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.

Okay, how to organise my chaotic thoughts about this.

I enjoyed it. But there were a few things that got to me:

- The love interest was too obviously keen from the get go. It felt like insta love. It just didn't tantalise me.
- The constant "thank the bard" and other stuff was a bit much. Like yes, they live in a town that lives and breathes shakespeare, but it just didn't feel right. It felt like a weird episode of gilmore girls (stars hollow!!)
- The mothers breast cancer storyline was actually pretty triggering. And, I feel like it was maybe too much for what is otherwise a pretty light story? It is a very sensitive spot for me - my own mother had cancer (and passed away as a result) and ALSO ignored her health for a long time so I get it.. but it just felt to heavy. That could just be me being too close to this situation.

There were lots of other cool things that I did enjoy, and overall it was a fun and entertaining story. It just fell a little flat of what I had hoped for (which might say more about me than the book).

Miranda is back in her hometown for the summer to finish writing the final installment of the popular fantasy series that no one knows she authors. Mortified to run into her ex, hunky veterinarian Adam, she is frustrated by how much her dog loves someone she really wants to avoid due to a long-held grudge. Her mother is in poor health and Miranda ends up having to direct a production of Twelfth Night for the Shakespeare festival, where of course, she keeps running into Adam.

If you love Gilmore Girls, the small town feel of this novel will hit you in all the warm and cozies. I think the author even REFERENCES Gilmore Girls. At first, all of the Shakespeare allusions and puns were groan-inducing and eyeroll worthy… and then I started to really appreciate how the characters developed into solid, real, complex people. The sister dynamics evolved as well.

I received a free advance reader’s review copy of #ForTheLoveOfTheBard from #NetGalley

Miranda returns home under pressure to finish a book, help her parents, helping at the theater and trying to avoid running into Adam, who broke her heart when they were teenagers.
I loved the small Shakespeare themed town Bard, known for its annual festival. It’s a charming quirky town with with fun characters. It’s a delightful second chance romance that doesn’t boggle you down with the works of Shakespeare, just enough but not too much.

A writer rom-com that's also a second chance romance??? sign me up! Reminded me of Jen DeLuca's Well Met series. Very sweet and earnest in the best way

this was a perfectly cute romcom!! it felt like such a cute summery romcom. the only complaint i have is the way the main character would CONSTANTLY say "for the love of bard" after the 10th time if started to feel SOOOO annoying. but honestly thats a pretty small complaint.

What a smashing good time! I love books with specific settings and this one did the trick. Plus, romance. It was an easy A for me!

I requested this book based soley on the title. Beyond that I had no expectations for this story. Now, personally, I've tried to read Shakespeare and was glad I finally made it through it and haven't been motivated to read another. Give me all the re-tellings and re-imaginings in the world. This isn't either of those. Miranda is a literary agent & (closeted) writer. She is returning to her hometown of Bard's Rest for Bard's Centennial Festival. She needs to write her next book and help her mother with any festival duties she can. The first day in town her dog, Puck, got ahold of some chocolate requiring an emergency vet visit, but instead of kindly old Dr. Winters, she finds his son, Adam. Adam broke her heart on prom night by kissing her older sister and going to prom with her instead. She hasn't really gotten over it.

So this is an enemies to lovers. I enjoyed Miranda and Adam's story as well as all the other characters in Bard's Rest. From her sisters to her parents to all the stores and restaurants and places of note being named in honor of Shakespeare. My favorite thing maybe Miranda's catch phrase when something goes wrong...."For Bard's sake".

Thanks to NetGalley, Berkley Books & Jessica Martin for the advance ebook. I really enjoyed this book.

For the Love of the Bard is the story of Miranda Barnes, a literary agent who also writes a popular YA series under a pen name. When she returns home to visit her family, she is roped into directing a play at the town's annual Shakespeare festival -- which leads her to meet her high school flame again.

I wanted to read this novel because it looked like a fun, light summer read. The Shakespeare festival setting was appealing, and so was the lost love storyline.

This was an enjoyable read. The author did a good job at capturing small town life. I loved all the Shakespeare theme businesses in the little town in this novel.

Miranda is a likable protagonist and Adam, her first loved, now a veterinarian, was a great book boyfriend. Her sisters, parents, and quirky friends round out the story.

I recommend For the Love of the Bard for anyone looking for a light beach read or weekend read, and especially for anyone who enjoys small town settings, community theater, or Shakespeare.

For all of my Shakespeare peeps, you will definitely enjoy reading this book. It has a lot of references to Shakespeare's works. But I would say go with caution when reading this book. Let me explain.

I don’t like to read second chance tropes in romance books. I find myself unforgiving of the main characters because there was a reason why the break-up happened. And as I read through For the Love of the Bard, I just knew that the main character, Miranda, deserves better.

Miranda returns to her hometown to help her mother play, and also work on her book that she has yet to finish. She does not have the time or the heart to deal with dealing with her ex-love, Adam.

He broke her heart in the worst way by kissing her older sister on prom night. Who the hell does not? I’m sorry, but I will just refuse to forgive him. But no, she gives him another chance, and he blows it again. I just can’t. He blew his chance twice already. There is no need to go back to him after a third time. Makes no sense to me.

Fans of Jen DeLuca's renaissance faire series won't want to miss For the Love of the Bard, Jessica Martin's charming debut. This Shakespeare-themed romcom brought a smile to my face, with a compelling love story and delightful side characters. It was sweet and surprisingly moving. I hope its the start of a series set in the Bard-loving village.

✨Adam = Ted from Schitt’s Creek✨

I’ve seen others say that this book is great for fans of Well Met and it totally back that! I had a really good time with the setting and the characters. It had a few distinct choices that made the story a little less cookie-cutter.

