Thank you to @alibradybooks @berkleypub @berkleyromance @netgalley for the #gifted e-book.

This is my first novel by these authors, but it certainly won’t be my last.

In a charming neighborhood, Josie and Ryan each run their own bookstores on the same street. When the owner decides to merge their beloved shops, they find themselves in a fierce competition for the coveted manager position. Both harbor deep insecurities that come to the surface as their rivalry intensifies. Unbeknownst to them, however, they've already forged a connection as friends in an online community forum. What starts as a battle of wits and will becomes an unexpected journey from enemies to friends—and ultimately to lovers.

This heartwarming romance is a delightful exploration of love and vulnerability. Josie and Ryan grapple with their own fears while passionately defending their favorite book genres. The palpable chemistry between them is undeniable from their very first encounter, only deepening as they navigate their complex relationship. I particularly enjoyed the witty banter during their competition, which added an engaging layer to the story. The dual points of view invite readers into their innermost thoughts, revealing their fears and desires.

What makes this story even more special is its homage to indie bookstores—the magic of literature, the challenges of running a bookstore, and the powerful sense of community that comes from a shared love of reading.

If you’re searching for a sweet, captivating story that will ensnare your heart and keep you hooked until the very last page, look no further.

📚battle of the bookstores📚
rating: 4.75⭐️

🍰ARC provided by NetGalley🍰

okay— if you guys know me, you know i’m not a big fan of romance books. however, this book was so much more than that to me. i loved this book.

essentially, two bookstore managers have to compete against each other as the owner of the two stores are combining the store and needs to determine who will continue as a manager. it’s a cute rivals to lovers book and i found it wildly realistic and simultaneously beautiful and endearing.

each character is lead with purpose & backstory. even side characters hold growth in the story. there was enough drama to keep me entertained and enough sweet moments to keep me cozy. i loved this book & kept wanting to pick it up despite my busy week. there’s some spice but it’s pretty minimal.

i love the way the author connects us with these characters and i definitely recommend this book! this book definitely defied my expectations!!

publishing 06/03/2025✨✨

The concept was cute, but the writing style wasn't for me. I couldn't get past the first 50 pages, and the modern-day references kept pulling me out of the book. As much as I adore booktok, bookstagram, and booktube, seeing multiple social media references in books makes me enjoy them less.

This book was so cute! With bookstore owners falling in love as the overall premise, you know I was already sold. And the characters were just amazing. I loved reading and seeing their relationship grow, while also battling that hidden identity and the "you don't know who i am, but i know who you are". This made my enemies-to-lovers heart very happy!
Thanks NetGalley and berkley.publicity@penguinrandomhouse.com :)

Thank you, #BerkleyPartner, @Berkleyromance, and @netgalley for my #gifted (free) copy.

BATTLE OF THE BOOKSTORES by @alibradybooks. Pub date 6/3/25.

I read this book as slow as I possibly could because I did not want it to end. This book brought all the feels of walking into an #indiebookstore and browsing the isles and smelling the smell of fresh books. I loved all the nods of other books and authors throughout this book, and I actually added a couple to my wishlist. ALL #booklovers are going to love this one, and the romance was top-notch and so delicious! Pro-order and add this to your TBR list because this is a must-read 5-star romance!

Ryan is the manager of Happy Endings, a bookstore that sells only romance. Just two doors down in between a coffee shop, Josie is the manager of Tabula Inscripta, a bookstore that focuses on literature. When the owner of both stores decides to merge the two stores together, there will only be a need for one manager. The manager will be decided by who turns the most profit over the summer. Ryan and Josie both have their work cut out for them, and may the best man or lady win!

I want to throw all the stars at this one!!! An amazing book! I laughed, I cried, I adored it! Not only do I love the characters and the story but the name dropping was awesome! And by that, I mean books. So many books and authors mentioned. It was like being in the know on the inside jokes. There were even a few that I hadn’t heard of and had to add to my TBR. Also followed some more authors.
So huge thanks to NetGalley and berkley.publicity@penguinrandomhouse.com

This was actually super cute. Had some mixed feelings getting into it, but then I couldn't put it down.

