Battle of the Bookstores by Ali Brady
Publication Date: June 3rd 2025 by Berkley
Pages: 432
Source: Publisher
Rating: ★★★★★
My
Thoughts:
Bookstore managers Ryan and Josie each run their own niche
bookstore: Josie’s, Tabula Inscripta, catering to literary fiction and Ryan’s,
Happy Endings, focused on romance. They’re pitted against each other when the
owner decides to consolidate the bookstores into one and keeping only one
manager. They get off on the wrong foot and the battle between them begins.
I am not a big fan of literary fiction or tragic,
heartbreaking stories, but could totally understand why Josie gravitated to
them as her backstory was revealed. And the same with Ryan going for romances.
Ryan and Josie don’t realize that they actually are friends
online, confiding on a book community forum, Bookfriends, where they commiserate,
trade book recommendations and slowly fall in love. Their romance was a slow
burn that turned into a scorcher!
Battle of the Bookstores was an enemies-to-lovers
kind of romance, very much in the style of the movie You’ve Got Mail, one of my
all-time favorite rom-coms, but with more spice. I appreciated there was no
third act breakup. I fell for Ryan and
Josie, both likeable and full of heart and was captivated by their journey! A
definite recommend!
5 Stars
Book Description:
Rivalry and romance spark when two bookstore managers who are opposites in every way find themselves competing for the same promotion.
Despite managing bookstores on the same Boston street, Josie Klein and Ryan Lawson have never interacted much—Josie’s store focuses on serious literature, and Ryan’s sells romance only. But when the new owner of both stores decides to combine them, the two are thrust into direct competition. Only one manager will be left standing, decided by who turns the most profit over the summer.
Efficient and detail-oriented Josie instantly clashes with easygoing and disorganized Ryan. Their competing events and contrasting styles lead to more than just frustration—the sparks between them might just set the whole store on fire. Their only solace during this chaos is the friendship they’ve each struck up with an anonymous friend in an online book forum. Little do they know they’re actually chatting with each other.
As their rivalry heats up in real life, their online relationship grows, and when the walls between their stores come tumbling down, Josie and Ryan realize not all’s fair in love and war. And maybe, if they’re lucky, happily ever afters aren’t just for the books.
