Thank you, NetGalley and Annie Sereno, for allowing me to read this book before its publication date in exchange for an honest review.

Now I have never been a romance reader, but I love a good book about books. This novel was able to combine the two in a wonderful way. Intrigue, mystery, lost loves, family drama, and of course, love all lie at the center of Blame It on the Brontes. Sometimes you read a book and just wonder why it isn't a TV show or movie, and I have to say that Hallmark should grab this one up.

I didn’t enjoy the pacing of the book from the start. I caught myself having to go back reread sections to catch what I missed.

Also, couldn’t sympathize with Athena.

Thank you @netgalley, Forever Pub (Grand Central Publishing), and @anniesereno9 for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a nice, quirky surprise, and I say this as someone who went in thinking I may have a hard time getting into it (or would become too bogged down by the literary references). It’s my first novel in awhile that utilizes the Second Chance trope (it’s not that I don’t like the trope, I’m just really picky about it haha…. also, it’s more like third chance 🥴), as well as one that heavily utilizes or calls back to classic literature/academia… and I enjoyed every part of it. I think the author did a great job of creating characters that were well-rounded & flawed; I mostly mean this when I talk about Athena (or Thena for short, which is super cute to me), because while I did love her as a character…. I also wanted to shake her tirelessly when it came to some of her decisions (I had similar feelings toward Naomi in “You Deserve Each Other” lol like girllll, what are you doing). Even so, I do feel like that my genuine annoyance at times only added to Athena’s overall charm as a character, and I appreciated how Sereno had Thena and Thorne work on themselves and their own individual trials first before really coming back together. Finally, as someone who is not from a small town, this novel succeeded in creating a great visual image for me— I loved how you really got that vibe that everyone knows everyone, and how the side characters we meet (there’s a lot!) aren’t completely flat, the latter fact of which allowed me to become actually invested in their little subplots without feeling distracted from the main story.

Definitely suggest adding this to your TBR & picking it up once it is released on May 3, 2022, especially if you’re a fan of slow burning Second Chance romances, plus a helpful dash of Lovers-to-Enemies-back to-Lovers, and lots of literary fun!

This ARC was a cute, light read. If you love any or all of the Brontës sisters I think you’ll enjoy this book! I was excited to read this book one of my favorite tropes is second chance romance which Athena & Thorne definitely deserved! Athena coming back to her hometown in search of C.L Garland the pen-named author of romance novels she planned to discover who was behind the novels. Only to discover she still had feelings for Thorne Kent her ex-boyfriend. One think I didn’t care for was the miscommunication I feel as if Thorne & Athena cared for one another for all those years yet they hadn’t really spoken about the breakups why just walk away? I understand his family, their careers & Thorne secret but it wasn’t enough for me to agree with the lost they both held over the breakup in Seattle. One thing I wish had be longer (more details) in the book was how & why Thorne was C.L Garland, again the communication between Athena & Thorne. Had he just said the true when asked & Athena mention what writing the book would do for her job back in S.F I think it would’ve been smoother for them. I would have enjoyed to read how Thorne really wrote the novels. Also how he had the time to write lol no wonder the man was always tired lol with the cafe & robin? Overall, I enjoyed the book and it’s references to the Brontës sisters! Thank You NetGallery for the opportunity to read this book. Also loved Finn & Athena’s relationship as well as branwell could never go wrong with a pug!

Thank you NetGalley and Gorever Grand Central Publishing for an ARC of this book. I found this book to be witty and adorable. The characters were extremely likeable. This was a light read that I would highly recommend.

It was very fast paced and an absolute lovely read for me. I really loved the WMC and I very well quite relate to her and her problems. The plot was interesting enough to never let me be bored and has kept me hooked and super excited throughout my entire read.

Blame It on the Brontes is a great riff on the wonderful novels by the Bronte sisters. I personally love this genre and this one is spot on. A great casual read.

Blame it on the Brontes is the story about second chances. Athena returns home to write a book about the mysterious author C.L. Garland to get tenure and keep her job. She had made arrangements to work at the local Cafe not knowing that it is now owned by her ex-boyfriend.
I really enjoyed this book. I loved all the characters especially all those who were regulars at the Cafe.
This was my first book to read by the author Annie Sereno and I really enjoyed it.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

Blame it on the Brontes was a cute story about second, third, fourth, and even fifth chances. Thena, Thorne, and the whole town of Laurel are wonderful characters. The book was witty and fun.

