I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would! The plot was simple and easy to follow, addictive enough that I read this in one sitting. Classic enemies to lovers with no spice. Clarrie meets famous author Declan in her bookstore and two years later he dedicates his book to her… she ends up going on a two week book tour with Declan and things go from there…!
This was a lovely little romcom, some good banter (I wanted more and more) and a great read for summer.

Clarrie Brooks is down on her luck—her boyfriend's gone, her apartment's falling apart, and her beloved bookshop is barely hanging on. When snarky banter with a visiting author turns into unexpected inspiration, she never expects it to change her life. Two years later, his hit book is dedicated to the mystery bookseller who pushed him to do better—Clarrie. Now, with the spotlight suddenly on her, Clarrie might just get a second chance at love…and happily ever after.

This was a sweet, cozy read with a very slow burn and no steam. I found myself wishing for a bit more grit and heat to really pull me in. There were definitely moments where I felt for Clarrie—honestly, inheriting a bookshop from your grandparents is the dream, so props to her. At times she was super relatable, and at other times, wildly frustrating (girl, try something new for a change!).

If you're in the mood for a light, quick read with charming banter and a breezy romp through Australia, this will hit the spot. Thank you to NetGalley & Headline for the ARC.
2.5 stars

It took me a while to finish this one, and by the final chapters, I found myself skimming just to reach the end. All the ingredients for a great romance were here: enemies to lovers, forced proximity, a brooding male lead (always wearing a baseball cap and hiding from his adoring fans), and a struggling book store. Unfortunately, the final product was just ok to start and then dragged towards the end.
The initial encounter between the main characters, which was supposed to set the stage for their rivalry, felt surprisingly underwhelming. She insulted his book and he insulted her broken lights at her store. It didn’t seem strong enough to justify the depth of animosity that followed. I think if we had seen more consistent clashes or tension-filled moments over time, the enemies-to-lovers arc would’ve felt more earned.

Clarrie, the FMC, came off as emotionally immature and frustratingly stubborn, which made it hard for me to root for her or stay invested in her growth.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Books about books and bookshops are one of my favourite genres so I knew I had to read this as soon as I saw it.
Definitely recommend this book if you want a sweet romance.

This book was a really pleasant surprise. From the cover, title, and description I admit I was expecting a fairly generic romance - but while there are many common tropes peppered throughout Love on a Book Shelf (grumpy sunshine, enemies to lovers, sort of only one bed), it also has weight and depth.
The characters are all fairly fleshed out and likeable - the side characters in particular I found myself wanting to spend more time with, although Clarrie and Declan were warm enough that I was invested in their burgeoning romance. Honestly though, Clarrie's other relationships - with her mum, her friend Yumi, and her Gran - were the real highlight of the book.
I think I came to this book at a particularly resonant moment, as my own Gran is getting on a bit and when I saw her recently she was quite frail and seemed a little lost. Reading the first scene where Clarrie goes to visit her Gran, who has dementia, was quite emotional.
There's no villain here - everyone is nuanced and complex and imperfect in their own unique way. Clarrie's mum in particular, who from early mentions you might expect to become the villain of the piece and doesn't even appear directly in the text that much, was a really interesting character and showed Clarrie that sometimes your perspective is very different to those around you.
Overall this was a lovely book and one I'd happily recommend even to non=romance readers.

The second half of this book was infinitely better than the first and drew me back in when I was about to lose interest. My main issue with the beginning was I don’t think the reason for Declan and Clarrie to be “enemies” was much of anything so their hatred of each other just seemed random and annoying. I found it hard to connect with the FMC and MMC so by the time we got to know them more later in the story it didn’t have too much of an impact. That being said, I loved Yumi as well as the other side characters and the emotional storyline about Clarrie’s grandmother was done well. Bonus points for the bookish setting, I am always drawn to books about books.

This is a sweet, cosy bookseller/author romance with fairly loveable characters. The writing is good and the plot was generally well paced. Fans of forced proximity, dislike to lovers, workplace (ish) romance, only one bed/tent, and no spice will enjoy this.

Thanks to Netgalley and Headline for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

I was going to DNF this book at 30% because of how slow and lame the plot was. But then I decided to give it a second chance, and it low-key grew upon me until I finished it and honestly the second half of the book is why I gave it three stars in the first place. It was quite refreshing and easy to follow, without much rushing to the end. So, if you want to read a cozy book, especially in winter, then this should be on your TBR.

What a cute and cozy read! Love on a Bookshelf was such an easy book to fall into, perfect for a relaxing weekend escape. I loved the dynamic between Clarrie and Declan—he starts off as this grumpy, closed-off author, but slowly opens up in a really heartwarming way.

Clarrie was instantly lovable, and her relationship with her grandmother added such a special, emotional layer to the story. Their bond really grounded the book and gave it so much heart.

The whole bookshop setting was a dream for book lovers, and the second-chance romance mixed with the grumpy/ sunshine vibe made it extra charming.

It's definitely a feel-good story that reminds you how sometimes, love (and inspiration) shows up in the most unexpected places.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced reader copy of Love on a Bookshelf in exchange for my honest review.

Such a gorgeously fun read! Perfect for those who always love to be surrounded by books evening whilst reading a book!

Clarrie Brooks isn't just having a bad day - her life seems to be falling apart. She's struggling to keep her beloved grandmother's bookshop afloat, her boyfriend has just dumped her and now it's, quite literally, raining inside her run-down apartment.

