This one is so cuteeee it almost made me cry!

Seriously, I loved the chemistry in this story, both in person and over the messaging app these guys used. It was clear to see from the start that they belong together, and we have the blessing to watch it all unfold.

And he falls first. It is crazy to me that she did not see the signs until the very last moment, but I loved watching him give hints, hoping she would figure things out. And there were moments where something would slip up, leaving me thinking "ohmygod" but they just....flew over her head.

The characters both have good development, and I never really felt like the story dragged. There is no third act breakup, but there were some events that felt like one was around the corner - but luckily never happened. I did feel like some of the characters needed a good shaking here and there, but overall I was rooting for them and falling in love watching them fall in love with each other.

Overall, this book was delightful and heartwarming, and I loved every moment of it. This story truly is an ode to book lovers all over, and it shows that romance can happen even when you least expect it. I loved the writing style, the chemistry between characters, and even the side characters that popped in here or there (except you, Xander). This one is well worth the read, and worth adding to your shelf!

Content warnings: sexual content, abandonment, panic attack/disorders, sexism, cursing, injury/injury detail, ableism, car accident, homophobia

4⭐️

oh how i adored this book 🥹 simply a love letter to all of us readers, i loved how relatable both josie and ryan were. it definitely gave me all the rom-com vibes with josie & ryan having to compete for one bookstore spot was fun. the rivals to lovers trope came in full force and i ate it up! i also really loved the fact that they were unknowingly friends online, it just had me giggling the entire time. their connection was just so sweet overall. i loved the two of them together!

thank you berkley romance for the ARC.

This book is the definition of “comfort read.” It was witty and relatable, but more importantly it was fun! If you’re looking for groundbreaking and never been done before (aka, if your taste is a bit like Josie’s 😉), this may not be the book for you, but if you’re looking for a beautiful love story that makes you laugh and cry that you could actually see yourself in (bc let’s face it, most of us aren’t working at nasa or apart of the omegaverse), you will find that right here.

With tropes like he falls first (and harder), one bed, a bit of fake dating, enemies (to friends) to lovers, “you’ve got mail”, and forced proximity, this is a romance novel that will keep you on your toes while also offering the comfort of HEA. Oh, and did I mention there’s no third act breakup? 😏

If you love love books, I definitely recommend hanging out with these two booksellers for a day (or two or three, whatever you need!), it’s worth it. :)

As a bookworm, I loved that the main characters were bookstore managers. It was engaging and I loved seeing their relationship develop throughout the book.

This was so sweet! Very much You’ve Got Mail and I ate that up. Although I will say the moment they went from enemies to friends was a bit murky but I am willing to look past that. Also the references to books and characters was fun (minus the problematic ones eye roll). I also was super glad there was no third act break up! I was worried for a second there but our girl Josie took the RJ/Ryan thing so well. Overall a 4 for me!

Ryan Lawson owns a romance book shop, and loves discussing the books.
Is he NOT a your dream boyfriend?

You'll enjoy...
Witty banter.
Enemies to Lovers.
Bookshop setting.
Swoon-worthy tension.
Disability representation.
Jewish representation.

This novel is a booklovers dream read. It is full of humor, book references and incredible charm. As mother with a grown son who battles dyslexia, I enjoyed seeing it represented in this story and the authors careful handling with the character.

Booklovers will definitely fall for Josie and Ryan.

Thank you Berkley Publishing Group | Berkley

Such a cute book, especially for readers! I love how the two main characters both manage bookstores and love reading. Josie and Ryan go from enemies to friends to lovers over the course of the book. The workplace rivalry/enemies wasn’t my favorite part of their story, but once they hit the friends to lovers track, I was all in. I enjoyed how each of the main characters had different family dynamics in play that greatly impacted their views on both books and love. Overall a really fun read!

this is literally the top read of 2025 for me so far. i work in a romance bookstore and listening to Ryan's conversations about running a romance bookstore made me feel so seen and heard!! i literally learned what the omegaverse is because of this book hahah. I loved that the authors used actual things that you would use/need for a bookstore i.e. ingram orders. it was so beautiful to watch these two fall in love. seriously my favorite book of the year!!

