The Hundred Loves of Juliet

This was a 'bookstagram made me read it' book with a premise that gives readers a unique twist on a classic love story, but it didn't hit me in the feels like it did other readers.

The story follows Helene, a woman who has left her obnoxious husband and heads to Alaska to see if she can combine the romantic vignettes she's written over the years into one book. When she arrives up north, she is surprised to meet the leading man in all of her stories in the flesh! 

This is a unique retelling of Romeo and Juliet with the idea that Romeo never killed himself, but instead was cursed and forced into eternal life while meeting reincarnations of Juliet, only to have her repeatedly die. This couple continues to be pulled together and thrust apart throughout eternity. Tragic, no?

It's a great premise and I loved Skye's description of Alaska and the various historical scenes, but I needed more. The focus soon becomes reiterating the various historical meetups which were interesting, but the modern-day romance was sorely lacking. We're told about the romantic connection between Helene and Sebastian, but I didn't believe it. Their connection featured insta-love (so not my fav), cheesy dialogue and had a YA feel to it. I was also a bit frustrated that the curse is never explained and thought the addition of the nefarious, soon-to-be ex-husband was distracting and superfluous, so I finished the story feeling a bit let down.

This is a simple love story with a unique twist and while I appreciated the author's poignant note at the end of the story and feel for her personal tragedy, my rating is solely for this book which didn't live up to its hype for me but could appeal to readers who like fluffier romances of star-crossed lovers.

My Rating: 3 stars

Author: Evelyn Skye

Genre: Romance
, Magical Realism

Type and Source: Hardcover from public library

Publisher: Del Rey Books

First Published: August 1, 2023

Book Description from GoodReads: 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 naïve 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.

Helene soon meets Sebastien Montague, a handsome fisherman who is her invented hero made flesh, down to the most idiosyncratic details. But how can a man she created possibly exist in the real world?

While Helene tries to discover the truth behind his existence, Sebastien is determined to keep that truth from her, for he is a man scarred by serial tragedy, hiding a secret that has broken his heart time and again. Yet the shadows of the past emerge, endangering Helene and Sebastien's future before it even begins--and it becomes clear that it won't be easy to forge a new ending to the greatest love story of all time.

A woman fleeing her disastrous marriage discovers that she is part of a legendary love story that spans lives, years, and continents in this modern-day reimagining of Romeo and Juliet.