Answering a frantic message from her mother about her almost dead great aunt, Jules returns to her home of Portneath to help with the emergency. Once there, she finds out the real disaster is a broken leg and a bookshop teetering on the edge of foreclosure, a bookshop that has been in the Capletorn family for a century. Jules attempts to set right the bookshop and her family, and just so happens to run into her high school crush, who also has recently returned to Portneath.

Poppy Alexander is a gem - every story of hers has a quiet grace akin to settling down into a comfortable chair - and the last three books I’ve read by her have been so, so lovely. Jules, Freya, and Roman coming home and being the next generation in their small town is endearing. It definitely calls to mind the classic 90s rom-com You’ve Got Mail with the small time vs. big time bookstore, but this story goes deeper, and also has a cinematic quality that stands out on the page.

That being said, this novel feels a bit rushed. There is a lack of chemistry, or perhaps the relationship between Jules and Roman just isn’t explored enough to warrant their head-over-heels relationship when it does happen. The ending is also a bit anti-climactic - I looked down at one point and I remember thinking, “How are we going to wind this up in 20 pages?” - and when it happened, it wasn’t particularly remarkable. STILL, I will give this story 4 stars. Her writing is so good, the story elements are so cozy, and the Portneath world (where we also find Imogen and Jess from earlier installments) is so transporting, that I would recommend this book (I would just read the other two first!)

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

FREAKING DELIGHTFUL! I loved every page of this book. It was cozy, it was thought provoking. I loved the dynamic between our FMC and MMC. It was just the right blend of women's lit and romance for me. I haven't yet read Alexander's other book, but now I'm thinking it needs to be added to our staff TBR. What a a delightful read.

4.5/5.0

This sweet romance is a love letter to bookstores, booksellers and those who love books. I would highly recommend this book!

Sadly, I could not get into this enemies to lovers rom com. There was too much Romeo and Juliet and I just didn’t find the main characters appealing. I did like the sneak peeks back into past Poppy Alexander books though.

The Battle of the Bookshops had me grinning from the first page! It is a love letter to bookstores, family, and the magic of a great story. It’s the kind of book that will make you laugh, swoon, and leave you with a warm, fuzzy feeling. Perfect for anyone who loves a charming romance with a bit of bite.

This was just the right sort of romance/women’s fiction type of book to read, after reading some much heavier stories. The nice thing about romances, unless they are YA, is that they all turn out alright in the end. The story is, of course, how they get there.
This story is of Jules, who returns home to help her great aunt, who raised her, with her little bookshop, in a seaside town somewhere in Devon, in the UK.


THe local rich boy, Roamn, however, has opened up a competing book store, across the street, because, well, he could, and thus the story takes off. Because Jules has had a little crush on him, and he on her, when they met, briefly, in theri teens.


I like this story, because it isn’t just about the rivalry. It is also about the history in the old bookshop, which we find out about because a university student, Charlie, who is studying antiquarian literature, asks if he can catalog their second hand books, and then find an ancient manuscript from the 1600s, written by a direct ancestor of Jules, because the bookshop has been in the family that long, although not always used as a bookshop.


It is a cozy little romcom. There are some bon mots along the way. This is to say there is nothing to get upset about. Even the misunderstandings are not too bad.


I needed a book like this, in a time of stress, with the world the way it is, it is nice to have something warm and fuzzy. Oh, and yes, this book was clean, with only a little light kissing, and implied other things, which are not gone into.


Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. This book will come out on the 19th of August 2025.