Battle of the Bookstores

Author: Ali Brady Title: Battle of the Bookstores Publisher: Berkley Date Published: 06/03/2025

Read Dates: 05/03/2025- 05/04/2025
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 📖 I received a gifted e-book ARC. The following is my honest review✍🏻

Battle of the Bookstores is a dual POV enemies-to-friends-to-lovers romance. Josie and Ryan both manage independent bookstores, hers catering to literary fiction and his catering to romance. When the owner of both stores announces that he will be combining them, and only keeping one on to manage the new store, he pits them against one another. Slowly Josie and Ryan come to a tentative truce to try and find a way to save both their jobs. But secrets and past hurts threaten to derail their hopeful future

I definitely enjoyed this book. Josie and Ryan were both relatable and their love of books was palpable. I loved the way they learned to come together, and how passionate they both were about their stores and customers!

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.