This is very "You've Got Mail"-esque which I love. There were some tropes that went a different way then I was expecting, which was super refreshing. I enjoyed the writing and some of the banter we got. I would've liked to have gone a little deeper with some of the side characters, but they were still enjoyable. Josie took a bit to grow on me, but seeing her change and grow for the better was nice to see. I loved Ryan right from the beginning and he truly is *chef's kiss." I did skim over some things, but that is just personal preference. Overall, I really liked the book!

This was everything I would ever want in a romance book. Alison and Bradeigh are a powerhouse duo, and I will read anything they write together and individually. Full review to come!

This really is a book for book lovers and fans of indie bookstores. Definitely giving “You’ve Got Mail” vibes. While being quite enjoyable, there were so many cliches, puns, and literary references, it was almost too much for me. I did love the diverse reading preferences highlighted throughout the book. I think this book will be well loved by library patrons.

Battle of the Bookstores by Ali Brady is a book lover’s dream—equal parts swoony romance, fierce competition, and pure bookish joy. If you’ve ever imagined what You’ve Got Mail would be like with indie bookstore managers (and way more spice), this one is for you.

Josie Klein and Ryan Lawson are total opposites. Josie’s all about structure, serious literature, and a well-run store. Ryan thrives on chaos, charm, and romance novels. When their two very different bookstores are forced to merge, they’re thrown into a summer-long competition to see who can turn the most profit—because only one of them will get to stay on as manager. Cue the delicious workplace rivalry, the competitive event-planning, and the kind of tension that practically crackles off the page.

But what makes this story extra fun? Josie and Ryan have unknowingly been confiding in each other on an anonymous book forum, forming a deep connection online while bickering like enemies IRL. Watching them slowly piece things together is such a satisfying slow-burn moment, and their chemistry is chef’s kiss.

This book is packed with banter, high-stakes romance, and enough bookish references to make any reader swoon. If you love rivals-to-lovers, forced proximity, anonymous online friendships, and plenty of bookstore magic, Battle of the Bookstores is the perfect read. It’s clever, heartwarming, and a total love letter to romance (both the genre and the feeling).

If you like You've Got Mail you have to check out this adorable and funny romance!

Josie and Ryan are managers of two bookstores that just have a coffeeshop in between them. Josie's bookstore focuses more on literary fiction and Ryan's is romances all the way. When Xander comes and buys the two bookstores and coffeeshop determined to combine them, he pits Josie and Ryan against each other to compete for who will become the new manager. As they compete, little do they know they both are talking to each other anonymously online on a book shop forum.

This book was so stinking cute and has great appeal to any romance lover. Josie is super relatable in her outward rigidness that is actually because of her inward self image. And Ryan is a dream, I mean who doesn't love a man who loves romances. The rivalry makes sense for the most part and is more about them judging each other without knowing details than fully being mean to each other. The online messaging as anonymous pen pals is a cute touch and further emphasizes you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. The ending felt a bit rushed to me but overall a very fun entertaining read!

4.5 stars

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were well-matched, and I found myself being unable to decide which one of them I wanted to win the battle. I liked the atmosphere of the bookstores with a coffee shop in the middle (that would be a dream), and really liked the creative way the cast tried to solve their problem.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for an advanced reader copy of this book. This book is a romance book lover’s dream! Ryan and Josie are the managers of their own book stores, with completely different vibes and genres. They are told their stores will be merging and only one of them will be hired as the new manager, leaving the other one out of a job. They compete with each other and get on each others nerves, but both retreat to their online book lover forum where they anonymously, unknowingly talk to each other. This book was hilarious, emotional, and just a delight to read. The amount of cliches spun my head, but overall I enjoyed it and had a lot of fun with it!

Thank you NetGalley & Berkley for the galley! It felt so meta to read this book - reviewing it just like the main character reviews books for her store, and the little call-outs to the romance genre were perfect. I loved this book through and through - You've Got Mail is one of my favorite movies, and this book stuck to the spirit of the movie. I can't wait to get my hands on an actual copy when it's out!

A book for booklovers!! The perfect setting with two rivalry bookstores on the same street in the same town competing for customers. The enemies or rivals to lovers aspect of the story was so fun! Ryan works and manages a romance only bookstore. Next door Josie manages a generic more serious bookstore. A new owner decides to combine both bookstores and the coffee shop in between to make one place and one bookstore. The only issue is there can only be one manager. I just loved all the banter between Josie and Ryan. Their personalities were so opposite but really they had a lot in common especially their love for books. Josie and Ryan had both been communicating to a pen pal via an online forum. Not realizing they were talking to one another they both find comfort in this person. This book was fun, adorable and just a perfect book for all of us booklovers!

