Mari goes to London to help reinvent the Ross and Co. bookstore. Since the death of the owner, his
grandson Leo is loath to make any changes to the store. Both have issues that prevent them from
forming lasting relationships, but as time goes on, they gain a better understanding of each other. The
bookstore employees, family members and close friends add to the story, allowing Mari and Leo to
realize what they want their futures to be.
#LoveWalkedIn #StMartinsPress #StMartinsGriffin #NetGalley

This was a sweet and sad romance between a sunshine American girl and a grumpy British boy as she arrives in London to help salvage his family's bookshop after his grandfather's passing.

Mari has walls up and she doesn't do love because her mother died when she was young and her stepfather (she never knew her real father) abandoned her and treated her coldly. She's also a bookshop whisperer of sorts who has traveled around to save small independent bookshops and help them succeed. Leo is divorced and in a deep depression after the death of his grandfather, and his family's bookstore has been suffering financially. Leo doesn't want anything at the shop to change, and Mari forces her way in to try to save the shop. The two clash, but Leo pretty quickly becomes obsessed with Mari. This is a very emotional story. It was hard for me to really get into the relationship as much as I wanted to because Mari had such high walls up and kept Leo out, so as the reader it felt like Leo and Mari weren't making that connection. Overall, however, I still really enjoyed this story.

Netgalley provided me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This cover! A bookstore romance, sign me up. Love Walked In is a bookish romance readers’ dream. Mari loves to revitalize indie bookstores; it’s her only love, especially because she refuses to fall in love, and when she goes to one of the most prestigious independent bookstores in London to help, all her rules are tested. Leo Ross though wants nothing to do with this sunshine American, but the more they work together, the more Leo begins to thaw and these two book lovers enter their own love story. This is a very sweet romance. I will say some of the twists were more predictable than I would’ve liked and I did have some trouble really sinking into this story. There wasn’t anything wrong with it, but I didn’t find myself really excited to go back to it. But I am glad I powered though it, it really is charming, and I love the bookstore setting and the growth of the characters. They communicate and they’re honest. It’s sweet and Leo is such a romantic. It’s a slow-burn tension and so cozy. I loved the grump/sunshine, enemies to lovers vibe of it. A sweet, cozy bookish romance!

Love walked in showed two people with their own trauma of trusting learning to let go and give in. The story overall was good and an excellent growth of characters. The development of the story was enjoyable, but slow at times. Worth sticking it out.

I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

This novel hooked me from the start and I instantly loved the setting and the grumpy/sunshine characters. That being said, the plot felt a bit all over the place and the attraction felt too instant for me and I never really felt the chemistry between Leo and Mari. I also had pacing issues in which the scenes either felt too slow and repetitive or twists that felt thrown at me and came out of no where, but not in ways that made sense for the characters.

I did enjoy the depth of the plot, especially when the novel tackled an eating disorder and tasked a male character with having to deal with this issue. Both Leo and Mari have much family-related pain to deal with that shaped how they viewed the world and allowed themselves to trust others.

I received a early digital copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed The Slowest Burn so I was quick to request Love Walked In for review. I’m sorry to say this one didn’t work for me all the way!

That’s not to say it was a total dud - it absolutely wasn’t - I just didn’t feel the chemistry Mari and Leo the way I would’ve liked to. The stuff that was really interesting to me, Mari’s family in particular, felt tossed aside or not as fleshed out as it could’ve been.

I did think both Mari and Leo were very sweet characters though and I was entertained throughout. I love books about bookstores!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for the eARC!

A romance set in a bookstore? Yes please! Isn't that what we're all looking for? I absolutely loved this cute little book.

A bookish book will always get me and I will always love it! Sarah Chamberlain did a wonderful job and the enemies aspect was perfect

3.5 stars rounded up

Sarah Chamberlain has done it with this one! I loved this story and how it progressed from the dual character point of view we were able to get. I loved meeting Mari and Leo, this slow burn bookstore story taken place in London, it was perfect, adding to the fact that there was also it taking place in London. This story also covered some topics of grief and trying something new, which felt so special. This is the perfect cozy bookstore romance read everyone needs this fall!

cute, cozy, lighthearted romantasy with some very interesting vibes and cute, intriguing feels. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

This is such a fun lighthearted read with a cozy setting of a bookstore so it's an immediate hit to me, add in enemies to lovers and a grumpy mmc and i am in heaven... my only problem is, i want more of them!

