This book was so cute! I read it a few weeks ago and am still thinking about it--the main characters had great banter. Battle of the Bookstores is fun and lighthearted, and has well fleshed out characters that really make the book stick with you. I'll definitely be recommending this to romance readers in my life.

What happens when the owner of a building pits 2 booksellers against each other? You just might have a bit of drama, walls breaking down and maybe even the sought after HVE. One of the best books I have read in awhile!

I think objectively this is a good book and we have patrons who will want to read it. I personally didn't enjoy it as much as other enemies to lovers romances.
I didn't really like this enemies to lovers relationship. As a librarian and book lover myself, I enjoyed that the premise was about two competing bookstores and bookstore owners, but I didn't enjoy the relationship and it felt a bit flat at times; I had a tough time feeling invested in the relationship between the two characters.

Advanced Book Review! Thank you Berkley and Netgalley for sending me this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
I recently finished reading all of Ali Brady’s backlist books, which are more women’s fiction about friendships, with romance on the side. Battle of the Bookstores is their first full romance novel (other than their recent holiday novella).
“Rivalry and romance spark when two bookstore managers who are opposites in every way find themselves competing for the same promotion.”
This really was a love letter to indie bookstores. I do feel sometimes that there was a lot of “inside baseball” with the talk of book tropes and ARCs and literary name dropping. You basically have to know the book world to understand a lot of the references. I liked how each of the main characters had a more serious events in their past, which did give the book greater depth.
Ali Brady chose for the male main character, Ryan, to manage the romance bookstore and be passionate about romance novels, while Josie, the female main character, prefers literary fiction in her store. Because it was probably a bit unexpected, I thought it was a great choice to demonstrate that books don’t need to be gendered and people should read what they like and what resonates with them.
I can definitely see the similarities to When Harry Met Sally, my favourite romcom. I loved that there was a side character named Nora (Nora Ephron wrote When Harry Met Sally), and other references that fans of the movie will definitely pick up on.
I was excited for this book but it didn’t quite measure up for me to their previous books. Overall, I love Ali Brady’s writing and I was engaged but I did think it was too long, too sexually explicit in certain places that felt like they were kind of trying too hard in their first romance novel, and too many literary references that may not age well and that not everyone will understand.

I look forward to seeing what Ali Brady writes next.

3.5 stars rounded down to 3 stars.

*Battle of the Bookstores* by Ali Brady is a charming, enemies-to-lovers romance set in the heart of Boston. Josie, the serious literature lover, and Ryan, the laid-back romance bookstore manager, are forced into a rivalry when their stores are merged under new ownership. The sparks fly as they clash over competing events, but their chemistry is undeniable.

What makes this book so fun is not only their banter and growing attraction, but also the twist of them unknowingly connecting through an online book forum. The story beautifully balances humor, heart, and a slow-burn romance, making it a perfect read for fans of witty dialogue and bookstore settings. With a delightful mix of competition and love, *Battle of the Bookstores* is a heartwarming, feel-good story you won’t want to put down. Highly recommend!

What an amazing read from Ali Brady! Battle of the Bookstores is the perfect bookish romance complete with tons of references to literary knockouts. I loved following Ryan and Josie's story and their competing bookstores and I never wanted to stop reading because I just wanted the best for both of them. I highly recommend this one! Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Josie and Ryan are both bookstore owners on the same Boston street - she specializes in literary fiction and his store is focused on romance in all its forms. But when the owner of both stores decides to consolidate and keep only one manager, the competition between the two to be the one left standing becomes fierce. Each turns to a friend in an online book community for support and solace - only they don't realize that the person they're talking to is the same person they're fighting against. To make matters worse, both of them are starting to develop real feelings for their online counterpart. So what happens when each of them realize that they've been falling for their enemy? And how will the decision to keep only one as manager complicate things?

I love a good reverse grumpy/sunshine and this one delivered. Josie isn't quite grumpy but she's buttoned up and exacting and she has few friends and is still dealing with some past traumas. Ryan is outgoing and friendly, beloved by his staff and his family, but he also feels like he doesn't quite measure up to his superstar brothers. My biggest complaint was the landlord/owner who I felt was too much like a caricature of the ruthless businessman. But overall a cute book with lots of fun nods to those of us in the book business.

Overall: 4/5
Spice: 1.5/3

This book had ALL my favorite things. Enemies to lovers, books about books, and bookstores (my fave place) and a You've Got Mail retelling. This reminded me so much of another holiday book favorite "The Mistletoe Motive" because of all the sweet pining, angst, and slow-burn. Good things come to those who wait so this really made the book for me, seeing the journey these two leads go on to find each other at the end.

There were two "bookstore" romances when I was looking through arcs to request, and I'm glad I picked this one. <3

A definite add to our collection!

Ryan and Josie are very different booksellers. Josie runs Tabula Inscripta, the literary fiction bookstore that sells doorstopper tomes. Ryan runs Happy Endings, an all-romance shop.

A businessman buys the building housing both bookstores and decides to turn it into one, non-specialized bookstore. One store means one manager, so he pits Josie and Ryan against each other in a sales competition that will determine which one gets to keep their job.

The competition forces the two booksellers to communicate with each other and sparks fly as they acknowledge and appreciate the other's retail strengths.

Writing team Ali Brady does a great job of creating characters who have depth and complement each other.

