I was intrigued by the concept of this book (a university professor returns to her hometown to unearth the identity of an unknown romance writer), but unfortunately, I did not enjoy the execution.

I'm not discouraged by predictability in romances, so I didn't mind that the romance writer's identity was obvious from the start. However, I found the writing to be a bit forced and highly histrionic. There wasn't much to the plot, overall, and the main character, Athena, was immature.

Super fans of classic literature and modern romances may love this one, but it wasn't for me.

This was a book where things just kind of happened (ie there's a major earthquake in San Francisco and it just .. gets forgotten?), and the pacing was really slow, and the main mystery of the plot felt really meanspirited.

I read about 20% of the book before I skipped to the end. This book is not for me. I know people who would enjoy this but I did not and that’s okay. There’s a great story there.

I was drawn to Blame it on the Brontes for its take on classic writers. Classic literature lovers will enjoy the references and quotes throughout the book. This was what I expected it to be. It wasn't a cheesy romcom, but it was predictable. I enjoyed the author's writing, the characters and the storyline.

This is a cute story. It’s a second-chance love story, with a healthy dose of small town and familial drama, and some academia tossed in. I don’t know if the story was trying to be too much, or it wasn’t enough. The whole time I was reading, I kept feeling like something was missing, that the story could be more. I think the author has a lot of the right ingredients, but they don’t all come together smoothly.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I’m a sucker for a second chance romance but I’ve never read a third chance romance before! Blame it on the Brontës is the story of Athena and Thornes third chance at love. Athena is attempting to revive her academic career while also giving her old relationship a new chance. I thought the main characters had really good chemistry and I enjoyed their banter back-and-forth. Athena is tough to root for at times, she’s grumpy and annoying (but honestly so am I). It’s kind of nice to read a character who is not perfect and adorable all the time! Blame it on the Brontës is a dual point of view (which is my favorite) and was a really good, well-paced read. There were a lot of classic literature references, hello Brontë sisters, that readers of classics definitely will enjoy.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Blame It on the Brontes is all ideas and no execution. It's got this fantastic idea that mixes academia, gothics, and romance. The premise of an academic heroine studying the Brontes falling in love with her own Rochester is what sold me on this. It's the writing that crashed. One of the things that bugged me is something other reviews have pointed out. The descriptions are abhorrent and awkward. I particularly noticed this when the love interest started rolling doughs, comparing the look of them to the heroine's but. It's the way that things are described. It's strange in a really unromantic and unsexy way. I want to be interested in the way an author describes things. Instead, I felt like Homer Simpson backing into the bushes. In this book, voice is confused with awkward writing.

I’m not gonna lie. I have mixed feelings about this book.

On the one hand, it’s a cute small town second chance (okay, third chance) romance with lots of word play, literary references, and college/first love nostalgia. When Thena and Thorne were a couple, they were absolutely adorable together. I loved the way he encouraged her earring addiction and how they discussed literary topics together. The café regulars were an interesting bunch! It was fun to get to know each of them alongside Athena. It’s a pretty funny book. Multiple scenes had me literally laughing out loud.

On the other hand, Athena is truly terrible at sleuthing. TERRIBLE. Several of her arguments for suspecting or dismissing townsfolk as the mysterious Garland made zero sense. It was painful to watch. Also, Lydia’s subplot bothered me. It felt like the “solution” was there for irony and shock value rather than anything else. It didn’t feel authentic to that character, at least not as the story currently stands. I mean, I can kind of see how it makes sense, but to me it felt forced.

The biggest thing that bothers me is the book’s approach to s3x. This is a romance novel about a series of smutty retellings of classic literature, yet the love scenes are closed door/fade to black. Don’t get me wrong, I can handle a clean romance as long as the rest of the story is solid. Here’s the problem: this is not a clean read. It’s got foul language and a hot make out scene and multiple mentions of male and female anatomy. At one point, someone is literally hit over the head with a s3x toy! It makes zero sense for the love scenes to fade to black. End rant.

Ultimately, I feel like this is going to be one of those books where a lot of people love it and a lot of people totally hate it. As for me, I’m on the fence.

Bottom Line: Cute, slow burn, lovers-to-strangers-to-friends-to-lovers story in a midwestern town. Smutty book with no actual smut.

P.S. I have a theory that several of the minor characters are modeled after classic literary characters. At the very least, I identified a Miss Havisham and of course [Spoiler] is a take on Mrs. Rochester.

I really enjoyed this book BUT here’s the thing: I wanted more of this story from Thorne, he had a more interesting story line and honestly? Athena was so over dramatic and annoying. She’s upset about having to write a book as if that wasn’t obvious from the time you got the AP job- it’s true that you have to publish or perish so I’m not sure why she thought she was immune. Also, I called who Garland was from the first time Thorne was introduced and it blows my mind that it really took her an entire novel to figure it out.

Her relationships were so weird too- how do you know nothing of your parents like that? How can you give advice to everyone but not seem to fix your own problems? I was just so aggravated by her and I wanted to see her less honestly.

