I loved this! A hint of modern Romeo and Juliet, enemies to lovers romance. I loved all the characters. The banter between the two main characters was great. I was really intrigued with the hidden grimore and the lore behind it. Wish there was a story just about that.

This was a fun and light cozy read. A bit slow, but still enjoyable.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager | Avon for this book. ~I was given this book and made no commitments to leave my opinions, favorable or otherwise~

This was cute and quick. I don't feel super connected to the main characters, but liked their banter and interactions. This hit very middle ground for me. Good!

The Battle of the Bookshops was a lighthearted cozy read, however, the pacing felt slow. While the setting was charming, at times it was hard to stay engaged.

I received an ARC copy of The Battle of the Bookshops by Poppy Alexander just in time – I really needed a sweet and light story. This was my first book by Poppy Alexander and it is a very loose retelling of Romeo & Juliet, which mostly read like a retelling of You’ve Got Mail (which is a retelling of Pride and Prejudice, which is starting to get weird with all the retellings…)

Jules Capelthorne and Roman Montbeaut both belong to families that have been at war for centuries and no one remembers why anymore. When Jules comes home to Portneath to help run her great-aunt’s bookstore after she falls ill, she has to deal with a long neglected business that has new competition. Roman has just opened a slick new modern bookstore right across the street and the competition is on.

This was a quick and fun cozy story and I happily got lost in the pages for a few days. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my free copy, this is scheduled to be released in August of 2025.

This read was okay. I couldn’t get into the characters story line and didn’t really understand why she lost her job. More character development could help.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy to honestly review.

A fun, light read based on Romeo and Juliet. Jules leaves her job in the publishing industry and comes home to make her great-aunt's bookshop's 100th birthday celebration a success. The shop is run down and close to bankruptcy. The owner of the property is Roman Montbeau, the son of a wealthy family that has long feuded with Jule's family. Roman opens a bookshop directly across from Jules's store. So the battle of the bookshops begins.

I was not rooting for the main character's to get together. The romance didn't seem to be very fleshed out, with the guy, Roman's seemingly main feature being being hot. Also, his bookstore poaching business and knowing that he would be putting her aging aunt who was experiencing a medical crisis out of a place to live? I did not understand how either of those things could be at all moved past. Frankly, Flo (the aunt, and my favorite character other than the cat, Merlin and Charlie the very cool volunteer) deserved better than her bookstore being taken over by this other family. Even if it technically stayed in the family due to a technicality of Roman and Jules getting married. If they hadn't though, then the other family would have just kept it, and the Capelthorne's would've just been screwed over.

* I want to start by thanking the author and publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book. A little slow but overall I liked it.

The Battle of the Bookshops by Poppy Alexander is a delightful and charming contemporary romance that centers around the love and rivalry between two independent bookshop owners. The story follows Rosie, who is fiercely determined to save her family's bookshop, and Jack, the owner of a competing bookshop with his own set of dreams and challenges. Poppy Alexander's writing is engaging and full of heart, creating a vibrant and cozy atmosphere that book lovers will adore. The characters are well-drawn, with Rosie and Jack's banter and chemistry providing plenty of enjoyable moments. Their journey from rivals to potential lovers is filled with humorous and heartfelt scenes, making their relationship feel authentic and relatable. The novel beautifully explores themes of community, passion for books, and the importance of following one's dreams. It also highlights the challenges faced by small businesses and the impact of personal connections. The supporting characters, including quirky townspeople and loyal friends, add depth and warmth to the story.

This book is a parody of Romeo and Juliet and since it’s about bookshops…compare it to the movie “You’ve Got Mail”.
You get the idea, not too original in my opinion.
Two battling bookshops, one old and one new, one with Jules Capelthorn and the other owned Roman Montbeau. A rival turned friendship turned love.

I vividly remember enjoying The Littlest Library by the author which I read as an ARC so I'll admit I had some expectations from this one. Unfortunately, I found the pacing to be extremely slow and wasn't feeling it at all. The characters didn't interest me much and neither did the dialogue. As a book lover I was very excited for both MCs to be bookworms and maybe bond over that, but I didn't see that even as parts of their character building.

