2.5-Rounded up.
I didn't love this reimaging Romeo and Juliet love story.
I also read another book with a similar title and honestly, this book did not live up to that hype and I kept comparing this one to the previous book I read this year.

I found the pacing to be a bit off and I didn't like that there was limited POV for Roman. I don't understand why authors say it's dual POV when it's so mismatched.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins for this ARC.

This never should’ve been marketed as a Romeo and Juliet retelling because it is a really poor excuse for one. I did love Jules’s point of view for about 75% of this book, but the entire ending felt so rushed and half arsed. This could have been a cozy British bookshop story but the weak Shakespeare overlay completely ruined the book.

I was initially drawn in by the premise of warring bookshops, a good feud, and a cozy English village. And truly, the atmosphere was charming, and the subplot involving a centuries-old family grimoire and fate of the great-aunt added emotional weight.

Unfortunately, the central romance fell flat for me. The parallels between Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet felt too gimmicky to add depth to the story. (The protagonists names being Jules Capelthorne and Roman Montbeau and the repeated mention of Romeo and Juliet unfortunately make it worse.) Jules and Roman's connection didn't feel authentic; they spend little time together to justify such a solid emotional foundation in the face of existential challenges. I wasn't invested and ended up rooting more for the self-sacrificing great-aunt and her little romance.

Ultimately, Battle of the Bookshops has a cute concept and entertaining side plots, but the central romance was emotionally unconvincing.

Poppy Alexander's The Battle of the Bookshops is a delightful summer read. It follows Jules and Roman, both rival family members, who open competing bookshops directly across from each other in the same town. Their ongoing showdown had me rooting to see which shop–and which business owner–would come out on top.

Alexander excels at creating likable characters, including wonderfully well-rounded side characters. Aunt Flo was my particular favorite (though her name did trigger some...ahem... monthly associations 👀).

While the story has charming moments, it often focuses more on the practicalities of running a bookshop than on developing the contemporary romance, and overall more for anyone looking for a good chic-lit with romantic subplots. The enemies-to-lovers trope felt pushed throughout and occasionally forced, coming across more as a recurring theme than a fully realized plot line.

This was a very well written book. Very character driven with the plot taking a back seat, albeit a louder backseat driver. To my American eyes and brain the writing was romantic but in a very stilted English fashion. There were a few phrases I had to look up but all in all easy to digest.
Angst was like a 4/10 if you are looking for something more low stake.
Spice was 0/10, closed door, if that. Again, very British.
I’d be interested in reading more from this author when I’m in the mood for something super light and airy.

This book was such a treat. A creative retelling of Romeo and Juliet, Roman and Jules won my heart.

The rivalry between the Capelthornes and Montbeaus comes to a head when Roman Montbeau decides to open up a bookshop right across Jules' aunt's own precious bookshop. This was such a fun read. There's obviously a bit of enemies to lovers but also an interesting look into the world of old books and learning one's history.

Overall, definitely recommend!

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you to #netgalley and #Avon and Harper Voyager for the arc copy. I always love a literary themed book. This one has small town enemies to lover vibes that had underlying Romeo and Juliet storyline. It was a quick, easy read and would make for a good beach read.

I was very excited by the premise of this book, but I'm sorry to say this one was not for me. The story follows Jules Caplethorne as she tries to save the bookshop that has been in her family for hundreds of years from going out of business at the hands of the Capelthorne's rival family: the Montbeaus. This was an almost melodramatic riff on Romeo and Juliet and it was so on the nose that I was chuckling at times. While the story as a whole was easy to follow and understand, but I honestly couldn't get into the plot until I was over 65% done. The romantic plot felt kind of rushed/ingenuine and you were left to assume a lot of the romance developed off the page, so was kind of like whiplash the way they went from enemies to lovers which didn't hit for me. Overall a cute story, but don't think it was for me.
Sincere thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the chance to read this book in exchange for my honest review!

You've Got Mail meets Romeo and Juliet.

Yep. I could just leave it there because that's literally what this book was. I had to force myself to finish--just for Aunt Flo's sake--but it just didn't it for me.

The characters were just...well. Just trying a little too hard to be Romeo and Juliet-ish. The flow of the story just wasn't there. The premise really was good...but I just kept getting bogged down and putting it down.

The only thing I enjoyed were all the British-isms. :)

3 Stars. Someone else may enjoy it, but it won't be me.

*Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions are 100% my own.

I really enjoyed The Battle of the Bookshops. So much so that I read it in one sitting. This combines two of my favorite things. Retellings and bookshops. And with this book being a Romeo and Juliet retelling it was just all the more fun.

The cast of secondary characters rounded out this story in a really fun way. From Aunt Flo and her determined way to keep trucking on. To all the friends and the way that Jules integrates back into the world she left, but it feels like Roman already has.

It was a really great way to spend a sunny Friday off with the dogs.

First, I would like to thank you for the opportunity to read this arc and give my opinion. I unfortunately don’t feel comfortable giving this a rating as I could not finish it. I tried to push myself through it, but found myself dreading opening up the app. I’m a stickler for
good dialogue and nearly every interaction in this book felt forced, unnatural, and unnecessary. In the course one one page her aunt tells her she’s taking her out to lunch and they are “expected”, pointing out a restaurant with the same name as her childhood best friend who’s a chef. There’s some back and forth about “wouldn’t it be funny if it was MY Freya’s? But no it couldn’t be!” And her aunt responding “oh yes it would be funny! Oh ok, it is, you caught me!” In the same paragraph. When she rushes off on an emergency text to see her family, and finds her aunt in casts, she asks what happened her aunt brushes her off with “oh I’m just clumsy, but how are you my dear?” And that conversation ends on “I’m fine.”

