Thank you Berkley and NetGalley for the ARC of Battle of the Bookstores by Ali Brady!

In this love letter to romance books and bookstores everywhere, we follow 2 opposing bookstore managers battling for 1 spot at taking over both of their stores and combining them. Ryan runs a romance bookstore and Josie runs a literary fiction bookstore. They don’t see eye to eye, except online under bookish aliases, unknowingly befriending each other on the internet, but can they overcome their adversary and befriend each other in real life?

This book was very romantic, enjoyable, and fun! I appreciated all of the bookish lingo and found myself smirking many a time. There were some slight cringe moments where it felt like the authors were forcing the dialogue of the side characters to try to be witty through pop culture references. Also the character named Cinderella was exhibit A of cringe and peculiar. Those little things took me out of the story.

Overall, the romance was genuine and I loved the mc’s!

DNF

I really wanted to enjoy this one. I absolutely loved the premise for this book, but the execution just wasn’t there in my opinion. There were also multiple mentions of other popular books, which makes sense because they’re bookstore owners, but some of the references felt a bit spoilery in my opinion. For example, there was a scene where they mention Violet from Fourth Wing’s signet, which is potentially a spoiler if you haven’t read it (luckily, I have). I think I would be okay if this type of thing happened once or twice, but it happened multiple times while I was reading, so I ended up DNFing.

I’m sure this book will definitely find its audience, but that audience unfortunately wasn’t me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for an advanced copy!

3.5 Stars

I really enjoyed the premise of this book! I loved how much the story was focused on readers and how the books you read are a part of who you are. What reader doesn't connect to that? I also thought the chemistry between Josie and Ryan was great. There were quite a few parts that started getting too spicy for me that I skipped, but that's just personal preference, and I was prepared to do that. I liked the book more the further I got into it, but the beginning was hard for me to read--the characters felt very stale. In the end, I did like the characters, but it took a lot longer for me to like them than it normally does. Overall, a really fun read for any book lover!

I had all the feelings with this one. It’s a cute story, with mental health representation, slow burn, spice, only one bed and bookstore CATS. I enjoyed the book like I was one of tge characters, very detailed. It’s dual POV, which helped me to understand each character at another level. Loved the message and so many quotes. I recommend it if you want a cute romance story! Thank you @netgalley and @berkleypub for the ARC!

Read this if you like:
•forced proximity
•one bed
•books

This book is truly the book for book lovers. It’s an ode to the book community. Parts had me cackling (looking at you crochet dongs). This book was heartfelt. The banter was spectacular and I loved the setting of competing bookstores. Thank you Berkley for the eARC!

✨𝑇ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑘 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑡𝑜 𝐵𝑒𝑟𝑘𝑙𝑒𝑦 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑎𝑢𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑟 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑠𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑚𝑒 𝑎 𝑑𝑖𝑔𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝐴𝑅𝐶 𝑖𝑛 𝑒𝑥𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑚𝑦 ℎ𝑜𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑒𝑤✨

DNF at 24%

I'm sorry, I really wanted to like this one. It's got everything that I love in a romance book. Rivals to lovers, he loves to read, pen pals with hidden identities, supporting indie bookstores. But even all those together couldn't get me past the one ick I have in reading: real name drops.

I can manage one or two name drops in a book, even though it usually affects how I view the book overall, but this one had around 5 real author name drops in the first 15%, a real book title drop, and a fictional character name drop from a different author. Now I don't know the situation behind the scenes, but using an author's character or any of their work without permission is copywriter infringement. Maybe Ali and Berkley got permission from this other author to use their character, maybe not. But either way, all the name dropping really put me off enough to not want to continue reading this book and I unfortunately probably won't pick up another book by Ali either.

All this to say not every book or author is for every person. I'm genuinely so sad I didn't end up finishing this, I was really looking forward to reading it. But unless name dropping isn't your thing either, give it a try!

Josie Klein and Ryan Lawson manage bookstores on the same Boston street, so it’s surprising their paths don’t cross more often. But although they both love books, that’s where their similarities end. Josie’s book store specializes in decidedly more serious fiction, where Ryan’s store exclusively (and proudly) celebrates romance.

