received an eARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Honestly, this book had me on the fence about a star rating. The things that I liked about it I loved. The things that I didn't were really frustrating.

I loved the high-stakes premise of an English professor in a last-ditch effort to essentially save her job, going home to write a book and reconnecting with a former flame. I loved all of the classic literature references from Shakespeare to the Brontes, particularly that each chapter begins with a quote from one of their books. There are tons more that are integral to the plot and I don't want to spoil it.

I didn't love that the FMC did solve the hidden identity mystery twice...but. was told lies that kept her thinking she was wrong. These were big consequences that occurred as a result of the lies....and it made the. HEA ending unrealistic to me.

I love the LGBT+ rep, the supportive family members, and the surprise coming out toward the end. I didn't see it coming, but thinking about it now, the bread crumbs are there and it's a heartwarming ending for one couple.

There is mention of past cheating (not main characters, but it does come up frequently). The mental health rep is there, but its presentation hurt to read. The reader only hears about this character , rather than getting to meet him. Furthermore this character who is schizophrenic , is presented as part of the reason the male main character couldn't commit to marriage with the female main character when they were younger. By the end the views have changed and this character who we still have not met is being welcomed into the fold. Sort of.

Lots of complicated thoughts for me. I would suggest it as a good discussion group book for a group that likes spice and hot button topics. This is a book that could start big discussions.

If you are a lover of the Brontë sisters’ work, you will definitely enjoy this book more than I did. There were a lot of references to their work that I didn’t get but that didn’t affect my overall rating. I enjoyed the premise and the overall plot of the book but I do wish that Athena and Thorne’s relationship after they made up took up a larger percentage than it did. Although this book is dual perspective, we get a lot less from Thorne than Athena. While I did enjoy the story line with all the side characters, it took a while to get to some juicy action which made me put the book down for days at a time. Thanks to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for this ARC.

Cute and quick read. Although I felt the characters lacked the depth and weight of the classic characters that are part of the inspiration, I still really enjoyed them. I'm also a sucker for classic lit and retellings, so this was right up my alley. I am looking forward to more from this author!

What a cute book! I loved the idea of a romcom based around the Bronte sisters and thought it was a great touch to start each chapter with a quote from them.

Overall, I mostly liked the voice of this book and the simmering romance between Thorne and Athena, but at times it was a bit too much. Each spent SO much time thinking about the other rather than having agency to do anything else. I kind of wished the banter was a bit more light hearted; it almost felt like Thorne was trying too hard to be a Bronte character trapped in a modern guy. Which I get was probably the idea, but it came across a little stilted at times.

And for me the mystery fell a little flat as well; you can immediate guess the identity of the C.L. Garland person, (and this is the entire reason for Athena being back in town) and it's a little strange that someone who prides herself as being as much of a brainiac as Athena does would be so utterly clueless about it.

Overall, this was a pleasant enough read, and I'd most likely look for other books by this author.

Special thanks to Forever/Grand Central Pub for making this book available to read in exchange for a review on NetGalley.

Unfortunately this book wasn’t for me. I’m not sure if it’s because I haven’t read all of the Brontës’ books or what. It was hard to sympathize with the characters, the identity of the author in the story can be guessed in the first few pages, the plot was a little too slow for my liking, and the dialogue and many of the phrases used were awkward.

It seems to have hit better for some other people on here, so if it sounds interesting, it may be worth giving it a shot!

Blame it on the Brontes follows as Athena returns to her childhood home on her last last-ditch effort to save her job and ends up working in a cafe owned by the man who got away, Thorne, who has been harboring his own secrets too. I loved the community in this book. The locals in the cafe and all of the side characters brought so much brightness and energy to the book. And I loved Athena and Thorne! Their romance is angsty and sweet, making it a really enjoyable friends to lover/second chance story! There were moments I really just wanted them to communicate more, but I loved seeing their friendship re-grow as they had a big falling out. There were some predicable moments too, but the writing is witty and smart. I loved Athena’s sass and sarcasm, and Thorne was broody and sweet. I also just loved the literary references and the parallels Throne and Athena made to the books too. There is a lot of heaviness in both of their pasts and I just really enjoyed seeing these characters grow and find themselves and each other again. This closed door romance is bursting with chemistry and characters you really root for!

Thank you NetGalley and Forever Publishing for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! This was a cute and quick read, but I never really connected to it. The premise sounded amazing, but I could never get into the book and found myself skimming a lot. This could just be a personal issue, so I still recommend this one. I really enjoyed the small town setting and references to classical lit (hello, Brontes) but, overall, it’s not my favorite romance.

