Bookstore managers Ryan and Josie each run their own niche bookstore: Josie’s, Tabula Inscripta, catering to literary fiction and Ryan’s, Happy Endings, focused on romance. They’re pitted against each other when the owner decides to consolidate the bookstores into one and keeping only one manager. They get off on the wrong foot and the battle between them begins.

I am not a big fan of literary fiction or tragic, heartbreaking stories, but could totally understand why Josie gravitated to them as her backstory was revealed. And the same with Ryan going for romances.

Ryan and Josie don’t realize that they actually are friends online, confiding on a book community forum, Bookfriends, where they commiserate, trade book recommendations and slowly fall in love. Their romance was a slow burn that turned into a scorcher!

Battle of the Bookstores was an enemies-to-lovers kind of romance, very much in the style of the movie You’ve Got Mail, one of my all-time favorite rom-coms, but with more spice. I appreciated there was no third act breakup. I fell for Ryan and Josie, both likeable and full of heart and was captivated by their journey! A definite recommend!

I actually really enjoyed this. I am always excited for books about books but I do tend to be harsher on them. But I really enjoyed this one. I am always a fan of an unknown online relationship and also the enemies to lovers aspect and I feel like this knocked it out of the park. And I may be bias, but as someone in the process of opening an indie bookstore, I loved the references in this book to the process of running on and details about inventory and ARCs etc, it added SO much to the book!

This was such an enjoyable read from start to finish! I am a huge You’ve Got Mail fan, so this totally worked for me. Just a spicier/raunchy version of that movie. I thought the main characters were very well-written. It was just such an entertaining read overall.

The MMC isn’t for me, but I’ve had friends rave about this one- if you like a bookish romance, give it a try!

Thank you to NetGalley and @BerkleyRomance for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Battle of the Bookstores was such a fun, feel good read. Josie and Ryan are total opposite. She runs a serious lit focused shop, he’s all about the romance section. They’ve coexisted peacefully on the same Boston street... until a new owner decides to combine their stores and pit them against each other for the same job. That's when chaos, banter, and some pretty undeniable chemistry comes in.

Their rivalry is full of great back and forth energy, but what makes it even better is that they’re unknowingly also bonding through an anonymous book forum online. So while they’re clashing in real life, they’re also connecting on a deeper level behind the scenes, and it adds this sweet, layered touch to the story that I loved.

The setting is a total dream for book lovers, and the pacing hits that great balance of lighthearted and emotionally grounded. Josie and Ryan both have their own personal arcs too, which makes the romance feel more satisfying. Plus, their differences actually complement each other in a way that feels earned not forced.

If you're into enemies to lovers, bookish settings, and a touch of You've Got Mail energy, this is the book for you!

4.25 Stars!

#NetGalley, #BerkleyRomance, #BattleoftheBookstores, #AliBrady, #EnemiestoLovers

When their landlord decides to combine their bookstores with a coffee shop, Josie and Ryan find themselves in direct competition for the one manager position. What follows is a charming romcom filled with heart, humor, and undeniable chemistry. The witty banter, emotional depth, and swoon-worthy male lead made this such an enjoyable read. I especially loved the twist of Josie being the literary fiction lover while Ryan champions romance, it added a fresh dynamic to their relationship. I’ll definitely be picking up more books by Ali Brady!

Really enjoyed this book! Very cute, and I liked all of the book references. Thank you! …………… nnnmmnnnnn

I absolutely adored "Battle of The Bookstores" by Ali Brady! I raced through this book in a mere four days, which, for me lately, is nothing short of a miracle. What truly made this story shine was the dynamic between the two main characters: rival bookstore managers who are sworn enemies in person but, unbeknownst to them, online confidantes. The evolution of their relationship, sparked by a fierce competition, was incredibly well-executed and utterly charming. Plus, as a book lover, I was thrilled by the embedded book recommendations throughout the narrative. A definite 5-star read that I enthusiastically recommend!