While they’ve been happily co-existing for some time, that’s all about to change if the new owner has anything to say about it. Not seeing two bookstores in the same vicinity as a necessity, Ryan and Josie are thrust into an unwelcomed competition for who can cook the books, so to speak. In the end, only one bookstore owner will be left standing.

Forced to compete, Ryan and Josie find themselves performing a delicate dance of attraction and repulsion. But just like any avid reader will tell you, there’s nothing like a good plot twist to change the game. In this case, Ryan and Josie have been corresponding online anonymously, and finding themselves clicking in more ways than one. As the summer cools down, the rivalry heats up. Can these two bookstore owners find their own real life HEA?

While I’ve enjoyed writing duo Ali Brady’s previous books, this one didn’t do it for me. For starters, my brain had a hard time reconciling Ryan’s voice as the romance lover, with Josie’s as the more practical of the two. I suppose this was a purposeful attempt at breaking down gender based stereotypes, but it didn’t work because their voices just didn’t feel genuine.

Then there was the matter of the story itself. We are supposed to believe that these two bookstores were nearly right next door to each other, but neither had ever really taken the opportunity to scope out the competition? If I were the owner, I’m not sure I’d see a need for both stores either. Rounding out my frustrations were some eye roll inducing moments that focused on acceptance or inclusiveness that just felt like product placement rather than thoughtful plot devices to better serve the story.

I know I’ll be in the minority here and that’s on. But for me, Battle of the Bookstores is one story better left on read.

5/5 stars!

I absolutely loved this book! It is everything I love in a book: books about books, 'You've Got Mail' vibes, small town setting, steam and amazing character growth!

Josie Klein and Ryan Lawson are amazing characters and I loved them so much! Everyone knows that You've Got Mail is my favorite movie and Josie and Ryan may top Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks here. They both manage a bookstore in a small town (Ryan manages a romance bookstore and Josie manages a literary bookstore) and the owner decides to merge the stores but only one person gets to stay as manager. Things heat up quickly as they try to outsell each other and host bigger events to keep their own store in business. Both Ryan and Josie turn to BookFriends, a forum that allows booksellers to communicate anonymously and they end up messaging each other but don't know it.

This is my second Ali Brady and I've loved both so now I will be reading the other two!

Josie is such a relatable character and I loved her relationship with her sister. Ryan, where do I start?! What an incredible book boyfriend. He is so in tune with his emotions and I really enjoyed the dyslexia representation.

Lastly, one of the reasons I loved this book was because of the book and romance references. Hearing the booksellers talk about ARCs, authors I've read, and overall, all the incredible scenes! It was cheesy at times but that is why I enjoyed it and the cover is amazing too.

Read this if you love:
-books about books
-enemies to friends to lovers
-epistolary format
-open door
-forced proximity

DNF at 25% I really tried to like this book but it was too cliched, too predictable and tried to be all inclusive. The voices of the two MC's did not seem distinct enough and their was zero chemistry between them.

I adored this book! It's funny and sexy and heartwarming and all the things I want in a rom-com. There's so much chemistry between Josie and Ryan — and BookShopGirl and RJ — and they were an easy couple to root for. Highly recommend!

Is it too much to ask for a love letter to readers, and indie bookstores? Plus make it light, but not too light. Also fun, but not too frivolous. Because 𝐁𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐋𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐊𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐄𝐒 (Pub 06.03) delivered on all accounts. Thanks to @berkleyromance and @netgalley for the early access.

This 𝘠𝘰𝘶'𝘷𝘦 𝘎𝘰𝘵 𝘔𝘢𝘪𝘭 inspired story is a delight. He runs a romance bookstore- Happy Endings. She runs a literary bookstore- Tabula Inscripta, right next door. They are forced into a competition that will leave only one of them standing. It gave me the cozy, butterflies-in-my-stomach feeling I was craving.

𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐄:
This cover!!
Bookstore rivals
Forced proximity
Small town charm
Slow burn that actually burns
Enemies to Friends to Lovers
Workplace Romance
Books about books
Opposites Attract
Dual POV
Dyslexia rep
Epistolary elements
Jewish representation
Open door- 2 1/2 eggplant

Battle of the Bookshops by Ali Brady
This book = serotonin in paperback form...

