As someone who is an avid reader, works in a bookstore and sells bookish things, I was so excited to read this book!

The author does a wonderful job of making the world come to life with beautiful descriptions of the town and shops. I must say that I was initially inspired to read this ARC because I love a good enemies-to-lovers romance and with a bookstore twist? I was IN! However, the book glosses over much of the romance between the people. It is a Romeo and Juliet inspired couple (with multiple references to this throughout the book, but the depth of their romance is not really explored. This book is very much a love letter to small, independent bookstores, and as much as I love a good book with romance, I can hardly blame someone for loving the bookstores themselves.

Honestly I could barely finish this book. The story concept was cute but the pacing was slow and I kept losing interest. The characters didn’t feel like they had much chemistry from their interactions and I couldn’t find myself connecting with anyone from the book besides Aunt Flo. This book might be amazing for someone else but it just wasn’t for me.

This was my first title by Poppy Alexander and I really enjoyed it. Jules is trying to save her great-aunt's bookshop from the new competition. What will happen in this battle of the bookshops.

DNF at 25%. After going back over the summary multiple times, there is no mention of this being a Romeo and Juliet retelling. If I had known this fact, I most likely would not have picked up this book. I am not a huge fan of retellings and really do not like Shakespeare so this just wasn't the book for me. The amount of similarities and references to the play within the first quarter of the book made it difficult for me to enjoy. The writing almost felt Shakespearean to me, where as I would prefer a more modern take. It wasn't just a retelling, it was constant references to Shakespeare, jokes about the main characters being Romeo and Juliet, names being so similar it took me out of the story, and constant reminders that the families have been in a long time generational feud.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The premise of a modern Romeo & Juliet meets You’ve Got Mail was very unique and fun. Aunt Flo was the best character with all of her quirks, caring, and also independence. I found myself wanting to know more about the main characters because they really just go from feuding families to being in love and I wish we had more progression about how they got there. Thanks to Avon and Harper Voyager & NetGalley for this ARC!

3.5 stars,

i’ve found myself to have read quite a few books set in the UK and while i really enjoy them sometimes they seem to just be missing something.

I enjoyed Jules and her steadfast determination in not letting her family bookshop to close down in vein and do everything she could to turn profit around after being away for so long.

I wish there was more of Romans POV, and more lead up banter in the relationship for Jules and Roman other than immediate relationship after one kiss and childhood crushes.

Some of the paragraphs felt utterly long making the book feel longer than the 300 pages marked using my phone, it felt like i’d spent a lot longer than 3-4 days reading this story.

Battle of the Bookshops modern take on Romeo and Juliet meets You’ve Got Mail. The protagonists, Jules and Roman, had so much promise. Unfortunately, the story was as star-crossed as its inspiration. While the potential was there, the storytelling lacked appropriate pacing and the leads basically went from exchanging barbs to declaring their love for one another with no believable build up in between.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC♥️

It is a cozy little romcom. There are some bon mots along the way. This is to say there is nothing to get upset about. Even the misunderstandings are not too bad.

This was a cute, endearing YA read. This story is slight enemies to lovers with rival bookshops across the street from one another. This is the perfect book to read in between heavier books.

This one was so adorable! It was so cute and cozy, and the flirting was out of this world. The book girly representation was top tier! This book had me too cold and just pulled at my heartstrings so much. Definitely read this one this year.

The Battle of the Bookshops is a sweet, almost forbidden love story. The first half was very slow for me and I wish it would've progressed quicker. I felt like it took a strange turn into witchcraft but then I enjoyed how it tied into the storyline. My favorite parts included the bookshop rivalry and how to outshine the new store. I would rate the last quarter of the story a 4, so rounding up my rating. Overall, a nice read.
Thank you to the author, Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for a digital advanced copy of this book!