This book is cute in every essence of the word. I loved the contrast between the two bookstores by having one dedicated to literature and fiction and the other dedicated to all things romance. On top of that, the inclusivity in the romance bookstore hit it out of the park for me. It seems like a store that would have everything and cater to everyone, no matter what their preference is. As a librarian who didn't get into romance books until the last year, I felt like I identified with Josie with her literary preferences. Ali Brady does a fantastic job in portraying the high pressure and self criticism that a lot of women face when they're working. It's such a precarious balancing act and I understood the pressure that Josie put on herself throughout the book, as well as how hard it was to finally let go. Ryan might be one of my all time favorite MMC in a romance book. His temperament and empathetic nature made him so endearing, and quite frankly, his vulnerability made him incredibly attractive. I would definitely recommend Brady's book to anyone looking for a sweet story with a steady spicy buildup.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing for this eARC! In all the best ways, this gave me heavy You've Got Mail feelings and that mad me fall in love with it that much faster. I loved Josie being the dark and twisty cynical one and Ryan being the romance loving sincere one. I thought the reveal of their pen pal identities really satisfying and truly above all else their communication throughout was so refreshing and interesting to the story. Truly what a delight of read.

I had such a fun time reading Battle of the Bookstores by Ali Brady! This rivals-to-lovers rom-com had me hooked right from the start. Josie and Ryan, two bookstore managers on the same Boston street, couldn’t be more different, yet they find themselves in direct competition when their stores are merged. The stakes? A summer-long battle to see who can turn the most profit.

I loved the dynamic between the characters—Josie is all about structure and detail, while Ryan’s more laid-back and disorganized. Their differences create plenty of sparks, but there’s also a lot of chemistry, especially when they start connecting as anonymous friends on an online book forum. It’s a fun and unique twist on the classic workplace romance.

As a book lover and someone who works in a library, I can definitely appreciate the bookstore setting, and the way the author weaves in the rivalry and romance kept me entertained all the way through. I’m sure my patrons will love this one too, especially if they’re into enemies-to-lovers stories!

The Battle of the Bookstores was a cute story. Two booksellers (Ryan and Josie) are pitted against when the owner announces his plan to combine their 2 stores into one, engaging a net sales driven competition to win…their job. The bookseller whose store produces lower numbers is SOL. Unbeknownst to Ryan and Josie, their friend and confidante from the bookseller message board that they both frequent is none other than their rival in the Battle of the Bookstores.

Oddly enough, I read 2 ARCs at the same time with similar storylines. The settings were different, but both centered around discovering that the anonymous person they talked to online was someone they had real life connection to. Not a positive or negative — just a random observation. This one was compelling and I enjoyed the supporting characters. I wouldn’t mind learning more about Ryan and his brothers, and Josie/Georgia/their Mom.

Yall I’m going to be honest I’ve never read an Ali Brady book. But after finishing this amazing romance I will be checking out all her previous books. Before I do that back to the book in question the one I’m about to rave about for a few moments. I went into “Battle of the Bookstores” with very little expectations I was pitched as this is the book version of “You’ve Got Mail”. I could never pass that up, especially since “You’ve Got Mail” is one of my all time favorite romance movies. “Battle of the Bookstores” is perfect for anyone who loves reading. Doesn’t matter if your an avid book reader, a book dragon, or just a beginner. Fans of any genre will find something they can relate to within this story.

Being an avid book lover. This book spoke to me in a way that no other romance novel ever has. I loved the use of dual POVs— we have our MMC who loves romance books and have our MFC who prefers literary fiction—the reversal of the stereotype in who prefers which genre was fantastic and added depth and made it so unique.

I do have to admit at first I had a hard time relating to Josie. At times she comes off very cold and judgmental but her development throughout the book was a joy to discover. Then we have Ryan. (PS Ali I’d like my own personal Ryan thank you very much) I love this man. He seriously can do no wrong in my book. He was a joy to read about from beginning to end and I love how kind, patience and understanding he was with Josie throughout the entire story.

Overall, I cannot recommend this book enough. Please check this book out when it gets released later this June. Lastly big thank you to NetGalley & Berkley Publishing for allowing me to read and review this book.