This was such a good book. I loved the story and the writing so much. The characters were great and the story flowed smoothly. Will definitely read more books by this author in the future.

I love books about books and thought this story held promise for a good read. Unfortunately, it fell flat for me both with the characters and the pacing of the book. A cute idea, but it just didn’t work for me.

This one feels like it should have been a novella rather than a full book. I couldn't stay interested in it and just felt unconnected with the characters.

I received a free copy of, The Battle of the Bookshops, by Poppy Alexander, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Capelthorne Bookshop has been in Jules family for a hundred years. The families rivals have decided to open their own bookshop. I love Poppy Alexander's books, this was good, but she has better ones.

I rounded up a star because it kept me curious enough to finish it, but this book was too slow for me. It felt a hundred pages longer than it is, and they fell in love off the page, which made it feel like bam, they’re in love, and I missed it somehow. Disorienting.

Battle of the Bookshops had an intriguing premise—a modern twist on Romeo and Juliet, with rival bookshops owned by the feuding Capelthornes and Montbeaus. The playful nods to Shakespeare, including characters joking about their Capulet-Montague dynamic, were a charming touch. Fans of The Shop Around the Corner may find some nostalgia in its setup.

However, the story itself lacked the spark to set it apart. The plot was predictable, and the characters never really broke free from their archetypes. While there were some sweet moments, the narrative felt flat, and there was little that truly surprised or delighted.

The ending, unfortunately, left me unsatisfied. Rather than letting the story unfold naturally, the epilogue rushed to tie things up in a fairy-tale-style happily ever after, delivered through narration rather than action. It felt disconnected from the rest of the book and denied readers the chance to experience the conclusion alongside the characters.

Overall, Battle of the Bookshops is a light read that doesn’t demand much, but it doesn’t offer much either. If you enjoy predictable comfort reads, you might find it worth a glance—but don’t expect anything groundbreaking.

Um I'm trying to figure out how to rate this. In one hand, I feel like the author set a good premise but I just couldn't get invested in either the characters or overall story.. I found the pacing of the book quite slow and it just draaaaaged. I don't know

I love books about books! This book was a romance and slight mystery all in one. I loved the addition the family feud played into the relationship of Roman and Jules. The mystery of Bridget Capelthorne was a nice twist!

I am sorry to say this book fell flat for me. It's Romeo and Juliet meets You've Got Mail but without the emotion. Roman and Jules tell us they're in love but there was little to show us about the supposed strength of their relationship. A charming premise but a hollow execution.

Big thanks to @netgalley @harpercollins and @poppyalexanderbooks for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I thought the premise of The Battle of the Bookshops was perfect. Romeo and Juliet but make it feuding families who own rival bookstores. I loved that this entanglement started at a childhood dance. I absolutely loved the idea of the hidden 1600s grimoire, and all the lore behind the author. Honestly I just really liked this plot. And Aunt Flo (the name 😂).

I’m not sure if I was Jules if I could have forgiven Roman and his family and continued the relationship, but good for her. I would have liked a little more relationship development and characterization. A lot of scenes abruptly ended which I think if they were a bit prolonged could have helped me really feel the connection between the characters.

But all in all this was a fun little read with a great plot.

I found this book challenging, as I often had to backtrack to grasp the narrative flow. The frequent shifts in point of view and the use of some slang left me feeling a bit confused at times.

In terms of the characters, Jules and Roman, I found myself liking both of them individually, but I struggled to see them as a couple. The story leaned heavily on the tension between their families and the rivalry connected to the bookshop, which overshadowed the development of their relationship. To me, there was a noticeable lack of chemistry between Roman and Jules, and many of the romantic moments felt like they happened off-page, making everything seem rushed.

Also, I would have loved to dig deeper into their characters, particularly Roman’s. It felt as though a significant portion of their story was left unexplored, leaving me wanting more.

Overall, while the plot and the characters had their charms, it ultimately didn’t resonate with me as much as I had hoped.

Thank you Avon & Harper Voyager & NetGalley for the opportunity to read this.

3.5/5

This was a very cute book but it could have been organized a bit better.

I liked the nods to Shakespeare and the general plot. The characters were likable and I enjoyed the mystery plot, but sometimes it felt like I was reading two different books. I know this has been billed as a romance, but I’d recommend this as a contemporary novel with a small romance subplot. That’s the one storyline that felt rushed and I wished it had been fleshed out. It feels like more of the backstory was cut out in edits that really should’ve been left in. I really loved both of the characters, but I didn’t feel like I really got to know Roman. He was a sweet man, but it felt like we were missing part of the story. With so much of their romance and love story happening off page, billing this as a romance just isn’t fair to the book.

