One Sentence Summary: Pleasure meets business when bookstore owner Max and baker Joelle are forced to share a space while their individual storefronts are being renovated.

My thoughts:

Considering books and baking are my two favorite things, I could not resist this book. It’s cute, but wasn’t exactly the kind of romance I was expecting, taking a few twists and turns to narrowly avoid the romance novel template I hate so much. This was also much steamier than I expected, but the inclusion of a hamster, a dog, and a cat made it all worthwhile for me. I also adored Joelle and her family, but Max felt more hit and miss for me. There were some really great elements in this book, but also some that left me disappointed.

Joelle and Max are really cute together, and especially sweet when Max isn’t acting like a hot headed teenager. They were something of a study in opposites, but I suppose opposites attract, even if Max sometimes made me want to slap him and Joelle sometimes made me want to scream some sense into her. But they really did feel like the perfect pair. Joelle felt very much like all sweetness and light. She comes from a very close Filipino family and they will do anything for each other. She’s so nice and sweet and understanding that it sometimes got in her way, especially when it came to Max, who was quite the opposite to her. When we first meet Max, it’s established he’s hot, and Joelle sometimes felt like she would go out of her way just to expound on how hot he is (as though he has nothing else to offer?). As a matter of fact, while writing this, I can’t think of anything else he is. He does take some very moody turns at some very inadvisable times, basically creating all the conflict in their romance. I couldn’t help thinking just how patient Joelle is. But Max has had a hard life, and that’s revealed little by little. He can be sweet and loving, but he shuts down at just the wrong word, which annoyed me to no end and made me feel like these two were flirting back and forth between maturity and immaturity. Considering they’re supposed to be in their 30s, I expected better.

The romance really was very cute. I liked that it started off in a way unexpected to me. I also appreciated how there wasn’t as much dancing around how much they liked each other; it was established to the reader and to each other early on. Their conflicts felt like they were entirely because of Max, but Joelle’s life perspective also was at complete odds with his, so she should share part of the blame, even if it felt like Max took on all of it. There were a lot more sex scenes that I anticipated, but I also found them oddly sweet at times. As a couple, they went through so much, so many ups and downs, and life still wasn’t done with them.

There are two other side stories in this book. One dealt with the complicated relationship between Max and his mother. It broke my heart. While I was glad for the way it ended, it made things feel a little too easy, like Max just flipped a switch and suddenly everything changed. I would have appreciated having that story line worked in a little more to make it feel more realistic. The other dealt with the renovations. As with everything else, it involved family. This one felt like it came out of left field, or just to make the book a little longer. I suppose it could have also been the catalyst for how Max and Joelle’s relationship changed, but, again, I felt like I had no warning and it was just popped into the story.

What I did love, though, were the fur babies and a bit of exploration of Joelle’s Filipino culture. Joelle’s hamster and Max’s dog and cat weren’t stars, but were definitely an excellent supporting cast. They were so sweet and had their own personalities. I just wish they had been on page more often. But I liked that they both have furry babies. I also loved getting a figurative taste of the Filipino culture. I loved getting to know Joelle’s family and seeing just how close-knit they are. But it was the food they made that stole my stomach. Joelle and her family make European and Filipino pastries, and they all sounded so delicious. I have no idea what some of the things they baked are, but, the way they were described, I’d eat them in a heart beat. I’m just disappointed there were no recipes.

The Boy with the Bookstore was a fun, sweet, steamy romance with a few good twists and turns. Sometimes it felt like the author was trying to work in too much and find too many ways to create conflict between Joelle and Max, but the stars of this book really are Joelle and Max, and just how well they fit together. I took issue with just how often Max was just described as hot. It only served to make him sound hot and a bit dysfunctional, making me wonder why, exactly, Joelle wants to be with him. But they really were sweet together and offered each other a nice balance.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a review copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

Rating 4/5
Plot 5/5
Spice 1/5
Writing 5/5
Character Development 4/5

[I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book]

“The Boy With the Bookstore” by Sarah Echavarre Smith tells the story of Max Boyson and Joelle Prima. Joelle owns a bakery next door to Max’s bookshop and has had a crush on him for the past year. When there’s renovation being done in the building that they share, Joelle believes this will be the perfect segway for her to make a move on Max. However, she doesn’t have a chance, when Max shows that he’s trouble. Although Max is a grumpy and troublemaker, tension rises between the two and as they discover the real reason for the renovations, they realize they must put their business and feelings to the test and work together.

This book immediately caught my attention when I saw the bookstore reference because I love a good book that references books! I also laughed when I read the blurb and saw that Max dried his sweaty gym clothes in Joelle’s oven LOL Although I felt for Max and appreciated his story, I also felt like some of his actions were really harsh. Aside from that this book goes back and forth a lot following a friends-to-enemies-to-friends-back-to-enemies-and-again-to-friends-and-finally-to-lovers XD I loved the tension and angst and grumpiness throughout.