This super cute rom-com revolves around two rival bookstore owners on the same street. Josie runs a highbrow literary shop, while Ryan manages a cozy romance bookstore. When their landlord decides to combine the two stores, plus the café in between, he throws down the ultimate challenge: whichever of them proves they’re the better bookseller will get to run the new combined store. Meanwhile, Josie has been developing a strong online friendship with a fellow bookseller, RJReads, through a site for indie bookstore owners—unaware that he might just be her real-life rival.

I absolutely loved this book. It’s delightfully fun and witty, but also gives depth to its characters by showing the emotional baggage they carry. I especially appreciated the role reversal—Ryan runs the romance store while Josie is the one skeptical of love. The story cleverly leans into beloved romance tropes with a knowing wink, includes a heartwarming You’ve Got Mail feel I laughed, I swooned, and yes, I even teared up.

This is Ali Brady’s fourth novel, and in my opinion, their best yet. It cements them as major players in the romance world. If you enjoy Abby Jimenez, Katherine Center, and Annabel Monaghan, pick this one up. Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy.

Despite managing bookstores on the same Boston street, Josie Klein and Ryan Lawson have never interacted much—Josie’s store focuses on serious literature, and Ryan’s sells romance only. But when the new owner of both stores decides to combine them, the two are thrust into direct competition. Only one manager will be left standing, decided by who turns the most profit over the summer.

When I started reading this my first thought was this is just like You've Got Mail, only to realize it's actually compared to it. It was cute and had its funny moments, but I had some serious issues with it. (1) How are two store managers/book sellers so incredibly intolerant and opinionated about genres other than what they sell? I have never met a book lover like that, never mind a book seller. (2) I had issues with Josie's character and some of her decision making. She just irked me, I guess. And (3) I felt like this book was entirely too long, and unnecessarily so.

I realize I'm in the minority here, and I'm actually surprised that I landed where I did since this book contains so many of the elements I love in books. It must be a me thing. But if you enjoy enemies to lovers, forced proximity, playful banter, quirky characters, and some steamy scenes you'll probably enjoy this one a lot more than I did.

As someone who not only works in but manages a bookstore this was perfect for me!!!! It was witty, sweet and sometimes emotional. I love the competition between our two main characters and I loved seeing them fall for each other both online and as they got to know each other I'm real life.

This one has me a tad conflicted on how I feel about it. On one hand, I love any books about books, but on the other hand I just didn’t feel the connection to the characters.

I also felt that it was a bit of a stretch for some of the scenarios in the book, but realizing it is just a book, I went with it.

3.5/5

Battle of the Bookstores is a sort of retelling of You’ve Got Mail. Two competing bookstores battling it out to see who gets to keep their space. One is pure romance and the other is more literary fiction. And while they are feuding, they are also getting along famously on a chat room for bookstore folks and don’t realize they are the same people. Enemies to lovers, lots of cute texting and so many book references. This book is a dream for booknerds. I felt like a member of a secret club with all of the references to books, book terminology, all of it. The romance was so sweet and swoonworthy, the witty banter won me over and it was just a feel good book that I wanted to hug. I loved it.

4.5, in the beginning, I thought I wasn't going to like this book because I didn't know how this was going to play out with Josie. I was pleasantly surprised tho as this book went on. You could see that Josie was just building up this wall because of everything she went through as a kid and it was similar for Ryan too. (I hate Xander tho) The relationship they built on and off their screens and how they each got to know the real them.

If you're a sucker for bookish settings, rivalries with chemistry, and heartwarming friendship, Battle of the Bookstores is a must-read. Ali Brady delivers a charming, witty, and emotionally rich story about two competing bookstore managers who go head to head for a high-stakes contest. Full of tension, banter, and just the right dose of feels, this one had me smiling, swooning, and cheering for both love and literature. Highly recommend for fans of feel-good fiction with depth!

Thanks so much to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing for this ARC.

4.25⭐️

This book was so fun! It was super cute, and was the perfect fun flirty romance I needed rn!
From beginning to end I LOVED it. The whole idea that our MMC runs a romance book store while our FMC runs a more serious literature book store was chefs kiss! And add in the chatting app, that was a fun addition! I truly didn't see that coming, but I won't say more so l don't spoil it! And the competition between both bookstores was also amazing!
Ryan & Josie are perfection. And I love a good
"enemies to lovers" moment!
But let's not forget to mention how helpful these romance books have been for Ryan cause jaw dropper
I didn't expect that from him!!!

