I really loved this! It was a lot of fun, well written and the characters were well developed! I highly recommend this for others!! This was an important read and I found the book to be so great!

4.5 Stars

The cover for Searching for Billy Shakespeare is what caught my attention. The cover actually had me thinking this was one of Crista’s YA reads. In fact, it’s a New Adult Romance.

Searching for Billy Shakespeare marks my first time reading Crista McHugh, who has been on my author reading wish list for awhile. I have to admit, the first 20% of the book was not what I was expecting. In fact, I wasn’t sure if I was going to like the book. I wasn’t getting a romance vibe and the heroine, Kate, just seemed nerdy and square. She was pretty much just lost in her own world of William Shakespeare. What kept me reading was my curiosity about how Kate’s life would turn out. But, I’m getting ahead of myself.

Kate Mireau is a twenty-seven-year-old graduate student at Columbia. For the past three years, she’s been working day and night on her dissertation on William Shakespeare. In an out of character move, she takes the night off only to discover her boyfriend of ten years has been cheating. While tragic, this forces Kate to make a fresh start with her life.

Kate’s fresh start includes a move from Brooklyn to the Upper East Side, a trust-fund roommate, plus experiences and opportunities she’s never had. This new start also puts her on the path to meet Gabe. Kate and Gabe started their love affair in a way that I really, really loved. Their first interaction was by phone. And they continued to have a phone relationship and ultimate friendship by phone, long before they ever actually laid eyes on each other. The two actually started having deep feelings for one another long before Kate knew Gabe was a Hollywood superstar. But their road to happiness isn’t going to be easy. Gabe’s Hollywood lifestyle doesn’t really go well with Kate’s quiet, graduate lifestyle. The two are going to have to learn to make some major compromises to find the happiness and love they want.

Searching for Billy Shakespeare has very likeable characters. I really fell in love with Kate and Gabe. The secondary characters were good and definitely helped drive the story. However, I was disappointed that major events occured in the secondary characters lives that affected Kate and Gabe, but the resolutions weren’t revealed to readers. This apparently is a spin-off of Crista’s Kelly Brothers series, so maybe there’s another story in the works featuring Gabe’s sister.

This was such a fun and romantic book! I love Shakespeare and I loved these characters too! Gabe is completely swoony and Kate is a fun heroine! A great story!

So this was a fun and quick read for me, it was set in New York, it had a mini makeover with a twist and the female lead, Kate, was quite delightful. Finding her fiance inflagrante delicto in their shared flat was enough to make any woman run to her BFF and lick her wounds. But when said BFF is sharing her own apartment with her own significant other, she needed to find her own place quickly. Sadly, a grad student just can't afford what's available in the always expensive rental hell of NYC. What luck then when an ad placement for a Park Ave rent controlled apartment comes up! Nevermind that the roommate they seem to be looking for sounds more like the maid than a roomie, Kate was had with rent controlled. Plus a desperate woman can't be too choosy. Little did she know that her life would change in more ways than one. Finding Billy Shakespeare was definitely a cute and funny and definitely romantic read. Although the romance is simple enough, without too much external conflict, it was the female leads own self discovery and fighting of her own anxieties and insecurities that hold the story. Gabe was definitely a great romantic lead but appears nearly two dimensional besides Kate. Still this romance would definitely make you swoon!

When Kate catches her boyfriend cheating on her she has to move and find a new place to live, with the help of her friend Lizzie she finds a flat share and swears off men apart from her hero William Shakespeare who she is doing her dissertation on! That is of course until her flat mate's brother rings her wanting some help with a Shakespeare part he is playing...... and if she falls in love with his voice on the phone wait till she meets him in the flesh!

A lovely feel good book, predictable but fun a nice easy book to curl up with and enjoy

What fun! Grad student Kate moves in to a unbeknownst-to-her-til-she-got-there posh apartment with a new, silly, girly-girl roommate, and boom, things start happening in her life.

The phone rings, and a gorgeous voice on the other end starts talking, looking for his sister (the roommate) but spending an awful lot of conversation on Kate. Roommate girl’s blondie friends give Kate a makeover (gasp) and help her find her inner fun self. Between the roommate and Gabe nudging Kate to know more of herself than just the Shakespeare-dissertation-writer, Kate develops newfound passion for her grad work and her social life.

This tale of silliness absolutely brightened my week. I didn’t care that there was actually no good plot reason for the roommate to ask Kate to live there, nor that Kate seemed uncharacteristically good natured about a bunch of strangers taking her out for 12 hours. I didn’t care that a few plot points were underdeveloped, or that the roommate did something a little unexpected and possibly contrived. Know why? Because this book made me smile. It’s a good bit of fun in a roller coaster world, and I’m totally glad I read it.

