Thank you to Netgalley and publisher for an arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

I unfortunately struggled to get into this book. I found that it was difficult to relate to the characters and it felt as though the story was missing something. It seemed as though Helene and Sebastien did not truly have chemistry and was a bit forced.

Overall, this book was okay, however not necessarily something I would read again.

A modern-day reimagining of Romeo and Juliet with grumpy/sunshine, small town romance, dual POV, historical romance, curses, and more? TBH my first though at the beginning of this story was the movie "Hancock" (Will Smith, superhero, no memories, lost love, etc.) but the story moves so far from that and really pulls you in. Sebastian's pain is felt so vividly but the overarching feeling this book invokes is HOPE. I loved getting to revisit several lives from both POV which really connected with both characters.

Thank you to Netgalley and publisher for an arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

Publication: August 1, 2023

This was my first book by Skye and I was initially pulled in with her writing style. When I read the synopsis, I found that I would have loved to read this book. Magical realism. Soulmates. Souls in love finding each other.

At first, I was pulled into the story and really thought I would rate it higher than I ended up choosing. This book fell in the same vein as "How to Stop Time" (Matt Haig), which was a book I loved.

Some problems I found involved that the story felt dry, the chemistry forced and the historical pieces lacking. I'm not sure what was missing but this story missed the mark but was close at the same time. Maybe more chemistry for Helene and Sebestian? Maybe more historical pieces since we follow their love story through time?

Overall, this book was just okay to me and was a 2.5 to 3 star read.

THE HUNDRED LOVES OF JULIET-Evelyn Skye

Del Rey

Hardback ISBN: 978-0-593-49924-5

E-book ISBN : 978-0-593-49925-2

August 01, 2023

Contemporary Romance



Ryba Harbor, Alaska and Europe- Present Day





After leaving her husband after he cheated on her, Helene Janssen goes to Ryba Harbor, Alaska to lick her wounds and to start that book that has been in her mind for as long as she could remember. One day she goes to a local bar and sees a group of crab fisherman come in. She sees a man and watches as he orders a drink. There is something familiar about him. Then she knows-he is the character she has written about for years come to life.



Helene approaches him and tastes honey wine on her lips, but he rebuffs her. She is slightly embarrassed figuring that she made a big mistake but he looks just like her character that she has written about for years. Sebastien Montague feels shocked that he found his Juliet, now Helene, again but he can’t be with her. When he is with her it always ends in her death. He is sorry he was mean to her but he rather have her safe without him than to watch her die again.



Sebastien is a man that has been alive for centuries. He is Romeo in Romeo and Juliet but Shakespeare got the ending wrong. He was the cause of Juliet’s death and he has suffered from it. He does not understand what happened but ever since her death he has become immortal and keeps meeting Juliet reincarnated. He knows it is her, although she looks different, by the taste of honey wine on his lips and he would know his Juliet anywhere.



THE HUNDRED LOVES OF JULIET is a retelling of Romeo and Juliet. Sebastien is a compelling character. He has suffered from the loss of his Juliet of the centuries and he has given up all hope that Helene will live. From drowning to being burned alive, Sebastien has tried to save Juliet through the years but it never works out.



Helene believes the curse, as Sebastien calls it, can be destroyed and her optimism and determination to see her relationship with him through is a complement to Sebastien’s suffering. My favorite character is Sebastien. He loves Helene and he would do anything for her and if that means leaving her he will.



THE HUNDRED LIVES OF JULIET is a nice read. The central flaw to the story is that its premise, a completely romantic one, put in “real life’ settings was problematic for me, but I think a lot of people will enjoy the story.



Avis Yarbrough

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey and NetGalley for an eARC of The Hundred Loves of Juliet.

An absolutely heartbreakingly romantic modern retelling of a timeless classic! I absolutely loved the way the author remade this story into her own and, honestly, I have never read anything like it.

I received an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you Evelyn Skye, Random House Publishing Group, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book!

ABOUT THIS BOOK:
Reincarnated Juliet (Helene) meets cursed-with-immortality Romeo (Sebastien) in a small town in Alaska. Helene is looking to rediscover her passion for writing after a messy divorce, while Sebastien is reckoning with the fact all the previous times he’s met his reincarnated love, it’s come to a tragic end. Can Helene and Sebastien finally break the heartbreaking cycle?

MY THOUGHTS:
I loved reading about how personal this book was to the author, and I think that really drives home the moral of cherishing each day with the people with love. That being said I didn’t feel the emotions of the characters in a way that was immersive to the story, which was too bad because this book had such an emotional premise. Overall, I would give this three stars. If you are a big fan of the original Shakespeare tale and characters, perhaps this will resonate with you more.