Josie and Ryan both bookstore managers, duking it out to see who can make the most profit to keep their job. She doesn't even know his name, and he thinks she is a literary snob. What could possibly go wrong... or right?!

As a book nerd, I really enjoyed this. I dont always love books about bookstores, libraries, or publishers, but this one had me kicking my feet and wanting to read one more chapter until the final page.

I loved all the book world jargon that was used. I really understood it all, and it isn't always common to see it written into the stories.

The side characters were just interesting enough but didn't take over the main storyline. Georgia seems to be a very well-rounded person in large part due to her sister's sacrifices.

I saw character growth throughout the whole book. It was fun to watch these characters grow and learn from past and present situations.

Another winner and I love that it's very reminiscent of the You've Got Mail plotline.
I felt bad that their landlord thought that the best way for him to find a single manager when they merged spaces to be a battle and how he would manipulate these two MCs.

I loved that this is kind of flipped and the guy, Ryan, runs the romance bookstore. His employees are so fun and diverse and I loved their "fishbowl" tradition for team meetings.

While Josie's run store doesn't seem to be my speed, I do admire her work ethic and how she handles the business side of it all. I love her fierce dedication to get sister Georgia, picking up their mother's slack. I have hope that their mother can change for the better 🙏

There are many fun scenes and some 🔥 scenes like that one time in the bookstore 😉 you'll just have to read and see. The online personalities of each MC, I get. We all feel we can be maybe more authentic online? At least for me.

This adorable rom com is about two rival bookstore owners on the same street. Josie manages a highbrow literary bookstore, while Ryan manages a romance bookstore. When their landlord decides to combine both their stores and the cafe in between, he tells them there is going to be a competition as to which of them will manage the new combined store. Meanwhile, Josie has a close friendship online on a website for booksellers under the username Bookstore Girl with a fellow bookseller named RJReads - and you can guess who that might be…

I really enjoyed this one - from the fact that the book has a light touch but addresses deep issues in both characters’ pasts that make them act the way they do, to the fact that it’s Ryan who owns the romance store while Josie is anti-love, to the way the book employs so many romance tropes but with a wink at the audience, to the cute You’ve Got Mail homage, to the matter of fact Jewish representation. I laughed and I even cried a little. This is author duo Ali Brady’s fourth book, and I think it’s their best one yet! Seriously, this book puts them right up there with all the other big names in romance novels like Abby Jimenez, Annabel Monaghan, Katherine Center, Christina Lauren, etc.

4.25 stars

This was a cute You’ve Got Mail bookish romance. I loved how the authors switched things up by making Ryan physically imposing at 6’7”, but also the sweet sunshine romance bookstore manager. The backstory of how he got into romance was so sweet. Josie was pretty judgmental in the beginning, but it allowed her character to grow through the course of the novel. I really enjoyed seeing their rivalry shift to friendship and then more.

Things to expect:
- forced proximity
- rivals to friends to lovers
- twist on You’ve Got Mail
- grumpy + sunshine
- epistolary
- a cinnamon roll hero who is all about consent
- lots of bookish and pop culture references

I didn’t love the lying by omission, but I’m glad there wasn’t a huge third act blow up. I would actually consider this one third act break up free, since their reasons and responses were understandable and any confusion was cleared up quickly. Things wrap up conveniently, but the epilogue was adorable and perfectly bookish.

I mainly listened to the audiobook and enjoyed the narration by Karissa Vacker and Brandon Francis a lot. There were some production inconsistencies/re-records during Ryan’s chapters though, that disrupted the flow of the narration.

Audiobook Review
Overall 4 stars
Performance 4 stars
Story 4 stars

CW: parental abandonment (past), accident involving sibling resulting in permanent injury, dyslexia, death of a friend/loved one, grief

*I voluntarily read and listened to a review copy of this book*