Josie is who I want to be when I grow up and Ryan is one of my favorite book boyfriends! They need a sequel romance book

Rounding this up to a 4.5 stars. I absolutely loved Battle of The Bookstores! This is an absolutely delightful romance with the perfect mix of wit, steam, emotion and romantic tension. Ryan and Josie are each incredibly likable main characters who are figuring out life and love in a very honest and raw way. I loved the supporting cast and found family as well. I know romance lovers will eat this up, and I think it would be a good choice for someone who is not necessarily a regular romance reader too. Loved the references to so many great books weaved throughout the story. This was definitely a thoughtful and tender love letter to indie bookstores and booksellers.

Sweet book, similar to " You've Got Mail" and "The Shop Around the Corner". Characters were likable and you wanted them to have a HEA. Nice amount of spice and loved that the male character was the Romance Reader. As a bookseller, I was charmed.

Bookstore Rivalry is a charming romance about Josie, a serious bookstore manager, and Ryan, a laid-back romance shop manager, who are forced to compete for a promotion after their stores merge. Their rivalry heats up, but they also secretly connect online as anonymous friends. As their personal and online tensions grow, they discover that love might be the biggest surprise of all. This witty, heartwarming read is perfect for fans of opposites-attract romances with a bookstore setting.

Josie and Ryan each manage a bookstore on the same street in Boston. Josie specializes in literary fiction whereas Ryan’s store focuses solely on romance. When the owner of both stores decides that he is combining them and he only needs one manager, he proposes a competition between the two managers to see who can do the best on profits over the summer. Josie and Ryan have completely different styles and they clash repeatedly, despite a growing attraction between them. They each find comfort in chatting online with a supportive friend they found in a bookseller forum. Little do they know that they are actually chatting with each other! They might just find their own version of enemies-to-lovers.

This was a joyful and fun read to end the year. I loved the way the authors incorporated so many of the topics of debate in the book community into their novel. Josie tends to look down on romance books as not really being serious books that are worth reading, whereas Ryan feels that literary fiction is bleak, depressing and joyless. However, they eventually come to understand each other and find something of value in the other person’s choices and approach. Their connection through the online chat allowed them to be vulnerable and open with each other without the pressure and high stakes of personal interaction. There was also a liberal dose of spice without it being too much for me. If you are looking for a feelgood read and a mildly spicy romance then you can’t go wrong with this one.

Loved this book!! I thought that this was such an interesting take on the regular grumpy x sunshine trope, which the author really brought to life through the characters, Josie and Ryan. I have to say, the lead up really was worth it!! I couldn’t get enough of the ending. What a true HEA :)

Battle of the Bookstores
By: Ali Brady
Pub date: June 3, 2025
Publisher: Berkley

5📕📕📕📕📕
When two bookstore managers learn their stores are being merged together with a coffee shop things heat up. Josie sells serious books and Ryan’s sells romance books. The owner decides to make it a competition based on sales alone leaving only one manager position.
They are complete opposites.

Little do they know they are sharing their lives with each other in an online book forum.

I could NOT put this book down and it was so much fun. When you talk to someone one online with no plans to meet you can be transparent. Will they end up meeting? The chemistry is there and will they discover more than they ever knew and not get lost in pre conceived emotions?

Thank you @alibrady and Berkley for the chance to read this fun novel. This team of authors/friends always gives us books we cannot put down.
#battleofthebookstores, #alibrady, #berkley, #booklovers, #bookreview, #stamperlady50

This is every romcom and book lover's dream story. The book is a modern (and spicy!) adaptation of Nora Ephron's You've Got Mail, so any fan of those 90s romcoms will adore this nod to the films. The story follows two bookstore managers competing for a promotion, but they're unaware they chat on a book-lovers platform. This trope is opposites attract, enemies-to-lovers, and it was a fun read. Thanks to netgalley for the arc!

I really tried, but this is too on the nose. Not only are authors’ names dropped like pennies in a wishing fountain, but the characters are so flat and prone to misunderstandings.
Maybe if I wasn’t a bookseller myself I’d find this less cringey, but this is a “no” from me.

Love the homage to You’ve got Mail, one of my favorite movies. The tension and chemistry between the characters was great up until they actually decided to become lovers. Spicy scenes were okay, not great and I just didn’t buy into them as a couple as much as I did enemies and even friends. Still a very cute story and would rec it to anyone.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for providing this book, with my honest review below.

Battle of the Bookstores played on any book lover’s fantasy of running their own bookstore (or is it just me?) with similarities to the You Got Mail, but with a modern take with a book forum vs. email.

Josie and Ryan manage bookstores separated by a coffee shop, with all owned by a not so great guy. You’d think those models couldn’t work but Josie’s book shop focuses on higher brow literature and Ryan’s on romance. The bookstores reflect their managers personalities in many ways as well. The owner decides to consolidate bookstores with the coffee shop, setting up a contest for the most profitable manager to take over the single business. Some little curve balls to keep the plot moving are that Josie and Ryan are both part of a book forum where they are unknowingly besties, both have some darker elements to their pasts that make their bookstores personal salvations, and both detest each other up to this point (remember they don’t know they’re book forum besties).

I enjoyed the shenanigans both get into, though there were times the story dragged a bit. Something that started to distract me as well, Ryan seemed unrealistic. I really began to suspect Ryan may have been a Rowena in a early draft because of how he was written. Perhaps it’s his upbringing given he has the polar opposite brother, or maybe it was a heavy handed attempt meant to show the difference with his brother more starkly, but while this didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the story I found myself distracted more and more trying to figure it out. Maybe just me?

If you enjoy enemies to lovers and want to further the fantasy of running a bookstore, Battle of the Bookstores is a good book to get into.