The Hundred Loves of Juliet by Evelyn Skye is a captivating novel that beautifully weaves together the past and present. The story follows Helene, a divorcee who has given up on love, as she meets Sebastien, the man she had once only dreamed about. As their relationship blossoms, secrets from Sebastien's past threaten their future.

The novel explores themes of love and loss. The way the author blends the retelling of Romeo and Juliet with Helene and Sebastien's love story is super creative. One aspect of the story that fell flat for me was the conflict with Merrick (Helen's soon-to-be ex-husband). I can see the author's purpose for having this conflict, but it kind of felt distracting to the main storyline.

Overall, The Hundred Loves of Juliet is a heart-warming read that will leave you swooning. Skye has written a beautifully crafted romance that will appeal to fans of historical and contemporary fiction alike.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

With such an interesting premise, a retelling of Romeo and Juliet where Romeo (Sebastien) was immortal and Juliet (Helene) reincarnated, this held promise. Sebastien believes he is cursed, as every life of Juliet’s has died tragically shortly after they meet. He sets out to avoid Helene, but of course fate intervenes and they are thrust together.

I felt the delivery and the writing left me wanting more. The characters were one dimensional. Romeo and Juliet are star-crossed lovers and yet Sebastien and Helene lacked chemistry. I never felt the tension or the pull between them. The extended storyline with Merrick, Helene’s soon-to-be ex-husband, seemed farfetched and I felt detracted rather than added to the story and the risk of Sebastien losing Helene.

I received an advanced copy through Netgalley in return for an honest review.

The Hundred Loves of Juliet was a heartbreaking yet heartwarming, beautiful story about how love is endless and not even time or death can break it. A bit cheesy at times, but wonderfully written, the alternating perspectives between Helene and Sebastian paired with flashbacks and "vingettes" from both of their perspectives add depth, detail, and insight into Romeo & Juliet's story like you haven't heard before.

It reminded me a bit of Fallen by Lauren Kate, The Time Traveler's Wife, and Outlander. I loved the settings, the descriptions, and the characters. Helene's optimism and Sebastian's grief were tangible, as if I was experiencing them myself.

3/5 stars to The Hundred Loves of Juliet - it would be 4 stars, but the pacing was a bit off, and one of the tropes can be difficult for some readers.

The Hundred Loves of Juliet was a unique story that kept me on my toes. It was fast-paced, emotional, and sweet, and it had light-hearted, funny moments as well. If you’re a fan of the movie The Age of Adeline, you’re sure to love this book. I loved that we got snippets of their love story throughout the ages. I could not put this book down, and I’m sure you won’t be able to either.

Also - the author’s note at the end may have been one of the most touching and beautifully written author’s notes I’ve ever read. And honestly, knowing what this book means to the author makes it even sweeter.

This may have been more of a 3.5 for me. I loved the unique story line and the idea of a true love that keeps coming back. I enjoyed the different vignette's that gave us a glimpse into Sebastien and Helene's relationship. I appreciate that there wasn't a lot of unnecessary angst (miscommunication etc.). It was a cozy romance- closed door, but I would've still liked to have felt a little more passion and connection between the characters. I felt there was quite a bit of repetitive information throughout and I found myself skimming. I would've liked a few more resolutions throughout the story- it seemed abrupt in parts. A mix of pros and cons, but I still found myself wanting to see how it all came together. If you are looking for a cozy romance with a unique twist on a classic tale, I recommend picking this up!

I liked the idea for this story but unfortunately, it didn’t work for me and I DNF’d this at 45%. One of the issues I had with this is I never felt connected to the main characters, Helene and Sebastien. I really wanted them to be the main focus, but the story kept getting interrupted by the vignettes that Helene used to write and it took away from that main story that I wanted. I also don’t think I would have realized this was even a retelling without the characters continuously telling us that they were Romeo and Juliet and I think the vignettes that we got were supposed to be the retellings of Romeo and Juliet, but I honestly started skimming those to get back to the story of Helene and Sebastien. I think unfortunately this story wasn’t for me, but I think it will work well for others.

Absolutely loved this story! I loved the reimagining of Romeo and Juliet with some paranormal influence in there. I felt a lot of different emotions, which was amazing. The only thing I want to know is what happens after?? Will definitely be buying a physical copy once it is published.

I was really excited for this one, but it didn't quite hit the mark for me.

There were elements I did like. For example, I love the concept - the idea that Romeo never died, that he is cursed to an immortal life, while his soulmate Juliet reincarnates time after time to share a short amount of time with him before her life is tragically cut short again. Sebastien's journey gave me "The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue" vibes, but less complex in the way it unfolded. The magical/curse aspect reminded me of Rebecca Serle's books. The writing style is similar to Serle's, too. I also liked the way Helene's memories of her past lives came back to her in bits and pieces, and her reaction to seeing Sebastien for the first time in the bar was perfect.