TROPES:
• Dual POV
• Grumpy x Sunshine
• Force proximity
• Fated love
• Closed-door spice

Pretty good!! (maybe more of a 3.5-3.8) The beginning definitely hooked me (an immortal Romeo and a reincarnating Juliet ?!), the middle got a little old, and there was finally some action in the end. Loved the concept of it but oddly enough I didn't feel like I had enough time to really develop a love for either of the characters. Wish there was less stories about the past Juliets tbh, but overall enjoyed this rendition of a classic!

A captivating title, a beautiful cover, and an interesting concept. “The Hundred Loves of Juliet” caught my eye with its gorgeous art alone — those cartoon character romance covers are getting a bit repetitive. The simple, delicate beauty of the cover is 5-star worthy by itself.

The concept was intriguing as well: Helene spends her entire life in love with the idea of her imaginary friend, only to come face to face with his lookalike, Sebastian, after leaving her now ex-husband and moving to a remote Alaskan town. How could Helene dream up a man she’d never met? Well, apparently they have met many times over, starting with their original love story — that of Romeo and Juliet.

I am, admittedly, a sucker for stories set in the Pacific Northwest. I’m even more of a sucker for king crab fisherman (cough cough, Tessa Bailey’s Bellinger Sisters series), which Sebastian just happens to be. As a semi-english literature major, I am also, shockingly, a sucker for Shakespeare reimaginings.

Suffice to say, I was hooked before I even began The Hundred Loves of Juliet. The novel started off strong for me — winter in Alaska, a group of fisherman in a small town bar, a reluctantly grumpy male main character, cozy bookstores, sea shanties, and a snowed-in scenario.

However, once the plot really kicks into action about halfway through, the story began to feel a bit cheesy — which is good if you like sweet romances! I, however, was hoping that due to the Shakespearean origins, the story would be more of a dark, slow-burn, grand and lustful romance. It ended up not being that. Sebastian also quickly leaves his king crab fishing business to be with Helene, so I also lost that little plot I find enjoyable. Then, to my dismay, they leave Alaska to travel for the remainder of the novel, so that dark wintertime setting I loved was also gone. I also disliked the ex-husband plot. It felt unnecessary — when you have such a great concept already, adding the the “evil ex” trope takes away from the unique plot.

Everything was working for this book, and I enjoyed the the majority of the time I spent reading, but the execution and writing style wasn’t my cup of tea. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes sweet, simple romances (closed door, btw, as I know that matters to some readers!)

And I have to say this again — possibly one of my favorite book covers in the last year. Totally gorgeous!

I loved this book! It was a little slow at first but I quickly started to learn more about Sebastian and Helene and I could not put the book down! I read it in one weekend. I had never been able to get into the classic Romeo and Juliet story, but this book was so good! I have always wanted to travel to Alaska so I loved when Helene moved there. I could not recommend this book enough!

3.5/5. It was a solid read, and I often enjoy a reference to Romeo and Juliet. I feel like I need a trip to Alaska to round out my reading experience!

Absolutely loved this gem of a romance novel. Time travel? Check. Beautiful, far flung settings? Check. Dreamy, smart, and respectful male lead? Check check check. In all seriousness, this novel exceeded my expectations. The premise - that Romeo never died and Juliet is reincarnated over and over, doomed to repeat their star-crossed love, initially appears pretty trite and bleak simultaneously. Instead, the novel is touching and smart and the characters extremely likable. It's witty and sharp and somehow also manages to be uplifting.

This is a cute love story. I enjoyed the concept of a Romeo who never dies and a Juliet reincarnated across centuries finding each other time and time again only to have tragedy strike every time. When “Helene” and “Sebastian” meet in this story, I was hoping for a bit more depth into the actual “curse” and how it would be solved. I think it was a little bit too simplistic for me and I was hoping for more from the ending. Overall though a very cute, worthwhile romance with an interesting twist.

A fantastic retelling/reimagining of Romeo and Juliet! Definitely held my interest throughout and excited to see how well this one does post publishing!!

This book started off with so much promise and such an amazing premise, I loved the idea of a retelling of a classic story like Romeo and Juliet, but I feel like it devolved very quickly into a Lifetime Movie. The character development felt forced and a bit off putting to me and then premise of the curse was fantastic, but I’m not entirely sure how it ended up getting broken or even how it was established in the first place. I wanted to like this so much more than I did. Using the ex husband as the villain and the obstacle they had to overcome was overdone and forced - there were so many different ways to go with the curse and this just fell very flat for me.

