Miranda Barnes is a literary agent by day, bestselling YA author by night. After the backlash of her last novel, she’s in a bit of a slump and has returned home to Bard’s Rest to write her next book. But her mother – head of the centennial committee for the town’s annual Shakespeare festival – needs help. Which means Miranda is soon drafted to not only direct a production of Twelfth Night but to work with Adam Winters, who broke her heart in high school. Adam is a veterinarian with an easy smile and a winning personality, but Miranda can’t be charmed when she’s still referred to as “Backup Barnes” because of him. Or can she? Soon sparks are flying and it’s up to Miranda to decide if she wants to risk a broken heart again by taking a chance on an old flame.

For the Love of the Bard is a wonderfully funny, entertaining romance. If you enjoy Shakespeare – or more accurately, puns about the Bard’s plays – you’re in for a treat. I adored Jessica Martin’s debut novel and I can’t count the number of times it made me smile. The Shakespeare-loving town of Bard’s Rest was a delight and because I’m a sucker for a good pun, Martin had me giggling. I wish Bard’s Rest were real because I’d love to go to their festival.

Miranda is a likeable heroine who is juggling helping out with her family, trying to write her next novel, and being knocked off her feet by Adam. I enjoyed watching Miranda find her way over the course of the story and decide how she is going to shape her life. Adam is an easy hero to adore with his kind heart and easygoing charm. I really liked the banter between Adam and Miranda and was rooting for them every step of the way. Their family and friends (human and animal) help round out the world and bring even more energy to the story. I liked seeing Miranda’s various relationships develop, and even when it comes to a potential mean girl, Martin doesn’t do what’s expected which was nice. Nerdiness is celebrated in this book and I loved that. The story slowed down a bit on the latter half, but even with that I still thoroughly enjoyed For the Love of the Bard. I cannot wait to return to Bard’s Rest and see what Martin has in store for Miranda’s sister Portia.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

I really really loved this book, such an easy read and it really got me hooked - I read it in one sitting!

This wasn't it for me. I had a hard time getting into it and I felt there was too much going on. How much does Miranda need on her plate at one time? It just fell really short for me.

I love high school romance back as adults and throw in Shakespeare festival and cute dog, it has almost too many tropes:)

This is a great second chance romance where two people from the same hometown meet each other again years later.

Bard's Rest is a small town in New England founded by actors and artists who didn't fit in elsewhere. The businesses are named using Shakespearean puns, Two Men from Daytona, Winter's Tale, etc... Every year the town hosts a Shakespeare festival and this year is the centennial celebration. The Barnes family is always involved. When Miranda Barnes returns home to help her mother in planning the celebration, her past humiliation as Backup Barnes makes her feel like a teenager again. The man who jilted her on prom night for her older, cheerleader sister is back in town to run his father's vet practice. Adam will also be helping Miranda's father, Pete, build sets for the festival's plays. Miranda must make piece with the past to focus on helping her mother and finished her next book on time.

When Miranda's mom is diagnosed with breast cancer, she is thrown into a panic. With her two sisters, they do all they can to convince their mother to take care of herself and leave the festival to them. Miranda must juggle everything and lean on Adam for help. When the two make up and try to move on but is there a future for them after this idyllic summer in Bard's Rest?

I want to visit Bard's Rest. I hope it is based on a real town because it sounds wonderful. Get to know Miranda and her family and come back for book two. This series is a terrific romance read.

Forced proximity + second chance at love + Shakespeare = a wildly fun read. Although the MCs were at times a little much (for the love of the bard, anyone?), I still thought this was a great story with heartwarming characters and a funny little small town.

A Shakespeare-obsessed town in New England with a second-chance romance redemption arc AND a popular YA author hiding out under a pen name? Sign me up.

Synopsis: Miranda Barnes is in town to finish her book. That’s it! And yet everything seems to be getting in the way — her mother’s health, old family drama, new town drama, directing a play for the Shakespeare festival, and a special someone who is also home for the summer. But will returning to her roots actually help her figure out her book — and her future?