In general, most of the plot felt a little too simplistic and glossed over for the concept. The vignettes left me wanting more - I almost feel like they weren't needed. Sebastien's journals were more powerful, but they also felt a little unfinished. The ending wrapped up too quickly - the ultimate conclusion / answer about the curse was basically a non-answer. It was frustrating after it being built up for the entire book.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

3.5/5 stars.

I really enjoyed this romance across the ages of our favorite star-crossed lovers, the original Romeo and Juliet, told with an interesting and fresh twist. It reminded me a bit of The Time Traveler's Wife and The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, but a bit less complex.

Sebastian and Helene are incarnations of Romeo and Juliet and have lived countless lives. Sebastian is cursed and can never die. Together, they have lived hundreds of lives in which they fall in love and later - sometimes within days - end in tragedy every time. Sebastian knows his "Juliet" every time she returns in another time, but they cannot seem to break the curse...until Juliet returns as Helene and begins to make the connection between who she is now and in the past, through stories she has written and others shared by Sebastian.

I loved the story up until the final 1/3 of the book - I felt like I was reading a completely different, kind of silly / unrelated story. I felt like this portion could be improved upon a bit in the editing process.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this sweet book.

A romantic and thrilling book about a girl who can see the different paths of her life and the boys she loves in each one. The book is full of drama, suspense, and swoon. It made me feel excited and emotional. A fun read. 💕

Thank you NetGalley for the ebook ARC!

Oh man. I was so expecting to like this book more than I did. A lot of respect to this author for pouring her heart out into this story, but maybe my expectations were just too high?

So, romance is not the usually my thing (unless it’s in the a fairytale genre of course) but I am a WHORE when it comes to anything Romeo and Juliet. Juliet Capulet is my favorite literary character and one of my all time favorite characters, period. Yes, I know they only knew each other for like 3 days, and I realize they were literally teenagers, but I still think of Romeo and Juliet as the ultimate love story. I acknowledge that the story is heavily romanticized yet I love EVERY SECOND OF THAT. Much to my delight, this book doesn’t retell or negate the events of Romeo and Juliet, but rather, adds onto it.

What if the events of Romeo and Juliet are only a small part of a love story for the ages? In this book, Juliet is cursed to reincarnate every generation, memory completely wiped of her past and doomed to die tragically everytime she reunites with Romeo. Romeo on the other hand, is cursed to remain deathless, forced to remain alive indefinitely while Juliet reincarnates each century with no memory of who she was, only to meet a tragic end.

Maybe it’s because I usually only like romance if it is historical or fairytale, but I liked every past reincarnation of Romeo and Juliet more than the actual present day story of Helene and Sebastien. I usually wished the historical recounts of their past lives were longer. I loveeeee the soulmate trope, but I didn’t enjoy the modern day Helene and Sebastien’s story as much as the historical recounts of their past lives.

Speaking of past lives, THERE IS SOMETHING IN THIS BOOK THAT BOTHERED ME IMMENSELY. No one else has commented on this so maybe me being Asian made me more perceptive of this. There’s one part of the book which lists each of Romeo and Juliet’s past lives and who they were, what time period, and where. There’s literally a century where they meet as different people in Shanghai and in my head I was like, omg! Yes! We are gonna get the Asian Juliet rep we deserve! Only for this Juliet, Kitri, to be the daughter of a German who happens to be in Shanghai. They are in a whole ass county of Asian people but you still manage to find a way to keep Juliet as a white person instead of letting her be Asian which would make more sense seeing as they’re literally living in China.

Here’s the thing. She reincarnates in different bodies with the same soul, so no matter what she looks like (and she looks different every time) he always recognizes her and knows it’s her. There’s no rule that says all of her reincarnated bodies all have to be white. I wouldn’t have even noticed this if every past life reincarnation were only in America or European countries, you know, predominately white countries. I wouldn’t have even batted an eye. Yet for the one reincarnation where they finally are somewhere that’s not Europe or America, you still manage to make her be in the small percentage of people living in an Asian country who are white. He would’ve recognized her soul regardless of her ethnicity. So was this really necessary to bend over backwards just to make her white even when she’s living in a literal Asian country?

You had literally every chance to make Juliet at least one different ethnicity other than white and it would’ve worked within the plot, since Romeo would’ve recognized her soul no matter what she looked like. But nope! Reincarnated like 10 times over several centuries and you’re telling me she’s WHITE in every single one? Ok lol

Maybe I’m more offended about this than I should be, but I digress. Juliet is one of my favorite characters and I went as her for Halloween a couple of years ago. When I read Shanghai as one of the reincarnations, I got excited thinking we were getting Asian Juliet rep, but nope! She just happened to be in the 1% of white people living in an Asian country. Of course.

Some of this book also happened to be too….convenient. Romeo is insanely rich and has some powerful people on his side as a result of it, but you never really find out why or how. All you know is that he’s made some really good investments but that isn’t really an explanation. And the fact that he had this overseas group, who works for big public figures and celebrities, not only willing to bend over backwards to help him but also don’t ask questions about his immortality and just help him with fake id’s every couple of decades? It’s too convenient.