This is my first Ali Brady book, and I devoured this story and spent 90% of it grinning like a fool. It’s warm, it’s bookish, it’s romantic, and it has that perfect mix of charm and tension that makes contemporary romance sing. Josie and Ryan? Obsessed. Their chemistry is off-the-charts addictive, and I couldn’t flip the pages fast enough. This book gave me the same cozy, butterflies-in-my-stomach feeling I wish every romance delivered. It might just be my favorite contemporary romance in a long while — yes, I said it!

Themes you’ll love:
Bookstore rivals
Forced proximity
Small town charm
Slow burn that actually burns

Would I recommend this book?
Absolutely YES. If you love bookish banter, sunshine vs. grump vibes, or want a story that leaves you smiling like your favorite song just came on the radio, this is the one. Add to cart, request from the library, shout it from your own mountaintop. Just read it.

I’ve never been a fan of the movie You’ve Got Mail but this take on that movie is everything I wanted it to be!

An enemies to friends to lovers which so much love for book people thrown in there. This isn’t a romcom but I loved how much story there was to this book. We have Josie who can’t trust easily due to how she was neglected by her mom in the past and then we have Ryan who has tried his best to find his place in the world. I loved seeing them both eventually bring out the best in each other.

I loved seeing the representation with dyslexia and how there are many different forms of it. It was interesting to see Ryan struggle with that and yet, he’s a book shop owner. Love to see it!

I absolutely adored the relationship between Josie and Ryan. Ryan is THE book boyfriend of the month I think. The way he cares for Josie, puts her first and is just so patient? 🥹 I give the spice a 3 🌶️ out of 5. He knew what he was doing for someone that owned a romance bookstore. 🤣

Some favorite moments: the couple having a date night in the bookstore, IBNE, the epilogue 🥹

Overall, a solid read. Thank you NetGalley, Berkley and Ali Brady for the ARC in exchange of an honest review.

2.5 stars - I wanted to like this, but there was something a little bit off for me where I felt like some aspect wasn't working or I potentially just didn't connect to the writing style. In general, I liked the premise and thought there could be a lot of fun moments and ridiculous shenanigans with the bookstore competition. Unfortunately, I felt like both characters were generally very immature and treated each other so poorly. I was really distracted by overwhelming number of different social media and pop culture references that felt shoved into the story to try to connect with people who love books instead of being there organically and with any sort of purpose.

Also, it was pretty off-putting that there were multiple times that it felt like Josie was belittling or maligning the romance genre in general. Even when it felt like she was trying to understand, labeling a sub-genre or even a particular book as "faerie smut" is reductive and annoying. I fully want to respect that Josie has some very legitimate trauma that she's had to deal with and work through, and that she has complicated feelings towards romance books, but it was pretty sad that the character acted that way and didn't really have the type of growth I would have hoped for.

I also don't know if I fully believed in the romance. I'm not sure if it's because I never truly connected with either character or I'm not sure why they like each other, but I just felt very ambivalent about them in the end.

I will say, even after all of that - there were absolutely some very sweet and tender moments that I did appreciate, but at the end of the day this was just not a story I was able to connect with. Many thanks as ever to Berkley Romance for the eARC - all opinions are my own.

She's a serious literature bookstore owner and he's the romance bookstore owner, when they have to fight to see who gets to stay and get a promotion... things take a turn as they not only learn more about each other but how to appreciate their different taste in books. This book was... not for me. I am a bookseller, in fact I am a bookseller at a ROMANCE bookstore myself and this was just... not it. Its an authentic description of bookselling for sure... but I get zero levels of actual romance or chemistry between the two characters. I just didn't care for this and it feels so dated with all the booktok stuff. I just couldn't find myself loving the characters or believing the romance at all. It felt so hard to read and honestly I was just pushing myself to read it to the end. I do think booktok girlies will have a lot more fun with this than I did.