Although this one requires some major suspension of disbelief & a bit of tolerance for “will they, won’t they,” I enjoyed reading it so much. I legit squealed at points — squealed! It is somewhat closed-door as far as the romance goes, but the tension is 🔥 and there are a few more explicit scenes.

Highly recommend for lovers of Shakespeare, “enemies”-to-lovers sexual tension, and pets galore.

What does it say about my (lack) of class that it was the Monty Python reference rather than the Shakespeare ones that brought me the greatest joy and recognition in this book's first chapter? On second thought, don't answer that. The point is that this book doesn't make you choose between the high and low brow in terms of fictional references. You can have your cake and eat it, too.

For the Love of the Bard is set in a small town with a long Shakespeare tradition. All the themed, punny store names and strong town pride would be right at home in a cozy mystery, as would protagonist Miranda Barnes, an adorkable theater nerd who works as a literary agent and secretly writes ya fantasy á la Maas under a pen name. She returns home to help with the town's centennial Shakespeare festival and to finish writing her latest book away from the feeling of fan pressure. She doesn't anticipate her mom's cancer diagnosis or the guy who abandoned her for her sister on prom night.

In terms of romance, it's a second chance situation (not my fave). I was honestly more bothered by the way it lingered over Miranda's relationship with her sister for a decade than by how she felt about the guy in question. That's a deeper level of betrayal to steal your sister's prom date, and their relationship wasn't abandoned because of what happened. So it's just been festering, unresolved. I found Adam to be an inoffensive but bland love interest. He's desperate to get back in Miranda's good graces, and he seems to view her as the one who got away (even though it's his fault because he was trash as a teenager). We don't get his POV, so I think that contributes to his flat affect. He has obvious "nice guy" credentials to balance out his past errors-- namely, he's a vet and is an affable sort of dude. He has a pet pig, and that's the one interesting fact I can share about him.

In terms of story, the emotional elements were there but just didn't land with me. There are some good one-liners, solid friendship and mentorship side plots, and a thoughtful look at how people respond to illness in the family. Miranda makes mistakes but is easy to root for. There are several casual and positive examples of queer characters and relationships in the supporting cast. I just think that at the implementation stage, it didn't draw me in. Even at obvious points of empathy or support, I just felt sort of *meh* given the presentation. It felt more like checking the boxes than digging into each situation and drawing out the feelings and character development.

This is far from a bad book; it just didn't connect with me. I think a Shakespeare fan or a second chance aficionado or an appreciator of golden retriever white boys might find more to their tastes here.

A literary agent named Miranda is home for the summer in her small town that is known for it's annual Shakespeare festival. Though she did not come home for romance, she runs into her high school ex, Adam, and begins to rekindle their connection.

I am a bit torn on my rating for this book. On the one hand, I really enjoyed the Shakespeare aspects and the small town setting. I loved any and all of the scenes that had to do with the festival, despite the fact that they were sometimes cheesy. However, I thought the book was WAY too long. I felt that it dragged in the middle and made me dread a little continuing the book, even though I did like the ending.

If you like slower paced romcoms without a lot of spice, this one could be for you!

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the gifted eARC!

A fun second chance romance between two high school exes. Loved the setting (back home for the summer) and the nods to shakespeare were great! A great quick and easy read.

There was TOO MUCH GOING ON in this novel.

I had such a hard time following all of the characters and places and things people needed to do. The main character had a laundry list a mile long for her novel “To Dos” and it really never got better. I was so distracted and kept squirreling- it took me forever to finish and really I should have just stopped when my gut said stop.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A big thank you to @berkleypub @netgalley for this #gifted copy!

For the Love of the Bard by Jessica Martin

Two former high school flames have a second chance at love when they both return to their hometown during a Shakespearean festival.

⁉️ Do you enjoy Shakespeare?

