Overall a cute story, highly predictable. As my typical small town second chance, I really enjoyed this story for the most part. I wanted more from the execution though. The characters fell kind of flat, and the plot had some repetition that felt strange. It just didn't play out the way my mind expected it to at all, but a very interesting concept.

Blame it on the Brontes by Annie Sereno

My rating: 3 1/2 stars out of 5.

Thank you Netgalley and Grand Central Publishing for the chance to review this book.

Athena is a Literature college professor who is trying to secure tenure by writing a book where the uncovers the identity of popular erotica author, C.L. Garland, who so happens to live in her home town of Laurel, Illinois. Her plan is to do some sleuthing while waitressing at her mother's friend's cafe. However, once she gets there, she finds that the cafe is under new management, specifically her ex, Thorne Kent...

What I enjoyed most about this book was the underlying mystery of trying to discover Garland's true identity. I felt that this was very well done and it had me guessing till the very end. I also greatly enjoyed all the mentions of classical literature, from the Bronte quotes at the beginning of the chapters to the literary menu references at the As You Like it Cafe. I also enjoyed the colorful cast of small-town characters, along with the small-town setting of the book. I also enjoyed that it was a closed door romance.

Now I feel that I must preface with the fact that I have only read Wuthering Heights once, which seems to be the primary source of inspiration for this story, so it could just be that the references were lost on me. I did enjoy Thorne and Athena as characters, but I felt like their will-they-won't-they second chance romance was filled with some unnecessary drama, in particular at the end of the novel. I also felt that there were too many layers with Athena's family members, that it felt a bit forced at times, in particular with regards to her mother's story. There were also moments in time where I felt the transition from one event to another was just too fast and distracting.

However overall it was a sweet story and I was very grateful for being given the opportunity to review it. I would read more from this author in the future.

I really enjoy books in academic settings, and this was fun! It was a little slow, but it was a fun, lighthearted read.

This was such a fun second chance romance! The small town setting and added mystery made for a really cozy story. I loved the family struggle and mid life crisis aspects as well. I also really enjoyed the banter and witty dialogue which gave me Gilmore Girls vibes especially the way Luke and Lorelai argued and bantered. Wonderful read!

College professor Athena Murphy has returned to her local town after being given an ultimatum. Write a book on mysterious writer C.L.Garland and their identity or lose your job. Athena is determined but how will this work when her old lover Thorne Kent lives in town as well?

I enjoyed this novel more than I thought I would! I’m not huge on the classic English literature but I loved how it was intertwined within the story. The story had a bit of spice that was the perfect amount! A second chance trope is the best! I enjoyed the banter between Athena and Thorne but also the local folks were such a delight. I did find Finn and Mario to both be annoying and toxic? I did think the book was too long and could’ve been cut down but overall a lovely story.

Was very slow and hard to pull me in. Couldn’t get into it or connect with characters. May try again later to see if I can connect better at later date

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for allowing me to read Blame it on the Brontes. What I loved: the quotes and references throughout the book. I love the Bronte sisters, especially Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. Which is why i needed to read this one. I really enjoyed the story line and most of the cast of characters. The banter between Athena and Thorne was pretty good.
What I didn't love: too much detail. The extra detail made sections of the book too slow for me. It took longer to get through & at times. I think without the details bogging it down this would have been a 4 star at least.

This book was.....way too predictable for my taste. I was really hoping I wasn't right immediately from the start, but I was. I don't mind some predictability, but when it comes to romance, you already KNOW they are going to get together so it needs more unpredictability around it. I loved the bronte references and some of the side characters, but that's about it

While I felt this book sometimes was a little too image and food focused, I loved that it brilliantly worked on two levels: as a small town second chance romance destined to delight bookish or non-bookish people, and a plethora of inside Bronte jokes.

This was exactly what I needed. I've recently discovered that I love small town romance, second chance romance and witty banter is one my love languages. This book is perfect for reader who love Book Lovers by Emily Henry but not so similar that they would get bored reading them back to back. I loved the way Athena talked and lived her life I feel like she's the perfect combination of me and my best friend and found her very relatable. I also love any book about a restaurant/coffee shop or bakery so this book had everything I wanted. And the spicy scenes! They were nerdy, quirky and hot!

This was a fun read! I enjoyed it and would recommend to others who enjoy bookish books. Other will love it too!

Thank you Netgalley for this ACR for an exchange for an honest review.

I thought it was a great book, liked it.