Overall, likable characters and a very cute story. The pacing was on the slower side, but I did really enjoy reading this book.

Thank you to Avon & Harper Voyager & NetGalley for the ARC.

I love a good enemies to lovers. The plot was good and the characters were well developed. It was a bit slower than I preferred ar times but overall, a cute read! Thanks for the opportunity to read in exchange for an honest review!

oh, this was so fun. a classic enemies to lovers — romeo and juliet inspired with opposing families (i mean…the characters names are roman and jules) — taking place in a lovely small town and bookstores!!! the bookshops take the focus in this story, and it’s such a lovely reminder to support your local shops and all the magic that exists in a family business.

this is the epitome of a feel good read, with a fun cast of characters and little bits like an ancient grimoire mystery keeping me turning the pages to see what happens next. aunt flo and charlie were such fun additions to this story when we weren’t just focusing on the two protagonists.

when it comes to romance and jules, they’re sweet, i enjoyed the dynamic, but i do believe there was a large part of off page romance that built up and made their romance feel a bit rushed. despite this, their journey is entertaining especially when they’re in their ‘enemies’ phase which has been going on for jules since a run in in their teen years.

all in all, this story was cozy, sweet, and cute. it felt a bit slow in the beginning and was hard to get into immediately, but i loved reading about the bookshops, found myself invested in the success of capelthorne’s, and had a romance that didn’t make me upset with some big trouble.

*thank you to netgalley and avon and harper voyager for this arc!*

This book offers a captivating blend of engaging storytelling and well-crafted characters. The plot moves at a steady pace, keeping the reader hooked from start to finish. The author’s writing style is both accessible and thought-provoking, with themes that resonate long after the final page. While the story may feel familiar at times, the depth of the characters and the emotional weight of their journeys make it a worthwhile read. Overall, this book is an enjoyable and memorable experience, perfect for fans of rom-coms Highly recommended!

Typically I love a good Shakespeare retelling, so when I dived into this book I was excited to see how this Romeo & Juliet would shape out. However, I found myself getting lost in the writing either through the overexcitement of how the characters were speaking or in how English the story was. I found myself thrown out of the novel several times as a result of not understanding some slang or it being almost aggressively English that it wasn't easy to follow. I did not finish this book and had to put it aside the moment the joke was made about Roman and Jules being Romeo and Juliet after Diana mentioned the Capelthornes being Capulets. It was a bit of an on-the-nose joke, but it threw me completely out and I found myself not able to carry on after that.

3.5 ⭐️

<b> Aunt Flo my beloved</b>

<b>TLDR; Think Romeo & Juliet meets bookshops with an odd pacing and a lot of off page falling for each other. </b>

This was cute. I loved the concept and because I will read a synopsis once when I shelve the book and not again, the Romeo and Juliet plot line was kinda a surprise for me, and I liked it overall. Aunt Flo was the stand out character and my clear favorite. There wasn’t anything particularly noteworthy about either of the main characters, positively or negatively. There was <b> A LOT</b> of off page falling for each other. Sure they had history where both were intrigued by the other but I feel like the main plot line was the bookstores and the romance was primarily in the background. You get almost no Roman POV, which fine but why include it at all if we only get a paragraph every 3rd chapter? (Full disclosure: I am a sucker for the man being an absolute pinning fool for his lady so I felt a bit robbed, this may not be an issue for you.) I just wish Poppy Alexander dug a bit more into the story of them instead of primarily focusing on the bookshops rivalry.

<b>Thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the eARC and chance to read and review this ahead of time!</b>

UGHH. I hate when I want to love a book so badly and it just falls flat.

A modern day telling of Romeo and Juliet - Jules is called home to help her aunt run a failing bookshop, while her family's archnemesis, Roman, opens a brand-new bookshop across the street. What ensues is so predictable and boring.

This was supposed to be slow burn, but honestly the fire never started. The writing was beautiful, but the characters had absolutely no chemistry and it felt like insta love. Writers put so much love into their work, so I hate to give a negative review, but this one just totally missed the mark. Great storyline with poor execution.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC!

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this arc.

Ty is was slow..too slow. If it takes me 50% to get into the book then it’s a no for me.

Love love loved The Battle of the Bookshops.
It did take me a bit to get into the story and to fully understand some of the characters' actions, BUT, it did not disappoint once the plot really started moving!
Full Review to come.