Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC! This is my first Poppy Alexander book. I enjoyed the cute and cozy setting. I typically love reading books that are set in the literary world, and enjoyed the plot of rival bookshops competing against one another. Jules and Roman are a classic enemies to lovers trope, with a lot of falling in love off page. I liked the nod to Romeo and Juliet with their family rivalry, but this story fell a little short for me. I don’t usually mind third person narratives, but in this book, it distracted from the story and caused the book to drag for me. I didn’t connect with Jules and Roman as much as I had hoped. I did find the premise of their rivalry to be a bit juvenile - he laughed at her for having toilet paper stuck on her shoe at a school dance. Embarrassing at the time, but I think a bigger mishap would’ve made more sense for their rivalry and plot of the book. Overall, it was entertaining, but just not the book for me!

“The last of the sun would stream in through the window, lighting up the dust motes in the air like fireflies, and Jules would be restored, losing herself in books so familiar it was as if the characters became her friends.”

Thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for this arc in exchange for honest review.

I enjoyed the writing style and I loved the quaint little town. Most of the story takes place in the 100 year-old town bookstore, which if I lived in that town, would be my favorite place to be. The Romeo and Juliet connections, though, were a miss for me. Main reason being there was no real connection between the 2 MC love interests. I wasn’t invested in their story. There was some talk of time spent off page that I really think we needed to make a real connection. On page their dates were all about superficial business talk and their rival families. Nothing deep. What made them fall in love, exactly? The real intrigue (which wasn’t even mentioned as part of the synopsis) was the Grimoire of Bridget Capelthorne. Ultimately, that’s what kept my interest to finish the book.

This book was such a delightful surprise! The story’s charm, set in a quaint English town, reminded me of Jenny Colgan’s warm and engaging style. From the very start, the rivalry between Jules and Roman hooked me. The Romeo and Juliet allusions woven throughout added an extra layer of depth that made their feud-to-romance journey even more satisfying.

The supporting cast absolutely stole my heart. Aunt Flo, Charlie, and Freya brought so much personality and humor to the story, making Jules’ life feel multidimensional and vibrant. It wasn’t just about romance—there was a whole community to fall in love with, and I loved how the book explored Jules’ life beyond her relationship with Roman.

Speaking of the romance, while I wish there had been a bit more slow-burn buildup between Jules and Roman, their chemistry was undeniable. The way Roman went from Jules’ high school nemesis to someone who genuinely respects and admires her was such a satisfying evolution. Watching their shared passion for books (and their friendly competition over their bookstores) turn into something more was a joy. Plus, Jules’ creative ideas to help her shop—and Roman—added so much heart to the story.

Charlie’s subplot, especially when he discovers something that changes everything, was another highlight for me. And the tender moment when Jules is sick, and someone leaves her a basket for a hot toddy? Absolute perfection. It’s little touches like these that made this book feel cozy, heartfelt, and oh-so-sweet.

This is the perfect blend of healing, humor, and romance, wrapped up in a story about community and second chances. I can’t wait to find more books by Poppy Alexander—they’re going straight to my library hold list! Thank you to Avon, Harper Voyager | Avon, and NetGalley for this heartwarming advance copy.

This just isn't for me. I think I missed all the notes about it being a vaguely disguised parallel to Romeo and Juliet, and for me I couldn't find a delineation between the play and what was happening in the story. If R&J isn't something that rubs you the wrong way (it's just a story I don't enjoy), you may like this, as the book setting and the romance were both cute.

I quite enjoyed this book! The writing and voice reminded me of Jenny Colgan. The book takes place in England, the characters are fresh and honest, and while there are happy endings, it also feels like the real world. I really enjoyed the rivalry between Jules and Roman, as well as the Romeo and Juliet allusions laced throughout the book. Supporting characters, including Aunt Flo, Charlie, and Freya, could really steal the scenes, and I enjoyed seeing Jules' life from more than just a romance perspective.

The romance element did feel a little fast; I would have liked more on-the-page romance to build the relationships between Jules and Roman. However, Romeo and Juliet do fall ridiculously quickly. I wish this could have been a longer book, and I'll be looking for more Popp y Alexander at the library and the bookstore!

