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A review by emilyrosco
The Battle of the Bookshops by Poppy Alexander
Did not finish book. Stopped at 56%.
Well, I made it to 56%, and I’m officially calling it quits. I usually try to stick it out with ARCs, but honestly, I don’t want to spend any more time with this book.
Battle of the Bookshops follows a failed literary agent who returns to her sleepy hometown to help her aunt run the family’s beloved bookstore. Unfortunately, a long-standing family rival has just opened a shiny new shop right across the street, kicking off a full-blown bookish battle. And to complicate matters (or maybe help them?), the rival is… handsome. Will Jules step up and save the store that’s been in her family for generations?
I was really drawn in by the cute cover and fun premise, but for me, the execution just didn’t deliver.
Right from the start, I was confused about the main character’s deep-seated insecurity—supposedly caused by one awkward school incident. And yet, halfway through, that whole trauma seems forgotten, and she’s suddenly in love with the guy who laughed at her? The backstory, which should’ve helped us understand her better, felt shallow and underdeveloped.
The writing style also didn’t work for me. The pacing felt off. It gave me whiplash—like one minute we’re in a conversation, and the next we’re in a completely different scene, day, or subplot. Speaking of subplots, there were way too many. I couldn’t tell what was supposed to aid in the main storyline, and honestly, I just didn’t care enough to sort it out.
Overall, a miss for me.
Thanks to NetGalley and Avon/Harper Voyage for the advance copy.
Battle of the Bookshops follows a failed literary agent who returns to her sleepy hometown to help her aunt run the family’s beloved bookstore. Unfortunately, a long-standing family rival has just opened a shiny new shop right across the street, kicking off a full-blown bookish battle. And to complicate matters (or maybe help them?), the rival is… handsome. Will Jules step up and save the store that’s been in her family for generations?
I was really drawn in by the cute cover and fun premise, but for me, the execution just didn’t deliver.
Right from the start, I was confused about the main character’s deep-seated insecurity—supposedly caused by one awkward school incident. And yet, halfway through, that whole trauma seems forgotten, and she’s suddenly in love with the guy who laughed at her? The backstory, which should’ve helped us understand her better, felt shallow and underdeveloped.
The writing style also didn’t work for me. The pacing felt off. It gave me whiplash—like one minute we’re in a conversation, and the next we’re in a completely different scene, day, or subplot. Speaking of subplots, there were way too many. I couldn’t tell what was supposed to aid in the main storyline, and honestly, I just didn’t care enough to sort it out.
Overall, a miss for me.
Thanks to NetGalley and Avon/Harper Voyage for the advance copy.