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dzulik's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
fullybookedjess's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Thank you for the free book, Berkley Romance!
In this book lover’s dream of a rom com, two bookstore owners are forced to compete to become the sole manager when the stores combine. Josie is the stoic and buttoned-up owner of the literary fiction store, and she immediately dislikes Ryan, the tall and outgoing owner of the romance bookshop. They sabotage each other’s efforts at first, while maintaining their sanity by chatting online in a book forum with a trusted book friend.
This is my first book written by this author duo, and now I feel like I need to go read their entire backlist. I absolutely adored this book. It was like a love letter to so many of my favorite things- You’ve Got Mail, the romance genre, bookstores, ARCs, the online book community, and so many references to well-known books and authors. I loved this fresh spin on the You’ve Got Mail storyline, and the first half reminded me a lot of The Hating Game (another favorite) as well. It felt very meta to read about these romance plot devices within a romance book! I enjoy when authors are clearly having fun with their audience and this book really feels full of love for the romance genre, readers, and book sellers. I highly recommend it for avid romance readers- you’ll have a great time!
In this book lover’s dream of a rom com, two bookstore owners are forced to compete to become the sole manager when the stores combine. Josie is the stoic and buttoned-up owner of the literary fiction store, and she immediately dislikes Ryan, the tall and outgoing owner of the romance bookshop. They sabotage each other’s efforts at first, while maintaining their sanity by chatting online in a book forum with a trusted book friend.
This is my first book written by this author duo, and now I feel like I need to go read their entire backlist. I absolutely adored this book. It was like a love letter to so many of my favorite things- You’ve Got Mail, the romance genre, bookstores, ARCs, the online book community, and so many references to well-known books and authors. I loved this fresh spin on the You’ve Got Mail storyline, and the first half reminded me a lot of The Hating Game (another favorite) as well. It felt very meta to read about these romance plot devices within a romance book! I enjoy when authors are clearly having fun with their audience and this book really feels full of love for the romance genre, readers, and book sellers. I highly recommend it for avid romance readers- you’ll have a great time!
melf616's review against another edition
4.5
Battle of the Bookstores by Ali Brady was an absolute delight! I loved every moment of it. The characters were incredibly likable, and I found myself rooting for them from the very start. The story was easy to read and had such a heartwarming, feel-good vibe throughout. It never got stuck in any slow parts—everything flowed so well that I flew through it in no time. There were a few moments where I couldn't help but cry, but in the best way possible, because the emotional depth really hit home. If you're looking for a charming and uplifting read, this one’s a must!
theteatimelibrarian's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I have read a lot of romance and a lot of bookish centered romance. An enemies to lovers between rival bookstore owners isn't a new theme for me but when I say that this is a top tier one I wouldn't be exaggerating!
There was something so unique about the two perspectives. Both were very well written and well rounded characters. You become just as invested in them as individuals with their own hang ups and hopes and dreams as you were cheering on their stumbling relationship. And I am always a suckering for books with books in them and this one has the perfect references in the romance genre and literary fiction! Over all pleasantly surprised and finished it in a day!
Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the ARC!
There was something so unique about the two perspectives. Both were very well written and well rounded characters. You become just as invested in them as individuals with their own hang ups and hopes and dreams as you were cheering on their stumbling relationship. And I am always a suckering for books with books in them and this one has the perfect references in the romance genre and literary fiction! Over all pleasantly surprised and finished it in a day!
Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the ARC!
booklionqueen's review against another edition
4.5
4.5 out of 5 stars
Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.
Wow. I really enjoyed this one. Two bookstore managers competing to run one large bookstore? My enemies to lovers, You've Got Mail loving heart will eat this up every time. The characters were so fascinating. The authors gave them so much depth and the chemistry! The enemies to lovers vibes were immaculate. After getting through the first 15% to set the story up, it was all fast moving from there and I found myself invested in the story and the characters.I love that the characters kind of being opposite of what you expect. I don't often read books where the FMC is a bit more prickly and the MMC is more open and softer. I also love a tall man in glasses, so it didn't hurt that Ryan wore glasses. I have also decided that I resonate with Ryan and not being able to keep his car clean. I TRY and it doesn't work out. This book was a love letter to bookstores and romance and I had a blast.
Closed door modifications: (mentions throughout the book) 25, 27, 30
Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.
Wow. I really enjoyed this one. Two bookstore managers competing to run one large bookstore? My enemies to lovers, You've Got Mail loving heart will eat this up every time. The characters were so fascinating. The authors gave them so much depth and the chemistry! The enemies to lovers vibes were immaculate. After getting through the first 15% to set the story up, it was all fast moving from there and I found myself invested in the story and the characters.I love that the characters kind of being opposite of what you expect. I don't often read books where the FMC is a bit more prickly and the MMC is more open and softer. I also love a tall man in glasses, so it didn't hurt that Ryan wore glasses. I have also decided that I resonate with Ryan and not being able to keep his car clean. I TRY and it doesn't work out. This book was a love letter to bookstores and romance and I had a blast.
Closed door modifications: (mentions throughout the book) 25, 27, 30
librarygirlreads's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
louisekf's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I don’t give out a ton of 5-star ratings but I absolutely loved this book! It’s a romance, certainly. It’s also a love letter to bookstores, especially indie bookstores. The plot brought back memories of that terrific movie, You’ve Got Mail. Be prepared to fall in love with these characters.