Release Date: June 3, 2025

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group | Berkley for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Josie Klein and Ryan Lawson both manage bookstores on the same block. Ryan runs a romance bookstore, while Josie runs more of a literary fiction bookstore. Sandwiched between the two bookstores is a coffee shop. The landlord, Zander, comes to Josie and Ryan one day and says that one of the bookstores will close, so it becomes a competition. Whichever bookstore can make the most money will remain open, which means only one manager position will be needed.

Josie and Ryan are polar opposites. Josie is highly organized and runs the store by herself using the systems she has created. Ryan is a bit on the messy side and needs help. The store runs more on vibes, with only organizing sometimes by tropes or genres.

The banter and chemistry between one another during the competition will glue you to the pages. With an added layer to the story, both main characters are active on an online book forum. They are both close to someone in the forum. As the story goes on, you find out they are chatting with each other. This part of the story gives off the vibes from the movie You’ve Got Mail, a classic. You will be anxious to see how this plays out with each other.

This is another hit by Ali Brady!

Thank you so much to Berkley Romance for a free copy!

Battle of the Bookstores
By: Ali Brady

Thank you @berkleyromance for the free book! #berkleypartner #berkley  All opinions are my own.

Favorite Quote: “I grew up hearing my parents say, ‘When you know, you know,’ but I didn’t really know what love was until I started loving you”

Summary: Josie and Ryan are neighboring booksellers who have been told that their stores are merging. Whichever store has the most sales at the end of the summer gets to keep their manager. Simultaneously, the pair strikes up an online friendship as part of an anonymous book forum but they don’t realize that they are actually talking to one another. Cue the amazing banter and all the incredible sparks!

My Thoughts: Battle of the Bookstores is 100% a love letter to Nora Ephron’s “You’ve Got Mail” If, like me, you are a fan of this adorable movie, then you will absolutely love uncovering all of the hidden nods and fun easter eggs as you read. The story also highlights the amazingness of indie bookstores and the beautiful communities that they build. If indie bookstores are your vibe then you will absolutely fall in love with this one!

I am a huge sucker for books about books and as I was reading along I truly felt like I was a part of the story. The descriptions and details are so immersive and spot on that I found myself getting lost within the pages. The writing is impeccable and Josie and Ryan’s love story is such a delight! I read this whole book in less than 24 hours because I just didn’t want to put it down. 

If you are looking for a sweet and binge-worthy rom-com to add to your summer reading list then look no further because you have found it!!

Read if you Like:
✩ Enemies to Lovers
✩ Forced Proximity
✩ Workplace Romance
✩ Books about books
✩ Opposites Attract
✩ Dual POV
✩ One Bed
✩ Slow Burn

I was ✨thrilled✨ to be able to participate in the cover reveal team for this title last September.

I’m calling it now, this will be one of the best romance books of summer ‘25! I loved loved loved the modern book references and setting, the dual POVs, the enemies to lovers competition, the humor, the secret online communications, and most of all the flawed but delightful MCs who complete each other so perfectly!

4.5/5 stars ⭐️

Thank you so much to the authors, Berkley, and NetGalley for the opportunity to early read!

If you’re looking for a soft, dark haired, 6’7” guy who loves cats and is obsessed with his dream girl who happens to be the nemesis book seller from next door… this book is for you!

I really enjoyed reading about our main characters Ryan and Josie getting to know each other both in person and through their anonymous chats online. When Ryan finds out he’s talking to Josie, things kick up a notch! There’s not a lot of spice, not until the end. I enjoyed that a lot more because it really puts a spotlight on the emotional connection they have together.

There’s some great representation throughout this book. There is Jewish representation with our MFC Josie and her sister Georgia, with mentions of foods and holidays enjoyed. We also get some lovely LGTBQ+ rep with a few of our side characters throughout the book. I loved when Ryan said he’d give up a certain food if Josie doesn’t eat it in solidarity and respect for her and her culture.

The respect and care put into this book is clear. I think this is such a fun read for everyone, with nods to authors and books we all enjoy in the community smattered throughout the book. A great summer read!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for an early copy in return for my honest review!

This was such a love letter to readers, and indie bookstores, my heart could barely take it at times. I was so drawn in by both of the main characters, and I thought they were very well fleshed-out and created. The dynamics and found family shown through the bookstores was wonderful to see incorporated into this book as well!