This book felt VERY British Women’s fiction- which isn’t bad, it’s just a very specific vibe. It didn’t really make sense to me for Jules to overlook what was going on to date Roman. Also there was SO much focus on saving the bookstore and the grimoire they found that the romance was almost a tiny side story. I’m also realizing I’m just not a huge fan of stories written in third person, it makes it really hard to connect to the characters. I did love the descriptions of the book shop and as a sucker for Romeo and Juliet the crossover was fun- especially the authors use of specific words from the original play “enmity” to name one

The Battle of the Bookshops
by Poppy Alexander
Pub Date: August 19, 2025
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
A charming literary-themed novel about a young woman determined to save her great-aunt’s beloved bookshop from extinction by the shiny new competition—which also happens to be run by the handsome son of her family’s rivals.
This was an enjoyable quick read. I wanted to read this book because I love a good enemies-to-lovers romance especially when rival bookstores come into play. While I enjoyed this book overall, I did struggle with the pacing. At times the story seems very slow. I loved the moments between Jules, her Aunt Flo and Charlie and I greatly enjoyed the side story about their distant relative. This was the first Romeo and Juliet retelling I have picked up and I found that element of the story to be really delightful. It was fun to see all the little references to it throughout the story.
Good book but Alexander has better ones.

I’m really sad I didn’t love this! It was too much Romeo and Juliet, and frankly it delved too deeply in the retelling and the “lore” behind it all that I didn’t really see who the characters were. I didn’t feel like I could connect with them in any large sense and frankly their “hatred” seemed so flimsy for an enemies to lovers. I do love a good bookshop competition situation but I didn’t love this one.

I love Poppy's book, and this delivers just the same...it is a delightful and uplifting story with plenty of love, life, and beauty. I found myself waiting to read it every night!! The writing is great, believable and captivating. I just wish she could write more!!!

This was a very well written joy of a read! Learning about the Capelthorne and Montbeau family fued was highly entertaining. This is a very sweet book about two people overcoming their family stigma and meeting one another were they are at. Not to mention their love of books and bookshops in particular. This was very engaging and the family dynamics were well rounded and not just a typical nuclear family. That representation matters!

Poppy Alexander's The Battle of the Bookshops is a charming and cozy read, perfect for anyone who loves books, small towns, and a touch of heartwarming romance. It's a story about family, history, and the power of community, all set against the backdrop of a delightful bookshop rivalry.

Jules Capelthorne returns to her seaside hometown of Portneath to help her great-aunt Florence save Capelthorne's Books, a beloved but struggling shop facing its hundredth anniversary. Things are worse than Jules imagined: the shop is near bankruptcy, the lease is expiring, and the owner of the property, Roman Montbeau, is opening a flashy new bookstore directly across the street. To make matters worse, Roman is the son of the family's long-time rivals, and Jules has less-than-fond memories of him from childhood.

What I truly enjoyed about this book is that it's more than just a rivalry story. It's about the rich history of Capelthorne's Books, which unfolds as a university student, Charlie, begins cataloging their secondhand collection. His research uncovers a fascinating connection to Jules's ancestors, adding a layer of depth and intrigue to the narrative.

The Battle of the Bookshops is a cozy rom-com at its finest. The story is filled with witty banter, lighthearted misunderstandings, and a sweet, clean romance that will leave you with a warm feeling. Even the "conflicts" are handled with a gentle touch, making this a perfect escape from the stresses of everyday life. In a world that often feels overwhelming, this book offers a much-needed dose of comfort and joy.

Alexander's writing is engaging and the characters are endearing. Jules is a relatable and determined heroine, while Roman, despite his initial "insufferableness," proves to be more complex than he seems. The supporting characters, including Charlie and Great-Aunt Florence, add to the charm of the story.

This book is a delightful celebration of independent bookstores and the magic they hold. It's a reminder that sometimes, the best way to fight for what you love is with a little creativity, a lot of heart, and maybe even a touch of friendly competition. Four stars. I'm already looking forward to Poppy Alexander's next book!

If I'm being so real, there is very little to this book. It's a play-to-page Romeo & Juliet retelling, but it's also self-aware in the sense that the characters are constant comparing the main couple to Romeo & Juliet and quoting the play. Similarly to the Bard's version, the romance felt rushed in this and very surface level. I enjoyed the experience of reading it, but that's probably because I haven't read in a hot second. I binged this one, and it's definitely quick and readable, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend as the best of romance.

The book follows Jules and Roman who are star crossed lovers in the manner of Romeo and Juliet. Jules is working to keep her family book store, Capelthornes, in business while Roman, who hales from a wealthy family, opens a book store directly across the street from Capelthornes. Although the concept for this book was really creative, I didn't really enjoy it. I felt like I didn't know the characters very well and they felt boring and one-dimentional. Overall, the plot dragged in quite a few places, and I had a hard time finishing the book.