I also found the ending very unsatisfactory. The explanation was basically a non explanation. This story didn’t have nearly as many supernatural elements as I was expecting. I was expecting the end to be filled with magic and curse breaking and high stakes and it just….wasn’t. The climax of the story wasn’t even gripping at all. It just wasn’t what I was expecting and the ending was too inconclusive and was unsatisfactory. I expected more and I went into this expecting to love this. However, the author’s note at the end about her and her husband’s story was really sweet though. What a beautiful and inspiration love story; God bless them. The author’s note was favorite part of this whole book and it wasn’t even part of the book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Del Rey for sending me an advanced copy in return for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the advanced copy of The Hundred Loves of Juliet. I adored this novel! It was my first by Evelyn Skye, and I can't wait to read more of her pieces of work.

What a super cute read!! This is definitely a cozy, romance-across-time story that will leave you with nothing but warm and fuzzy feelings. I really enjoyed the simplicity of this story. I can definitely see how some people might not enjoy it for this reason because they might be expecting more, but if you don't expect more and accept it for the simple sweet story that it is, than it will not disappoint. The only thing that I wish could've been different is more depth to the story. There were certain things that I wanted to know more about. Overall, this is a great read!

A modern day retelling of Romeo and Juliet?!?! And it takes place in Alaska?!?! Sign me up. I've read hundreds of romance books and I always love seeing something new and different. While people may think Romeo and Juliet is overtold, this version is SOOO UNIQUE!!

Fav Quote: ""Life is never a guarantee"

I read this as a part of arc and couldn't recommend more...also, thank goodness it ends different than the original!

FINALLY A HAPPY ENDING! Don’t get me wrong, I have and will always love the original story but it’s just amazing to see this classic forbidden/impossible romance actually work out (even with all the heartbreak before then). I definitely recommend checking this one out!

i loved the idea of this book so much. hearing the stories about how many versions of juliet’s deaths sebastian had to endure made me so sad. a forbidden love is always one i love to read. i didn’t love the ending because one part seemed sorta rushed through but i’m ultimately happy with where their love story ended up though. thank you to netgalley and random house publishing for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Finally, the happy ending Romeo and Juliet always deserved! The Hundred Loves of Juliet is a beautiful and heartbreaking love letter that celebrates the hurdles we overcome in the name of love. I simply adored this book with its extraordinarily clever and unique plot! I enjoyed the glimpses of Romeo and Juliet’s past lives and how Helene remembered them through her vignettes. A book within a book is a plot device I’ve seen used frequently of late and this one is so well done. If you love romance mixed with a dash of historical fiction, I highly recommend reading!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing - Ballantine/Del Rey for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the concept of this story! Unfortunately, I don't think it quite hit the mark for me.

There was a lot of repetitiveness that seemed a bit sloppy or didn't give the reader the benefit of the doubt that they're paying attention. (Juliet's failure as a cook, for example — I felt like I read the exact same few paragraphs a few times about that.)

I loved the vignettes, but thought they could've been better incorporated. This book would have been much stronger if you got the POV during those brief timelines, instead of just being told about them (or reading them from the POV as a story instead of a lived experience).

The conflict was a bit weak in my opinion also. We had this big villain, and we got the whole story from Romeo and Juliet with her previously betrothed person, so it felt set up for a more than one person reincarnation — and then we didn't go in that direction.

If the whole "curse" breaks just because of hope, I'm not sure that's enough closure for me. I wanted a detailed explanation of how it started to break. Or even if it mattered that the curse didn't break at all? I think to label something a curse instead of a phenomenon or something like that leaves room for readers to want the explanation.

Helene also felt very juvenile to me in this book. Not her age, but her attitude towards a lot of things.

The concept was amazing, but ultimately I wish it'd been presented differently.

This was unfortunately a difficult read for me. I was so excited by the concept of a modern retelling of Romeo + Juliet. Being a fan of remakes and different versions of past stories, movies, etc, I was really looking forward to diving in to this one.

Sadly, I had a hard time connecting with both the characters and the story. I’ve read so many books with dual timelines and alternating character POV’s, but this just didn’t work for me. I’ve actually come to prefer that style or writing, but I found that jumping between the present day, Helene’s vignettes, and Sebastian’s journal to feel very chaotic and choppy. It just made it very difficult for me to enjoy the book overall.

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for gifting me an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

When Helene was young, she dreamed of the perfect man and filled her notebooks with stories about him and about love in its purest form. But after a messy divorce, she has let go of such naive fantasies. She has moved to a small town in Alaska, where she is ready to write her novel and build a new life without romance. Fate has other plans, though.

A captivating romance that had me hooked. Overall, "The Hundred Loves of Juliet" is a thrilling and enchanting novel that will capture your heart and your imagination.