2.5⭐️
I had really high hopes for The Battle of the Bookshops. A Romeo and Juliet retelling with a You’ve Got Mail plot? Seemed right up my alley! The plot was all there…the execution was lacking. The dialogue felt very juvenile for 2 grown adults and I felt like the author got 50% through the book and realized the characters still needed to get together and decided they were just going to “fall madly in love” with no actual chemistry. I kept thinking I was missing something or missed a chapter. I think the book could’ve been 100 pages shorter and cover way less of a time frame and go way deeper into these characters and it would land better (sorry run on sentence lol).

All together, it was a pretty simple read and the plot was interesting but way too long and not really well written.

I have read other works by this author but this one did not live up to those. The genre was confusing- love story or novel? Just not for me but others may enjoy it

Romeo and Juliet but make it about rival bookshops. 2.5

When Jules Capelthorne gets a call from her mother, implying her beloved Aunt Flo is on her death bed, Jules quickly rushes off to her hometown, a place she's avoided for a decade. Not even back in town 5 minutes when Jules runs into old crush Roman. Considering their last encounter was an embarrassing moment at a school dance, and Roman belongs to the Montbeau family, a centuries long rival. Finding Aunt Flo in good health but dealing with an injury, Jules stays in her hometown to assist in running the family business, a bookshop, Capelthorne's. But days later learns that Roman has opened a new rival bookshop just across the road. Can Jules save the shop and preserve her family legacy?

Thoughts and potential spoilers:

This book was cute. The characters were fun and likable and the plot was enjoyable. The pacing of the story threw me off, some scenes felt very detailed, but others felt like really important things happened off of the page and as the reader left me a bit confused. The book is more fiction than romance, which definitely through me off as I was reading because the beginning of the book felt like it was leading to an enemies to lovers as the main plot, and though the rival families bit was important, it wasn't the driving force of the book. Written in 3rd person POV, the book mostly followed Jules but we would occasionally get a moment in Roman's perspective. I liked these moments but they felt a bit random?

Though I enjoyed it overall, and i know my mom would love a book like this, for me it just fell flat a little bit. The stakes never really felt high and because of that, I don't think it grabbed me emotionally?

Thank You NetGalley and Avon for sending me an ARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

In the same way I love when an author slips the title of a book somewhere in the dialogue, I love that this Romeo and Juliet story had several Shakespeare references, leading off with: “How very dramatic. Shakespearean even…”

Jules Capelthorne and Roman Montbeau’s families despise each other, so this unlikely pair don’t seem like a natural fit for a while. You can pretty much see what the major conflict point is from the get go, but also why Roman doesn’t want to rock the boat. Lovely resolution and HEA, of course.

I enjoyed the historic witch trials subplot, and Charlie’s character and antiquarian book knowledge.

I think readers of Nora Goes Off-Script and Better Than Fiction would enjoy this book!

I was thankful to receive an ARC from NetGalley and Avon/Harper Voyager in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for this earc

Sadly, this book was not for me.
What I was looking for was an enemies to lovers Romeo & Juliet retelling (with a happy ending)
What I got was a story that didn’t pull me, romance that I didn’t feel and writing that just didn’t work.
Both characters acted very immature for their age. Their “history” didn’t really add much to the story.
Honestly, my favorite part was the “witch trial” subplot which is a not what I usually look for in my romance books.

I was drawn to this book for it's beautiful cover, and it's been a while since I've gotten into a good romance. Unfortunately, I really struggled with it and felt it was slow to develop, so I DNF'd.

I really wanted to like this book. The cover caught my eye and the description. Unfortunately for me this wasn't the case. I had such a hard time retaining interest in the book. It felt like it dragged on and there were so many extremely long sentences. It was not an easy to read book. I just couldn't get past the lack of readability.

I will read any and all books about books and bookshops. This one was just ok - 2.5 stars rounded up to 3. The Romeo and Juliet bent was awkward and unnecessary. The story was predictable and a little underdeveloped. Overall a quick light read, but there are others that are better.

I wanted to love this book so much, but I just found the main couples relationship between Jules and Roman unrelatable and unlikeable. The redeeming characters of her aunt and best friend help a lot!