What a unique book written about one of my favorite stories of all time! We are all familiar with Romeo and Juliet, but the ending gets me every time. What if Romeo and Juliet continue to live in history, finding each other over the centuries? In this novel, Romeo survives but is cursed as his Juliet becomes different women who always perish no matter what he does. When he sees Juliet again, this time in the form of Helene who is a tourist in his Alaska town, he knows he has to push her away to save her. But with Helene’s persistence and curiosity bringing her closer and closer to him, can they find a way to save both of them?

I loved the flashbacks to past lives and the romance of love threading throughout time. What a lovely sentiment that love is so strong to withstand even death. The author’s note at the end and her personal connection to this storyline made it even more poignant. What a lovely, hopeful book!

Wow. This is a new author for me , but I have a soft spot for Romeo and Juliet and was curious about the story. I am floored. This book was funny and sad, and full of love and adversity. The idea of Romeo and Juliet back together over and over through history such a statement about the depths to which love can connect two souls. The author has written a poignantly sweet story that makes one think about what decisions we would make about beginning an epic love with someone expecting to lose that person. Do we go forward with both eyes open and hope for the best or do we walk away to avoid the devastation that may be the result? That decision may be different for each of us, but the author illustrates in this story that grabbing on to something good is really worth it in the end. None of us know how or when our personal story will end, and we should make the most of every day we have. I recommend this book to everyone. I am voluntarily submitting this honest review after reading an advanced complementary copy of this book thanks to Netgalley.and Random House Publishing Group, Ballantine, Del Rey.

Anyone who knows me knows that Romeo and Juliet is my favorite thing. I read it every year multiple times a year with my students and I love the story, it may not be Shakespeare’s most refined play, but for me, Romeo and Juliet’s love has always stuck out. In this modern interpretation of Romeo and Juliet, Juliet, dies, over and over again over centuries, while her Romeo tries to undo the curse that keeps him alive. He is cursed to watch his love die over and over again, but when Sebastien meets Helene, the newest incarnation of his Juliet, he hopes that things can be different. This was a fun romance read, especially for those of us who are fans of the original.

The Hundred Loves of Juliet is about Helene, a 30-year-old soon-to-be divorcee who decides to shake up her life by moving to Alaska to work on her novel. There she meets Sebastien, a crab fisherman who looks kind of familiar...? Almost like a made up guy that she used as the main character for all of her novel vignettes. But who is also a giant jerk and doesn't want anything to do with her. It turns out that he is the real Romeo Montague from Romeo and Juliet and who was cursed with immortality after accidentally killing Juliet. He is also cursed with meeting the reincarnated Juliet every 20-30-ish years. In every case, she dies suddenly and tragically. Helene is the newest version of Juliet, but it also turns out that she has memories of her previous lives and Romeo that she thought were unrelated fiction stories. The two try to figure out why Helene is different and if it could possibly be the end of the curse.

Cool premise, right?? I thought so! This basically gets you to halfway through the book and I was feeling it! I love retellings and reimagined versions of classic stories and liked how this one had such a new spin on the original story, while not being a straight retelling. As a fellow 30-year-old woman who also had a Romeo and Juliet obsession in middle school, I was really looking forward to seeing how the story progressed. The blurb also states that this story is partially based on the author's own experience with the love of her life having a very serious health condition, which could end his life without a lot of warning. I thought that having such a traumatic situation inspire a novel like this and really think about soul mates and the length vs. the quality of love was a super interesting concept. (Although Juliet never reincarnating into a person of color despite Romeo meeting her in parts of Asia, Hawaii, etc did make me go hmmmmmm)

And then...

