This book was cute and had charm. It second chance, small town, dual POV with some witty one liners. However, the miscommunication trope played a huge role in this story and I am personally not a fan of the miscommunication trope. The miscommunication drags from the beginning of the story to the climax and I just had a hard time pushing through that.

This is a cute fast paced romcom that is entertaining with some comical moments.!

I liked this book - I didn't love it as much as I hoped, but I thought it was sweet. It felt pretty forgettable to me. I just feel very indifferent towards it. Very much so felt more like a women's fiction than a romance and I didn't expect that going in.

*Actual rating is 2.5 stars*

I received a copy of this from netgalley in exchange for a review. I tried reading it months ago, before it was released, and I just could not get into it. However, since it was an ARC, I decided to try again.

It took me a shorter time to get into the story this time around. It’s a second chance romance, which I typically don’t enjoy. I feel like with most second chance romances, the couple broke up for a pretty specific (and usually good) reason.

The storyline had potential for sure. An associate professor returns to her hometown to uncover the identity of an erotica writer to save her own career, and instead is met with an ex-boyfriend she is still in love with. I just think it fell flat. I wasn’t really impressed with Athena’s personality, for one. There was something about her that was just unlikeable for me & I can’t put my finger on it. I also think there was waaaay too much focus on the love lives of literally everyone else in that town. I get that she was accumulating gossip while trying to figure out this author’s identity, but it got to the point where 70% of the book was focused on everyone else’s love life. Which, then, left little time to develop the rekindling of Athena & Thorne’s relationship.

Also, this is a personal preference but I can’t stand when nicknames just drop one letter. Like it doesn’t save you any time saying Thena instead of Athena. It’s like shortening June to Jun or July to Jul. It’s literally one letter.

I was literally built to enjoy this novel. As a bit of a Bronte-obsessive, I knew I'd be entertained and Blame It on the Brontes didn't disappoint...though now I do have to go back and re-read some Bronte novels.

Thank You so much to the Forever Team for allowing me to read and review this book.
This was my first time reading any book by this author.
I would totally recommend this book if your a fan of
* Classic Literature
* Foodie Romance Fan
* Second Chance Love
* Small Town
* Little Close door with some spice

I wanted to like this book, but I predicted the "secret" about three chapters in and the heroine was unlikeable and pretentious to the extreme. I didn't have any desire to finish. Thank you for the opportunity!

3.5 stars, rounded to 4. What a delightful rom-com! This novel has unique catnip for book lovers sprinkled throughout: lovely quotes from literature and references throughout the story to the Brontes sisters. When Athena goes back to her hometown on sabbatical to write a book to guarantee that she keeps her job at the university where she teaches, she quickly discovers her new boss at her part-time job is none other than her previous love, almost-fiancé Thorne. Athena is a PhD who is super smart and I loved her banter with Thorne and the other characters. The story has a few elements of mystery to it such as Athena is trying to discover the true identity of the famous local author of a spicy romance series C. L. Garland (necessary for the success of her book), why Thorne is being so secretive about what’s going on in his personal life, and why her divorced father is dressing differently and acting elusive about his activities. Even her real estate agent mother is up to something secretive when she heads out of town on vacation with someone named Tony.

I really enjoyed the main setting which centres around the cafe Thorne owns, and the ménage of quirky supporting characters. Athena is truly a bright ray of sunshine and you want things to work out for her, both professionally and personally. There were several times that I felt the ongoing tension of the various elements was too much, and you just wanted the characters to talk to each other and communicate already. However, the story is time well spent and does have a satisfying ending that I loved.

Thank you to Netgalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the electronic advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

DNF at 20%.

Blame it on the Brontes would have benefited greatly from protagonist Athena solving the mystery of a reclusive author's identity without running into her ex at all. Thorne is insufferable from the jump, and uses the word "damsel" unironically. Yuck.

What jettisoned my trust in this story more than the meandering prose and FMC's childishness was the early scene when Thorne makes cinnamon buns. He's given up his academic career to be a small-town baker/cafe owner (of course), and when Athena strolls into his kitchen, he's in the middle of stretching dough for....something. He rolls it up while she's talking, cuts it into circles, etc., then has to restart the process once Athena leaves because he was so distracted, he forgot to add the cinnamon filling. Fine. I can kind of forgive that he immediately starts working with the dough again, even though its integrity has been totally compromised by over-handling. What I can't forgive is that he rolls the buns, cuts them, and IMMEDIATELY PUTS THEM IN THE OVEN. Any baker worth their salt knows that cinnamon buns needs a second prove! It's yeasted dough for the love of all things delicious!

All respect for writing beyond "what you know," but at least read a few recipes before bringing a baker to life in your story. Those poor, un-risen buns. A travesty.

Blame it on the Brontes by Annie Sereno
Monica: ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

A dedicated and passionate fan of the classics, this title caught my eye and captured my heart. Blame it on the Brontes is a cheery, relatable and dutifully descriptive read.

