Thank you so much for the advanced reader copy!

What started as a charming, witty, and nostalgic read resembling You've Got Mail quickly faded into mediocrity. This is one I likely hyped up too much in my head only for it to fall short. There's also a lot of forced representation that breaks the immersion of the story and felt rammed down my throat - not sure why this was approached in such a way. I'm so sad this wasn't for me, and I had to DNF. Hopefully it finds its fans upon its June release!

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC!

Books are so personal and I am sure others will love this book, but I was not one of those people.
The chemistry between the main characters was so off. They had better chemistry as enemies vs lovers.
The story was cute. Expected, but cute.
Where it went wrong, FOR ME. - I like my men masculine and Brian, I mean Ryan ;) was way too feminine for me and Josie was too masculine. Don’t get me wrong, I realize we rule the world, but just sayin’! I would also say this book goes wonky where everyone has to have representation to the point that it feels forced.

This is a rivals to lovers, secret pen mates, and work place romance. If you like You’ve got Mail then you need to check this book out. We have Ryan who is the manager at a romance only bookstore. He’s worked his way up to that position and has been with the store for over a decade. Then we have Josie who is the manger at a generic book store. When both of their stores and the cafe in the middle were bought out by the building owner he decided he wanted to make some changes. Big changes. All 3 stores would now become one and since there is 2 book stores there only needs to be one manager. In comes a big competition between the two so one of them won’t be out of a job. At first there is sabotage and insults between them but they realize they need to combine their knowledge to make the store more profitable. Definitely read this is you like banter, competition, and love.

Josie and Ryan could not be more different, from their childhoods to their organizational skills, and their reading preferences, they seemingly have nothing in common. When their common landlord pits their bookstores against each other, can they come together to solve their problems or are they destined to be enemies forever. While Josie won't allow herself to open up to any possibilities, Ryan can't help but see what the future could hold, only if Josie will let him in.

4.5 stars rounded up. I really enjoyed Josie and Ryan's journey from enemies to lovers. Ryan was my favorite character, but I could totally relate to Josie's back story. Josie made a lot of sacrifices in her life in order to get where she was and there were also missed opportunities due to her family situation. I liked the online aspect thrown in there as well, creating conflict and an interesting spin. I read this book so quickly. It drew me in and kept me reading. I have to find some more Ali Brady books to read now! Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book.

4.5 stars. This loose take on You’ve Got Mail is a love letter to bookstores and readers. Only here the two enemies to lovers are on more equal footing, as rival bookstore managers competing for a new job. What they don’t know is that they’re also friends online; friends who may be falling for each other.

It’s clear that the authors read widely and love books. Some of the best scenes are when Ryan and Josie discuss books or just read quietly together.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC to review. All opinions are my own.

"But if I've learned anything from the books I love to read, it's that life is full of misunderstandings, raw emotions, and hard truths - and so are relationships."

What a beautiful and stunning read. This story covers the journey of two bookstore owners who happen to hate each other. But what happens when they are told to compete with one another for store manager, for a new vision, the owner of their respective stores has?!

We watch enemies become friends become lovers.
And this story. Oh my goodness - it is like eating the gooey and warm centre of a cinnamon bun - comforting, fun, pure love and joy.

I loved reading Ryan and Josie's story - and I will return to it again and again because love is everything. And so are books!

Such a cute story, but a little inside baseball. A few too many references you needed to be chronically online to get (which I am).

This was A LOT of fun. Very meta for booksellers or those who work in bookselling. I love me a cinnamon roll, romance bookseller hero. Enjoyed enjoyed enjoyed.

Maybe not for you if you get peeved by coincidences that seem a little too close in novels. There were a few moments like that scattered throughout. Didn’t bother me

Ali Brady’s ‘Battle of the Bookstores’ is a charming enemies-to-lovers story between two bookstore managers. It was a delightful surprise to me since I hadn’t read anything by this author before. The book is filled with witty banter and a delightful mix of humor and romance. It was a quick read, and I’m already looking forward to reading more of Ali Brady’s books.

TROPES
Enemies to lovers (obviously!)
Opposites attract
Online epistolary (you’ve got mail vibes!)
Only One Bed
Forced Proximity
He Falls First (and hard)
Dual POV male/female
Slow burn
Open-door
Casually diverse cast of side characters including disability and LGBTQ+ rep
Bookstore setting (with bookstore cats!)
Very Tall male main character (6’8”!!)
Jewish rep
Online banter
Boston setting
Dyxlexia rep
Lots of love for the romance genre, romance bookstores, indie bookstores, and all bookish people in general

If you were a fan of You’ve Got Mail, then Battle of the Bookstores is just what you need to start your summer (pub date June 3)! The dynamic writing duo, Ali Brady, have done it again!

