Did not finish but it is mainly because I know I'm mot going to enjoy a contemporary romance novel. It doesn’t make sense to force it but I do think many people can enjoy this because I might pick it back up in the future

The story centers on two main characters: Cornelia Brown, a café manager in Philadelphia, and Clare Hobbs, an 11-year-old girl on a quest to find her estranged father. Their paths cross when Clare’s journey brings her to Cornelia’s café, where she encounters Martin Grace—a charismatic and sophisticated man who quickly captures Cornelia’s interest. As Cornelia becomes entangled in a new romance and Clare faces the emotional fallout of her mother’s mental health struggles and sudden disappearance, the novel delves into themes of love, loss, family, and the pursuit of happiness.

more like 2.5 rounded to 3

I enjoyed the first part of this book, but I will say, when it started getting steamy...it started getting cringy for me. I also felt like the book dragged some. There was a lot of over explaining inner monologue happening for both characters. And some stretched believability with some of the things that happen throughout the book, I wont detail as to not spoil if you plan to read. Overall it passed the time fine, but I can promise I will forget this book in a month or so and have a hard time recalling anything about it.

Bottom Line: Passes the time fine, fun London setting, forgettable overall.

**I received a copy from Netgalley and am writing this review voluntarily. All opinions are my own. **

Mari Cole is an American girl with a can do personality that is in London to bring back to life a bookstore that is failing under the eye of its latest manager, Leo Ross.
Where Mari sees a world of possibility given the upcoming 100th anniversary of the place, Leo only sees the oppressing inheritance he’s supposed to keep afloat for the grandfather he idolized. Incapable of letting go or allowing changes due his crippling grief, he finds himself fighting Mari’s ideas every step of the way until things start shifting between them and he starts seeing change from her POV.
Both Leo and Mari, bring heavy baggage to their relationship which gives more substance to the plot and there are a few nice twists, but those could be seen a mile away.
In all, this was a story I wanted to love, but that fell into a bland delivery for my taste and, though it’s a nice read, didn’t impress me. I expect it might be very good for other readers, but it didn’t do it for me.

There’s just something special about a book set in a cozy, struggling bookshop, especially when it comes with a reluctant grump and a relentless ray of sunshine. Love Walked In is a great contemporary romance with charm, wit, and a fantastic love story.

Mari and Leo’s dynamic is everything I love about the grumpy-sunshine trope. She’s warm, chatty, and knows exactly how to breathe life into a struggling bookstore, and her enthusiasm, creativity, and big ideas are exactly what Leo and his flailing bookstore need. Leo, on the other hand, is guarded, serious, trying to hold everything together on his own, and very skeptical of Mari's interference. Described as "the man who made Eeyore look like a cockeyed optimist," Leo is very different from the bubbly sunshine that is Mari. But underneath is someone thoughtful, sensitive, and deeply loyal. The banter between the two is sharp and fun, their chemistry is fantastic, and I like how their initially tense relationship develops into something more. My word, some of the things Leo says to Mari once he lets his guard down are absolutely swoon-tastic!

The bookshop setting was such a strong element, and at its heart, the book is clearly an homage to bookstores. Watching Mari work her magic and Leo slowly start to trust her (and himself) in a bookstore was fabulous. There are many conversations about books, reading, changes in the community, and what bookstores mean to people, which I loved. The dual POV also worked well here, giving insight into both Mari and Leo's emotional journeys. Both have been through a lot in their lives, and both face so much uncertainty in their personal and professional lives. They both have a lot of insecurities and life-changing decisions to make. Getting both of their perspectives on things, especially their blossoming relationship, added depth to both characters.

Overall, Love Walked In is a charming bookshop romance with charm, humor, and emotional depth. I really enjoyed it and look forward to reading more by the author. Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.

I loved The Slowest Burn so when I saw this was available-I had to jump on it.

This was such a cute read. A book about books…& love. Perfect! I absolutely loved the blossoming love. I loved Mari & Leo’s characters & the way we got to know them & see their relationship grow.