❤️‍🔥 Pros
The writing is cleverly crafted, elegantly worded and thoughtfully pieced together to create an illustrious, cute and crafty read from beginning to end. I am in awe of the artistic subtlety through which Annie pays tribute to the Brontës (certain descriptors, moments, lust-filled thoughts and and longing looks were definitely intentionally reminiscent of the classics). I also adored the obvious appreciation expressed for the revered trio of sisters in the book — the Brontë quotes selected to start each chapter were brilliantly employed as not only devices to set the scene for each chapter but also intimately establish the importance of the Brontës to the main character and her passion for literature. Overall I highly enjoyed the writing style, uniqueness of characters and scenic setting.

❤️‍🩹 Cons
At times the novel became a bit too winding for me and could have better maintained my interest with a firmer, less meandering trajectory.

❣️ Overall
You will adore this if you enjoy: very descriptive writing; third chance romance set against the backdrop of a sweet small town; the passion and charm of classic literature; broodiness meets banter; the development of chemistry, intimacy and steam without a wide open door; and redemption for the characters individually and as a couple.

Thank you sincerely to Netgalley, Annie Sereno and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for an advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review. I adored the ARC so much I purchased a physical copy!

Your will shall decide your destiny.
—charlotte brontë, jane eyre

On the brink of losing her job as an English Professor, Athena returns to her small midwestern hometown to find the author behind the spicy retellings of the Brontë sisters classics. Athena hopes that writing the authors biography will save her job, but finding the reclusive writer is proving harder than she thought.

When she gets there, she runs into her ex, Thorne Kent. The one that got away. Now she has to see him every day!! The only solution.. find the author, write the book and RUN!!

After some bickering and banter, Athena and Thorne call a truce and start a friendship, with benefits. 🥵

But will their past and secrets cause this new “friendship” to end as fast as it began?

I really enjoyed this book!! It was fast-paced, fun and witty. I loved the quotes at the beginning of each chapter, such a cool addition. This book made me want to go reread the classics!! 10/10 would recommend!! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

Thank you to Netgalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for gifting me an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I DNFed this book at 20%. There wasn't much happening, and the long chapters kept the narrative from moving well. I had trouble relating to and caring about the main character Athena, as she was quite negative and mean at times.

I haven't read the Brontes' novels, so I may not have been the best audience for this book. If you enjoy their books, this may be an enjoyable read for you!

Thank you to Forever Publishing for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a cute romcom but that's as far as I can go. I love a good romcom myself but the tedious references to the Bronte sisters just had me rolling my eyes and giving up 39% into it. I'm sorry but this author is just not my cup of tea. I wanted to know how the story ended but I couldn't endure the main characters obsession with the Bronte sisters anymore.

This sounded cute, but I must have forgot when I read the synopsis that I’m not a fan of second chance romance.

In the end I really could not get into this book. I think this is a great read for people who enjoy small town closed door romances but that’s not really my jam.

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I tried to like this book, but I just couldn't get into it. I don't know why, it could have just been mindset at the time, but I just couldn't get through this. This doesn't mean it's not a great book for someone else, I just couldn't get into it.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC publication for an honest review.

Blame It on the Brontes
by Annie Sereno
Pub Date: 03 May 2022

Blame it on the Brontes is a second chance romance with some literary twists. The premise of the book was intriguing, but the overall execution was just okay. Athena and Thorne were once madly in love until career and life choices separate them. They reconnect and sparks reignite. I found myself not truly invested in either character who seemed really young even though they were full grown adults with professional careers! I also guessed the "mystery" early on. The writing wasn't bad, but it didn't pull me in either.

2.5/3 stars

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I loved Athena and Thorne's love story. The repeated nods to all things Bronte had me from the jump. Would highly recommend to any classic literature fan who appreciates a good reboot.

There were many parts of this book that made me laugh. As a Midwesterner, the mc insight into going home made me laugh. She mentioned areas I'm familiar with which made it all the more relatable. Some of the conversations were hard to get through and made it less enjoyable, but it was a nice read overall.

As a fan of both Emily and Charlotte Bronte, this book intrigued me just by the title. The book had all the makings of a book I would love: second chance romance, small town charm and a focus on classic literature icons. However, the story fell a little short for me. Athena was a very likeable character in this story but I found the other characters and the overall storyline, lackluster. I had wished and expected this to be more of a romcom but there wasn't much banter and it turned more into a basic romance novel.

This was a second chance romance. Athena and Thorne are college sweethearts. The story has no steam and was low on the romance with more focus on Athena's writing project. The first half of the book flew by but it dragged a bit in the middle. They really needed to talk sooner rather than months later to clear up misunderstandings. I liked the one liners plus all the Bronte literary references.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for my e-copy of this book.

This book failed to launch for me. There was SO MUCH PROSE, and by 40 pages in, I felt like there was too much going on. I never fully enjoyed the story. I WANTED TO, but it just missed the mark for me. I can tell the author really knows her stuff, and I wanted to appreciate the almost meta feeling of being in a story that was about another story that was reflecting a classic novel (or multiple classics, in this case), but I just didn't connect with the characters because of all the other noise. I enjoyed Thorne's character the most I think. I loved that it was set partially in a cafe in a small town. But there just wasn't enough for me to like it, and I ended up skimming through some of the longer sections and chapters because a lot of what was written didn't move the story along.