down because there was drama that added nothing to the main premise of the story, and because of the ending.

Thank you to Netgalley & Publishers for access to an arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was super cute!

I think my expectations were a bit too high going into this…

The writing felt disjointed at times and I didn’t feel I knew enough about either character before we jumped in to fully grasp them, their stories, and their chemistry. We never actually got to see them fall in love, we were just told that they were.

but I really loved the idea of this story.

📖The Hundred Loves of Juliet
🖋️Evelyn Skye

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

🫶🏻Dual POV
🫶🏻Multiple Timelines
🫶🏻Historical Mentions
🫶🏻Loveable MCs
🫶🏻Tragedy to Triumph

Such a cute story, and I think what really made it for me was the authors note at the end💕 An absolutely beautiful tribute to her own personal love story.

Sebastian & Helene are the original Romeo & Juliet, and this story shares how they are re-incarnated in new lives but still always find one another and have an epically beautiful love story.

Thank you @netgalley for the ARC of this book. It was a sweet and unique love story that stole my heart.

Many thanks to NetGalley for a copy of <i>The Hundred Loves of Juliet</I> in exchange for an honest review.

Try as I might, I just could not get into this one. While I could get behind the premise and the Romeo and Juliet undertones, overall I found it to be kinda depressing and lacking the chemistry that draws me to reading romance.

I feel bad digging a story and writing that were clearly therapeutic for the author who’s note at the end shared her personal inspirations and struggles. She said that this story is part of her soul.

So… leaving it at that.💛

An wonderfully imaginative retelling of an age love story. Helene and Sebastian have both been scarred by love in different ways. Neither want to risk their heart again and yet they keep meeting up as different people in through the ages. Part time travel, a la “The Time Travelers Wife”, part romance, and part fantasy, but mostly a love story that was centuries in the making. A lovely sweet enjoyable read. Upped to 4 stars from what would have been a 3.5 rating if half stars available.

“I don’t think we were ever cursed, Sebastien. We were blessed. Getting to spend an eternity with your soulmate is heaven.”

-

It's a frosty fairytale of an evening in small-town Alaska when Helene and Sebastien meet for the first time. Except it isn't the first time. You already know that story, though it didn't happen quite as Shakespeare told it.

-

This book is everything I need in a romance, or a fairytale? This really was a mix of both and it was divine. The writing was beautiful for starters. There were so many lines and passages I highlighted and know are going to stick with me for a long time.

We were thrown right into the action with Helene meeting Sebastian fairly early on and then it was like a waterfall, I couldn’t stop reading or following the story along. I liked how much the story focused on these two and all their lives, sure there were different characters but those characters were different versions of Romeo and Juliet. We didn’t have additional fluff of too many outside characters - though I did love the relationship between Helene and her sister and mom. I thought this was a breathtaking read and in my opinion such a unique and different take on a retelling.

I’d seen this book so often on Instagram and am so glad that this wasn’t an overhyped book, if anything it’s under-hyped and I will be recommending this book to everyone I can to try and change that. It was an emotional rollercoaster but by the end, wow I felt like the overall underlying message was such perfection.

I really don’t have enough good things to say about this read. Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the arc of this story - I will be needing to buy a physical copy ASAP to mark up for sure.

And for those who read it, that last line? *Chefs kiss*

The Hundred Loves of Juliet by Evelyn Skye

I received an ARC from the publisher for an honest review.

The synopsis is a woman discovers that she is part of a legendary love story that spans lives, years, and continents in this modern-day reimagining of Romeo and Juliet.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! You know how you go months without reading because no book catches your attention?? Well this one turned my tide.

The Hundred Loves of Juliet was a very fun and romantic love story through the centuries. What I most loved was our title character "Juliet." The authors writing of her mind and the inner monologue kept me smiling and cheering her on the entire way. Our main character is on a journey of self discovery; one I believe we can all identify with. Throughout the book, the time travelling and character building only adds to the mystery of "how" and "why now." Our male lead is equally as intriguing as his story is one of pain and regret. His journey is of forgiveness and understanding.

