Book Review: Battle of the Bookstores by Ali Brady
If there was ever a book that can resonate so deeply to the love that comes with being a reader, this book would be it.
Thank you to Berkley Romance for providing me with a free e-ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. I received this e-ARC as part of Berkley’s Influencers Hub for Underrepresented Voices and all thoughts and opinions are my own. Thanks so much to @berkleyromance for the free book!
The Premise
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.
Content Warnings
Misogyny
Sexism
Car accident (recounted)
Medical content
Parental abandonment (recounted)
Child neglect (recounted)
Child death (recounted)
Grief
Homophobia (mentioned)
Suicide (recounted)
Panic attacks
Ableism (mentioned)
Drug overdose (mentioned
Closed Door Mods
Chapter 25 (some parts)
Chapter 27 (some parts)
Chapter 30 (some parts)
My Thoughts
If there was ever a book that can resonate so deeply to the love that comes with being a reader, Battle of the Bookstores would be it.
Sure, the story in this book has been told before, but the fact that Brady chooses to focus on two indie booksellers adds a new level of stakes to this rivals-to-friends-to-lovers dynamic. Josie and Ryan are so easy to like (despite both of them having nearly opposite personalities), and from their first moments on-page you can clearly see the dedication that Josie and Ryan put into their respective stores. Especially when you consider how reading served as a gateway for Josie to escape from her complicated home life, and Ryan (who has dyslexia) was able to discover a passion for reading after working at the romance bookstore he now manages. Their banter was top-notch and this book had just the right amount of slow burn to keep you wanting more until you're swooning over the last few chapters.
Putting it plainly, I don't know what it is with this book, but Brady got me hooked on this story to the very last page and it's definitely a book you need to keep on your radar.
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