A review by theladysparks
The Hundred Loves of Juliet by Evelyn Skye

5.0

 

Helene used to dream of finding her perfect man, and wrote stories about true love in her notebooks. However, after a painful divorce, she decides to move to a small town in Alaska to start anew and focus on writing her novel. Fate, however, has different plans for her.

In the small town, Helene meets Sebastien Montague, a charming fisherman who seems to embody her ideal man in every way. But how can he be real when he seems to have come straight out of her own imagination?

As Helene tries to unravel the mystery behind his existence, Sebastien is determined to keep his past hidden from her. Scarred by past tragedies and heartbreaks, he has a secret that he cannot bear to reveal. But when the shadows of the past threaten their future, they must confront their deepest fears and overcome the odds to create a new ending to their love story.

“Perhaps a life well lived isn’t measured in months or years, but in love. In kisses and gentle twining of hands, in fiery embraces and soft, whispered affections.”

I am a sucker for Romeo & Juliet. Give me all the reimaginings, retellings, inspired by, you name it. When I came across this one on the Libby app, I immediately downloaded it and dove right in. Not only is this a glorious reimagining of Romeo and Juliet, but it brought a whole new twist to it in the form of reincarnation which is something I absolutely love to read about in books. This book is definitely one of my new favorite reads.

Helene was a super solid character that was easy to love and root for. Newly divorced, she runs away to Alaska to avoid her ex-husband who won't sign the divorce papers because he's a narcissistic turd of a man who loves to gaslight her into believing whatever truth he wants to paint. I love that she is a writer and works her way through writing her stories as the novel progresses. I love it when books feature writers or fellow readers, it just feels so nice to me personally. The fact that she is Juliet, reincarnated again after so many other times, essentially remembers her past lives without realizing she remembers them because they're the stories that she's writing. It was a beautiful take on the whole ordeal and I loved how it allowed the past to weave perfectly throughout the present.

Sebastian (aka our Romeo) is so swoon-worthy and I appreciated this particular take on Romeo as a character and how it differs from the norm. He is a broody man, cursed with immortality who has taken to life in Alaska so that "Juliet" can live out her life without the curse of her dying. If you like a man who feels very deeply, isn't afraid to show his emotions, and is vulnerable, who is also a major simp for his girl - please read this book because he will be right up your alley. I love him so much.

The pacing is perfection and I really want to drive home how much I enjoyed how flawlessly the past and the present wove through each other without it being confusing, I think the way that their past was told was such a fun and beautiful twist. This book pulled on my heartstrings and it's one I definitely see myself picking back up again in the future for a reread.

I also just want it to be known that the narrators for this book were phenomenal. Honestly, Joe Arden could read me something from a grocery list and I would be enthralled. I definitely recommend this format because it's got a lot of emotion Joe Arden and Aspen Vincent do a really magnificent job bringing Helene and Sebastian to life!

- romeo and juliet reimagining
- reincarnation
- he's immortal
- "a plague o' both your houses"
- broody mmc
- writer fmc
- pining
- reluctant love
- tugs on your heartstrings
- dual pov
- dual timeline (sort of)
- pregnancy (towards the end)