Overall, I liked the premise of this book:

1. Baker + Bookstore owner's love story was cute
2. I really enjoyed Joelle's character

However, I could never fall in love with Max which is why this is just a three star for me. I wish his character was more likeable. I just could not get over his "grumpiness" which is how he is described in the synopsis.

I loved the premise of this novel. I mean, you have a baker and a bookstore owner who have such strong friendship energy that you can tell there are deeper feelings between them – but neither acts on it. Until a year and a half into their friendship, when they finally do.

But then their professional lives get thrown for a loop and everything between them is suddenly on edge.

I honestly loved the fire between these characters, but the timing never felt right to me. It was a lot of back and forth between being crazy for each other and hating each other. It felt like whiplash in their hot-and-cold feelings toward one another. And then any time they decide to actually talk anything out, they talk for all of 30 seconds before they’re taking their clothes off and fooling around.

Don’t get me wrong – I love the spicyness, but for reality-sake, having some actual conversations develop between them when things go wrong would have been nice. Yet, at every possible moment, they were bickering and hating each other. It was just exhausting by the end.

This book was cute. I think I liked the idea of the book better than the actual book, but I can’t get mad at it for not being what I wanted it to be. Overall it was a quick fun read.

The Boy with the Bookstore was just ok for me. I was pretty bummed, because it had the potential of being super cute, but it just really fell flat. I almost DNF'ed but didn't.

I'm not a big fan of miscommunication tropes and there were a couple instances in here that got me frustrated. I found Joelle to be immature and petty but not in a cute or funny way. For example, when she purposely sabotaged his book club. I mean, really?? That was very immature of her. I was also frustrated with how they went from flirting and hooking up to despising each other in seconds. Max seemed like a huge jerk and it wasn't justified just because he was stressed about his mom or about the renovations to the store. If I were Joelle I would've told his hot a&s to go to hell.

I think their pets were the best part of the book. And the concept of having bakery and bookstore in one - I wish I could own one of those. Also the bone marrow scene was pretty funny.

3 stars, really morel like 2.5

Joelle runs a bakery that’s infused with her family’s Filipino favorites next to Max’s bookstore. They’ve been casually flirting for more than a year, when they’re forced to share space during a renovation. At first, the tension reaches a boiling point, for many different reasons.

Here’s what I enjoyed about this story:
-Dual POV
-The dream setting of a bookstore/bakery combo
-Forced proximity
-Max’s tats!
-Sexy steam
-Cute pets!

I enjoyed the story overall. At times, I did think Joelle felt a little too immature. At one point, I highlighted a quote from Max to her that said: “Enough of your self-deprecating bullshit.” and if that didn’t sum up how I was feeling… but luckily she got out of her own way and we got to see them really grow together. They had some adorable dates and adventures together. Joelle had the biggest heart, and I really like how things played out for them!

Thanks to Berkley and NetGalley for an earc!

Who doesn’t love a good lovers to enemies back to lovers trope?! I was pleasantly surprised in the blend of a romantic storyline with both main characters having quite the family related background. One of my favorite aspects of the book was the heartfelt dynamic of Jolene‘s family. There were multiple times throughout the book where I would smile because of how they treated one another and looked out for each other. In contrast to Max’s family (or lack there of) where he does not have what she has…which I’m sure he craved to have some thing like that. The story was full of swoon worthy moments and had its own fair share of redemptive periods as well. I would give the book a 3.5/5 only because while I did absolutely love the story, at times it felt like there was so much back-and-forth between the characters and Max made me cringe a lot.

The Boy with the Bookstore is a cute romance that features Joelle, a baker, and Max, the hot bookstore owner next door, who are unexpectedly forced to share a space when their building undergoes major renovations. Even though I couldn't really imagine this situation playing out in real life due to safety issues, fire hazards, etc. I was easily able to let myself roll with it because I do love a good forced proximity story and I thought Joelle and Max were super cute together in the first scenes we meet them in. Max comes by every day on his way to his shop to get his regular order and he and Joelle have these sweet, flirty moments so I couldn't wait to see what would happen once they were stuck under the same roof for an extended period of time.

I thought the author did a nice job of realistically portraying the stresses of working in such a small space together, particularly the strain it creates in Joelle and Max's relationship. They had just been starting to take their relationship to the next level when they were forced together and this strain really creates a major obstacle for them.

I don't know if I would call this an enemies to lovers romance or even a grumpy/sunshine but there are hints of both because although Joelle is a delight and easy to love, Max, at times, is a challenging character to like. He definitely has some issues that he's dealing with, but those issues seem to manifest in him through abrupt personality changes. He goes from kind to grumpy at the drop of a hat, and that combined with some serious miscommunication between he and Joelle, led to some major fireworks. I ended up really liking Max by the end but had moments along the way where I questioned whether a happily ever after would be in the cards for he and Joelle.

