Battle of the Bookstores is THE romance book for romance readers. It takes a genre battle that we know all too well and reminds us that all books have the power to change our lives for the better. It addresses common stereotypes and tropes, shares insight into the experiences of booksellers, and gives each of the two characters space to grow individually and together. I was bracing myself for a cringe-worthy third-act break-up once Josie discovered who Ryan was online, but was pleasantly surprised by the maturity of the characters and the way it all played out. Definitely a refreshing ending to read, and one I'll be thinking about for a long time for the way it made me smile.

Fun romantic story about bookstore managers competing for a position. It was a quick read - I read it in one afternoon, and I really enjoyed the story. Not completely predictable and I feel the characters had some depth. I don’t think I’ve read this author before (actually it’s two!) and I definitely will again!
Thank you Netgalley and Berkeley for the digital ARC.

Booksellers competing for the same job after an invested plans to combine their bookstores?!

& the MMC runs the all romance!!!!!!!!

I loved this twist on You’ve Got Mail. This book was FILLED with tension and banter.

I loved reading the MMCs POV chapters after each of their irl interactions.

Very very cute

This was such a fun summer-coded beach read. Such a super cute, feel-good rom-com for book lovers. It’s light, a little spicy, and full of bookish charm. Perfect if you’re into slow-burn romance, quirky characters, and cozy bookstore vibes.

It took me a while to get in to this enemies to lovers story, but it ended up being an enjoyable read. Josie and Ryananage two very different indie bookstores. Ryan is a gregarious and warm boss who is into romance novels and he and his staff have created a great setting. Josie, on the other hand, rolls her eyes at romance and is into serious literary fiction. She had a rough childhood and is emotionally guarded and prickly.

But, they share the same landlord, and when he decides to consolidate the two stores and the coffee shop that separates them, both sides are aghast. And then he sets them up: whoever has the most profits will be the new manager after the construction and the other will be out of a job.

Even almost too good to be true Ryan is disgruntled and snarky with Josie. But she is the queen of nasty at times and the two fall into a heated competition with a lot of funny but unpleasant run-ins. But of course there is chemistry happening along with the sniping and they both soon realize it.

There are lots of plot extras: an interlude with Ryan's family, an internet friendship plus for Josie, the story of her childhood and her dysfunctional mother, and some hilarious but good-natured discussion about romance novel tropes, including the usuals plus Only One Bed.

It's good fun and it's nice to watch them overcome their baggage and figure things out. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Battle of the Bookstores by Ali Brady is a delightful enemies to lovers romance that will have you captivated.

Told in dual POV, this story captures the push and pull of the two MCs perfectly, delivering their attraction toward one another even before they consciously realize it. Also, this story defies the gender roll expectations, acknowledging that the things we read and the choices we make don’t have to be rooted in societal expectations. Example: A man can love a romance.

I absolutely loved this romance! It really fueled my soul and captured my heart. It was such a fun read, and so touching. Also, it was funny!

I also listened to the audiobook version of this story. It’s performed by two narrators, both of which embodied their characters perfectly. The female POV is read by Karissa Vacker, who I adore! I love when she’s a narrator for a book I’m listening to. I listened at 1.5x speed (my normal audiobook speed is 1.5x-1.75x).

Thank you NetGalley and Berkeley Publishing Group for this fantastic advanced read.

Battle of the Bookstores delivers a great love story perfect for the most ardent bookworms.

Bibliophiles rejoice! Is there anything better than reading about two hardcore bookworms falling in love? Not in my opinion. Ali Brady knows exactly what book lovers and romance readers want and they deliver.

Of course Ali Brady is the pen name for writing duo Alison Hammer and Bradeigh Godfrey. This is my first book by them, although they have been on my list for a bit. I’m so glad I finally read one of their books, I’ll definitely go back and read more of their back catalogue.

Plot wise, we’ve seen book selling rivals in other books, but I loved the unique twist they brought to it. Essentially, there are two bookstores on the same block, separated by a coffee shop. Both stores and the coffee shop are owned by the same developer who announces he will be merging the whole space into one big bookstore with a coffee shop in it. Now Josie, who runs the literary fiction store, and Ryan, who runs the romance only store, will have to compete to keep their management position. There can be only one.

