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3.09 AVERAGE
3.09 AVERAGE
A fun read! I read the whole book in one sitting!
Rating: 3/5
Synopsis:
She’s going to write her own happy ending.
English professor Athena Murphy is an authority on the novels of the Brontë sisters. But as they say in academia, publish or perish. To save her job, Athena decides to write a biography of C.L. Garland, the author heating up bestseller lists with spicy retellings of classic literature. Tracking down the reclusive writer and uncovering her secret identity, though, means Athena must return to her small midwestern hometown where Garland—and her ex-boyfriend, Thorne Kent—live.
Seeing Thorne again reminds Athena that real life never lives up to fiction. He was the Heathcliff to her Catherine, the Mr. Rochester to her Jane. Not only did their college breakup shatter that illusion, but they also broke each other’s hearts again a second time. Now she has to see him nearly every...single…day.
The only solution is to find C.L. Garland as quickly as possible, write the book, and get the heck out of town. As her deadline looms and the list of potential C.L. Garlands dwindles, Athena and Thorne bicker and banter their way back to friendship. Could it really be true that the third time’s a charm?
Athena and Thorne have a love story only a Brontë could write, and the chance for their own happily-ever-after, but first, they’ll need to forgive the mistakes of the past.
Thank you NetGalley for giving me an eARC!!
Rating: 3/5
Synopsis:
She’s going to write her own happy ending.
English professor Athena Murphy is an authority on the novels of the Brontë sisters. But as they say in academia, publish or perish. To save her job, Athena decides to write a biography of C.L. Garland, the author heating up bestseller lists with spicy retellings of classic literature. Tracking down the reclusive writer and uncovering her secret identity, though, means Athena must return to her small midwestern hometown where Garland—and her ex-boyfriend, Thorne Kent—live.
Seeing Thorne again reminds Athena that real life never lives up to fiction. He was the Heathcliff to her Catherine, the Mr. Rochester to her Jane. Not only did their college breakup shatter that illusion, but they also broke each other’s hearts again a second time. Now she has to see him nearly every...single…day.
The only solution is to find C.L. Garland as quickly as possible, write the book, and get the heck out of town. As her deadline looms and the list of potential C.L. Garlands dwindles, Athena and Thorne bicker and banter their way back to friendship. Could it really be true that the third time’s a charm?
Athena and Thorne have a love story only a Brontë could write, and the chance for their own happily-ever-after, but first, they’ll need to forgive the mistakes of the past.
Thank you NetGalley for giving me an eARC!!
This light second-chance (more like third) romance was sweet and entertaining. I didn’t have many expectations going into it, but I was pleasantly surprised.
Thena returns to her hometown after taking temporary leave from work and runs into the man who broke her heart twice, Thorne. Even worse, she’s now working part-time for him while trying to save her career.
I really enjoyed the banter between Athena and Thorne even though the constant miscommunication did grate on my nerves. I just wanted to shake them both. I love second-chance romance especially with a dual POV because it makes the story so much more emotional for me. The heartache, things left unsaid, mutual pining, ugh!
The chemistry between Athena and Thorne felt authentic, and it flew off the pages. I loved Thorne’s characterization although he did upset me at times. It’s obvious that these two are meant to be, and their journey back to each other was so sweet and captivating.
If you love a light second-chance and small town romance with a little mystery, this book is for you!
Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!
Thena returns to her hometown after taking temporary leave from work and runs into the man who broke her heart twice, Thorne. Even worse, she’s now working part-time for him while trying to save her career.
I really enjoyed the banter between Athena and Thorne even though the constant miscommunication did grate on my nerves. I just wanted to shake them both. I love second-chance romance especially with a dual POV because it makes the story so much more emotional for me. The heartache, things left unsaid, mutual pining, ugh!
The chemistry between Athena and Thorne felt authentic, and it flew off the pages. I loved Thorne’s characterization although he did upset me at times. It’s obvious that these two are meant to be, and their journey back to each other was so sweet and captivating.
If you love a light second-chance and small town romance with a little mystery, this book is for you!
Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Your will shall decide your destiny.
—charlotte brontë, jane eyre
On the brink of losing her job as an English Professor, Athena returns to her small midwestern hometown to find the author behind the spicy retellings of the Brontë sisters classics. Athena hopes that writing the authors biography will save her job, but finding the reclusive writer is proving harder than she thought.
When she gets there, she runs into her ex, Thorne Kent. The one that got away. Now she has to see him every day!! The only solution.. find the author, write the book and RUN!!
