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.

First I want to thank Avon & Harper Voyage & NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I ended up having to DNF because I felt as though I couldn’t connect with the characters at all. The idea of this book was super cute, and I was really hoping that I would be able to enjoy it. I also got very confused with the writing style and felt that since I couldn’t get a grasp on that in the beginning that I truly wasn’t going to be able to continue reading. That being said I definitely hope to come back at some point to continue reading this book, and hopefully change my review.

Ooh yeah, I’m DNFing.

This was so disappointing. The idea of it was cute. But why am I 50% thru almost and we’ve had little to no interaction with the MMC. The writing style threw me off from the very beginning. This author seems to enjoy using very big words that I bet only 2% of people know. I had no real connection to the FMC besides the fact that we share physical characteristics. I just feel like this had so much potential and yet I was just sitting here reading a scene about someone else’s wedding in the book and I’m like?? What happened to the plot?? Why are we here? There is no battle going on really. And the Romeo and Juliet references are killing me. It’s TOO MUCH. I’m almost 50% thru and I feel like the story has gone absolutely no where. Part of me wants to keep going but the part of me that wants to DNF has won bc I just don’t want to waste my time.

Sorry.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC. The first part of the book shoved the Romeo and Juliet stuff at you and I found it unnecessary. Cute story, could have been more. Suddenly they were together and it was almost like, how did this happen? From random kisses to a few coffees to love? I did love Aunt Flow and the grumpier stories. It’s a fine book.

This book was an interesting read! It is about Jules and how her great aunt Florence has a bookstore that is not doing so well. Jules takes it upon herself to save aunt Flo's bookstore all while there is a rival bookstore across the street. There were so many mentions of Romeo and Juliet, which was nice. This was a great read and I recommend it to those who like Romeo and Juliet because you will definitely like this book!

Thank you to Netgalley for giving me a digital copy of this book to review!

This one was a fairly quick and easy read. The characters were likable and quirky. However, I felt like there was a lot of extra "fluff" that was not necessary. Overall 3.5 starts!

Thank you Netgally and Harper Voyager for the ARC of this novel!

This was a Romeo and Juliet retelling that started a little too on the nose for me. With characters named Roman Montbeau and Julia Capelthorne, it was a little too cringy for my liking. There was a lot more focus on the bookshops aspects rather than their romance. The first half of the book I feel like they barely spent time together, or at least barely that the reader gets to see, and suddenly they are calling eachother their best friend and that you love them. There was very little dialogue and most things happened and we were just told about them, a lot of "telling", rather than "showing". I feel like we missed out on a few really important scenes! The ending felt rushed and too easily resolved. I just wanted a little more from it.
To me, the writing felt a lot like Pumpkin Spice Cafe. It was a quick, easy read, but definitely not a book that is up my alley.

A sweet romance that made me happy. A new author to me and a good romance. I will be reading more of this author.

I really wanted to like this book more than I did. I love bookshops and small towns and whatnot … but, boy, was the writing heavy-handed about the Romeo-and-Juliet bits. It was exhausting. Very much the opposite of show-don’t-tell. I also thought the dialogue between Jules and Roman was particularly weak.

I loved great-aunt Flo and Charlie. But none of the other characters were fully developed or very engaging.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.