I'm not kidding, the book literally turns into Fifty Shades Freed. European vacation, crazy ex kidnapping Helene and forcing her to withdraw a ton of money to pay him off, and a surprise baby. Um, what?? Not exactly how I thought this book was going to go! It went from cool-premise-Alaska-is-awesome-I-want-to-date-a-crab-fisherman to oh-my-god-what-is-happening-she's-gaining-weight-only-in-her-stomach-and-is-nauseous-and-has-an-irregular-period-but-hasn't-had-it-in-a-few-months-must-be-the-pastries?!?!?!? Can we go back to the crab fishing drama??

I'm rating this book 2.5 stars rounded up to 3 stars because I truly enjoyed the first half but the second half was so incredibly bonkers that I'm not sure what happened. I still kind of feel like I fever dreamed the second part. Sooo I recommend this if you want a wild ride or if you just want to read the first half? Thank you to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for the electronic advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange for my honest review, my thoughts are my own!

Classic literature fans and die-hard romance readers will love this one! I thought the story was simple, but very cute and whimsical. The quotes and language in this book were beautiful, and I was completely invested in all the sappy, sweet goodness. This is a total comfort read. I wish I could have read it in the winter with a cozy blanket and fuzzy socks! So cute!

A beautifully written story about the transcendence of love and being with your soul mate against all odds. A unique reimagining of Romeo and Juliet. Engaging, dramatic, and emotional. A lovely novel especially if you're looking for something unique.

Loved this one. So beautifully written and will tug at your heartstrings long after reading!

Thanks to the publisher for the advanced copy

This book had a hold on me. I could not put it down! Sebastian's story as Romeo broke my heart. Emo romances are my favorite and this just really delivered. The non linear timeline was written really well and added to the drama and suspense. I loved the ending when the watch started working again. The author's note also tugged at my heart. I didn't love the blackmail part of the story line as much. Some of it just seemed a bit more dramatic than it needed to be, but I was still entertained. 100% will be reading whatever is next from this author.

Actual rating: 3.5 stars

I was so excited to read this book, because time travel/reincarnation romances have fascinated me since high school *cough* A Thousand Pieces of You *cough.* The first half of the book was very cute, and I liked Helene/Juliet—she was a fun, spunky character. The last half of the book, though, just didn't impress me as much. I think the plot was supposed to feel high-stakes, but I lost interest in the storyline, and the ending, while sweet, was a bit cliché in my opinion.

I did enjoy reading the flashbacks (traveling back in time!!) and I think the premise of a Romeo-and-Juliet curse is unique and interesting. The bottom line: This story might be a tad cheesy, but it's an easy romance read with a fun reincarnation/soulmate storyline.

Read the Author's Note!! It's the most heartwarming moment of the entire book.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A lovely take on Romeo and Juliet with a fun twist on the time travel romance. Very sweeping and romantic. Great for a winter afternoon curled up with a cozy blanket.

I absolutely adored this book. It was such an interesting twist on Romeo and Juliet. I loved the multiple timelines and the multiple narrators. Helene and Sebastian were rocking the sunshine/grump vibes and I loved it. The way the past connected with the present and the stars aligned was beautiful. I would recommend this book to anyone.

I really wanted to love this book but it just wasn’t for me, I didn’t connect well with the characters and I felt they lacked some depth.

I’d like to thank NetGalley and Del Rey Books for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

- thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an arc to review!

- a story of love, finding the person who makes you happy, and claiming an ending that you both deserve. this retelling of Romeo and Juliet was sweet, and exploring the different lives they had before (Helene and Sebastian) and how they ended were emotional and impactful, making you root for the ending they deserve.

This book has so much promise. Even the author's note gave me high hopes for a meaningful story. However, despite the intriguing premise, the love between these star crossed lovers didn't shine as bright as I had hoped. I didn't feel much chemistry between Sebastian and Helene, especially after he blew her off as soon as she admitted she know him. Even towards the latter part of the book, I did not ship the characters.

On a brighter note, I did enjoy the dual POV and some of the flashbacks (Pearl Harbor was a real heartbreaker!).