Fun romance. This is really a transformation story about Kate as she works through the break up with her fiance and then slowly starts to course-correct her own life. I enjoyed watching her find her own style and voice.

I loved this story in the beginning and shortly after it just became a story that wasn't meant for me. I had issues with the main character and felt there was no real twist. On a positive note, this book was very well written and even though this book wasn't for me I can see

This is a great book with a wonderful story and well developed characters. The story flowed very well and was very enjoyable. This book will keep you reading long into the night and you will not want to put this book down until you finish. This was such a great read and full of surprises. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader’s copy of this book. The free book held no determination on my personal review.

Kate’s working on her doctorate using William Shakespeare as her thesis. Her life isn’t anything exciting with her boyfriend and work, but that’s life, right? Until she finds out her live in boyfriend is cheating on her and she needs a new place to live. Her new roommate’s brother, Gabe, is wonderful sounding over the phone but will he be the same in person? Gabe needs Kate’s help when he’s trying out for a serious role in a William Shakespeare play. Kate gives Gabe some help but she also makes him read and think about the characters on his own. This is a sweet romance that brings Kate and Gabe together with a unique premise.

3,5 stars
This is a clever story and I love the use of Shakespeare. But the academia does get a little bit of a bashing in this and towards the end the amount of work she gets done in such a short amount of time does get rather unbelievable.

Kate Mireau is a grad student trying to get her P.H.D in English writing a dissertation based on the works of William Shakespeare, as that has been the love of her life… The Bard. Growing up on a hippie Alpaca farm in Washington State with no T.V she had to try to keep herself occupied the best way she knew how.. by reading anything and Everything, ESPECIALLY, the works of William Shakespeare over and over again to the point of knowing them all of by heart.

After finding her fiance in the arms of another woman Kate is forced to find a new place to live, which winds up being on the Upper East Side in New York City right on Park Avenue, living as a sort of live in maid for “Ringleader Barbie” Ari Horowitz.

After moving in, she starts getting calls from Ari’s brother, Gabe, an actor in California, trying to get a hold of Ari. This turns into some tutoring as Gabe is trying to get a Shakespearean role that is out of his element and Kate is the only one who can help him. But is Gabe really who he says he is? Or will he throw her hum-drum scholars lifestyle into chaos as the two of them grow closer together?

I liked this read, the relationship between Kate and Gabe was ok… it felt a little rushed. But, I enjoyed their conversations and the fact that they started falling for each other sight unseen. I just felt that the whole story needed some editing. While fairly decently written, it contained too many extra people and situations that were unnecessary. Her friend Livvy and Livvy’s girlfriend Aisha for instance. I understand them being there to help her find her place to live, but the personality of Aisha and the animosity between her and Kate wasn’t needed, the proposal was not needed as nothing came from it, etc… there was just a lot that could have been cut out to slow the story down and to keep the focus where it should have stayed. They also could have focused on Gabe’s sister Ari a little more as well, as I feel like she could have been a good character edition of the story and there could have been more growth between her and Kate and in her personality in general… but, instead she just ran in and out all the time.

It did, though re-kindle my interest in The Bard a little though, and those who know me? That is saying A LOT!!! I fell out of love with Shakespeare in high school when I was always told what to think of his works, and what he meant by certain things like I couldn’t have any thoughts or feeling of my own. This was a man who was poor and wrote to eat. Although, I will not lessen his talent, I don’t know if he would have even thought of half of the things the scholars have read into his plays! I would LOVE to go back and meet him to find out! But, some of the quotes in this book made me want to go back and re-read some of his works to, in my later years, get my own opinions! It was a speech that Kate makes that really made me want to do this, and I think she said it best.

“I remembered that his words were never meant to be read on a page. His words were meant to be read aloud. I never truly understood the power of them until I heard him recite a speech to me while he was preparing an audition piece. That led me to explore modern interpretations of his work. “Shakespeare is not just confined to the Elizabethan world. His works are as real and as universal today as they ever were. And in the hands of skilled actors, they become living, breathing creatures. My hope is that this passion I’ve discovered will be able to draw modern students into Shakespeare’s world so that they appreciate the Bard as more than just a dead poet who talked funny.”

Well said, Kate. Well said.

This was a fun, light-hearted read about a student seeking her PhD, finding self-confidence and embracing new opportunities and experiences. It had fun allusions to Shakespeare and loveable characters who had you cheering for them.

Searching for Billy Shakespeare is a cute story by Crista McHugh. Mistaken identity and a woman with a lack of self-confidence gives this love story a bumpy ride. However, love does prevail with a smile on this reader’s face. This is a tongue-in-cheek, fun, quick paced story with a shout out to the Bard himself.