4.5 stars overall

A book inspired by You've Got Mail and is essentially a love letter to indie bookstores? No need to say more. I really enjoyed reading Battle of the Bookstores by Ali Brady and this is my fave book of theirs to date. I will say that Josie really got under my skin and on my nerves the first half of the book. I love being a romance reader and she really was annoying with all her judgements. I wanted to slap her at one point. I loved how her and Ryan's story went from bookshop rivals/enemies to friends/coworkers to lovers/end game. Ryan certainly deserved his own HEA and Josie needed to believe and trust in ever lasting love. Their journey together was so fun to read about and I loved the epilogue. Can't wait to see what Ali Brady writes next. This book was written for us book lovers who like spending our money at indie bookstores. Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

When rival bookstore managers Josie and Ryan are forced to compete for a position due to the consolidation of their stores, words and sparks are sure to fly, but they may find they have more in common than they thought.

The chemistry between the two MCs was awesome, and the side characters are super entertaining. I especially enjoyed all of the different types of events that were hosted and how the stereotypes of readers was discussed and disproven. The banter was also very witty and kept the good times moving. I would love to visit this new shop in real life and experience some of this for myself.

Highly recommended for those looking for their next enemies-to-lovers trope with plenty of snarky dialogue.

4.5⭐️ rounded up! Who doesn’t love books about books? Battle Of The Bookstores was packed with bookish references that I absolutely ate up! The You’ve Got Mail vibes gave me nostalgic 90s romance feelings, and I’m such a sucker for the anonymous pen pals trope! I especially loved that Ryan owned the romance bookstore and was the one who believed in true love, while Josie was the more skeptical one who didn’t gravitate toward romance books. It flipped the usual dynamic in a refreshing way. I was kicking my feet and enjoyed every minute!

**Thank you to Berkley Romance and NetGalley for providing me an advanced reader copy! All opinions are my own.**

As a mostly traditional Hallmark type of person, I LOVED this book. It was able to seamlessly blend cultural topics (that would normally have stopped me) into the story. If only we could have more of these types of books than THE OTHER SIDE IS WRONG AND PRUDES!! I loved this book. I knew exactly where it was going (romance wise) as soon as it opened, however, the characters were so strong, that I wanted to ride out the story. Though I don't care what people do behind closed doors, I don't usually like to read about it. While there were a few blush moments, I was able to skip them (it's okay, I read enough AND had enough when I was in my twenties, you don't need to 'feel sorry for me.) and still stay committed to the story. This book would make a GREAT movie (esp. if they can keep it PG) as long as they can fully capture the heart of the book (the characters). So well done. And note to all authors, if you want to put cultural hot topics in your books, THIS IS THE WAY TO DO IT.
I had to space out my reading because I didn't want it to end. One of the best reads of the year so far (especially coming from not the target audience?). Deserves all the awards!

Romantic, sweet, witty, heartfelt, and truly a book for book lovers, "Battle of the Bookstores" in a contemporary romance I simply did not want to put down!

Oh my goodness, Josie and Ryan! What happens when opposites attract, rivals to lovers, and not knowing the other person whom they are speaking to online about books is actually each other all collide? Well, you'll just have to read to find out! But, I will say, this book is just truly AMAZING!

Full of emotional moments, strong character development and backstories that truly bring so much to the story, lots of book references, and so much more, this book is one that kept me turning the pages chapter after chapter into the early hours of the morning. I found myself pulling for Josie and Ryan to find their happily-ever-afters from the start, and the journey there is truly so powerful and written in such a beautiful way. So many moments warmed my heart and had me swooning and smiling from ear to ear.

I highly recommend this book!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the e-ARC of this book, it is incredible, and thank you so much to Berkley Publishing Group for having me on the blog tour for the novel! All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Josie and Ryan are both bookstore owners on the same street, but both own and manage totally different bookstores. Josie's bookstore is for the highbrow literary readers while Ryan's bookstore, Happy Endings, is a romance bookstore. When they are pitted against each other in a competition to have the most sales in order to keep their store space, Josie and Ryan are in an all out war to be the best bookstore on the block.

Unbeknownst to each other, both Josie and Ryan are on an online reader forum called Bookfriends, and they are chatting constantly through the app. But when Ryan finds out Josie is the girl he's been talking to online, he realizes he needs to come clean. But will that ruin their blossoming friendship and romance?