The bantering is top-notch, the side characters are small-town delightful and Thena and Thorne are truly made for each other if they only grow up enough to realize it. The mystery of who-is-CL Garland is what kept me reading long into the night, but I did have to stifle my LOL's so as not to wake the household. I did think that Thena was a bit immature and Thorne was a bit misguided in his assumptions, but this was a fun read and I can recommend it.

thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc!

i enjoyed this rom-com! i loved all of the classic lit references, and athena was a great main character. she and thorne were written really well, and i enjoyed their banter and relationship. the side characters were also fantastic! i loved all of the cafe customers (and finn!), and seeing athena’s interactions with all of them; it added to her character depth, and made the story much more interesting.

the writing in this story wasn’t very fast-paced, but it was well written and remained interesting for the most part, so it worked. there was a bit too much miscommunication between characters (a lot could have been resolved by just talking to each other about it), which was a bit annoying, and some of the plot fell flat, but overall, the story was pretty light-hearted and fun, and I would recommend it! :)

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the ARC. I really wish I was able to give this a higher rating, but overall, it just wasn’t a must read. I was drawn to the overall premise: an English professor finds herself back in her hometown to save her career by writing a biography of a reclusive author. I was very enthusiastic in the beginning- a main character in academia, rekindling romance, dual point of views; the list goes on and on. However, I found myself skimming a great deal of this book as it seemed to drag on. It could have been at least 50 pages shorter. Additionally, the writing was often awkward, especially during intimate scenes. I wish that the characters had been more dimensional and likable. I didn’t find their romance to be anything special, despite the potential.

Since it’s not something I would typically pick up, I may just not have been the intended audience for this book. I’m sure others will absolutely love it, but it just wasn’t for me. I plan to read it again once the final book is published so that I can see if my issues with this book were changed. I hope to be able to change my review upon doing so.

Athena returns to her home town. To save academic teaching career in San Francisco she has taken a sabbatical to write a book. As part of that she plans to unmask the writer of a popular novella series that turns classics into erotica. Arriving in her hometown she finds Thorne has purchased the diner where she’d been promised a part-time job to help her earn money while writing. Thorne and she were in love planning on getting their PhD’s together. Instead he broke her heart and followed in his family tradition and went to law school on the other side of the country. Things between the two run from icy to friendly and it takes a long, long time for them to actually talk about what broke them apart.

This should have been a book I loved with lots of literary references and quotes form Emily Bronte starting every chapter. But I didn’t care for either of the main characters and didn’t understand their previous connection other than being told it was there. There is a lot of dishonesty between the two that lasts a long time; Athena not being honest about her career status, Thorne has family and other predictable secrets. When everything does finally come out the author throws in another break up moment with so little time left it doesn’t feel like important things get a chance to be resolved or sorted. For a second chance romance I wanted more than everything coming together in the last couple of pages. The book is clean except for some behind closed door references. Thank you NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5⭐️
Blame It on the Brontes by Annie Sereno was a cozy romance. Kinda like a cozy mystery feel?! Not to serious but lots of side characters and mystery.
Books about books is my favorite and Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights are my favorite jam. So I sank down into my comfy reading spot with my favorite blanket and dove right in.
It started out strong and I love a second chance. But as the novel progressed I wanted the romance to start back up sooner. Stronger. And for a minute I thought it might never happen. Couldn’t there be more tension? Long glances? Undeniable chemistry?
I loved this and then I didn’t and then I did again. But mostly I wanted more…
I started out reading this and finished by listening to this on audio. The narrated was Katie Schorr and she was great. She did a really good job with this. And it was enjoyable. Will I read another by her? Maybe
Thanks Hachette Audio and Grand Central Publishing via NetGalley.

Another classic literature inspired romcom? Sign me the heck up! I really enjoyed this book. Second chance romances are my kryptonite, and this did not disappoint. I loved it!

I really enjoyed this dual perspective third chance at love story between English Professor Athena and Thorne, her college sweetheart and the man who broke her heart after he dumped her without any explanation. When Athena returns home on a sabbatical determined to write a book uncovering the mysterious C. L. Garland who writes spicy retellings of classic love stories she runs into Thorne, who has taken over the local cafe and is her new boss.

Full of witty banter and great chemistry, Athena and Thorne slowly repair their relationship. The miscommunication trope is huge in this book so if that's not your thing you might want to pass. I didn't mind it so much when you learn why Thorne kept secrets from Athena but it is a big plot device. Other strong points included the mental health and caregiver rep, small town charm and great Bronte references. The characters do definitely hook up but this is a fade to black, closed door romance which was the biggest flaw for me. The characters get us all worked up and then it's the morning after - is there anything worse??

Overall though this was a fun read that I do recommend, especially for Bronte lovers. There are a couple (somewhat predictable) surprise reveals but definitely a solid, highly enjoyable story. Much thanks to NetGalley and Forever for my advance review copies!

3.5 stars

Highlights: Small Town, Secret Identity, Second Chance, Literary References.

Blame it on the Brontes is a fun and quirky second-chance romance, perfect for fans of the classics, such as Austen's and Brontes sisters' books. The book has a lot of literary references and a unique writing style, sarcastic and saucy. It has zero steam which is not my favorite, but I did enjoy the story and the characters.

I liked the premise of Blame It on the Brontes quite a bit. The second chance romance had a healthy dose of will they/won't they and understandable reasons why both Athena and Thorne were hesitant.

While I liked it overall, it felt like there were just a few too many things happening and some scenes/situations that were a bit repetitive. They made the plot drag a bit and feel like things weren't moving anywhere. The writing style was unique and the characters interesting, though, so I do want to try more from the author.

I just honestly couldn't finish this one. It's super slow building and as someone who isn't THAT much of a romance fan in general, it just didn't catch my interest. I might go back to it at some point or listen to the audiobook so that I can give it a proper rating, but right now it's just not a book I feel the need to finish.

Blame It on the Brontes by Annie Sereno

Read if you love
Enemies to lovers
Literary references
Witty heroine


This was a quick read with lots of literary references and witty banter and definitely a book you can read by the pool this summer! Athena and Thornes dynamic was a wild ride and so many of the characters made me laugh. I loved that a lot of the book took place in a small cafe and you get to learn about the academia world a little bit.

Book releases 5/3!