A few of the Kelly Brothers make an appearance, too. If you’re a fan of that series, (my all-time favorite series by Crista McHugh), it made the story even better!

Unique, fun romance

I was looking for something different to read and the title caught my eye. I'm so glad it did. Crista McHugh did a wonderful job bringing to life realistic characters and Shakespeare. Kate and Gabe develop a friendship via the phone as she coaches him on her life's work, Shakespeare. I loved that the author took the time to develop that relationship before it evolved into romance. I also enjoyed the supporting characters that made Kate's world come alive. This is the first book I've read by Crista McHugh and I look forward to checking out her back list and her future releases.

I received an Advance Reader copy of this book.

A big thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. First time reading this author. I loved the book! I rate it a 4.5. I was pleasantly surprised that I read it in one sitting. It is an interesting twist, the characters were fun and intriguing. I think most romance readers will enjoy this book. It has a little of everything! Let me know if you agree.

I love the premise of this book, and the quotes from Shakespeare that open each chapter are delightful. The book is well written in terms of being free of distracting grammatical errors or plot holes. Nonetheless, I had trouble staying focused on the story as it played out. I didn't feel much connection to the characters, and some things seemed a bit ridiculous to me (e.g., Gabe's sister). Maybe it's because I felt like the blurb was a bit misleading (I didn't think the description of Kate was spot-on, and the blurb made me think this would be a romantic comedy, but it's not, at least in my opinion), or maybe it's because it took a while for Gabe and Kate to connect, but I struggled to get through parts of this one. I think there is an audience for this book, but sadly, it's not me.

What a lovely light romance! Searching for Billy Shakespeare by Crista McHugh is a perfect way to relax during the Holiday period.

Searching for Billy Shakespeare is a delightful romance involving the introverted Kate and the Hollywood heart throb Gabe. I really enjoyed this author’s writing style; it was light and flowing, making it easy to keep turning the pages. The story was light, with a bit of drama to keep it interesting, but it is important to note that the drama was well integrated into the story and relatively short lived. Unlike many romances, it wasn’t a case of adding angst for angst’s sake or as filler. It had a purpose, was resolved quickly, and was used to add texture to an already enjoyable story.

Crista McHugh’s characterisations were very well done. The introverted bookworm is a personality that is very close to my heart, and the author sympathetically portrayed the strengths and weaknesses of this personality type without turning Kate into a one dimensional stereotype. On the surface Gabe was also the stereotypical hot Hollywood actor who has hidden depths, but Crista’s portrayal creates a personality that you genuinely like and you can’t but help fall a little in love with him as you follow his reactions to Kate’s quirks and complete acceptance and love for her, just as she is.

Searching for Billy Shakespeare by Crista McHugh is a well-developed story that was a joy to read. Guaranteed to brighten your day, I’d highly recommend it as a relief of the stress of the Holidays.

“Searching for Billy Shakespeare” is on f the most fun, trendy and spunky romances I’ve read. Penned by Crista McHugh, Gabe Harrison (appeared in her Kelly series) gets his own happy story with Kate Mireau, the introverted grad student and the Shakespeare addict working on her dissertation.
Teaching literature as she finishes her dissertation, circumstances take Kate Mireau to the residence of Ari to share an apartment. With makeovers and care, friendship brews and late night calls with Gabe Harrison, spurs the sparks of romance.

Gabe Harrison is auditioning for a role that requires Kate’s expertise in Shakespeare, and with late night calls, conversations and a family incident brings Gabe face to face with the stunning and elusive Kate and he’s willing to go “Measure To Measure” to make Kate his forever. Insecurities and fears are shared, gossip and conversations are discussed, and feelings and emotions are addressed, all with the power of love remaining the ultimate.

Looks like Crista McHugh came back with a stunning story after a brief hiatus and what a comeback. I was so entertained with her Kelly Series, and now with “Searching For Billy Shakespeare” shows her penmanship and her mastery of narration. It’s beautiful reading Gabe get his love story, the appearance of the Kelly brothers, and the attention she pays to Kate’s feelings in regards to discovering Gabe being a prominent Hollywood actor – all add so much depth and personality to the characters.

What can I say about Crista McHugh– she’s been and will be one of my all time favorite writers. She writes such genuine love stories that are so relatable to our daily lives and makes reading them such a pleasure. Simple, classy and charming creations are her fictions.

Received an ARC from Seasons Publishing via NetGalley and the Author for an honest review.

Chick lit, first person single POV. Reminiscent of books I used to read many years ago. I tend to stick with contemporary romance nowadays, but I had fun with this book for a change of pace. Quick read. Kate was awesome, the stereotypical nerdy phD student. Once she steps out of her comfort zone and realizes that Gabe will stick with her, despite her klutzi- and normalness, she gets the guy!