To top it off, the bookshop loses power for the tenth time this week, just as new author Declan Archer walks in to sign stock. Declan advises Clarrie to invest in better lighting. Clarrie suggests to him that he write a better book. Two years later, Declan's new book is on its way to becoming a bestselling cult classic - and he's dedicated it to the bookseller who told him to write a better one. As speculation builds over the identity of the bookseller, Clarrie finds herself thrown into the spotlight.

This was a fun read. I love any enemies to lovers, and books about books are my jam! Honestly, not super memorable (especially when you read a ton), but a fun way to spend the afternoon! 3.5⭐

I received an advanced complimentary digital copy of this book from Netgalley. Opinions expressed are my own.

3.5 stars for me! At first I wasn’t sure about this book because, heads up, it starts quite slow and you definitely need to like the characters to want to continue reading it. But honestly it was a refreshing romance in a way because this didn’t feel like rushed love and the books feels more realistic. It includes a lot of struggles you see people facing in reality and showcases that someone might be completely different than they appear to the public. The romance builds up slowly over time but in my opinion the back and forth between the main characters makes it fun plus it has side characters that feel like they bring sunshine to the book when it fits well.

This book was so charming! I may be a bit biased, but this bookseller loves books about books & bookshops. 🥹

Both of the MCs were so sweet and with the messiest meet cute. I absolutely ate this book up! ALSO, I have not had a book surprise me in so long! Let me tell you the way I gasped at the end. Ughh, more books like this please.

I normally prefer my books to have spice, but sometimes a change is nice and this was such a needed change of pace. If you are looking for a short & sweet bookish romcom, look no further.

Thank you to Headline and NetGalley for this ARC and for the opportunity to give my candid feedback.

When Clarrie is left her grandparents bookshop she is suffering from heartbreak with trying to do her grandparents proud by keeping the popularity of the bookshop alive but with neverending expenses of repairs and upgrades occurring, her mother starts to look at selling the bookstore from under Clarries feet so she can go back to her previous life and career prospect.

The latest bestselling author book is released into her store and unbeknownst to Clarrie the author has dedicated the book to her (albeit cryptic). When the author asks if she will come along on his book tour to be the book seller she isn’t sure if it’s the right thing to do but after talking it over with her friend and assistant Yumi, she decides to join the team for 2 weeks touring alongside the author and his team.

What will happen on the book tour? you will have to read this story to find out….. just remember if you ever speak your mind make sure you are alone

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This was a very cute and light read! An enemies to lovers story set in a bookstore and a slow burn romance. You can’t help but root for the characters and it was a feel good book to read.

Thank you Netgalley for my eARC.

I absolutely loved this! Living my dream of running my own bookstore through Clarrie and meeting a gorgeous yet rude author who could help the bookstore stay afloat.

Yet, what if that first meeting does not go to plan and two years later Clarrie is still stumbling through life without a spotlight to help her. Until Declan is back in her life again.

This was so good, forced proximity with grumpy x grumpy vibes, a definite slow burn with some enemies to lovers vibes. Cannot recommend it enough.

3.5⭐️


Clarrie Brooks hereda la librería de sus abuelos tras la enfermedad de su abuela, enfrentándose a una existencia que, aunque cargada de nostalgia, se tambalea entre goteras, luces intermitentes y deudas crecientes. Su vida da un giro inesperado cuando un día entra en la tienda un autor de mirada intensa y actitud altiva: Declan Archer. Clarrie, tras leer y despreciar su libro, le lanza una crítica honesta e incendiaria: "deberías escribir un libro mejor". Lo que no espera es que, un año después, ese mismo autor se vuelva un fenómeno literario... y que le dedique su nueva obra.

La dedicatoria viraliza la librería, atrae a periodistas y fans, y pone a Clarrie en el ojo del huracán mediático. Todo mientras lidia con su propia inseguridad, el duelo por su abuela, una madre controladora y una amiga adorable y leal Yumi,. Declan reaparece, exigiendo respuestas… y lo que empieza como un enfrentamiento cargado de reproches e ironía pronto evoluciona en algo mucho más profundo.


Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest.

This book was exactly what I thought it would be. No surprises and no twists- just a simple meet cute that ended as I thought it would. It was ok. Not great but definitely a light and easy read.

This was a quick fun read for fans of clean/closed door romances and fans of sweet romcoms. It was a little twee for me, but I can imagine this being exactly what a fan of Hallmark movies would love. The comparison to Emily Henry in the blurb is a bit of a reach.

DNF at about 40%. If I’m constantly checking how much I have left in a book before it’s done, that’s not a good sign.

I’m a fan of enemies to lovers and slow burn when it’s done right, but this just felt silly. Two adults acting childish because of one very small encounter over a year ago is ridiculous. Perhaps if more negative encounters happened over those 18 months (after all, he’s a local author and she runs the local bookstore, plenty of opportunities) I might have felt more inclined to finish out their story. Clarrie felt a bit too whiny and dramatic for me, also. I understand that she’s struggling with the store and her grandma, but perhaps it could have been conveyed a little differently than constantly being reminded of her grandma being gone and bills piling up.

It took to about 35% of the book before we’re even given forced close proximity of the MCs to flesh out their situationship more, which really felt a little too late to keep my interest.

I did like Yumi and the group at the knitting club though, and I felt like that was a good balance from the two grumpy MCs.