What it has to offer:

💋 Romance
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family Drama
🎭 Shakespearean References
👯‍♀️ Female Relationships

Quick thoughts:

✨ A hot and cold type of romance.
✨ Cute animal sidekicks.
✨ A lot of things going on at once.
✨ Growth and bonding in sisterly relationships.

Filled with romance and Shakespearean vibes, this read transports you to a small town overflowing with charm and a family full of love.

Overall thoughts:

📝 I thought the writing was good. It had that warm, cozy quality that makes you want to curl up and read.

💋 The romance was definitely a hot and cold one which can be frustrating to read sometimes but this didn’t drag out so it was okay!

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 There was a bit of family drama that played out. It felt very realistic.

🎭 The Shakespearean references were scattered throughout and were understandable.

👯‍♀️ Female relationships played a huge role in this story especially between sisters which I loved. There were so many different types of relationships represented.

💔 Some things I found a little off putting where the pacing at times and the fact that so many different storylines were happening at once.

💜 I loved the sisters relationship dynamic the most.

If you like second chance romances with cute animals and Shakespearean references then this one is for you.

This was a an awesome and sweet second chance at love romance between two former high school flames, Miranda and Adam who both find themselves home for the summer and are forced to work together on the town's play.

This was a fun story with lots of witty banter between Miranda and Adam while they rekindle old feelings in their small town. It had lots of fun and quirky characters that gave me some laughts and I really enjoyed getting to know this town and its adorable second chance couple.

I really HATED what Adam did to Miranda and honstely I am not sure I would have forgiven him but I felt this book had a theme of learning to let go and moving forward and forgiveness and gowing up. I loved the authors writing style and the quirky characters and town.

I did not finish this one. I made it about 20%. I was hoping to gain a new appreciation for Shakespeare through reading this, instead I grew bored.

For the Love of the Bard is entertaining and nerdy contemporary romance that follows Miranda Barnes who returns to her hometown, Bard’s Rest, for The Centennial, Shakespearean summer festival, and to write her long overdue book in YA fairy series, but on arriving home she found herself tangled in festival committee, responsibility of directing the mainstage, deal with her mom’s recent health issues, and reconnect with teenage crush who crushed her heart.

It is about literature, theater, sisterhood, family, friendship, forgiveness, heartbreak, getting over self-doubt, letting people in, taking leap of faith, and giving love a second chance.

I loved the way author divided the story in scenes and each chapter titled with the different places of Bard’s Rest mentioned in the chapter where characters’ lives play out. this book packs more than just romance and author has included many light and serious scenes with witty dialogues and so many quirky characters. Miranda and her family are my most favorite characters.

The best part is setting of Bard’s Rest. This town is full of geeks and nerds who loved Shakspeare so much that their streets, stores and business are all Shakspeare-themed. Romance is slow and sizzling with second chance arc, hate to love trope, and complex relationship. Chemistry between Miranda and Adam is hot and sexy. It’s most realistic romance I have read so far.

Overall, For the Love of the Bard is delightful, entertaining, witty and quirky romance with amazing characters and setting.

Perfect for theatre and literary nerds, this sweet second-chance romance celebrates family, creativity, and love with warmth and humor. Plus, Gilmore Girls' Stars Hollow has got nothing on the quirkiness of this book's sweet town of Bard's Rest.

I had high expectations for this one after reading the synopsis but it left something to be desired. I thought they mentioned the word bard too much to the point where I went crazy. I was so ready for this Shakespearean Summer rom-com. It had a lot of elements I loved but it wasn't executed as well as I hoped. I will say that if you’re looking for something easy and love Shakespeare in the Park, I think this will be a breezy summer read for a lot of people. It has a small town full of eclectic characters, a sweet love story, and a noble character journey. Just didn't give me the feels I was hoping for.

DNF, this one wasn’t for me! I absolutely love the cover of the book though! I have read a lot of other reviews about this book and completely agree! I wanted to like this one so much but had a hard time.