At first, I didn't know if I was going to like this story because of what Roman did to Jules in high school, but as the story evolved I discovered a lot has changed between Roman and Jules since high school. There is actually a mutual respect for one another and even though there is a spat over the bookstores, their admiration for one another is growing whenever Roman and Jules meet. I like that all of Jules tormentors have grown up and actually respect her now. I love how Jules comes up with new ideas that helps her bookstore and Roman at the same time. I love Charlie who finds something that changes everything. I like it when Jules is sick and someone leaves a basket for Hot Toddy.
It's just the perfect story that goes from a feud to a love story and it's just to sweet.

I want to thank Avon and Harper Voyager | Avon and NetGalley for the advance copy of this story about healing an old feud.

ended up dnf this book.
the book was very slow to the point that even about 65% into it, i wasn't into it.
it was also a tad confusing for me, but that might have just been a me thing.

Romeo and Juliet meets bookshop rivalry? I didn’t find any connection or attraction between the characters and I really tried…

The Battle of the Bookshops is about a family owned bookshop that has been in the Capelthorne family for 100 years and now a new, state of the art bookstore opens up across the street owned by the family’s rival.

The story was more than just who will put who out of business. It’s a journey about a lifelong feud between families, discovering what you want, and being true to yourself.

This was definitely a cozy romcom full of love, family, laughter and books.

I felt the forbidden, enemies to lovers romance with Jules and Roman was not the main focus of the story, but it was still great to read. The focus was mainly of Capelthorne and Mountbeau family rivalry that’s spanned generations. I loved the family dynamic and friends throughout. Learning about the families and seeing the development of the relationship in the background was fantastic.

This was such an enjoyable story and one you must check out for yourself.

2.5 This book is not my cup of tea. I was thinking it would be a good enemy to lovers type book. I'm finding it tough to read through because of all the details. I feel like a lot of Jules thoughts and emotions could be removed. Something to make the story move faster. Was hoping for more banter between the "enemies". Not sure I'm going to finish it.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!


This book reminded me a lot of Chloe Liese Wilmot Sisters' books as in the reimaging of a Shakespear book in modern times. Given that, I thought it was a super cute and fun read and what's great about romance books, is that we know in the end, everything will turn out OK regardless of how they get there. This story follows Jules (FMC) who helps her aunt with her bookshop and Roman (MMC). Roman has a competing bookstore across the street because why not, thus a rivalry begins. What makes this super cute is that the book doesn't solely focus on their rivalry but it also explores the history of the bookhop. The miscommunications aren't terrible compared to most books which was nice because I wasn't internally screaming at the characters to talk it out and communicate.

In all, this was a super heartwarming book with the classic enemies-to-lovers trope. Over time, the story becomes intense given what's at stake but still light and fluffy. I will definitely be on the lookout for more books by Poppy Alexander.

Read if you like
- Enemies to lovers
- 3rd POV
- Slow burn
- Romeo and Juliet retell

The premise of two rival family-owned bookshops had potential, but the story fell flat. The characters lacked depth, the conflict felt silly, and the plot leaned heavily into predictable clichés. While some might enjoy its lightheartedness, it ultimately lacked substance and it just wasn't what I was expecting for!

Jules Capelthorne and Roman Montbeaut have been enemies since before they were born. Their families have been feuding for at least a century for who-knows-what reason anymore. When Jules returns to her hometown of Portneath to help her aging great-aunt run the family's bookshop, she is not only devastated at the state of the shop--rundown, and verging on bankruptcy--but she now has to compete with Roman as he has just unveiled a brand new bookshop directly across the street.

This was a quick, cozy romance, which upon first reading the description, I did not realize, is a Romeo and Juliet re-telling. It is a bit of a slow burn, where our love interests don't begin their romance until about halfway through the book. However, once it begins, it feels more like instalove, and the "slow burn" turns into full speed ahead. I found out after reading it that a lot of the side characters are the main characters in other Poppy Alexander books. I love it when an author creates a universe where each novel can function as a standalone but also includes previously loved characters from their other works. If reviewers could give half stars, I'd give this a 3.5.

