Tropes I hate used in this book: unplanned/unexpected pregnancy, unneccessary blackmail, born-yesterday character, and purposeful miscommunication.

I so much wanted to love this book, I am a huge fan of "love that transcends lifetimes" that often goes through literal history and time, but the forementioned tropes that were thrown in at the last third of the book took a 4 star rating down to a 2.

I understand that Romeo and Juliet needed a modern-day Paris to thawrt their love, but this was just not it. Half of the problems this version of Paris threw at the couple should have been solved with communication, but that did not happen.

Special thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

"The Hundred Loves of Juliet" is a beautiful story (made even more special when you read the author's note at the end.) Helene has been writing vignettes since she was a teenager, and while the settings, events, and female protagonist are different, the male love interest is always the same (albeit with different names), the imaginary best friend she invented in middle school to help her get through difficult times. Having experienced a series of devastating events in short succession (serial philandering husband, lost promotion, death of two pets), she has fled LA (and Merrick, the husband who refuses to sign the divorce papers) to a remote Alaskan town where she hopes to write a book based on her vignettes, if she can figure out how to tie them all together. Visiting the local bar, she meets the physical embodiment of her imaginary friend in the form of Sebastien, a local king crab fisherman.

Their first meeting (and several more after that) does not go well. Sebastien recognizes Helena as well, except she is not Helena, but rather the latest incarnation of Juliet. Sebastien has gone by many names over the centuries, but his original name was Romeo Montague. You may think you know the story of Romeo and Juliet, but the real story is that Romeo accidentally killed Juliet and then fled Verona, burdened by Mercutios' curse. Romeo has become immortal, slowly aging, and Juliet keeps coming back into his life, but their time together, while wonderful, always end in a tragic death for Juliet. Romeo/Sebastien has tried everything to break the curse, including staying away from Juliet when he discovers the latest incarnation, but nothing works.

A fortuitous blizzard will trap Helene and Sebastien together, where Helene will tell Sebastien after him being the star of her vignettes, and then she will discover life altering information related to her vignettes, and the true nature of their connection. And then it will be a race against time, as Helene is determined to enjoy whatever time she has with Sebastien, and is optimistic that this time will be different, and the curse can be broken. However, that will be a struggle, as Helene's recent past (Merrick) and Sebastien's fears pose significant obstacles. Can true love win? Can the curse be broken? Is there really a curse?

I received this advance reader copy from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. Adorable novel and very relatable! Highly recommended!

The Hundred Loves of Juliet by Evelyn Skye is remarkably original, which says a lot about a retelling. It was absolutely beautifully written, and strung together perfectly. I love a good retelling and this Romeo and Juliet version was stunning. This is a book you don't want to put down and savor every page until it's done. Do yourself a favor and read this book now!

SPOILERS!!!

In this retelling of Romeo & Juliet, we find the most famous star-crossed lovers living in Alaska under different names. The story starts when Helene (unbeknownst to her that she is a reincarnation of Juliet) temporarily moves to Alaska in the middle of the winter to get away from her almost ex-husband, who for some obscure reason doesn’t want to sign the divorce.
There she meets Sebastien (aka Romeo), who is the spitting image of Helene’s imaginary friend/lover and fictional character she has been writing about for years. Unlike Helene, Sebastien knows exactly who they are and how their story will end if he let her fall in love with him. This Romeo carries a twisty curse: he became immortal and now he’s doomed to wander the Earth watching his beloved Juliet become a different person in different places throughout the centuries, just to see her die over and over once they get together. Of course, Sebastien’s 700 years of grief has taught him that keeping his distance is the best, but not when he’s confronted with Helene who seems determined on not letting him go.
This is an entertaining take on the most well-known love stories of all times, so this book worked well in that regard. Some of the “flashback” parts slowed the pace a little, but in general it helps to give the readers insight into the previous lives of Juliet. Also the fact that the book doesn’t try to explain everything neatly might work for some, but not everyone. I personally think it was okay, although I would have loved to understand it all better.
What didn’t work for me:
Both POV in 1st person - It’s so rare for an author to make the voices distinct in 1st person. Unfortunately it was the case here. Both MCs sound so similar at times that I had to stop and check the name stamp to make sure who was narrating at the moment. That took me out of the story more often than not.
Since it’s implied that the curse is broken at the end, does it mean that Sebastien will now age normally or not?
I recommend this book for those who like retellings with a twist.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow. This book gave me so so much. With author Evelyn Skye's writing style, I felt so deeply for the characters and all their iterations. Skye writes with such lush and stunning prose - her use of metaphor and imagery...this woman writes poetically.