Fantastic story, give it a read you'll not be disappointed!

I would like to thank Net Galley and St Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this as an ARC. I feel like I am seeing a lot of books about bookstores lately. I have have read 3 in the last month. Not sure why the uptick, but I really enjoyed this one. Mari is from California, an she is something of a bookshop whisperer, She can come into a store and sense things, give help and suggestions to make things run better and improve. She comes to England to help at an old bookstore, Ross and Company. They are an old, revered store, but sales are off. The previous owner, Alexander, has passed away and his grandson Leo is running it. Alexanders wife,Judith, is friends with Mari's boss, Suzanne. And so Mari comes for a 3 month visit to help. Ok, so as soon as Mari arrives and she and Leo start off not liking each other, we know where this is going. But it is more than that. This book has a lot of layers to it, and the romance is just part of it. It talks a lot about family , and family expectations, and individual needs. Mari and Leo both have a lot of family baggage, and it takes time to unpack and sort it out. The side characters are all well written and interesting, Leo's family, the clerks in the store, etc.In some ways there is almost too much plot. Mari's family backstory is complex and it is only hinted at for much of the book, until it all tumbles out at once. I think the pacing could be better on that. Also, the conflict towards the end ( the traditional trope) is a bit more inflated than it had become. All in all, I liked it. The characters were good, and the plot interesting.

In Love Walked In, bubbly bookstore consultant Mari Cole travels to England to save a Ross & Co, a struggling family-run bookstore. Here, she meets Leo Ross, the taciturn and stubborn manager of the bookstore who doesn't want to change a thing. After a very rocky start, the two work together to salvage the bookstore, and a romance inevitably blooms.

My favorite aspect of the book is the way the author describes the bookstore as well as the behind the scenes that goes into running the bookstore. She creates a cozy, lived-in vibe that is very believable and transports you to Ross & Co. It was also enlightening to me, as an avid reader, to learn more about the back of the house in the bookselling business. I welcomed the way the author uses uniqueness of this setting unique to ground her grumpy x sunshine romance.

Speaking of romance, the author really leans into this grumpy x sunshine trope from the very beginning. For example, when Mari and Leo meet, Leo is literally "all buttoned up" and dressed in black, whereas Mari is technicolor--from her clothes to her tattoos. This trope is further brought to life through the duo's contentious interactions at the beginning of the book. While this dynamic shifts to something romantic rather quickly, the author reminds you of it again during the intimate scenes which show Mari as being more adventurous than the reserved Leo. I thought that the trope was a little overdone, to be honest, but I appreciated the symbolism the author uses in the characters' appearances and habits to bring it to life.

Overall, I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy romance books about books and/or are looking for a different take on the grumpy x sunshine trope. I personally had a difficult time connecting with the characters due to the heavy reliance on this trope, but I think would resonate more with the right reader.

Sarah Chamberlain's sophomore romance is another deep dive into grief and healing, all wrapped up in a rocky-start inevitable romance that's just what the doctor ordered.

Mari's come to the UK as a consultant to help save a bookstore flailing after the death of the founder and patriarch of the family-run business. Leo, who stands to inherit the shop, immediately dislikes the always-sunny newcomer due to the stark difference in his ever-stoic British sensibilities. Not to mention his entire life has been overturned more than once in the past few years and smiles seem to be something long forgotten.

I really enjoyed this book. Everything was set up very well, if not a little too conveniently. It's no argument that Sarah is a great writer who pours a lot of real world complexity into her books. Life and love are never simple. They're messy, and contradictory, and sometimes painful, and that's what you'll find in this book. But things are always all the sweeter when they don't come easy.

In some ways, it did feel a little over the top. Sometimes it felt like the drama was ratcheted up a little bit too high for the type of book this is trying to be. Both characters, but especially Mari has a very difficult past that is deeply explored through the narrative. It also almost felt like the author was trying to fit in as many little 'representations' as possible, and it started to feel a little tired. Maybe it's part of the reading slump-y mood I've been in lately, because that was actually something I really enjoyed about her first novel, but it felt a little distracting this time if I'm being honest.