🎟 The grudge she held was valid and I totally would’ve been mad after ten years too
🎟 Adult decisions were made and I thought the breakups and her anger were pretty logical
🎟 A sex scene that felt natural for the story (I would’ve like more but whatevs)
🎟 It wasn’t Miranda to break them up that last time
🎟 I liked Miranda and I think she made a lot of decisions I would’ve made!
🎟 Endearingly real sister relationship

I didn’t mind all of the Shakespeare, but saying “thank the bard” instead of “thank god” and other phrases was just toohoo much like girl that’s kinda weird. It made the book a bit too campy but it didn’t really impact me enjoyment.

I think the breast cancer and how the mother decided to approach her treatment (she didn’t take it seriously for a while) could be sure triggering for some readers. Approach with caution if that’s a trigger for you. It ends with the mother getting surgery to remove a tumor, but nothing conclusive.

Overall, this was a fun ride and I’m happy I bought a ticket! If you’re a Shakespeare fan, former theater kid, or small-town romance enthusiast, I can see this being for you.

Small town vibes, a cute dog and a hot vet… I can’t believe the dog isn’t on the cover of this one. This reminded me a little bit of Maggie Moves On. There is a balance of romance, family and character growth.

This novel straddled the line between quirky fun and quirky annoying and I’m still a little iffy about where it landed.

Miranda Barnes heads back home for the summer to help with the 100th anniversary of her town’s Shakespeare festival, as well as to get out of her writer’s block to write the next book in her YA fairy series. While back home, she runs into her high school crush who broke her heart, Adam, and sparks still fly.

So, Miranda’s town is Shakespeare obsessed, and this isn’t even an exaggeration. Every store is named with a Shakespeare pun, which, ok, kind of cute. What irritated me is that it becomes almost cultish in their use of quotes and the Bard’s name. Like, instead of saying “For goodness sake” (or other alternatives), they say “For Bard’s sake”. Multiple times. And they have fights in which they hurl Shakespearean insults at each other. Multiple times. I honestly cannot wrap my head around that being real and it pulled me out of the book every time I read a line like that.

Another small irritation that honestly, really has no impact on the rest of the book but bothered me all the way to the end is that Miranda calls her sister Portia “Porsche” at one point because it supposedly irritates her but, it’s pronounced the same way? So how does she know she’s calling her a different spelling of her name in spoken word and not in writing?

But speaking of Portia, I did enjoy the sisterly relationships in this book with Portia, Cordy, and Miranda. It was my favorite part and I loved watching them work through a lot of their problems and grow and become more adult. I also really liked their parents, so honestly, the home-town family aspect of this book was a huge win for me.

I did like Adam, and I liked Miranda, but I don’t know if I liked them together. There was just something missing and I can’t put my finger on it. They had moments of chemistry, but I think maybe I needed a little more of a slow burn? Not my favorite couple I’ve read, especially recently.

I did enjoy her friend Ian as well as Miranda’s struggle with writing the next book in her YA series. It was interesting to see how the negative reviews of the previous book made it so hard for her to start the next one.

There were a lot of fun moments in this book but there were also a lot of eye rolls for me. I think if it had reigned in the Shakespearean quirks a little bit I would’ve upped it to a 4/5. If you love Shakespeare and romance I think this will be a fun book for you to check out. It does feel a little bit like a debut novel to me, but it wasn’t terrible. Depending on the summary, I would give Martin’s next book a try.

Such a fun debut! Miranda is trying to do it all. She is trying to finish her book, direct a play, deal with a family health scare all while avoiding her prom date in the Shakespeare obsessed town.
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Adam is a whiz at set design and the town vet and Miranda’s dog can’t help but be drawn to Adam.
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In this Shakespeare town love is strong between these two but not without the drama that many Shakespeare play had to offer.
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Thank you to @berkleypub @berittalksbooks @thephdivabooks and @dg_reads @netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

4 ⭐️ For the Love of the Bard by @seejesswritebooks

Thank you so much to @seejesswritebooks, @berkleypub, @netgalley, & @letstalkbooksreaderteam for allowing me the opportunity to read this one!

Literary agent, turned author behind a pseudonym, Miranda Barnes has hit writers block, almost at the most opportune time. She’s headed back to her hometown of Bard’s Rest, NH to help with the town’s centennial Shakespearean festival. Except, just as she’s packing to leave, her sister calls & says she needs to get home right away. Her mother received a scary diagnosis & they need all hands on deck. Once in Bard’s Rest, Miranda’s dog, Puck, eats chocolate & has to be taken care of the local vet, who happens to be Miranda’s ex. Miranda tries to split her focus on her next book, her mom, & her ex, but will she be able to be successful in all areas?

This was a cute story. I loved that it was broken down into acts like a Shakespeare play. I loved the chapter names, can we get more of that? I also love the supporting characters. Miranda’s sisters were just the right amount of pushy, but sisterly. Adam was a true animal lover & knew how to apologize for his mistakes. I think my favorite parts were the mention of @massholedonuts, the descriptions of NH & Somerville, & even the mention of my hometown right at the end. If you’re a fan of Shakespeare & sweet romances, this is definitely for you!

This was an enjoyable rom-com. I was never into Shakespeare growing up but I loved how the love of Shakespeare was the theme of the book. It was nice to see Miranda and her sisters clear up their past grievances and become closer throughout the book, especially when dealing with their mother's health issues. I would definitely recommend this to my library patrons.

I was unable to finish this one and had to DNF. I just could not get in to the storyline. If I attempt to read in the future, I will update my feedback.