When Helene moves to Alaska to work on her book, she's looking for a fresh start. What she finds is a soulmate whose love for her has endured centuries. Sebastian Montague is actually Romeo Montague, cursed to age slowly and live for seemingly ever, while Helene is the latest incarnation of Juliet, cursed to die young before she and Romeo can grow old together. Will they manage to break the curse this time?

I wasn't wild about this book. The premise was really interesting; I'm a huge Shakespeare nerd, and past lives fascinate me. However, the characters felt thin to me? I wanted more from Romeo than just angst, and I wanted more from their relationship and how they fell in love. Maybe this is my own issue; I always took umbrage with the idea of Romeo and Juliet being soul mates because their love happened so fast. But nonetheless, I wish we had spent more time on how and why Helene in this life loved Sebastian so deeply. The language of the book is very poetic and epic, I think I just expected more depth to the romance and the relationship to reflect that.

Not being a fan of “romance” books, I absolutely loved this book. The background is the real story of Romeo and Juliet, not the Shakespearean version. What really happened to Romeo and Juliet? That is the question. This may be SPOILER ALERT…is Romeo still alive 700 years later? Is he searching for Juliet or is she searching for him? You will have to read the book to find out. I found it very romantic and I was cheering for them all the way. Highly recommend.

Tropes I hate used in this book: unplanned/unexpected pregnancy, unneccessary blackmail, born-yesterday character, and purposeful miscommunication.

I so much wanted to love this book, I am a huge fan of "love that transcends lifetimes" that often goes through literal history and time, but the forementioned tropes that were thrown in at the last third of the book took a 4 star rating down to a 2.

I understand that Romeo and Juliet needed a modern-day Paris to thawrt their love, but this was just not it. Half of the problems this version of Paris threw at the couple should have been solved with communication, but that did not happen.

Special thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

"The Hundred Loves of Juliet" is a beautiful story (made even more special when you read the author's note at the end.) Helene has been writing vignettes since she was a teenager, and while the settings, events, and female protagonist are different, the male love interest is always the same (albeit with different names), the imaginary best friend she invented in middle school to help her get through difficult times. Having experienced a series of devastating events in short succession (serial philandering husband, lost promotion, death of two pets), she has fled LA (and Merrick, the husband who refuses to sign the divorce papers) to a remote Alaskan town where she hopes to write a book based on her vignettes, if she can figure out how to tie them all together. Visiting the local bar, she meets the physical embodiment of her imaginary friend in the form of Sebastien, a local king crab fisherman.

Their first meeting (and several more after that) does not go well. Sebastien recognizes Helena as well, except she is not Helena, but rather the latest incarnation of Juliet. Sebastien has gone by many names over the centuries, but his original name was Romeo Montague. You may think you know the story of Romeo and Juliet, but the real story is that Romeo accidentally killed Juliet and then fled Verona, burdened by Mercutios' curse. Romeo has become immortal, slowly aging, and Juliet keeps coming back into his life, but their time together, while wonderful, always end in a tragic death for Juliet. Romeo/Sebastien has tried everything to break the curse, including staying away from Juliet when he discovers the latest incarnation, but nothing works.

A fortuitous blizzard will trap Helene and Sebastien together, where Helene will tell Sebastien after him being the star of her vignettes, and then she will discover life altering information related to her vignettes, and the true nature of their connection. And then it will be a race against time, as Helene is determined to enjoy whatever time she has with Sebastien, and is optimistic that this time will be different, and the curse can be broken. However, that will be a struggle, as Helene's recent past (Merrick) and Sebastien's fears pose significant obstacles. Can true love win? Can the curse be broken? Is there really a curse?

I received this advance reader copy from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. Adorable novel and very relatable! Highly recommended!

The Hundred Loves of Juliet by Evelyn Skye is remarkably original, which says a lot about a retelling. It was absolutely beautifully written, and strung together perfectly. I love a good retelling and this Romeo and Juliet version was stunning. This is a book you don't want to put down and savor every page until it's done. Do yourself a favor and read this book now!