However, this book is a really great option for a quite modern contemporary romance, and if you love reading about book lovers, you'll love Mari!

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Love Walked In by Sarah Chamberlin is a sweet opposites-attract romance set against the cozy, book-lined backdrop of a struggling London bookstore. Mari, an energetic American who specializes in saving indie shops, brings warmth and chaotic charm to the frosty halls of Ross & Co.—and to its broody new owner, Leo. I really liked Leo; he’s gruff and guarded, but thoughtful and quietly vulnerable in a way that sneaks up on you.

Their dynamic had plenty of slow-burn tension and heart, but the pacing of the story often worked against them. Some scenes dragged, while others—particularly emotional turning points—felt rushed or underdeveloped. And then there was the sudden subplot about Mari finding her long-lost father and extended family, which truly came out of nowhere. It felt jarringly out of place in a story that was otherwise about restoring a bookshop and building trust between two damaged people.

Despite its flaws, this is a charming read for book lovers who enjoy a cozy setting, grumpy-sunshine romance, and second chances. I just wish the plot had been a little more focused—and that Mari's emotional arc had felt as believable and earned as Leo’s.

Love Walked in was a fun quick read. Both Mari & Leo were very likable even though they had their own demons to fight. I really enjoyed their grumpy sunshine dynamic. I liked that the FMC was more sexually confident while the MMC was the one a more shy and inexperienced.

I really enjoyed this one, Mari was very likeable even though she was a bit jaded from life hitting her so much, it was completely understandable with her feelings. Leo started out as a broody hero but once he cracked he was so sweet and so easy to love, he fell hard for Mari and I adored how he was with her. The twist about Mari's birth father was slightly obvious but so heartwarming; it was completely understandable that Mari had no clue how to react to it all in such a short time. I didn't like how pushy Vinlay was to Leo about selling the store when he was supposed to be his friend. The romance was so cute and I loved how Leo and Mari were with each other, she didn't constantly bring up that she was leaving which was nice, but their conversations and small touches were super cute and I ate it up. The spice was ok, not super detailed but just enough to give you an idea, sometimes things were mentioned and then glossed over. Mari's stubbornness did get a bit tiring at the end but by that point even she knew it, though given the short amount of time she had to come to terms with things on London and knowing Suzanne told her she was getting her store would leave anyone conflicted and in need of time to really digest. Overall this was a great read and I would definitely recommend it.

This is the first book I've read by this author and unfortunately this one just wasn't for me.

While the premise is interesting, an American woman going to England to help revitalize a struggling bookstore, I just never really connected to anything in the book. Maybe its because I'm from California, but I found the stereotypes used to describe a Californian as tired. Also, Mari mentions no trains in Northern Cali when in fact I have ridden a train from LA to NorCal for years. So that lack of research pissed me off. Such a small thing I know, but it just made me wonder what else the author was careless about.

Overall not a bad book, but definitely not one I would recommend.

I enjoyed The Slowest Burn , and I was looking forward to this book. Unfortunately, this was a let down. I didn't like either of the characters. They lacked chemistry, and the plot dragged.

Love Walked In by Sarah Chamberlain was a truly lovely and warm bookish contemporary romance. And I really, really enjoyed it!

Mari is a bookstore whisperer who goes to London to try to breathe new life into Ross and Co. bookstore. The store is frozen after losing the owner, Alexander, and is at risk of failing if something doesn't change.

Leo is the now owner of Ross and Co. and is fighting any type of change in his grandfather Alexander's bookstore. He knows that without change, Ross and Co. will ultimately fail, and the doors will be closed forever, but he resents the fact that Mari is there to help and fights her on everything.

This bookish romance is the enemies to lovers trope, and I think that the author does an excellent job with the story. Mari and Leo are definitely at odds when the book begins, but they quickly move past their differences and work together to try and give new life to Ross and Co.

Leo and Mari's growth in Love Walked In and awesome to see and their romance is sizzling. I think the author did a great job at making both main characters feel real and easy to find lovable. I also really enjoyed the side characters and what they added to the story as well.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it to romance lovers!

Expected Publication Date: September 2nd 2025.

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Griffin and the author for the ARC. All opinions are my own.