This was such a beautiful romance with a fantasy twist. Romeo and Juliet are reimagined as even more tragic than we thought from the original story. Even knowing that, I found myself so desperate for these two to be together! Loved it!

Thank you to the publisher for a review copy of the book.

The Hundred Loves of Juliet by Evelyn Skye: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“There is no love worth having if it doesn’t break your heart when it’s over.”

For centuries, society has marveled at the story of the star-crossed but Ill-fated lovers, Romeo and Juliet. In this unique retelling, bestselling author Evelyn Skye rewrites their tragic story with a modern twist.

Helene, newly separated and looking for a fresh start, stumbles from LA right into the path of Sebastien in Ryba Harbor, Alaska. The connection between these two is electric- at least it is to Helene, who cannot get Sebastien out of her head despite his attempts to dissuade her. Sebastien is hiding a long-suffered secret from Helene, but try as he might, he cannot beat fate or the forces that brought Helene to him.

Finally! A magical realism romance retelling of a story that is not Beauty and the Beast. This was my first read of Evelyn Skye’s and I just loved her writing style. When I read with my Kindle, I use the highlighting function much more liberally than I would in real life, and I highlighted so many sections in the book. Skye brings her characters to life in her book with vivid descriptions of their emotions, the beautiful settings, and detailed pasts.

The Hundred Loves of Juliet is a beautiful iteration of a classic love story. It’s a quick read, emotional without being too dark. I do think that the ending felt more rushed compared to the pace in the rest of the book, and I wished the final scenes would have been flushed out a bit more. I can see some readers wanting for more from the ending, but after taking the Author’s Note under consideration, I appreciate the choice Skye made regarding the conclusion to Helene and Sebastien’s story.

The Hundred Loves of Juliet comes out in August 2023. Special thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

“For never was a story of more woe than this of Romeo and Juliet”

A quote from one of the greatest, but most tragic love story in literary history. I think most of us remember the tragedy that was the love story of Romeo and Juliet. But what if the tragedy portrayed wasn’t how it actually occurred? According to Sebastian, Shakespeare was sadly mistaken. He may be Sebastian Montague now, but once upon a time he was Romeo. He longs for Shakespeare to be right, that him and Juliet were able to pass from this life with one another. However, their love and tragedy repeat time and time again. While Sebastian cannot die, Juliet does with each reincarnation of herself.

When Juliet shows up in his new home as Helene, he is determined to deter her from himself. He believes that keeping himself from Helene will protect her and increase her life expectancy. But what is life without his one true love? Will Sebastian be able to keep himself from Helene? Will he be able to finally break this horrid curse once and for all? Will he be able to find their happily ever after?

Simply, I LOVED THIS BOOK. The way Evelyn Skye took us on a journey through past and present really helps you submerge into the story. She made you feel EVERY emotion right along with Sebastian and Helene. She takes you on an emotional rollercoaster. The way your heart breaks and swells for the couple… With every reincarnate she managed to keep their foundation the same, but also incorporate new personality traits and experiences.

When this book releases on August 1st I will 100% be getting a hard copy so that I can fall in love with their story and Evelyn’s words all over again.

THANK YOU NET GALLEY AND EVELYN SKYE FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO READ THIS. That being said, rating and feelings are my own:

I wanted to love this book so badly. I kept having to take day long reading breaks to finish it.. It was cute, do not get me wrong, but it felt a little forced into that 'Romeo and Juliet'-esque tale. I also just think Romeo and Juliet retellings are overrated. This book left me unsatisfied and wanting something more? Deeper? I dont know.
This book was not my cup of tea but I can see why others will love it.

Time holds no bounds for Romeo, forever loving Juliet as he lives immortally. He hopes with every reincarnation of Juliet that the curse they are under will end. Their story always ends tragically. When he meets Helene (Juliet), he tries to turn her away to save her from the destiny he has witnessed time and again. The eternal flame of love will not be extinguished. They can only hope that this time will be different.
A wonderful, different love story of enduring love through the ages.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Helene has always dreamed of the perfect man. But after a tumultuous divorce, she has become cynical, writing off love forever. She decides to move to a small town in Alaska, where she is to write her novel and build a new life without romance. She soon meets Sebastien, a handsome fisherman who is her dream man down to the details. She is determined to get to the bottom of how he can exist and what this means.

This is a contemporary reimaging of Romeo and Juliet. Sebastien is cursed with having lost his Juliet over and over when Helene remembers him.

This was unique but just wasn't really for me. I didn't connect to it like i did "time travelers wife". I didn't feel drawn to Helene and I found the jumps in time a bit jarring.

After I read the Acknowledgement section, it did make me like the novel more. I thought she evoked more raw emotion in the acknowledgement than the actual book though.