What if Shakespeare was wrong? The Hundred Lives of Juliet explores this possibility with a fresh, new take on the age-old love story. When Helene comes face to face with her childhood imaginary friend, she thinks that she’s going crazy. How could an Alaskan fisherman named Sebastian be the man she created and grew up with? While Helene tries to figure out how this is possible, Sebastian tries to hide who he is and his tragic past. What unfolds is a love story that is both familiar and new.

I didn’t know what to expect from this book, but I was blown away. Romeo and Juliet is one of my favorite works of literature by Shakespeare, and Evelyn Skye had big shoes to fill. That’s why I’m always a little skeptical about Shakespeare retellings. They can either be an awkward modernization, full of old language that doesn’t fit with the setting, or it can be absolutely fabulous. I’m happy to say that The Hundred Lives of Juliet belongs in the second category. This book is contemporary and detached enough from the original work that it doesn’t feel like I’m reading the same story again and again. You learn so much more about Romeo as a person and what happens to him after Juliet’s death. There’s just enough references to the original story that it still all feels connected even though it’s a completely different time, place, and people.

I loved that Sebastian kept journals throughout his life. It made the flashbacks more personal, and it didn’t pull you out of the story at all. It was really seamless. I really loved that you got intimate details of the past that would otherwise be lost if Sebastian was just retelling his stories to Helene. Personally, I think that journal entries are some of the more interesting parts of books that you can read because it allows you to see the true, raw person writing it instead of the face that they put on for other people. I think that that was really important for this book because Sebastian spends so much of it hiding who he really is.

I really only have one major gripe with this book, and it says more about me than the book. There is a surprise pregnancy in the back third of the book. Personally, I hate this trope. However I think that it fits really well in this story. I can see why the author decided to go that direction with Helene and Sabastian’s relationship. Honestly, right before this pregnancy was revealed, I thought that the book kind of dragged on for a bit. So, even though this trope isn’t my cup of tea, I think that it worked well with the story.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I felt like it breathed new life into the story of Romeo and Juliet. In fact, it made me want to revisit Verona so that I can experience their love story once more. Even though there was a trope that I historically don’t care for, I don’t think that it took away from the overall journey. If you enjoy fated mates/love can span all of time romance books, The Hundred Lives of Juliet is the book for you.

This was everything!! I am completely obsessed! Loved it so much!
I just reviewed The Hundred Loves of Juliet by Evelyn Skye. #TheHundredLovesofJuliet #NetGalley
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Look, Romeo and Juliet had always been my least favorite “romance” so of course I am apprehensive about reading anything similar - but this was a very charming read and I adored both Sebastian and Helen. It was a very sweet story, with no frills.

This was a super unique concept, and a fun read. I enjoyed this more than Evelyn Skye's YA books and I hope she continues to write adult romance. I really liked the dynamic between Sebastien and Helene, and I think it would've been a good book even without the Romeo and Juliet plotline. I do wish we had gotten more of the flashbacks of the prior Juliets as well as more snippets of Helene's stories/past life memories.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/ 5

Wow!! What a beautiful and unique retelling of Romeo & Juliet! This book was so amazing and well written.

Helene escapes to Alaska after a bad marriage, to write her novel. While there she meets Sebastian, who has been her “dream man” in all her stories and in her head since she was young.

This book was such a great read that I flew through it, needing to know what happened next. I loved the dual pov and just felt like this book was so magical. Also, please read the authors note at the end. It will touch your heart! I look forward to reading more from Evelyn Skye!
If you ever loved Romeo & Juliet, this is a
must read!

📘: The Hundred Loves of Juliet by Evelyn Skye
🗓 Pub Date: August 1, 2023

Thank you to NetGalley, Evelyn Skye, and Random House Publishing- Ballantine for this ARC!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

*Reviewed on NetGalley and Goodreads. Will review on retail once published!

A Hundred Loves of Juliet is a sweet little story that has familiar bones and endlessly lovable characters.

We follow a hurt and healing Helen who's left her cheating husband and finds freedom and fated love in a small Alaskan fishing town.

There's a comfort in reading a story that you are familiar with and while this isn't your typical Romeo and Juliet retelling it is close enough to the original that you find yourself settled into this story quickly. This paves the way for Skye to write some seriously enjoyable and nuanced characters that I found myself genuinely rooting for. If I am being honest the last eighty percent of this story felt a tad bloated for my liking but the need to know what would inevitably happen to Helen and Sebastian pushed me through.