Josie was insufferable at the beginning, but the further into the book I got, the more I began to understand her insecurities and why she behaved the way she did. Ryan was darling from the very beginning, and I LOVED his love and respect for romance books. I thought some of the insight he gave regarding why people read romance was so insightful and really put into words how many of us readers feel. I also appreciated there was no third act breakup- PRAISE BE!

Ali Brady is one of my favorite romance duos and I always look forward to their new release every summer.

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for letting me read the ARC of this fun story. I stayed up all night to get to the ending, and this is a pretty typical enemies to lovers romance. I loved the characters. I also love epistolary novels and this has a great sub-plot with text messages. While I don't think this requires trigger warnings, it does touch on dyslexia, disability rights, mental health,homosexuality and anxiety lovingly depicted by as a normal part of people's lives and backstories. Very sex-positive in the way Ryan runs his bookstore, this is not a totally gentle read, but the sex belongs in the plot and you'll be cheering for the protagonists, Highly recommended for both book and romance fans.

As a romance book lover, I was hooked on page 1. If you like books about book people, enemies to lovers or black cat x golden retriever vibes, you are going to eat this up. This entire book felt both so nostalgic, and like I was reading about myself.

Ryan my MAN! You all know I love a man who wears glasses, but not only was he compared to Clark Kent (btw, second time I’ve read that in like a month, I have a type), he had to bookish cats, managed a romance bookstore, and was dyslexic (as someone with a reading disability, I loved the disability representation). Josie was such a badass FMC; though she was hard to crack, I loved watching her build her confidence and learn to love and protect herself as much as she does for others. I also enjoyed the casual Jewish representation from her character.

This whole book was a love letter to romance book lovers, full of references to tropes, romance books, and even bookish community acronyms and inside jokes (I especially loved the epilogue). This is one of my favorite quotes from the book “All the stories I’ve read have been my teachers, sheltering me when I needed comfort, making life richer, showing me how to face adversity.”

4 stars, I flew through this one, but the plot was pretty predictable. Thank you Berkley Romance and NetGalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for my honest review!

Book Review for Battle of the Bookstores by Ali Brady

First Impressions: 2 Books(tores) 2 Furious
What’s Your Type? Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Grumpy/Sunshine, Uptight Woman Meets Relaxed Man (And Hates Him For It), He’s Really Tall, I Mean REALLY Tall, Workplace Rivals, You’ve Got Mail
Meet Cute: At the Coffee Shop
The Lean: Well, Duh
Dirty Talk: You’ve Got DMs
We Need to Talk: Not all Romance Partners Need to Be Giants
Was it Good For You? Good Book Lovin’

First Impressions: 2 Books(tores) 2 Furious
Although it looks like both of the people on this cover are having a wonderful time reading, there’s an animosity simmering under the surface that’s primed to erupt. Also, the two stores right next to each other reminds me of Bookseller’s Row in London. (#subtleflex)

What’s Your Type?
Enemies to Friends to Lovers
Grumpy/Sunshine
Uptight Woman Meets Relaxed Man (And Hates Him For It)
He’s Really Tall
I Mean REALLY Tall
Workplace Rivals
You’ve Got Mail

Dating Profile
Josie Klein loves her job at Tabula Inscripta, one of Boston’s finest literary bookstores. The store was a safe haven for her after having to drop out of college to care for her younger sister, and the prestige of being amongst the literary elite (both literally and figuratively) makes her feel like she has her life together. Even if just on the surface. And especially if that surface is organized and clean to an almost austere level.

Ryan Lawson, too, loves his job—he’s the manager of Happy Endings, Boston’s only all-romance bookstore. It’s a second home to him, filled with cozy comforts and fond memories. It’s an escape from his overachieving family, and a way to showcase that there’s no one (or right) way to love. He loves love, but is skeptical that it’ll ever actually happen for him.

Meet Cute: At the Coffee Shop
Tabula Inscripta and Happy Endlings are one store apart from each other, and that one store is a coffee shop called Beans. All three are owned by the same douchey bro named Xander Laing, who cares nothing for books or coffee, just how much each store can make in profit. Neither Josie nor Ryan care much for each other’s stores, and when Xander announces that both bookstores and Beans will soon become one, they’re eager to beat each other to earning the job of managing the new, larger store. What started as a casual ambivalence to each other quickly escalates into a full-out battle.