The fight that Thena and Thorne have any the end of the book doesn't sit right with me. Thorne is cruel in the fight and he says that Thena makes him so mad, but I couldn't remember a time in the book where Thena angered Thorne. And his character did not show any cruelty in the book before that fight. I had a hard time with this departure from his character.

I received an advance review copy for free from NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book was definitely not for me. At all. I'm somehow surprised I managed to read it to the end, but I just kept expecting it to get better and it never did.

The story revolves around Athena and Thorne, exes who meet after years apart and are now working together at Thorne's cafe while Athena writes a book to make tenure as a professor. It had such a great premise and the start was pretty great, so I had high hopes but I guess I should've stopped when I read that Athena dreamt of being the one person who could save her hero from his "dark self" but I didn't, so that's on me.

But yes, even after that, we see the leads sparring back and forth, always talking about something that happened Seattle that isn't elaborated on till much later and the payoff for which is definitely not worth the build up. They somehow even enter into an FWB arrangement in this time though they generally can't to stay in each other's presence without exchanging harsh barbs and had the miscommunication trope down like it was their job.

And then, in the climax, we find out that Thorne has been lying to Athena about stuff even though she point blank asked him about it. He didn't just lie to her face when asked, he also put together a vivd scheme to make sure this truth never came to life. And while yes, Athena was understandably upset when she found out, and they fought, with both of them berating each other harshly, they got back together in the next conversation itself and it was just so annoying. Like, there were no proper apologies or anything.

Athena laid her heart out to this man, called him her family, gave up her career for him, yet he still lied to her and then didn't even properly apologize. And she still forgave him and fell into his arms at the first word he said. Yes, Thorne did try to make amends but it still didn't seem enough to me.

Anyway, yes, this was definitely not for me.

Hmm this was just ok. No idea why I thought it's a rom-com (is it the dog on the cover? lol) because it definitely isn't! The banter is non-existent and there's nothing funny about this book. Unless you count me laughing with a friend over how awkward the writing is.

The writing felt really unnatural with lots of peculiar phrases, especially those describing outfits and sexual appendage (e.g. "triumphant penis" and "a blouse hat draped her breasts like melting ice cream").

It did get slightly better and better as I progressed but overall, I wasn't feeling this much. The story is quite predictable, the characters aren't outstanding and I was mostly bored. I did like the cafe setting and food descriptions though!

Bronte fans might enjoy this one more as there are plenty of literary references.

Thank you to Netgalley and Publisher for this ARC!

Athena is a literary professor trying to get her tenure by publishing a book. Following a forced leave of absence, she returns to her hometown to discover the identity of a major author that live right there in her town. Certain that this will get her published, Athena seeks a job at a local cafe because where else can you meet local writers! Athena unfortunately has a run in with her ex who now owns the cafe she is waitressing at.

I really had to push through this book unfortunately. I found Athena less than charming and the plot point with Sergei just felt problematic at the best of times.

I was ready to love this book, but ultimately found our main character and some foundational parts of the plot too irritating to do so.

I think you'll like this book if you're someone who enjoys romanticizing gothic literature (aka Wuthering Heights) and obnoxiously independent women.

I wasn't a fan of how the author made it a distinct point of objectifying her own protagonist, but maybe that might not be something that will bother you. It bothered me to no end.

The writing itself wasn't too bad and that's probably the only reason I didn't give it one star.

Overall, not for me and didn't align with my view of the Bronte's to the point of irritation.

This book was lovely! I didn’t know what to expect going in, but I found myself really enjoying it! The banter was witty, the hunt to find the smutty writer was intriguing, and the way we get to see the small town grow both Thena and Thorne was really fun! The secondary characters were wonderful additions to the story and I loved seeing the grouchy older people fall in love with Thena as she was waitressing. We get to see what happened in Seattle and the WHY it happened as well. You can’t help but feel for Thorne as you see his side of the story come into the light a little more. While it took me a bit to get through, it was a quick read! I just read it only at night before bed, thus taking a little more time. The tie-in to the Bronte sister books was ever so charming! This book is going to be well loved by many!


Thank you Net Galley // Forever (Grand Central Publishing) // Annie Sereno for this advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review! All of the thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

There were parts and pieces of this book that I just adored: literary-centered main characters, a right person wrong time/second chance romance, a cozy, small-town atmosphere.