After some bickering and banter, Athena and Thorne call a truce and start a friendship, with benefits. 🥵
But will their past and secrets cause this new “friendship” to end as fast as it began?
I really enjoyed this book!! It was fast-paced, fun and witty. I loved the quotes at the beginning of each chapter, such a cool addition. This book made me want to go reread the classics!! 10/10 would recommend!! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
Thank you to Netgalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for gifting me an eARC in exchange for my honest review.
—charlotte brontë, jane eyre
On the brink of losing her job as an English Professor, Athena returns to her small midwestern hometown to find the author behind the spicy retellings of the Brontë sisters classics. Athena hopes that writing the authors biography will save her job, but finding the reclusive writer is proving harder than she thought.
When she gets there, she runs into her ex, Thorne Kent. The one that got away. Now she has to see him every day!! The only solution.. find the author, write the book and RUN!!
After some bickering and banter, Athena and Thorne call a truce and start a friendship, with benefits. 🥵
But will their past and secrets cause this new “friendship” to end as fast as it began?
I really enjoyed this book!! It was fast-paced, fun and witty. I loved the quotes at the beginning of each chapter, such a cool addition. This book made me want to go reread the classics!! 10/10 would recommend!! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
Thank you to Netgalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for gifting me an eARC in exchange for my honest review.
I was so sure I would enjoy this one based on the title and synopsis. I’m a huge Brontë fan and this had an abundance of literary references (namely about Wuthering Heights, the protagonist’s favorite book). Unfortunately, it fell short for me. I couldn’t connect with the characters (I especially found Athena to be intolerable), the dialogue was awkward, and the chemistry felt forced. The whole book is centered around finding out the identity of an author, which I figured out in about 2.5 seconds even though it’s not revealed until the end. If you’re not a fan of English Lit, this definitely isn’t for you.
Thank you to NetGalley, Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and Hatchette for an Advance Reader's copy
I have not read many Second chance romances, so one with a bookish theme had me very interested, I did enjoy myself, and I really liked the characters, the side characters storylines, the small town setting, and the overall theme of better communication, not keeping secrets, doing things that make you happy and not following only your parents expectations. Things that took away from my enjoyment were a few logic issues, the chemistry between the characters was a little off and not as strong, the 3rd act conflict was solved a bit too fast and it was not talked though well enough. I also would have loved to have maybe some excerpts of the litwit novels.
I have not read many Second chance romances, so one with a bookish theme had me very interested, I did enjoy myself, and I really liked the characters, the side characters storylines, the small town setting, and the overall theme of better communication, not keeping secrets, doing things that make you happy and not following only your parents expectations. Things that took away from my enjoyment were a few logic issues, the chemistry between the characters was a little off and not as strong, the 3rd act conflict was solved a bit too fast and it was not talked though well enough. I also would have loved to have maybe some excerpts of the litwit novels.
funny
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
Blame It On the Brontes by Annie Sereno is a cute romance Read that harkens back to the old romance's of the Bronte sisters and Jane Austen. Athena and Thorne are interesting characters who seem to have a love-hate relationship that grows stronger as the book progresses. This is definitely a light read that you can enjoy when sitting..
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for this advanced reader copy. The opinions expressed are mine alone.
I enjoyed “Blame It on the Brontes” by Annie Sereno but I will admit that I probably would have liked it more if I was more familiar with the quotes at the beginning of each chapter as they were from the Brontë sisters various novels. As it is was, they were just quotes to me. I didn’t have a good frame of reference for their context in those other novels. But, that’s ok. It didn’t detract much from my reading of Sereno’s book. It was until about a halfway through that I really got into it and wanted to see how it all played out.
I would recommend this book to someone familiar with English literature references looking for something that is mysterious and has lots of twists and turns throughout.
I enjoyed “Blame It on the Brontes” by Annie Sereno but I will admit that I probably would have liked it more if I was more familiar with the quotes at the beginning of each chapter as they were from the Brontë sisters various novels. As it is was, they were just quotes to me. I didn’t have a good frame of reference for their context in those other novels. But, that’s ok. It didn’t detract much from my reading of Sereno’s book. It was until about a halfway through that I really got into it and wanted to see how it all played out.
I would recommend this book to someone familiar with English literature references looking for something that is mysterious and has lots of twists and turns throughout.
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thorne is Elliott from Stardew Valley, and I can't stand Elliott, so this checks out.