I was not the biggest fan of this novel. I only got about halfway through because reading the chapters was like trudging through quicksand. The plot moved at the pace of a snail and the characters had the depth of a piece of cardboard. I'm not a picky romance reader, but nothing in this book really appealed to me, so it's a no from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the ARC of this novel.

This was an enjoyable romp that showed a second chance romance coming back together with some unexpected obstacles in the way. As a former English major, I did enjoy the recollections of university life and how sure you are of everything when you are 22. When you mature more, things can be very different and people can grow back together. There were times near the end of the book that I was extremely irritated with Thorne and his choice of what information to share and not to share but it fit his character just enough for me to not throw it down in disgust. Overall, not bad but not one I would read again.

The plot of this book intrigued me, and while I enjoyed the story itself, I just could not get on board with the heroine - Athena Murphy. She is an associate professor of English Lit who has a history of letting her unwavering assumption that she is always right get her into trouble. Her job is on the line, and to help save her career she's decided to unmask the reclusive author C.L. Garland, whose highly popular smut-filled takes on popular literature have captured readers all across the board. However, chasing C.L. Garland takes her back to her hometown, where her ex - Thorne Kent - still resides.

It's pretty obvious from the start who C.L. Garland really is, but the story takes it's time getting there. Along the way you meet some delightful side characters - residents of the town - who are far more engaging than the two leads. Thorne isn't so bad as someone forced to make difficult decisions due to someone else's selfishness, but he's very surface. There's not much development there. As for Athena, I found her immensely unlikable from the beginning, and she stayed that way throughout the entire book. I truly did not care if she lost her job, found out who the mysterious C.L. really is or if she high-tailed it back to her original school. The rest of her family, however, was much more nuanced and interesting.

If you are just looking for something quick to read while on vacation, this book should be just fine.

Blame It on the Brontes was a sweet and somewhat emotional read but I felt a bit lost with ALL of the Bronte sister references and general references to classic literature, theater, etc. It was enjoyable overall but sometimes felt like there was SO many things happening with such minimal results/reactions that it took me a bit longer to read than I anticipated. I did, however, look forward to picking the book back up, which is something I definitely take into account when I rate review books. I'd recommend to anyone who has enjoyed novels by the Bronte sister, looking for a fun spin on those classics.

Thank you so much to Forever and Netgalley for an arc of Blame it on the Brontës by Annie Sereno.

I really wanted to like this book! The synopsis sounds like something right up my alley: modern romance mixed with classics? Yes please! I dnf’d this one at 25 % and I really tried to keep going in the hopes it would get better (again, I wanted to like it!). I found the main characters so pretentious and other side characters so “quirky” but instead of funny they were just insulting and offensive. It just seemed like the characters were trying so hard and I could not connect with them or their stories.

Read if you like: second chance romances.
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Athena goes back to her hometown to uncover the identity of a writer that retells classic books as erotica. While there, she runs into her ex who has given up his law career to open a cafe. While home Athena starts to question her life as a professor at her university.
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This book was fun but it was very predictable and a bit long. I figured out the author pretty quickly so some of the middle of the plot seemed silly once I finished! But overall super cute!
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CW: sexual content, death of a parent, mental illness, homophobia, sexism, misogyny.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc of "Blame It on the Brontes" by Annie Sereno.

Athena and Thorne have known each other since university. Their relationship has been non-existent since a miserable meet up in Seattle many years before. But now that Thena's job is on the line and she is facing the publisher or perish part of her profession she has come home to write her book only to find Thorne has bought out the cafe she was going to work in. The two are explosive at best but try to keep it professional as the search for an elusive author and secrets about their past start to creep up on them, as well as all sorts of love matches.

I don't know if it was that I read this at the wrong time or if it is actually the book but I found the pacing of this book really off. I was BORED for the first over 60% of the book and while I usually gobble down romances, especially ones with bakers or classic references, I struggled to get through the plot and had to force myself to keep picking up the book. While the beginning of the book kept dragging on more that I would have liked the end 20% had all the confrontations and drama that should have taken place at some point in the beginning of the book. Overall I just thought the ending was rushed while the beginning dragged and the 'secret' about the author was not at all well kept from the reader. I knew who it was so early in that it began to annoy me that Thena couldn't figure it out.

It wasn't terrible but I probably won't pick it up again. 3 stars.

Thank you netgalley for the opportunity to review this book!
I am new to loving romance, and I love a good second chance trope.
I liked the characters and was genuinely invested in the story.