All in all this is a sweet and cozy read that will be suited best for slow burn romance readers.

Thank you NetGalley and Del Rey Books for providing me with an eARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this twist on the classic tale of woe that is Romeo and Juliet. Modern day Juliet, Helene, meets the perfect man she had dreamed up her whole life in an Alaskan fishing village. Sebastien our Romeo has been falling in love with Juliet's reincarnations since they met as teenagers in Verona. Romeo didn't die and he's been forced to watch Juliet die again and again. Needless to say Helene is drawn to him while Sebastien wants to stay away from her and not go through with losing another Juliet. I liked the idea of this book and found it very interesting I enjoy magical realism and wanted to like this one more than I did. I would definitely recommend it and read other books by Evelyn Skye but I don't think I'll be rereading this one. No real complaints just didn't love it like I was hoping. I want to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

Giving this 4.5 stars rounded up. I enjoyed this read and didn't want to put it down.

I was totally charmed by this retelling of Romeo and Juliet that reminded me of "Time Traveler's Wife" meets Highlander. Its going to be a perfect beach read where it keeps you engaged but doesn't throw any big surprises.

Thanks to the publisher for providing an ARC through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

Evelyn Skye takes the story of Romeo and Juliet and twists it, creating a world where Juliet and Romeo have reincarnated into Helene and Sebastian. The love through time feels reminiscent of THE TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE, but the writing lacks the deft skill that Niffenegger wielded in her story. I found the quick shifts between Sebastian and Helene, as well as the jumps in time, off-putting. Even in the very first chapter, I felt like I had to care about Helene because she carried the narrative, rather than naturally being drawn to her. I also didn’t find the voices sufficiently different between the characters - it still get like one person writing, versus two individuals speaking.

While the overall book was fine, it wasn’t something I’d reach for again. I found that the last 25% of the book improved, but it wasn’t enough for me to round up my review to three stars.

A huge thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me an arc of this timeless classic retold.

So sweet I think I just got a toothache. The Hundred Loves of Juliet was stunningly poetic and adorable and has me feeling quite hopelessly romantic. A story of the most well-known star-crossed lovers of all time should be nearly impossible to retell, but Evelyn Skye has succeeded in the miraculous. Not only that— she made it her own! Skye didn't fall short, she soared, and gave me all the warm fuzzies while doing it.

The Hundred Loves of Juliet by Evelyn Skye is a beautiful and unique modern-day reimagining of Romeo and Juliet.
This was an enjoyable and emotional tale. From beginning to end I was sucked into Helene's story.
Full of emotion this wonderful, entertaining and satisfying read was a fun time.
I thought the whole story was amazing. I honestly didn’t want this book to end. I can’t wait to see what this author comes up with on the next book she writes.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House, Ballantine & Dell for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this novel, in exchange for an honest review. The Hundred Loves of Juliet is a modern day reimagining of Romeo and Juliet; throughout the book, we learn how our main characters, Helene and Sebastian, have a love story that actually originates hundreds of years ago and has various “reincarnations” over that time span. I loved the concept of this book and am a sucker for a good forbidden romance story. There are many vignettes throughout the book to help tell the journey of these two characters and while they definitely supported the overall story well, I felt that at times it was a bit much to keep switching between different time points.

However, while I won’t give any spoilers, I did think that the ending was very clever and satisfying! I was wondering how this book would end and that question alone kept me reading so, I was pleasantly surprised at how sweet/heartwarming it ended up being. Thanks again to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this ARC.

I thought this book was really good! The one complaint I have, is that it felt like it just went on and on. Maybe just a couple too many lives for Juliet

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!

I received this as an eARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review so here it is…

I LOVED this book! It was such a cute story & throughout the whole book I was anticipating how it would end. Helen and Sebastian deserve all the happiness in the world. I would highly recommended this book to anyone who ever loved Romeo & Juliet as a little girl!

loved this book and the different romances of Romeo and juliet. I loved that things changed for Sébastien and Helene. loved the friends and family . Really loved the romance.