Josie is the manager of a bookstore that focuses on literary fiction, Tabula Inscripta. Beans is the coffee shop next door, and beyond that is ANOTHER bookstore, this one featuring romance books, called Happy Endings, which is managed by Ryan. Their personalities are polar opposites and their stores reflect their personalities. Josie’s store is super-organized and neat. Ryan’s store is a bit more chaotic, but also organized, just in a different way. (I personally LOVED the way Ryan chose to organize his books, so creative and encouraging of making discoveries.) Anyway … Josie and Ryan don’t really have anything in common other than they love books, or so they think. Josie doesn’t even know Ryan’s name! The owner of their building decides he wants to merge the two stores and include Beans as an in-store cafe. So he pits the two of them against each other, both vying for the future single manager position.
As in You’ve Got Mail, the two of them actually have a relationship already but they don’t know it. They are online buddies in a bookstore-oriented app/website and they are ever so compatible there. Each of them, Josie and Ryan, have really interesting backstories; both have had very different childhood/family experiences.
The Battle of the Bookstores features a number of tropes: obviously an enemies-to-friends-to-lovers story, but also opposites attract. I loved how diversity of all sorts was just matter-of-factly featured in the book: dyslexia, disability due to an accident, LGBTQ and Jewish rep, and more. Much is made of Ryan’s being particularly tall; it’s almost a running joke. Another thing I loved was the dual POV; some chapters were from Josie’s POV and some from Ryan’s. The side characters were all interesting and not cookie-cutter stereotypes. The authors (Ali Brady is a writing duo) dig deep into why romance books are so popular and their writing will make a convert out of many a skeptic.
Warning: there are a couple of very explicit scenes later in the story. Also there’s a history of abandonment trauma, so be advised.
Thank you to the authors, Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book. (Normally I tend to read closer to the publication date but I just couldn’t wait on this one!) All opinions are my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Abandonment
Moderate: Car accident and Injury/Injury detail
riversidereads's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
niffler_for_words's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
“It’s not about the happy ending, it’s about believing you’re worthy of one.”
Battle of the Bookstores is a love letter to Romance as a genre, but also to all books, all readers and indie bookstores especially. Through Josie and (B)Ryan’s story, I loved to explore how books make us think, change, grow, and –if we’re lucky– can save our lives.
I won’t list tropes here, as you can find soooo many of them in the book –which was such a delight, this book made me feel about reading what I felt about writing in Emily Henry’s Book Lovers and Beach Read.
Ryan is a walking green flag, the archetype of what I love in romances’ MMC. Nerdy. Attentive. Making Mistake. Sexy. He is the golden retriever to Josie’s black cat, at least in appearance. I loved the dynamics between the two of them, and the hidden identity part was so perfect (who doesn’t like a modern epistolary?) and helped to discover all Josie’s layers (I can’t tell much about her without spoilers). Their apparent opposite personalities, the competition created a large space for banter –and a lot of blazing sparkles– which made the book as funny as it made me cry.
I loved the a little bit nerdy side, with a lot of references to popular authors, in Romance but also in General Lit, how Romance as a genre is “dissected”, how the beats are discussed while being twisted a bit in this plot, while staying faithful to the genre (yes, I know, it seems impossible, but that’s exactly what the authors did!). The fact that it is Josie who doesn’t like romance is a very interesting take, and a way to step out of the stereotypes. It also allows that her own thinking about the genre turns into an articulation for her own evolution.
Inclusion was a recurrent theme, as much as diversity, consent and empowerment, which, in nowadays’ context, makes this book a gem, explaining with humor the importance of the genre –of books, of bookstores– to help people grow and feel they deserve their best possible life, while remaining true to themselves.
Thank you to the authors and Berkley Romance for giving me this ARC via NetGalley
My opinions are my own
Battle of the Bookstores is a love letter to Romance as a genre, but also to all books, all readers and indie bookstores especially. Through Josie and (B)Ryan’s story, I loved to explore how books make us think, change, grow, and –if we’re lucky– can save our lives.
I won’t list tropes here, as you can find soooo many of them in the book –which was such a delight, this book made me feel about reading what I felt about writing in Emily Henry’s Book Lovers and Beach Read.
Ryan is a walking green flag, the archetype of what I love in romances’ MMC. Nerdy. Attentive. Making Mistake. Sexy. He is the golden retriever to Josie’s black cat, at least in appearance. I loved the dynamics between the two of them, and the hidden identity part was so perfect (who doesn’t like a modern epistolary?) and helped to discover all Josie’s layers (I can’t tell much about her without spoilers). Their apparent opposite personalities, the competition created a large space for banter –and a lot of blazing sparkles– which made the book as funny as it made me cry.
I loved the a little bit nerdy side, with a lot of references to popular authors, in Romance but also in General Lit, how Romance as a genre is “dissected”, how the beats are discussed while being twisted a bit in this plot, while staying faithful to the genre (yes, I know, it seems impossible, but that’s exactly what the authors did!). The fact that it is Josie who doesn’t like romance is a very interesting take, and a way to step out of the stereotypes. It also allows that her own thinking about the genre turns into an articulation for her own evolution.
Inclusion was a recurrent theme, as much as diversity, consent and empowerment, which, in nowadays’ context, makes this book a gem, explaining with humor the importance of the genre –of books, of bookstores– to help people grow and feel they deserve their best possible life, while remaining true to themselves.
Thank you to the authors and Berkley Romance for giving me this ARC via NetGalley
My opinions are my own