Well well well, if it isn’t a battle between the battle-of-the-book-selling-establishment books this year. As soon as I noticed both Berkley and Avon were coming out with books with a similar title in 2025, I knew I had to read them both – especially because those titles include the word Battle. I mean, come on! They’re asking for it, right?
Berkley is up first, with Battle of the Bookstores by Ali Brady releasing June 3rd. The Battle of the Bookshops by Poppy Alexander (Avon) will be coming out August 19th. Keep your eyes peeled for that one too if you like a bookish romance!
Battle of the Bookstores seems to be loosely based around the plot of the Nora Ephron classic 90s film You’ve Got Mail. Josie and Ryan are both running bookstores right next to one another (with a coffee bar just between). The big corporate a**hole isn’t our male romantic lead though, it’s the guy who owns the whole strip of shops, and he’s consolidating. Who needs two bookstores when one, with a coffee bar inside, makes way more sense? One bookstore only needs one general manager, so Josie and Ryan are pitted against one another, competing for the job as construction begins and their two stores become one. There is also an online relationship element to the story reminiscent of the movie.
You may wonder how in the world two bookstores ended up literally next door to one another. I wonder the same thing. Both have long histories, though, and they are focused on different clientele. Ryan’s bookshop is focused on romance, while Josie’s is more literary fiction/high-brow literature. I guess that’s enough explanation for how this situation is possible at all? Maybe I’m forgetting a passage that explained that to a more satisfying degree, but I was left with the feeling that the whole premise was a bit of a stretch, and I hate that feeling.
Unfortunately, I have more gripes than just that, and maybe it was timing and the books I read before and after this (though I don’t think so), but this ended up as a two-point-five-star read for me. I’m just tired of the convenient set-up, instant inexplicable attraction, misunderstandings that take far too long to clear up for the sake of pacing and conflict…I could just see right through to the mechanics of this one, and I didn’t like it. I have one more spoiler-y but major complaint I will leave at the end of the review for those interested.
Now, the things I did like.
The characters. I thought Ali Brady did a great job with the two lead characters. Both of them have great backstories about how and why reading is so important to them and how they ended up where they are, and why they want to keep their jobs so badly. Besides the insta-attraction that bugged me, they have a lot of interactions that become meaningful and build a genuine connection between them, even though they’re rivals. They honestly didn’t need the hot and steamy thoughts while they actually didn’t like each other. There was plenty of opportunity for those to develop naturally. Sigh.
The writing itself was clear, enjoyable, and engaging. I’d love to read more books from Ali Brady, this one just felt too by-the-book and convenient. If you have a rec for me, please leave a comment so I know where (or if) I should start!
Now for the spoiler::
The last thing that rubbed me the wrong way was the online thing. At first, neither Ryan or Josie knows it is the other behind their bookish online friendship, but Ryan figures it out pretty quickly. Then he uses the online platform to find out more about Josie and…I don’t know…lead her on? Either way they’re forging this special emotional bond and she thinks it’s a whole ass other person but he knows it’s not. It was just wrong, and kind of creepy. If their roles were reversed and Josie was the one who knew and Ryan was basically pursuing a relationship with both Josie in-real-life and some online friend who had a genuine emotional connection – for the whole book – I think we’d all be uncomfortable.
Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Details
Title:: Battle of the Bookstores
Author:: Ali Brady
Genre:: Contemporary Romance
Publisher:: Berkley
Length:: 432 pages
Audio Length:: 12h
Audiobook Narrator:: Karissa Vacker & Bandon Francis
Published:: June 3rd, 2025
The Litertarian Rating:: 2-Stars
If you liked this book, check out…
Slow Burn Summer | Josie Silver
The Proposal Project | Donna Marchetti
Yin Yang Love Song | Lauren Kung Jessen