Indie bookstores are my favorite! This book is such a good reminder to shop indie bookstores first!!! I loved Sarah’s sophomore book & look forward to her next one!

This was utterly, achingly lovely. The writing has that quiet tenderness I adore; subtle, yearning, laced with humor and the setting is pure catnip for book lovers. But what really got me was how gently it explored healing, trust, and choosing love even when it terrifies you. I laughed. I sighed. I wanted to move into the damn shop. This romance felt like coming home. I couldn’t put it down.

This author is new to me, but I will be keeping an eye out for anything else they publish. I loved the story and the characters. The pacing of the story was great and the characters were relatable.

What a lovely read! This book was such a joy to read and featured so much of what I have already come to love about Sarah's writing. There was this amazing appreciation for books and stories built in, and that gave a very connected feeling between the reader and FMC. Sarah also creates this really visceral sensory experience with the descriptive and cozy narrative style, and it is just a wonderful time.

This is a dual POV novel, which works SO well due to the characters' distinct voices. Mari and Leo play off of one another so well and have a great natural chemistry and tension, and their unique perspectives and voices complement one another very well. Leo is so incredibly awkward, and it's so endearing, and the way the two care for one another is very sweet. There is something very grounded and authentic about them both, and the book itself has such a rich tenderness about it.

Sarah also has such a beautiful way of writing. Her use of metaphor and imagery paints these really rich pictures and settings. This book is one that makes you want to curl up with tea and a blanket, but it also makes you really bitter that you do not have a kind and awkward British man to curl up with you! I loved getting to spend some time with these delightful characters and their story.

Thank you so much to St. Martin's Press for the chance to read and review this ARC!

I gave up at 62% - I realize I got pretty far but kept waiting for some part of the story or the writing to grab me and realized it should have happened by this point?

Thank you for the chance to read early.

What american isn't doing to fall for a smooth british bookworm? If you're looking for a fun, spicy and sweet book for the upcoming season i recommend this fun book nerds dream.

This had a promising start, but ended up just being okay for me. I wasn’t overly invested in the characters but it was an entertaining story overall.

Love Walked In is a perfect romance book for book lovers about book lovers! I am a sucker for books in which the main characters have special connections to reading or book-related professions, so this has the ideal premise for me. Leo’s family bookstore is struggling after his grandfather’s passing, so Mari comes in to help bring life back to the store. Her and Leo are polar opposites, and strongly disagree on the changes she proposes. Eventually, they learn to work together and sparks begin to fly between the pair, but Mari’s time in London has a deadline.

The romance throughout the book was sooo good!! Mari and Leo’s banter is top-tier and I was hooked from their first meeting. I love their dynamic, how Mari pushes Leo out of his comfort zone and Leo takes care of her. My favorite scene was Leo helping Mari through her claustrophobia on the train.

Mari and Leo both carry so much hurt brought upon them by people they cared about and I loved how they slowly let each other in and built a fresh start. They each have a personal, emotional growth journey in the story and I was so glad they had strong support systems. The family dynamics were unique and really show how important familial relationships are too.

I couldn’t put this book down once I started and ended up finishing it in less than a day! Everything from the chilly British setting to all of the complex characters kept me locked in. I would definitely recommend to anyone who loves a bookish romance!

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A bookstore, in England, with a hot grumpy British guy? Yes. Please.

This story ended up being deeper and more emotional than I expected. This isn’t just a sweet meet-cute between pretty people. Both Mari and Leo are dealing with a lot of unresolved feelings and trauma from challenging families to failed relationships. While their attraction was near immediate I appreciated that their relationship grew gradually. Though forced proximity always seems to speeds things a long a little bit, and an intuitive grandmother doesn’t hurt.