Of course Ryan thinks Josie is super stuck up and an ice queen, always looking down on him and his patrons for reading romance. While Josie views Ryan and his store as a bit of a mess and not serious enough to deserve the manager role. They butt heads spectacularly in a bunch of interactions that will leave enemies-to-lovers and workplace rivals trope loving readers cheering.

Meanwhile, in a You’ve Got Mail style twist, they are each texting each other on BookFriends, a social media site for book professionals, except the site is anonymous, so they don’t know it’s each other they are texting. I’m such a sucker for this plotline. Can we call it a microtrope?

I loved both characters. Josie comes off as stuck up and icy, but really she’s just protecting herself. She’s terrified of repeating unhealthy relationship patterns she witnessed with her mother. Ryan is a fabulous book boyfriend. Kind and caring, I just wanted to hug him. He can seem a bit chaotic at times, but as we get to know him better, we see that he is really smart, he just has dyslexia, and needs a bit of time or help with certain tasks. Plus he’s a huge advocate for the romance genre and ensuring he stocks books where everyone can see themselves represented. Cue the swoons! Both characters are very well developed and thanks to the alternating POV chapters, we really get to know both of them well.

As the walls come down between their respective stores, it forces more and more interactions between them and they start to get to know each other better irl, even as they are revealing more and more to each other online. It is absolutely delicious.

One of my favourite things about this book is that because they run very different bookstores, and neither of them understand the other’s love for their own genre, there is a great exploration about what makes each of these genres so great as they try and justify their stores to each other. As they get to know each other better, they each get a deeper understanding of the other genre too. For Josie, that means learning more about romance books and what makes them so great, and for Ryan, it means learning more about literary fiction. As a bookworm that loves both of these genres, I appreciated this discussion.

Battle of the Bookstores is a great read that will leave bibliophiles swooning (and cheering).

I had never read anything by Allie Brady. This was an absolute delight from beginning to finish. I enjoyed all of the characters, banter and boastfulness between the two bookstore owners battle to see who was the best five stars.!

It you loved You've Got Mail and rival bookstore vibes, this is your perfect read. It's swoony bookish fun!

The characters a well written and kept me coming back for me.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for an arc. All opinions expressed are my own.

I did not finish this book due to inappropriate content and do not feel comfortable reading this. I did not even make it through the second chapter due to language. I can not recommend this book because I did not feel comfortable reading it.

I enjoyed every minute of this book! Having worked in a bookstore for several years I enjoyed the technical aspect of the story but the interactions of the characters are just a joy to behold!
Two bookstores located on the same street but polar opposites in their books and clientele. Josie Klein is the proud manager of a store selling fine literature and Ryan Lawson is the manager for a romance only store. Neither one is fond of the other but they can usually ignore each other until the owner brings them together with bad news. They will be having a contest to see who has the greater sales during a set period of time and the winner gets both stores and the loser gets fired.
Devastated by the news Josie sets her organized and precise mind on how to beat the pants off Ryan and his silly romance store. Plans are made and due to a few mishaps might not go exactly as planned for Josie but she doesn’t give up.
Ryan is also disturbed by the ultimatum from the owner and worries what will happen if he loses the store and his unusual staff members.
Everybody needs a happy ever after and constant remodeling of the two stores and the coffee shop between them doesn’t help anybody’s plans but the two managers might be learning a few things about each other during the contest. Neither of them were the bad buys in this contest and they have their own reasons for their personalities and for running their stores the way they do. A little understanding can go a long way in a war, especially one not of their own making and as the two travel this journey they come to realize it is better to be together than apart.
I loved this book from beginning to end and I believe you will too.
Join the Battle of the Bookstores and let the fun begin!

This book was a little lengthy. It felt like the same thoughts were mentioned in every chapter. And she wasn't even frustrated when he told her he knew who she was.... I was a little jealous that they owned bookstores, though.

#BattleoftheBookstores #NetGalley

Wow I loved this!! I mean, you can’t really go wrong with two bookshop managers competing to be the better one. It had rivals to lovers, grumpy x sunshine, plenty of indie bookstore/author love, and inclusive themes. This romance actually had me giggling and tearing up from sentence to the next.

Okay, this book had so many things I usually love but with a twist that didn't quite work for me. I'm giving this a 2.5 (but rounded up to a 3 because I do feel like others will enjoy so much more).