Read this if you like:
- Romeo & Juliet retelling
- enemies to lovers
- slow burn (ish)
- fun & quirky side characters

Thank you NetGalley and Avon for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed the concept of this book. I love a Romeo and Juliet, star-crossed lovers retelling, but for me this book fell a little flat. I did enjoy the bookstore rivalry aspect but think it was overpowered at times by other narrative elements. Overall, I think the narrative was a little all over the place, jumping between Jules's relationship with Roman, the bookstore's woes, and the Grimoire subplot. I felt the characters' switch from rivals to lovers felt a bit stilted and rushed, and I would've preferred to see more justification for her falling for him when she did.

This book started with cute intrigue: long time crush, family rivalries, book store setting. It is written with lovely description. But after taking forever to build, the story went in too many directions and fell flat.

The story was long and slow. Most of the first half could be removed without hurting the storyline. The Romeo and Juliet theme was awkwardly thrown at the reader way too much: names obviously similar, explained as forbidden love, even characters joking on page that they were like R&J.

The slow buildup then jumped the characters at warp speed into a relationship with very little detail. I thought I had missed a few chapters. Meanwhile, there were a few other, almost uninteresting, side stories that brought more to the story than the main relationship. Character development was odd. Some characters had obvious roles in the story but made little sense how they got there. (How lucky that someone offers their very specific and niche skill set for free! Comes out of nowhere and arrives exactly when needed!) I kept forgetting who all of the mentioned characters were because there were so many minor and unnecessary roles. The family rivalry made little sense and what parts were meant to read as heartfelt came off as superficial.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Anyone who loves to hang out in bookstores will probably love this book (at least until the end). The main characters, Roman Montbeau and Jules Capelthorne (Romeo and Juliet) are both extremely likable (Jules wears an ugly dress to her best friend's wedding because her best friend loves it) , although they are not perfect (which makes them human). Even though the names recall Shakespeare's characters, this is not a retelling or remix of the doomed lovers' story. This is first and foremost a love story, the animosity between the two families is there, but it is an aside. My one real criticism is that the book seemed to end abruptly and then jumped to an epilogue. I'm not sure what I wanted, but it should have been more... But it was a pleasant read, the setting was quaint, the characters were developed, and the plot, although there were many off shoots from it kept the book moving.

Welcome to a modern Romeo and Juliet. Loved the setting characters and writing style. This one will have you rooting for a happy ending!

this was an ultimate cheesy story, like a typical hallmark movie. All of the cliches, and one liners were pulled into this one here. I think it was a very cookie cutter hallmark type of story, and not much past that.

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complimentary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

This is a modern take on Romeo and Juliet. It’s very on the nose from the get-go with the names and such. I found this book very hard to get into. I usually read books in less than a day, and it took me weeks to get through this one. It just couldn’t hold my attention. I think my main issue is this was very detailed, but in the wrong places. We have lots of detail on the mundane ins and outs of the day (waking up, food eaten, etc) but missed details serving major plot points. For example, Roman admits he’s in love with Jules halfway through the book. How did he get there? The building of the romance was lackluster. The story got a little more interesting about 2/3’s in, but again glossed over things. I think this is a pass.

Thank you Avon and Harper Voyager for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

*Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Avon and Harper Voyager | Avon for the arc, all opinions are my own.

A bookish Romeo and Juliet-esq premise, I thought this was going to pull me in quickly. However, this one just never grabbed me.

Jules (Juliet) is set on helping bring her great-aunt's bookshop back to its former glory. As a FMC, Jules never really grabbed me and the animosity between her and our MMC Roman (Romeo) just seemed so silly. He of course owns the bookshop across the street from Jules'.

They team up when Jules finds some letters in her shop, and they team up to figure out who they are from. I thought this was a great chance for the author to get them into some shenanigans, but there just wasn't enough skin in the game to help it matter.

Overall, I wasn't able to connect with the characters, the conflict was silly, and the storyline was not compelling enough for me to recommend to others.