Seeing Mari and Leo come to grips with their feelings for each other and overcoming their own fears about opening up and accepting love was heartwarming and introspective. I did think Leo’s confrontation with Bex was a little too picture perfect but I think most of us know a great way to get over someone is to get under someone else. Mari becoming besties with her secret half-brother and the entire hidden parent storyline did feel a little contrived and second thought to the main plot and love story. It seemed like an easy way to give Mari more connections to England for the future HEA and be able to magically heal her childhood/family trauma without being able to confront a dead mom and a mysteriously missing step-dad.

Overall I did have a good time reading this and watching Leo’s sexual awakening was giving me the feet kicks and squeals I was hoping for. I’d say this is a solid 3.5 stars - nothing revolutionary but an interesting contemporary romance with emotionally complex characters.

beyond excited to see this books hit my inbox- this is one of my most anticipated books of 2025 and i will be sure to post my review on all retailers!! 💞

There are three things that are important to me in a romance - do I love the characters, do I feel like I'm immersed in the chemistry between them, and does it feel at least somewhat believable? In Sarah Chamberlain's Love Walked In, I like the characters. I like the fact that they feel messy and human, which makes them believable. I believe they have chemistry, but I don't feel swept up in like I do when a romance author is really on point. Mari, a bookstore whisperer, heads to London from sunny California at the request of one of the owners of a bookstore that is struggling after the death of the primary owner. Outgoing and sunny, but deprived of solid foundational relationships, Mari overwhelms the shy and somewhat awkward Leo, who's lost after losing his grandfather and his marriage ending, but the two end up pairing up to try and revive the bookstore. The book ends up being way more about the two than it does the bookstore, but despite that, I didn't ever entirely feel like I understood what either of the pair was feeling about the way they'd been raised, or how they felt about each other. Mari immediately connects with Graham, one of the bookstore employees, but besides him and the occasional appearance by other bookstore character Catriona, there really aren't any secondary characters. And as the reader will find out, there is a reason why Graham has a more prominent role in the story. Leo's family makes a few appearances, as does his friend Vijay, but both his father and Vijay don't treat him very well. And Vijay's need to lean on his friendship with Leo for his own personal success and happiness has the potential to cause a major rift between Leo and Mari. I like the setting, and I liked the foundation that Chamberlain gave both of these characters, but I just wish that she'd done more with both of them to draw me into the story, and given me more secondary characters that would add some additional depth and provide more connection. It was a good book, and maybe I read it at a bad time when I'm feeling picky about what I want to get out of a romance novel. A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I feel like family relations played a bigger part in the plot than the romance. This guy was just a jerk at first and never really turned it around for me even after a sick hurt/comfort moment which is as close as it got. I liked the bookstore setting

Beautiful story. Loved how the relationship between Mari and Leo unfolded. Really enjoyable side characters and stories. Overall just a really lovely story.

Love Walked In
By Sarah Chamberlain
Pub Date: September 2, 2025

Mari Cole is best known for one thing: saving bookstores from closing. Having spent most of her life on her own, Mari finally has the chance to prove to the woman who first nurtured her love of reading that she can manage a bookshop herself. But Ross & Co. won’t be an easy rescue, the store is crumbling, and the partial owner has no interest in changing his grandfather’s legacy. She is in more than she bargained for.

Leo Ross has lost more than most in the past year. Fresh off a loveless divorce and still grieving his grandfather’s death, Leo has spent his life in the shadow of a man he admired but never quite matched. Stepping into his own future feels impossible, until a determined, happy-go-lucky American shows up determined to change his world.

I gave Love Walked In 4 out of 5 stars. It’s a fun, charming read, and I especially loved the dynamic between Mari and Leo. This isn’t your typical “romance in a bookshop” novel — it stays true to the characters’ emotional journeys and doesn’t fall into predictable tropes. It left me smiling and rooting for them all the way through.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read Love Walked In!

I love the grumpy/sunshine trope and this one did not let me down! Both characters are flawed, lovable, humans who experience growth as they learn to love themselves and trust each other. The side characters are equally engaging and the family storylines added depth to the story.