Even though I had some qualms when it came to Max, I still definitely enjoyed The Boy with the Bookstore. If you're looking for a fast, fun read and enjoyed a forced proximity romance, this book should be on your radar.

This was a sweet, fun, humourous and cute.

Max is stupid, you can't be rude and bitter to people depending on your mood and regret later deciding how to apologise. At the same time his character development was good, he had a kind heart but just took a while to see what is in front of him.

Joelle is sweet and shouldn't give him time of her life. I know it is easier said than done. She is someone who shows to have faith in a person can do wonders. She gave her dreams for her family. I liked her character.

He is a bookstore owner and she has a bakery, both adjacent to each other but when circumstances force them to share a space things heat up for both good and bad.

I liked the writing and enjoyed the concept of forced proximity, grumpy hero, this was friends to lovers turned enemies to lovers, a mixture of many things. The ending was beautiful and I enjoyed reading this one, it was fast paced.

Overall a story I would recommend if you want something light and sweet.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC publication for an honest review.

The Boy with the Bookstore
by Sarah Echavarre Smith
Pub Date: 06 Sep 2022

Parts of this book were just so sweet and swoon worthy! Max was a perfect book boyfriend...until he wasn't. He could go from all sweetness to sulky and beyond grumpy in a heartbeat. I understand he had issues going on in his life, but the lack of communication became old. When Joelle and Max were good, they were GOOD...but when they hit some kind of conflict (I mention again, lack of communication!) it was not.

Mixed feelings on this book, but overall, I enjoyed.

For the past year, baker Joelle Prima has been crushing hard on Max Boyson, the bookstore owner next door. When she learns of massive renovations that will force them to combine their stores, Joelle thinks this is the perfect opportunity for a happily ever after. But her dreamy, tattooed prince may not be as charming as she imagined. Max snaps at Joelle in front of customers and dries his disgusting gym clothes in her oven. He even takes her pastries without asking! But underneath all the grumpy glares, Joelle knows there must be a soft heart in there somewhere.

I wanted so much to love this book! But it just didn’t quite do it for me. I adored the premise! I mean, a baker and a bookstore owner? In the wise words of Hillary Duff, “this is what dreams are made of”! Overall, it was super cute. I just wasn’t Max’s biggest fan more often than not. I understand he’s been through a lot of family issues, but it just hurt my heart to see him treat Joelle so poorly. I loved the forced proximity trope but the friends to enemies to friends to lovers was a little too much back and forth in my opinion. I do want to end on a high note and say I adored Joelle’s relationship with her family! They were so tight knit and would drop anything to help one another. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for my gifted e-ARC!

Joelle runs her own Filipino bakery in her small hometown. She gave up her dreams of running a bakery in Paris in order to be close to family and help them out. When her bakery building gets an unwanted renovation with the bookstore next door to her, can it be a blessing in disguise? Will her crush on the bookstore owner finally go somewhere?

Max has his own bookstore and two rescue pets he loves. He has his routine down: a coffee and croissant from the cute bakery owner next to his store, and then work for the day. His troubled past rears it’s ugly head and causes Max to face a lot of unwanted feelings and childhood issues. Add on top of that a surprise renovation on his building, forcing him to work in a tiny building alongside a bakery. Will Joelle and Max hit it off or become nemesis’s?

My thoughts:

There were things to love and things to question. I liked that the characters weren’t perfect, they are flawed. I like the in depth character build up but there were issues with both characters. Mainly Max was a jerk instead of communicating with Joelle. Joelle was single minded and a bit immature at times. I liked that it wasn’t an insta love romance. Those irk me. I will say that their set up would be perfect in real like though. Pastries and books? Count me in!

Thank you to @netgalley @authorsarahs @berkleypub and @berkleyromance for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to @prhaudio for a free download of the audiobook. And thank you to @berittalksbooks and @dg_reads for including me on this buddy read.

The Boy with the Bookstore was a breath of fresh air. Often times in romance books it is the girl with a majority of the issues leaving the love interest scratching their head thinking WTCrap! In this book, Max is the one who’s really needing to work through issues. That’s not to say Joelle is without any issues of her own. Together they work together to become better and stronger people, all while saving their businesses.

The flirting is cute, and the forced proximity leads to the fun start of their romance. Things heat up pretty quickly between Max and Joelle, then it turns into a slower burn, which makes the relationship seem more real.

Now thanks to Joelle…I need a buttery croissant…or 12!