I'm frustrated, because this was going to be a 4-star until the ending, which I will get into later. The pacing was weird. Time was passing, but to me, it wasn't really expressed well. I loved Athena (most of the time), and Thorne less so. Thorne is Elliott from Stardew Valley, and I can't stand Elliott, so this checks out. I liked the side plots. I guessed how her mother's would turn out about halfway thru the book. The banter was witty, and the writing kept me interested.
Now onto why the ending fucked up the rating.
First of all, I HATE when men make decisions for women. Give them the information and let them decide instead of making them a little pawn in your game. That's manipulative and selfish, as Athena pointed out. Tbh, I don't think she should've taken him back, but that's just me. I don't think there's coming back from that. While I understand why Thorne wanted to protect Robin and his mother, I think he could've found a COMPROMISE INSTEAD OF JUST LETTING ATHENA BLOW UP HER CAREER AND CREDIBILITY?????? How are you supposed to claim you love someone when you could literally stop them from blowing up their career. Thorne is a selfish piece of shit and I don't like him. And allllll of that is why this was knocked from a 4 to a 3.</spoiler?
I'm frustrated, because this was going to be a 4-star until the ending, which I will get into later. The pacing was weird. Time was passing, but to me, it wasn't really expressed well. I loved Athena (most of the time), and Thorne less so. Thorne is Elliott from Stardew Valley, and I can't stand Elliott, so this checks out. I liked the side plots. I guessed how her mother's would turn out about halfway thru the book. The banter was witty, and the writing kept me interested.
Now onto why the ending fucked up the rating.
I received a copy of this book for free from Books Forward for promotional purposes.
I was very excited to read this book because I love the premise (I love books about books/literature and I love the Brontes). Unfortunately, it did not live up to my expectations.
My main critique is that the book is too long. The book is roughly 370 pages (not including title pages, acknowledgments, etc.), but could have been whittled down to around 300. The book is very light on events that drive the plot forward. After the main character, Athena, moves back to her hometown to work on her book, not much really happens until the end. As for the romance aspect, there weren’t many fun rom-com moments to keep the book interesting.
The mystery surrounding the identity of C.L. Garland (the subject of her book) was also not very exciting. I was expecting there to be a lot of crazy hijinks from Athena while she tries to uncover the truth, but those moments were also very limited.
I did like some things about the book. I liked the small town vibes, especially with Athena working at the cafe. It felt very cozy. The townspeople made great supporting characters and added some humor to the story. I also enjoyed the literary references made throughout the book and the Bronte quotes that headlined every chapter.
Overall, the book didn’t work for me. However, it might work for you if you want a second chance romance with some literary references and cozy vibes.
Thank you so much for an advanced copy of Blame It On the Brontes.
Star Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Pub Date: May 3, 2022
This was a fun book, and it was also a quick read. I read this one in less than 24 hours, and I thought it was a quirky take on including classic novels into a contemporary romance. I thought the romance was fun and the characters were fairly engaging. As a faculty member myself, I really related to the "publish or perish" struggle of the main character.
That being said, while this was a fun read, it wasn't particularly special. I found myself skimming at several points just to move the story along, and I wasn't completely invested in the outcome of the story. I figured out the "twist" within the first thirty pages, and I just felt underwhelmed by the connection between the two main characters. The romance was fun, but I'm still not sure it was believable.
Overall, this was a fun book, though, and I'm glad I read it. I definitely won't re-read it, though. I rated this one three stars, and that was a generous rating IMO. I ended up going with three stars because I feel like others will enjoy it, especially readers who enjoy this topic area. I could have easily rated it two stars, even with the enjoyability factor because I just didn't find the book that interesting.
Star Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Pub Date: May 3, 2022
This was a fun book, and it was also a quick read. I read this one in less than 24 hours, and I thought it was a quirky take on including classic novels into a contemporary romance. I thought the romance was fun and the characters were fairly engaging. As a faculty member myself, I really related to the "publish or perish" struggle of the main character.
That being said, while this was a fun read, it wasn't particularly special. I found myself skimming at several points just to move the story along, and I wasn't completely invested in the outcome of the story. I figured out the "twist" within the first thirty pages, and I just felt underwhelmed by the connection between the two main characters. The romance was fun, but I'm still not sure it was believable.
Overall, this was a fun book, though, and I'm glad I read it. I definitely won't re-read it, though. I rated this one three stars, and that was a generous rating IMO. I ended up going with three stars because I feel like others will enjoy it, especially readers who enjoy this topic area. I could have easily rated it two stars, even with the enjoyability factor because I just didn't find the book that interesting.