3.75
Thank you to Forever Publishing and Netgalley for an e-ARC of this book to read and review. I thought this was a cute story. I loved the second chance and slow burn romance tropes. I also really enjoyed the mystery aspect that was here. The characters were fun, spirited and supportive and having the Café as the central setting was cute. What bothered me was how long secrets were kept in the book. It took to long for the characters to be honest with each other and I think it hindered parts of their romance. I also thought some parts of the book felt random and didn't really fit in with the overall story. Athena was hard to like and I felt her ego got in the way at times. I did enjoy all of the book puns literary talk and references. It was a fun little love story though.

Thank you so much for an advanced copy of Blame It On the Brontes.

Star Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Pub Date: May 3, 2022

This was a fun book, and it was also a quick read. I read this one in less than 24 hours, and I thought it was a quirky take on including classic novels into a contemporary romance. I thought the romance was fun and the characters were fairly engaging. As a faculty member myself, I really related to the "publish or perish" struggle of the main character.

That being said, while this was a fun read, it wasn't particularly special. I found myself skimming at several points just to move the story along, and I wasn't completely invested in the outcome of the story. I figured out the "twist" within the first thirty pages, and I just felt underwhelmed by the connection between the two main characters. The romance was fun, but I'm still not sure it was believable.

Overall, this was a fun book, though, and I'm glad I read it. I definitely won't re-read it, though. I rated this one three stars, and that was a generous rating IMO. I ended up going with three stars because I feel like others will enjoy it, especially readers who enjoy this topic area. I could have easily rated it two stars, even with the enjoyability factor because I just didn't find the book that interesting.

Blame It On The Brontes by Annie Sereno

The story starts out strong and I was immediately drawn into the mystery of C.L. Garland’s true identity. I loved the small town setting, the side characters and the found family aspect of the story. I also appreciated all the classical literature references, the dual POV and the second chance romance.

Unfortunately, I found Athena to be incredibly unlikeable and Thorne wasn’t much better. I expected to see some character growth from each of them throughout the story, but they stayed exactly the same throughout. I’m glad they finally realized they were still in love but the burn was so slow that I almost didn’t care by the end. I was also very surprised that this was a closed door romance, with all the references to sex and the fact that Athena is in search of an author that writes erotica.

Overall, this was a cute, easy story that could be read in a day. I liked the author’s writing style and I would recommend this to someone who likes smart literary references and witnessing quirky, ill tempered characters get a HEA.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Forever for the ARC to read and review.

I was so excited to read Blame it On the Brontes when I saw this title available! I just could NOT get into this story. It didn't hold my attention at all. I am a big fan of the Bronte sisters so I possess mad love for the quotes the author used in the novel, but I just did not care for the characters or their history - much less their present and future.

I generally enjoy an enemies to lovers trope, but this one kind of fell flat for me and I didn't enjoy it as well as I hoped I would. That said, I would rate this 2.5 out of 5 stars, rounded up to 3, mainly for the clever idea of including quotes by the beloved Bronte sisters.

I appreciate the opportunity from Netgalley and the publisher, Forever, for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review! This adorable book is set to come out the beginning of May!

I would have to rate this 3 stars. I was very conflicted when it came to how I wanted to rate this book. I loved all the references to the Brontes throughout the book and gave me a feeling of "Fangirl" by Rainbow Rowell and "The Bookish Life of Nina Hill" by Abbi Waxman.

I wouldn't classify this as a rom-com per say; there was some romance but very sparsely sprinkled throughout the book. There wasn't much plot other than the attempt at "enemies to lovers" trope. I struggled trying to like Thena and Thorne but since there wasn't much development, I couldn't get attached. The writing tends to get repetitive and it felt the author was trying too hard to add humor.

Overall, this was a cute fluff story and would be perfect for a beach read. Plus, the author's writing was easy to follow adding on extra fluff. Sereno will be an author on my radar for sure.

I really wanted to love this book and dont get me wrong its a cute book with fun loving characters. The small town energy is perfection. I think my mindset just wasnt right to absolutely love the story. I 100% recommend it if you like a gilmore girls/hallmark type set up. The slow burn was a very deep slow burn to the point I want to smack the characters heads together but all in all a great book to sip some coffee to.

I really wanted to like this book; I’m a dedicated rom com fan and a lover of romance and classic literature so it seemed right up my alley. I was really bothered that the main characters seemed so unlikeable, and it seemed implausible that a smart cookie like Athena wouldn’t already have more clues to the literary mystery brewing in her small hometown. I kept hoping things would improve, that I would end up caring more about Athena and Thorne, but this one was just not for me. Maybe it’s for you?