The narrative exposition is also off-putting. It felt inconsistent to the extreme, superfluous about somethings while frustratingly vague about others. The novel opens with the FMC, Jules, painting a vivid picture of the type of boss she has and her relationship with her. Then she quickly rushes off to her mom and aunt, but gives no context to her relationship or their personalities until we meet them. She then spends the next chunk of the book going into her childhood and relationships with them, reminiscing after every thing she sees. She also is surprised when she’s fired, when it’s literally what her boss said would happen on the first page, and she can’t decide whether she likes her job or not anyways.

The MCs themselves were not very likable either. Jules was self- disparaging while Roman was boastful, though neither came across in a humorous way that might have saved the narrative. What’s more is that I felt no chemistry between them in the few interactions I read despite both of them talking about finding the other attractive for years. There is also a family rivalry between the love interests (Romeo and Juliet retelling) but no one seems to know about it outside the families, and neither of the MCs seemed to know why it’s there.

Overall, I found nothing in this book that drew me in and made me want to keep going, which is a bummer as I love retellings, Romeo and Juliet, and romances.

A charming small-town story full of heart, books, and second chances.
I adored the cozy setting of Portneath and rooted for Jules from the very first page. The rivalry between the classic Capelthorne’s Books and the flashy new shop across the street added just the right amount of drama. Jules and Roman’s tension, history, and slow-burn chemistry made this even more enjoyable. If you love stories about saving bookshops, family legacy, and unexpected romance, this one’s for you!

The Battle of the book shops is a a fun easy read, falling in love with these characters was easy.
Jules is summoned by her Great Aunt Flo to help her out in the book shop while she’s recovering and in the process of doing that, across the street another book shop opened up and that’s where the battle begins.

The Capelthorne’s and the Montbeau’s have had a family feud so long that no one remembers why but it doesn’t ease the tension between them when the Montbeau’s open the new book shop in town who is trying to push the Capelthorne’s book shop out of business .

There is a lot of sweet and salty moments in this fun story but I definitely recommend it and to see the story between Jules and Roman unfold was perfection!
4 well done stars!

While the premise of a rival-to-lovers, independent bookstore owner Romeo and Juliet retelling was enticing, I was ultimately disappointed by this book.

In the first half of the book, I felt very little romantic tension between Jules and Roman and the plot moved very slowly. I was tempted to give up but, charmed enough by side characters like Flo and Charlie, I kept going. What followed felt like insta-love! I didn’t have enough context on why they fell in love with each other beyond some (lukewarm) physical attraction. We didn’t see them have any particularly heartfelt conversations or really discover each other’s personalities.

I also didn’t feel a significant emotional connection with Jules or Roman. Their individual arcs throughout the book felt lacking — they could have been explored more.

The saving grace of this book was the setting of the small English town, which I found quaint and delightful. I loved reading about the history of the witch trials in England and about the day-to-day life as a bookshop owner. Jules has some creative ideas to bring in more customers that I’d love to see at my local bookshop.

The ending was good, if predictable. The pacing at the end felt very slow and like the story dragged on a bit longer than it needed to, though.

I appreciate being given the opportunity by NetGalley and Avon to read this book early! Though it wasn’t for me, I hope it finds its audience.

Battle of the Bookshops by Poppy Alexander started out with a promising idea. I was expecting a present day You've Got Mail. It seemed a very charming storyline. However I had a few concerns that made it difficult to continue.

As another reviewer pointed out, the main character says that her boss treated her “request to leave an hour early on Friday to the category of heinous crimes equivalent to genocide”. I've had some toxic bosses myself but that kind of language is just too aggressive. Also, this happens on literally the first page of chapter 1, so it's not a great start.

The writing is all over the place. It seems every few sentences the characters are focusing on a different problem, without fleshing out the problem before it. Jule’s is fired but they're not ready for World Book Day, but wait yes they are, but… I just found the constant jumping around very distracting and did not help with pulling me into the story.

The Romeo & Juliet references were heavy handed for me. I'm all for referencing classic literature but this was just too much, and another distraction.

I chose not to continue the book after chapter 4 (16%). I was not connecting with the book for the reasons above. I do think the start could have possibly worked as a YA with some more editing, but I never got to the “romance” so I could not be sure.

Thank you, NetGalley, for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC.

I started reading and thought it would be similar to “You’ve Got Mail”. Many elements were indeed the same: pretty female associated with a small book shop, bigger bookstore opens with attractive male owner, main characters fall in love… Howwvee there were interesting twists, plus some added character development. Overall, it was an easy read and fairly enjoyable.

Great retelling of Romeo and Juliet, full of surprises, drama and great characters. The writing was strong and the story compelling. It seemed he loved her from the beginning, knowing the backstory of that traumatic night (for her) in high school, but it was a bit less clear why and when she fell in love. That could be filled in a bit more as it would be nice to know she fell for more than his beauty. Nevertheless, the drama they went through, the family history they fought and the resolution were all well done!

Initially, I anticipated that "The Battle of the Bookshops" by Poppy Alexander would not meet my expectations, primarily due to its perceived similarity to the narrative of Romeo and Juliet. However, the storyline proved to be unexpectedly charming, offering a more expansive narrative than initially anticipated. Furthermore, Aunt Flo emerged as a particularly endearing character. I extend my gratitude to NetGalley.

From the synopsis I thought it was going to be an exciting read. Sadly it disappointed me. I could see the potential of the story but it fell flat for me. I did enjoy the concept of the rival families in a small town, but even that felt like it was lacking luster for me. I did finish the book and was left unsatisfied. Sadly this just isn't a book for me.
Also thank you Avon and Harper Voyager Publishing & NetGalley for the ARC!

This is what I want in a contemporary romance! It was such a fun, kick your feet read. The literary references were delightful and I enjoyed the dynamic between both main characters.