The Lean: Well, Duh
While Josie and Ryan are busy causing each other grief in their scramble to keep their jobs, the other people in their lives are watching a love story unfold. Even when the two start becoming friendly, and decide to work together hoping that they can prove to Xander that two managers are way better than one, in this instance, they are oblivious to the fact that they’re MFEO. This is, in part, exacerbated by the fact that they are more than friends; neither of them know at first that they’re BookshopGirl and RJ.Reads from BookFriends, a forum where booksellers from across the country chat, anonymously, about their jobs and the industry at large. And where BookshopGirl and RJ.Reads have a longstanding, ongoing, more than just online friends even if we’ve never met in real life relationship.

Dirty Talk: You’ve Got DMs
If the plot of this story sounds a bit familiar, it’s not a coincidence—the book has definite You’ve Got Mail vibes. Thankfully, the similarities are different enough to make it stand on its own two feet. And, as one might expect from the different time and different form of media, it gets a whole lot spicier than the relationship between Shopgirl and NY152.

Ms. Perky’s Prize for Purplest Prose
In a romance book about a romance bookseller in a(n eventual) romance with another book lover, you’d assume there would be quite a bit of, well, romance. And there is, don’t get me wrong. But one of the reasons I enjoyed this book the most is the meta moments, in which Josie and Ryan are acting like people, rather than characters in a romance book. In one such moment, they swap books and read out loud to each other. Josie can barely make it through a sentence before the embarrassment gets to be too much.

We Need to Talk: Not all Romance Partners Need to Be Giants

In the book, Ryan is 6’7″. As a romance fan and bookseller, he’s very familiar with the “big man” trope. And he feels about it much the same way I do.

Was it Good For You? Good Book Lovin’
I might not be as much of a You’ve Got Mail fan as Sarah is, but I do supremely appreciate the movie for both the romance between the characters and their respective romances with books. I can’t say you’ll enjoy Battle of the Bookstores if you’re a true stan, but I think anyone who loves books will find a fun time in this novel. Even if you’re like Josie at the start of the book and look down your nose at anything other than highbrow literary fiction.

I ate up every word of 𝘉𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘴! This was my first by Ali Brady, and now I can’t wait to read their others. It is filled with the best humor, banter, and charm. I was laughing, swooning, feeling all the things the whole time. Ryan and Josie are complete opposites, and their rivalry is so fun to follow. Ryan is a total sweetheart, and Josie’s character really resonated with me. The side characters were also fantastic. Anyone who loves books about books will for sure love this one!

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁 ⇣
🩵Rom-com
🌸You’ve Got Mail vibes
🩵Boston setting
🌸Bookish
🩵Enemies to lovers
🌸Workplace
🩵Opposites attract
🌸Forced proximity
🩵Only one bed
🌸Cat dad
🩵Slow burn
🌸Banter
🩵Dyslexia rep
🌸Dual POV
🩵Spice

Thank you Berkley Romance and NetGalley for the gifted book!

Battle of the Bookstores is a love letter to readers, with nods to characters, books, and tropes that had me continuously highlighting.

Two bookstores selling different genres of books reside on a small town Boston street. Josie's sells general fiction in a classy way while Ryan's sells romances in a zany, button filled way. Sitting down with the owner of the stores, he chooses to put both sellers in a competition- bring in the most profit or leave your position. Josie quickly goes to share her thoughts and overall life on the anonymous book website. Little does she know the person she's spilling her thoughts to is none other than her number one enemy: Ryan. Ryan, for his part, has come to adore Josie and the way she loves her specific genre books. He knows who he's chatting with on the site but can't help it when his feelings get in the way. Let the battle begin.

Those who love "You Got Mail" will adore the set up for Battle of the Bookstores. Told in both Josie and Ryan's points of view, I felt both were evenly placed and the pacing flowed as we got dropped into what was occurring from both character's mindsets. I impatiently waited for secrets to be spilled and feelings shared and when it finally happened, thank goodness it did. Bookstores is a whimsical story that I definitely recommend if you're wanting a read by the pool or on the front porch.

Thank you to the publisher for the gifted copy.

I have a new favorite book by this amazing author duo! Battle of the Bookstores is a "You've Got Mail"-esque love letter to indy bookstores, and I loved it so much! It's an enemies to lovers, opposites attract romance between two rival bookstore owners competing for one job position. There's favorite tropes, shout outs to many authors we know and love, and the perfect amount of well written steam to round it all out.

LOVED IT. Can't wait for their next one.