On leave from her job as an English professor, Athena returns to her hometown. She hopes to uncover the identity of a bestselling author who lives there and to publish a book on her findings to secure her own job. Little does she know, her college love has also relocated to her hometown, and she will be working with him.

Athena and Thorne seem like a great match for each other, and this is not just a second, but a third chance romance. Love abounded in this novel, as we met and watched romances among many of the others in the small town as well. I really enjoyed the scenes in Thorne's cafe.

Many of the characters sang during the book, and I found myself singing along as an accompanying soundtrack. I also really enjoyed all of the illusions to the Bronte sisters and their books (even if I will never see Heathcliff as a hero). Indeed, this book is an homage to all classic literature and an examination of what a literary hero is.

I was quite surprised this was a closed door romance. Given the search for an author of erotic novellas, that seemed an odd mismatch in tone. It was also quite a slow paced novel. I recommend it for those who love English literature.

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. These opinions are my own.

CW: homophobia

3.5 stars rounded up

3.5 stars rounded to 4

Blame It on The Brontës is a whimsical second (or third) chance romance with a unique connection to the Brontës sister. With every chapter bringing you a quote from the classics, you are brought back into the 19th-century literature style with a modern twist. This classic small-town romance is full of bookish themes and a slow burn that will have you wondering why it takes so long in the end. Athena must hide in plain sight to uncover a famous writer and write a book about it to save her job as a professor. Simple enough, right? No, she has to work with the love of her life, her now enemy, and the person who broke her heart to figure it out. Although predictable at times (aren’t all romance novels), the witty banter and bookish themes had me smiling until the end. If you enjoy second chance romances and classic literature references, you will love to read Blame it on the Brontës.

Full review with spoilers will be posted on my blog on May 3

Thank you to Netgalley & Forever publishing for the advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

I’m not sure where to begin. From the get-go, Athena Murphy is rather grumpy and ill-tempered. At first, I thought it was nervousness and having to meet up with her ex, but sadly no—she’s just kind of unlikable and grumpy all around. There’s a negativity about her that I usually don't like, but with any new book you’ve got to give characters time to evolve, change, and become more, right?

This one’s a quandary for me. To be honest, my feelings for our main character didn’t improve. However, when you meet her mother you begin to understand why she is the way she is. Her mother shames her for eating Girl Scout cookies with a quip of “a moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips.” She herself shames her ex by patting his tummy and saying “you’ve gained a few pounds" without provocation. That type of stuff I’ve never been a fan of. It’s just body shaming for the sake of it. It's something I don't care for.

Having said all that—I’ve spent two full days unable to put this book down! I mean, I think the title gives much of this away. Blame it on Brontë. A group of insufferable people that aren’t very nice, but for whatever reason, you’re invested in their lives and what’s going to happen next. What did I actually love about this book? The cast of secondary characters. Everyone in the sandwich shop! It's the quintessential Hallmark movie town. I want to be at all the town events, take part in all the holiday parties, listen to the town gossip, and share stories with these people. They were perfection in my book. Anywho... I can’t wait for others to enjoy the “love-hate trope” along with me!

While I can appreciate all the references to the Brontes and classic literature, this book was kind of boring. The characters all seem kinda flat, and I found I just didn't care if they recognized the solutions to their problems were being dropped in their laps.

I came in expecting light hearted romcom. I was not disappointed. This book had lots of fun moments and spectacular quotes from the brontes. I’m honestly going to have to reread Wuthering Heights for all the nostalgia this book gave me. Overall cute spring romcom. I do have to say it was a bit predictable, pacing was off , and I did have a few eye roll moments. I’m glad Athena and Thorne got it together at the end however.

Athena Murphy is home for two reasons: Figure out who C.L. Garland is and write a book on the mysterious author in order to save her position as an English Literature professor. However, coming home is never that easy. Waitressing at the local diner is supposed to help her get intel on Garland (who supposedly is from her hometown), but it also puts her in the direct path of the diner’s new owner, Thorne Kent…her ex.
This second chance romance is for anyone who loves rom coms with a bit of mystery and a lot of classic literary references. The author creates a world with such unique and vivid characters that you feel like you could easily step into As You Like It Café for an amazing sandwich and even better gossip. I found myself laughing out loud at the lengths Athena goes to in order to discover Garland’s identity as well as connecting with not only the main characters but also the side characters. Overall, the author has created such a fun, unique and heartfelt story that it should be on everyone’s TBR list!