This is cute! It reminded me of the ‘The Time Traveller's Wife’ and ‘A Witch in Time.’ It's the kind of cozy, romance-across-time story that will give you all the sweet feels.

And while I did enjoy this, it's very simple. So don't expect anything more than a sweet love story. I do wish there was a little more depth to it. The ending does try to shake things up, but it missed the mark for me as I felt it was unnecessary.

But after reading the author's note at the end, I can understand how personal and therapeutic writing this story most likely was for the author, which helped me appreciate this more and why I'm going to round up my rating.

In this story we join Helene and Sebastian in this modern retelling of Romeo and Juliet. Sebastian is the original Romeo but the tale does not go the way Shakespeare says it does. He is cursed with living for centuries finding his Juliet only to lose her time and time again. But this time is different because Helene remembers him?

Helene, who moves to Alaska for a fresh start after her divorce and to achieve her dream of writing a book. There, she meets the human embodiment of her imaginary friend and the man she imagines when she writes her vignettes. Only these stories are her in her past life and they don’t end the way she thinks they do. Sebastian wants nothing more than to keep Helene alive and the only way to do that is to keep his distance. Helene wants to know more about her imaginary friend/first love.

I really enjoyed this book. Watching Helene and Sebastian and their instant love for one another was absolutely adorable. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time because I was scared of how the book was going to end 😭

I loved how the author made this popular topic of Romeo and Juliet and made it her own. It was very refreshing and I loved the glimpses of their past lives together.

However, I wish I could see more resolution about Adam and Sebastian’s friendship. It felt unfinished for this reason. They seemed very close and I needed their conflict to be resolved and nothing really happened after. It was like Adam never existed or was his best friend. I also felt as though the drama bit with Helene’s ex husband was a bit much. It took away from the story in my opinion.

Overall very well written book. If you enjoy instant love and Romeo and Juliet retellings go check out this book!!

I was selected to get an arc on of this book on NetGalley for my honest review so thank you to the publishers and the author!

Thank you NetGalley and Del Rey Books for providing me with an eARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What a unique re-imagining of this timeless tale.

Helene has just left her cheating husband, and while waiting for the divorce to be finalized, she escapes to a small town in Alaska to hunker down and finally write her novel.

While there, she happens across a crabber named Sebastien, who just so happens to be the spitting image of the boy/man she dreamt up in eighth grade, and who has been the leading man of every story she has ever written.

What Helene doesn’t realize, yet, is that Sebastien is the 700 year-old, immortal Romeo, and she is the most recent reincarnation of Juliet.

This novel deals with love and grief in such a unique way, in how difficult it can be to live in the moment, instead of looking into the unknown and often scary future. This is definitely something close to the author’s heart. (That Author’s Note at the end definitely had me shedding some tears.)

When I first started this book, I definitely got 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘐𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘓𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘈𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘓𝘢𝘙𝘶𝘦-vibes; it is similar in that there is a “present” narrative mixed with vignettes of stories from the “past”. I will say that these are definitely two different stories, with different overall themes, but if you enjoyed 𝘈𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘓𝘢𝘙𝘶𝘦, you may also enjoy 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘑𝘶𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘵.

Overall, I really liked this book, and it kept me engaged throughout. My only complaint would probably be that the final “conflict” seemed a little 🤔 to me, but I did enjoy the resolution.

What this book is giving:
✅ Romeo & Juliet re-imagining
✅ Dual POV
✅ A unique love story
✅ Emotional journey
✅ Interspersed historical vignettes

Look out for:
⚠️ grief/loss is a big part of the story

Rating:
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ / 5
🌶️ / 5

What if Romeo and Juliet really were star crossed lovers, destined to meet over and over again in countless lifetimes? Such is the story of Helene and Sebastien. Helene has just left a bad marriage and escaped to Alaska when she first recognizes Sebastien in a bar, it turns out he is exactly the man she has been imagining since she was a teen. As she gets to know him, it becomes clear that their meeting wasn't so random, maybe it was fate after all.
I truly enjoyed this story. It was a light hearted, easy read. I loved the tie in to Romeo and Juliet and also Sebastien's immortality. The book definitely had a touch of magical realism in it without being too implausible.
Thank you to NetGalley, Random House and Evelyn Skye for access to this ARC.

okayyyy this story was absolutely BEAUTIFUL. i could NOT put this book down. i was hooked from chapter one