I've always had a deep love for Romeo and Juliet. There's just something about the star-crossed that's so irresistible, and Skye's new take on these two phenomenal characters was nothing short of beautiful. Sebastian's pain, longing, regret, and deep love was felt in every moment with every version of Juliet. The repeated use of the honeyed-wine - it's such a perfect romantic Pavlovian response to the start of a new Romeo and Juliet story, time and time again in this novel. I loved how each Juliet had so many differences, but also her own distinct tells as well. I won't give them away, but I think that they were so smart and they made me feel connected to each Juliet leading up to Helene.

I've already recommended this gorgeous book to dozens of my friends. I think about it often, and I can't wait to see what else Evelyn Skye has in store for us all.

This book is Romeo & Juliet meets The Time Traveler’s Wife, or whatever other time-traveling book you can think of. Helene thinks she’s gone to Alaska to escape and get some writing done, but she runs into Sebastien, who she recognizes as her imaginary love that she’s been writing about since forever. Sebastien is avoiding Helene because he’s relived their tragic love story time and time again, over centuries and centuries. The novel moves back and forth between all the different iterations of Romeo & Juliet in different times, locales, and with different characters who are actually the same. Helene, of course, is sure that she can changes things. Like Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet, this is a book about love and fate. What’s doomed, and what’s in our control. It’s an interesting retelling, and those who love star-crossed lovers will enjoy this.

Thank you NetGalley for the digital ARC of this book.

The Hundred Loves of Juliet was a really done retelling of Romeo and Juliet. I loved the concept of fated lovers finding each other in all their past lives!

I didn't love this. And I will not take into account the author's heartbreaking note after the book about her husband. Because that has nothing to do with the book and I won't let it cloud my opinion. This book was cheesy. And the stories got really annoying and too long and I ended up completely skipping them after the first handful. This was my first Evelyn Skye novel but I'm hoping her other fantasy novels are a lot better than this.

𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: 4⭐️
𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: fiction📚

𝙼𝚢 𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜:
It was a unique and fast paced story. I would recommended it if you enjoyed The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
Sweet and simple romances
Romeo and Juliette
Alternating POVs
Magical Realism

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚍:
The author’s note
All the different love stories

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗’𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛:
I didn’t really feel the chemistry
I wish there was a little more tension
A little on the cheesy side

𝙵𝚊𝚟𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚀𝚞𝚘𝚝𝚎𝚜:
★ “Perhaps a life well lived isn’t measured in months or years, but in love. In kisses and gentle twining of hands, in fiery embraces and soft, whispered affections.”
★ “being strong doesn’t mean not being overwhelmed or terrified. It means letting yourself feel those things, and then getting up and carrying on anyway.”

Skye’s own love story inspired this novel, which is already quite moving. The thrust for the story is the importance of living and loving in the moment. It’s an important reminder in this whirlwind we call life. The inspiration for this story is just as good as the idea. A retelling of Romeo and Juliet where Romeo is immortal and Juliet continuously reincarnates—star-crossed lovers over centuries. The summery gripped me in a way that the novel rarely did, regretfully. The writing was good at time and clunky others. At times I wasn’t sure if I was reading a romance, a thriller (actually one of my favorite parts of the novel), a tale of adventure, a period piece. Maybe it would’ve worked if it was weaved together differently, but I often found it disjointed. I rounded up because I really love this concept and the inspiration, I also liked the happy ending, but overall the writing and story development just don’t hold up.

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.