The plot gave all of the rivals-to-lovers, You’ve Got Mail vibes set in a cozy little bookstore. Books about books, I'm typically in, but I think in this case there were so many reversals of the usual tropes and political commentary that it felt like it was trying to do too much, and I kept getting pulled out of the storyline.

First up, he’s the one who owns the romance bookstore (which in theory is cute but see below), and she’s the 'grumpy' in a reverse grumpy x sunshine pairing. I was so ready to be obsessed… but it didn’t totally work for me.

The FMC was just a little too closed off for my taste - like, not even knowing the MMC’s name even though they work right next door? I get keeping your guard up, but that felt a little unbelievable and unprofessional TBH. And while the MMC was super sweet (maybe a little too sweet for me?), I just didn’t totally connect with him either. Their back-and-forth felt more awkward than flirty at times, and I couldn’t always buy into the tension.

It did get better once they started actually talking and working together, and I liked how the whole anonymous connection reveal played out.

Overall, this just wasn’t a perfect fit for me, but I think a lot of readers are going to enjoy it. I can see the appeal; I’m just probably not the right person for it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

.. ' . This novel started out strong. Jules and . Roman ( yes a direct reference to Shakespeare) both return to their hometown. Unfortunately he opens a new shiny bookstore across the street from Julie’s 100-year-old store. Yes, their families have a history. Just like Romeo and Juliet.

Somewhere around the 30% mstk the storyjust got draggy. . And I'm sorry to say I jumped ver the bulkof the rest of thestory a dread the conclusion.

Overall a sweet story that pulled me in- funny, super steamy, fun take on the enemies-to-lovers trope. Political commentary was a bit heavy and detracted from the story. Glad I pushed through it as I did enjoy the book overall.

There is just something about a man who loves books — especially when they are romance stories 😏

“Battle of the Bookstore” is a sweet, cozy rom-com made for book lovers, full of witty banter, bookstore nostalgia, and endearing emotional arcs.

If you’re in the mood for an enemies‑to‑lovers story wrapped in the charm of independent bookshops, it’s a delightful read that lands with warmth for the romance book lover in all of us.

This book is a book lovers dream. I loved the book talk and chats between the two main characters. I loved the mention of authors, books, and tropes. This book has You’ve Got Mail vibes.

Josie Klein and Ryan Lawson are managers of bookstores on the same street in Boston. One bookstore called Happy Endings sells romance books. The other store called Tabula Inscripta sells literary fiction. The owner of the bookstores and the coffee shop in between them wants to turn the two bookstores into one store with the coffee shop in the middle. Whoever shows the biggest profit over the summer will be the manager of the new bookstore. The other will be out of a job. For Josie and Ryan the gloves come off. Both are determined to win. They want to defeat the other who they seem to hate. Or do they?

“It’s not about the happy ending - it’s about believing that you’re worthy of one.”

Ali Brady’s latest rom-com is a charming ode to independent bookstores, literary snobbery, and the unexpected ways love can bloom between rivals. With its clever premise and heartfelt execution, Battle of the Bookstores delivers more than just romantic sparks—it’s a celebration of the communities built around books and the people who fight to keep them alive.

Here's a bit of the synopsis: Josie Klein manages Tabula Inscripta, a literary-focused bookstore in Boston’s Davis Square. Ryan Lawson runs Happy Endings, a romance-only shop next door. When their new landlord announces plans to merge the two stores and keep only one manager, Josie and Ryan are forced into a summer-long competition to prove who can generate more profit.

Unbeknownst to them, they’ve also been anonymously bonding on a book forum called BookFriends—Josie as BookshopGirl and Ryan as RJ.Reads. As their real-world rivalry intensifies, their online friendship deepens, setting the stage for a delightful collision of identities and emotions.

I;ve always been a fan of anything Ali Brady writes and this book is just as witty, heartfelt, and accessible as any of her others. The alternating POVs offer insight into both protagonists’ emotional landscapes, while the online forum exchanges add a layer of dramatic irony that’s both playful and poignant.

First of all thank you to Berkley Publishing & NetGalley for the approval of this ebook. I simply adored this book & literally read it from beginning to end in one sitting. I loved the plot, the characters & the way the authors wrote this incredibly sweet story had me in a choke hold. I actually bought the physical copy to have as a book shelf trophy. Loved it.