Meet Josie and Ryan - two dueling bookstore owners with a cute coffee store in the middle of them. In an interesting twist - it is Ryan who is the owner of the Romance bookstore, and Josie the owner of the Literary Fiction store. Ryan is a bit chaotic, Josie is total Type A. Enter the new owner of their stores who pits Josie against Ryan in a winner take all manager position. Only one will stand at the end.

What Josie and Ryan don’t know is that they have been talking to each other anonymously on an online book store owner forum and becoming quite “close”. Their banter is off the charts (I read this on the airplane and was literally laughing out loud), The Enemies to Lovers trope works brilliantly - their connection online and in real life is perfect.

Add in the Jewish representation, disability, and dyslexia representation and you have another incredibly perfect read by Ali Brady!

Thank you to Berkley and the authors for this ARC - all opinions are my own.

Get your romance novel trope BINGO card ready! You will hit a handful of them and each one will make you chuckle, smile, and swoon. They're even better because our MMC Ryan, romance bookstore manager, is completely aware they are happening and is able to conquer them.

Then you have his perfect counterpart, Josie, who brings order to his chaotic life, even if she's unaware that she's doing it.

Josie and Ryan will be your new favorite bookish couple! This book was an absolute joy to read. It felt like a love letter to romance readers with insightful reflection on the truths behind the genre. This is a must-read and must-gift to yourself and all you romance book besties.

A wonderful love letter to books and indie bookstores. I thoroughly enjoyed the enemies to lovers story with other romance tropes called out a long the way. The writing was enjoyable and I read more title from Ali Brady.

Reminiscent of The Shop Around the Corner and You’ve Got Mail, this is a fast, flirty read. The adversaries become friends who eventually become lovers is a familiar trope but the main characters have depth, experience growth and are very relatable. Their individual passion for each other is equal to their passion for bookselling. The book is a love letter to indie bookstores and those who inhabit them, employees and customers.

I had a little trouble getting into this at first, despite being a bookseller myself. However, once I was in I was hooked. I found a few moments genuinely funny and I did not feel that the ending was too drawn out. I will for sure recommend this to romance readers!

What an unexpected surprise this book turned out to be. This wonderful book was my first read by Ali Brady (pen name for best friends/co-authors Alison Hammer and Bradeigh Godfrey).

When rival bookstore managers are forced to compete for a job by the new owner of both of their stores (and the coffee shop in between them), Josie and Ryan are thrown into a whirlwind of competition.

They are complete opposites, but you know what they say about opposites... Josie is all about the details and focuses on serious literature. Ryan is all about the romance. Their opposing book preferences initially pit them against each other, but despite their stubbornness their able to become friends. There is also a bit of "mistaken identity" that comes into play and honestly their messages to each other where some of my favorite bits of the book.

This is a wonderful story about figuring out who you are alone and who you can be if you just open up to others. There was a lot of great tension and longing that made me want to keep reading and I know I will seek out more books by this author(s).

I'll include that their store owner is a complete loser and I am so glad that he wasn't around much.

*Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Berkley Publishing Group | Berkley for the arc, all opinions are my own.

Battle of the Bookstores was a breath of fresh air. When their boss decides to merge their beloved bookstores, Romance-reader Ryan and Literary "Ice Queen" Josie are opposites at war when vying for the title of bookstore manager. As it turns out, they have more in common than they think. The banter was witty, the cast of characters was loveable, the scenes were perfectly spicy, and the literary references were the perfect addition to this gem of a novel. I especially enjoyed how the book represented the romance genre and romance bookstores - not just fluffy, happy endings but inclusive stories and places for anyone and everyone to find themselves.

This book is full of enemies-to-loves banter, the setting of the bookstores is perfect. Josie’s bookstore has a variety of genres while Ryan’s is a romance bookstore. When they are both up for a promotion, they’re unstoppable. They book events, and make the most of it. They each need to be on their A game and makes lots of sales. It doesn’t matter how passionate they are for their respective stores; their boss is only going to pick one winner.
Josie is strong and has dealt with a lot including quitting college to help her disabled sister. She loves her bookstore, and will do anything to make it succeed. Ryan is dyslexic and never thought he would enjoy reading until he tried romance. That was all it took for him to be hooked. His bookstore means everything to him. In a sort of secret way, they unknowingly get to know each other, and hit it off.
The characters are likeable and realistic, and fun. They each have their own struggles, and may feel stuck because of circumstances, but they explore and dive into taking chances. The big question being, if I don’t get the promotion, what will I do?
This is a fun, quick read that all booklovers will enjoy.

Will be posted on 1/1/6/2025 to instagram.

"Battle of the Bookstores" by Ali Brady delivers a delightful love story set in rival bookstores. I immediately wanted to go visit our nearly independently owned book store. Josie and Ryan are well-developed characters, and their witty, entertaining interactions make the story engaging. While the plot is somewhat predictable, it was still an enjoyable and quick read. This is a perfect beach read for the summer.
Thank you to NetGallery and Berkley Publishing Group for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.