4 stars

4 ⭐️ The Boy with the Bookstore @authorsarahs

Thank you to @letstalkbookspromo, @berittalksbooks, @berkleypub, @netgalley, & @authorsarahs for having me be a part of this bookstore.

I did a publication day post like 3-4 days ago, so I won’t repeat the blurb. I enjoyed this sweet, & at times spicy, romcom. The heat was turned up really quickly & I wasn’t really expecting that, but I loved the slow burn after. Joelle & Max had their immature moments & miscommunication at times. There were moments when I teared up & moments when I laughed out loud. I also got really hungry reading about Joelle’s bakery. Overall, I really enjoyed this read. Thank you again to all the above mentioned.

3.5 star read. Their "cute meet" happens a year and half after they met, not they weren't crushing on each other since the beginning but it's not until the fun awkward incident that the chemistry comes out. Two opposites, he's the leather wearing, tattooed hottie who owns the bookstore next door to the sweet kind shy baker. Joelle gave up her dreams to help support her family in their time of need, a close knit family that would do anything for each other, living with her family, caring for her hamster and baking delicious treats are her life why would the hottie next door be interested in her? Max had a rough up bringing, so different from Joelle but her internal kindness has all his attention. When renovations two their two shops throw them together in cramped quarters they find their attractions up front. But can two opposites find common ground, is it worth it? Chemistry, personality clashed and deep feels make this an entertaining read with plenty of twists and turns.

In terms of cuteness, this book delivers! Joelle and Max have been working next door to each other for over a year now. He owns the bookstore, she owns the bakery. They’ve been flirting forever - he cones in with his regular daily order and she’s all cute, awkward and unintentional food innuendos. Fate lends them a hand when their building’s landlord tells them they have to vacate their spaces for renovation work, and he’s arranged for them to share a space behind the building. Things get interesting when they work in close quarters.

Let’s put aside the fact that throwing a bookstore and bakery together at the last minute in a small space is kind of implausible. Safety issues etc etc…it’s fun to see Max and Joelle flirt in close proximity. Though there’s always grave tension that pops up between them. Max’ is traumatized by his dysfunctional relationship with his addict mother. It’s a sore subject, one he hasn’t learned how to deal with which sees him lash out negatively. Gotta say, I wasn’t fond of him in those moments, but it’s also a lot to process. Joelle doesn’t have that perspective as her family is tight and always there for each other even through their financial woes. Together she and Max help each other through to become better and stronger, and even reconcile.

I adored this grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity romance. It was delightful and go read it!
Thanks to @netgalley and @berkleypub @berkleyromance for my ARC. This is my honest review.

Book Review…The Boy With the Bookstore by Sarah Echavarre Smith

Max Boyson looks good from a distance. But after a year and a half Joelle has learned why you shouldn’t judge a book by his delectable cover.

When she first learned about the massive renovation to the building they share, Joelle imagined that temporarily combining her Filipino bakery with Max’s neighboring bookstore would be the perfect opening chapter to their happily ever after. Reality, however, is quite different. Her gallant prince turned out to be a stubborn toad. But when they discover the real reason for the renovation, they’ll have to put both their business senses and their feelings for each other to the test.

First, I really like the cover! It's colorful and eye-catching! This was a cute enemies to friends to lovers story! Joelle's character was nice and I really liked the relationship between her and her family. I didn't really care for Max. I understand that he had a lot going on and a lot to deal with but he still could have been a little nicer but his character was well done. I really liked the banter between them. Overall it's a well written story with a cute and sweet romance! Thank you Let's Talk Books, Sarah Echavarre Smith and Berkley Books for sharing this book with me

This book was cute but not remarkable. First of all, it felt like having it written in dual points of view was an afterthought, given that the hero’s chapters were outnumbered by the heroine’s chapters four to one, and they were shorter chapters on top of that. It would have been nice to see more from Max’s perspective in the beginning so we saw more than him simply being a jerk. I almost gave up around the 35% mark because I didn’t understand Max’s behavior and it was bordering on irredeemable. Ultimately I did end up finishing it and enjoying it, but I thought both main characters, especially Max, could have used more development.

Much thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was a super cute enemies to lovers, dual POV with lots heart and secret pining. Bookshop owner Max gets forced to share a temporary business space with baker Joelle when their buildings need renovations. These two neighboring business owners have had crushes on each other for over a year and when they finally act on their attraction things go sideways. Max decides they're better off as friends while they have to work so closely together but a series of misunderstandings quickly ratchet up the tension and hurt feelings.

I thought this was good but was hoping for a little more depth to the story if I'm completely honest. I've loved the author's previous books but this wasn't her strongest in my opinion. Recommended for fans of books like The enemy by Sarah Adams or Meet cute by Helena Hunting. Overall this one felt too formulaic with the enemies to lovers trope and then an easy HEA marriage and baby included.

3.5 stars rounded up.