Evelyn Skye did an amazing job of covering centuries with details, it felt, only one who lived it would know. I definitely rate this book a 10 out of 10.

A mix of Addie Larue and Romeo and Juliet-an unforgivable curse and an unfailing love.

The story is strong but does get mired in the emotional trenches several times. I could have used a bit more exposition and greater explorations of Juliet’s incarnations.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my free y. These opinions are my own.

Main character Helene moves to Alaska for a few months in the wake of leaving her husband and plans to write a book while she is there. She is shocked to meet Sebastian, a man that looks exactly like the romantic hero she has imagined for all the short stories she’s written all her life. The book also alternates with Sebastian’s perspective - and from him we learn that they are actually the real Romeo and Juliet - he was cursed with being immortal and has barely aged in hundreds of years, whereas Juliet dies and is reincarnated with no memory of her previous lives, and they are still star-crossed as their love story has always been a short one in each life.

This was an enjoyable and different kind of romance - has a slightly fantastical premise but yet not really a fantasy book. I think fans of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue would enjoy this one too. I really enjoyed it! I will say that the ending was not 100% satisfying to me, but reading the author’s note afterwards, I think I understand why the author chose to end it that way.

The Hundred Loves of Juliet is such an interesting concept for a book, with the premise that Romeo and Juliet, one of the most famous love stories of all time, is not only based on fact, but the origin of a curse wherein Romeo is forced to watch Juliet die over and over again. I loved this premise because it was a fun new twist on reincarnation and soul mates. I loved reading the little vignettes from Romeo's perspective of the reincarnated Juliet through different times and places in history to really solidify his pain he suffered watching his love die.

However, I felt that the main climax of the two lovers possibly being separated was not extreme enough for me to really feel that they surmounted the curse of Juliet possibly dying in their love story. This left me feeling somewhat unsatisfied with the ending and not as invested in their love story as a whole. For her next book, I would love to see the author really look into how she can make her hero and heroine (especially the heroine) have to surmount a bigger mountain for a HEA.

A re-imagining of Romeo and Juliet, this time where they were cursed and Romeo is unable to die while Juliet is constantly reincarnated into new lives. Romeo has met many Juliets across his lifetime and it never ends well for Juliet. This time around he's determined to stay away from Juliet in order to give her the longest life possible, but that doesn't happen when they are still drawn together. Juliet, as Helene in this life, feels an instant connection to Sebastian, Romeo's current name, and tries to get closer to him as Sebastian pushes her away. However, due to Helene's manipulative ex-husband, they end up in close quarters and Sebastian starts to explain their story. Overall, an interesting take on a classic story, though it would have been nice to hear more about Juliet's past lives. The author's note at the end helped to reframe the story and explained why it focused on living in the moment despite all the potential tragedies.

“It all goes back to Romeo and Juliet, whose story doesn't quite end like you think. Shakespeare got it wrong. I know because I was there—I am Romeo."

I was not prepared for Evelyn Skye’s story of Romeo and Juliet. You have retellings, and then you have something out of the box—this story is that. It rings of sincerity, and originality, while also paying respect to a classic and timeless love story.

“He murmurs my name across my skin, leaving behind a hot trail of wanting in its wake. A history of knowing.”

When things happen to us, we forget that we are not the first ones this has happened to. Nor are we the second. We walk the same path as all of those before us. Our trials are not new. Time is a trick. As Einstein even called it a “stubbornly persistent illusion”.

"Time doesn't matter," Dad liked to tell me and my sister, "because if you live with one eye fixed on the end, you've already lost.”

“The Hundred Loves of Juliet”, drags us back to Verona and dares us to look at the word differently, and I’ll sign up for stories like this, always.

The cover is beautiful!! That definitely caught my eye to start with, but the story is so good! It’s thoughtful and insightful and just really well written. The characters are very developed as well. I really enjoyed reading this book! I have recommended this book to a bunch of patrons and bought a couple copies for our library collection at work. Thank you for an ARC of this beautiful story.