The Hundred Loves of Juliet is the most interesting take I have seen on the star-crossed lover’s story, set in small-town Alaska where Helene and Sebastien meet for the first time. Except it isn’t the first time. We already know that story, though it didn’t happen quite as Shakespeare told it.

To Helene, Sebastien is the flesh-and-blood hero of the love stories she’s spent her life writing. But Sebastien knows better – Helene is his Juliet, and their story has always been the same. He is doomed to find brief happiness with her over and over, before she dies, and he is left to mourn. By any name, no matter where and when in time, the two of them are drawn together, and it always ends in tragedy. This time, Helene is determined that things will be different. But can these star-crossed lovers forge a new ending to the greatest love story of all time?

My favourite part of this book is the setting. Alaska is a far-flung place which has always been out of my range, but after reading this and the beautiful descriptions of Alaskan wilderness and culture, I am determined to visit the frozen north of America. I also now want to join a crab boat company and sail the Alaskan seas alongside tall, dark and handsome plaid-shirted fishermen.

Together with the wonderful setting, the character growth and the way it is explored, this story is a delight to read. It is a testament to the author in the way she writes about Sebastien and Helene growing together throughout the book, and writing their own destiny.

Reviewed by Sophie Bowe

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Evelyn Skye is the New York Times bestselling author of The Hundred Loves of Juliet, Damsel, The Crown’s Game, and more. She is a graduate of Stanford University and Harvard Law School. Evelyn lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and daughter.

Visit Evelyn Skye’s website