Battle of the Bookstores

What I loved most was how the story celebrates indie bookstores and the magic of reading. Josie’s uptight passion for “serious” literature and Ryan’s warm, inclusive love for romance novels create such a perfect (and hilarious) opposites-attract dynamic. Their banter is sharp, and the dual POV lets you root for both as they challenge each other’s biases.

The book also incorporates thoughtful representation of dyslexia, disability, and diverse identities. It's a sweet, slow-ish burn romance with a couple of open-door scenes.

Overall, this was a cozy, heartwarming read that left me smiling. If you love bookish romances, witty rivals, or just want to curl up with a story that feels like a love letter to bookstores, grab this one!

This book is such a love letter to indie bookstores and to books of all kinds. Josie and Ryan each manage indie bookstores separated by the local coffee shop. Their store and their reading tastes could not be more different: Ryan runs Happy Endings, an eclectic romance only cozy store,with a colorful staff. Josie runs Tabula Inscripta, a very literary, pin neat bookstore by herself. When the owner of the building that houses all three businesses decides to combine them into one store, they are shocked. Especially since he declares that only one of them will be the manager, and to decide their fate they must compete for sales for the next few months, most profitable store wins.
The authors throw every possible trope against these two, show more mixes in a little Nora Ephron, and serves up a delightful story. It celebrates reading, romance, literature, booksellers, found family, and being yourself- even when you’re afraid.
**Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book.** show less

📚For Fans of:
- rivals to lovers
- bookstore owners
- no third act breakup
- booktok references
- Contemporary romance
- workplace romance

⭐️ 4.25 True Rating
✏️ Spoiler-Free Review

This book was a cute rivals to lovers romance plot that I enjoyed a lot more than I though I would! It was never too cheesy or overly obvious. It’s not a thriller, so it’s not like the plot was a shock, but I did enjoy both of the characters since she felt realistic and he felt like the ultimate book-boy.

Also I love that there are little book tropes and book name drops in conversations and thoughts. It was fun to hear/read references about books I’ve read or heard about, both recent books and classics!

I would definitely read another book by this show more author and you should too if you’re looking for a banter-filled, cute and cozy read. show less

Two bookstore managers are pitted against each other when the owner decides to combine the stores into one. Josie manages a literary fiction bookstore, while Ryan manages a romance bookstore. They agree that the stores should not be combined, but they are forced to show profits to be considered for the new position. Josie and Ryan both lament their troubles on an online book forum, not realizing they are messaging each other.
As Josie and Ryan work together, their attraction is obvious. When Ryan realizes they are each other's friend on the forum, he worries it will ruin their relationship.
This is a really cute story and I liked how the author handled Josie's reaction when Ryan admitted that he was the online friend.

One of my favorite trope enemies to lovers, yet friends to lovers. What i thought was different is that Ryan was the sunshine and Josie was the grump. I loved that Ryan was all about the romance books, it gave us the perception of a man.
Over all super cute story. Slow burn. The style of the writing was great, i love when there is texting conversations written into the book.

You’ve Got Mail is my favorite Nora Ephron movie and this lovely story didn’t disappoint. I loved the reverse roles and twisted tropes for the romance book store.

This books starts out slow, but gets better as the book progresses.