But unfortunately, something was lacking for me. I can't seem to put my finger on it, but perhaps the fade-to-black nature of the writing didn't help. Romantic, yes. Steamy, no. I would recommend this to my grandmother and not blink an eye, which is great in one respect, but also leaves something to be desired. I just wanted more from Thena and Thorne, and didn't love that so much of story was spent focused on the secondary characters.

This would be a fun + quick beach read if you're looking for something that won't rock the boat around family ;)

Blame it on the Brontes by Annie Serena makes for a fun weekend read. If you are in the market for a second chance romance with a mix of a little mystery, flirty banter, and lots of Brontë references, this is the book for you. Just be prepared it will leave you wanting to reread the Brontë sister’s works while sipping coffee at a small cafe.

*The element of making Athena into a part time sleuth hunting for C. L. Garland made this book so much more interesting. I thought it combined two of my favorite genres, romance and mystery, together beautifully. Every time I thought I knew who C.L. Garland was I was pleasantly surprised to discover I was wrong.

Special thanks to NetGalley.com and Forever(Grand Central Publishing) for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest feedback.

What a wonderful book filled with witty dialogue and colorful characters! The story takes place in a small town, and being from one myself, it was easy to relate to. The characters and interactions with each other are all very genuine and I found, very entertaining.

One of the main plots, was trying to figure out who a mystery author was which made it more interesting. It was fun trying to guess along with the main character who it was! I also appreciate the other sub plots and side stories that went on with the other characters. Everyone seemed to have their own little love stories and you were rooting for all these lovable characters to find their happy endings! Be sure to check out this fantastic book when it’s released May 3rd!

Thank you Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for letting me read this book! It truly was enjoyable!

BLAME IT ON THE BRONTES is a contemporary romcom. Athena’s on sabbatical as a last-ditch effort to save her teaching job at a California university. She’s determined to write a book that unmasks the bestselling author of a series of erotic novellas based on classic literature. Who just happens to live in Athena’s hometown.

A great plan until she discovers that the cafe she’s planned on working in to help her investigation has changed hands. It’s now owned by her former boyfriend, the super-hunky Thorne.

If you love Shakespeare, the Bronte sisters, academia, or crazy family shenanigans, this is for you.

You get:
A look at publish or perish in academia
Smalltown life
The perils of moving home with a high maintenance family including divorced parents
Second chance romance
Opposites attract/sunshine and grump
Close proximity
Some delicious food descriptions
Even more delicious descriptions of attractive men
Swoony romance
Laugh out loud moments
LGBTQIA+ rep
Pug mug!
Family, bio and found

This is a fast-moving and fun novel with a lot of humor and heart with swoony romance. Athena is curvy and sarcastic while Thorne is quiet and reserved. They have serious chemistry. And some serious secrets they’re keeping from each other. Enjoy the ride!

This one didn’t really work for me and that both surprised and disappointed me. It’s got so much of what I love - literary references, classic books, second chance romance, the hint of a new beginning, career-wise, but I felt an odd disconnect from the story and the characters. There was a lot, a whole lot of miscommunication between the main characters and I’m not a fan of that trope.

I wasn’t the right reader for this.

"All's well that ends well," - Shakespeare.

Synopsis: English professor Athena Murphy is an authority on the novels of the Brontë sisters. But as they say in academia, publish or perish. To save her job, Athena decides to write a biography of C.L. Garland, the author heating up bestseller lists with spicy retellings of classic literature. Tracking down the reclusive writer and uncovering her secret identity, though, means Athena must return to her small midwestern hometown where Garland—and her ex-boyfriend, Thorne Kent—live.

Personal Review: 4 Stars

If you are a fan of the second chance romance trope, greek mythology, and classic literature - with a twist - Annie Sereno's Novel "Blame it on the Brontes" is your next go to read! I loved how Sereno incorporated the Bronte sisters quotes at the beginning of each chapter, and created a character that was so likable, it hurt! Athena "Thena" lusts after her ex Thorne, pretty much the entire novel, yet there is a bit of mystery as to why their romance fizzled out in the first place. In her search to uncover C.L. Garland and his spicy LitWit collection of saucy retellings of classic literature such as "The Lust of the Mohicans", "David Copafeel", "Prude and Pruience" and "Scarlet Fetters" Athena finds herself going crazy to discover who this author is, write her book "Hidden in Plain Sight" and save her job as a professor. Although this novel was quite predictable, I adored it. It was laced with comedy, Athena's bad luck, Finn and Mario's relationship, and Sergei's entire character! I was laughing along and adoring the plot the entire time!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Grand Central Publishing opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.