Enemies to lovers YES PLEASE. I loved every second of this book I loved wonder when they would just love each other already. I was sucked in to see what the other would do to spite the other. The bookishness of the book at times felt like ALOT but it was still a great read.

3.5 rounded up to 4 stars ⭐️

First person would have easily pushed this to a 4 star read for me, but that's just a personal preference. I thoroughly enjoyed this story, it was fast paced and time flew when reading. I love the enemies to lovers/Friends to lovers trope! I liked the rivalries through the book, kept me completely hooked wanting to know what was going to happen next.

Thank you NetGalley & the publisher for the advanced copy of this book!

This is a cute enemies to lovers book centered around two book shop owners. I loved the idea of bringing Jane Austen into 2024. This took me a bit to get into but I did enjoy it.

An ultimate will they, won’t they book. Lexie isn’t sure and holds back, then she’s in but says something daft, so Sam is out. All of this brouhaha goes on with the backdrop of trying to save Lexie’s bookstore as competition and economic forces conspire against her. Sam and Lexie are cute although there is something Machiavellian about their rivalry and the competition didn’t strike me as very healthy for long term love!

This was…. not great.
first of all the book was waaay too long it could have been 100 pages less, we get a lot of repetition throughout every chapter (we get it you live in DC and you’re from england and you’re running your late grandmothers bookshop) and the internal monologue went on and on for pages at a time and contributed nothing to the story

the main character was so unbelievably annoying and full of self importance that i had to leave the book numerous times and come back to it. the mmc was so bland and has no personality whatsoever to the point where i wasn’t even batting for them to end up together.

there was also some extremely cringe and strange moments like when lexi basically just trauma dumps on sam that he should be glad his dad (who forced him into the business he didn’t want to be in) is alive because hers is dead??? what?? there’s also a weird part where he literally says “hello” to her boobs so.. there’s that.

anways i really didn’t enjoy this book went into it hoping it would make me laugh but i don’t even think i cracked a smile

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books Uk sending me this arc

When I start reading "Bookishly Ever After" I had a high hopes for a wild, enemies-to-lovers adventure, but I ended up feeling pretty underwhelmed.

The story kicks off with Lexi Austen, the owner of a quaint little bookshop, facing a ton of drama. Her dating life's a hot mess, and to top it all off, she's got Sam Dickens, her rival bookshop owner, breathing down her neck, trying to steal all her customers.

At first, I was totally on board for the drama. I mean, who doesn't love a good enemies-to-lovers storyline, right? But as the plot unfolded, things started feeling a bit off. Lexi's plan to win over Sam felt seriously shady. I mean, the poor guy's just come out of a messy breakup, and here she is, playing mind games with him. It just felt kind of wrong.

But hey, I get that not everyone's gonna feel the same way I do. If you're into the whole enemies-to-lovers thing and don't mind a bit of drama, you might actually enjoy this book. Who knows, it might just be the perfect guilty pleasure read for you.

So this book had everything I wanted, book lovers, enemies to lovers and slow burn. What it lacked was a believable chemistry between the two main characters and for a romance book, I just can't in good faith recommend this book. I thought this was going to be like Emily Henry's Book Lovers, but that is definitely a stretch.

I do love the cover though! And I firmly believe there is a right audience for this book, sadly, it just wasn't my cup of tea. I didn't feel the sparks fly.

This is my first book by this author, and I always read at least 2 books before deciding whether or not I want to continue reading books by a particular author.

I will not be posting this review on goodreads as I don't like to bash authors.

Thank you to netgalley, publisher and author for this arc in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Thank you, NetGalley and Avon for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a cute and simple book. Always a fan of books about book people/book lovers and this fits right in. It felt like reading a mix of The Hating Game and Book Lovers which I was a fan of. Some of the chemistry felt rushed/forced but in all, it was very light and fun.

Read if you like:
Enemies to lovers
Slow burn
Book lovers

Lexi and Sam are rival booksellers living in DC. When Sam’s success begins outpacing Lexi’s, she hatches a plan to throw him off his game by making him fall in love with her. I love the enemies to lovers trope and I love books about books but unfortunately this one fell flat for me. The bookish references felt heavy handed and redundant. I didn’t particularly like Lexi but more importantly, the chemistry between her and Sam was underwhelming. This book is written in the third person POV which doesn’t bother me but I know is problematic for readers.

Thank you to Avon Books UK and NetGalley for the ARC provided in exchange for my honest review.

The idea of this book stuck out to me because it sounded like something I would really enjoy. However, the book as a whole and the dialogue at times seemed off and didn't really flow. I did find myself getting a bit overwhelmed at times with the inner monologue of the main characters. I did enjoy the chemistry between the main characters was there and I loved the pop culture references. Overall, I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it.

2.5*

It was an okay read. There were some themes I liked (Austen v Dickens, rivals to lovers, etc.) but overall the characters, particularly the FMC felt quite childish. While I could relate in some ways, there were others where I felt we were worlds apart. I also wasn't a huge fan of the third-person narrative. However, that's not to say everyone would feel the same, so I'd say give it a go.

An enjoyable story, with likeable characters and a fun premise! I'm not very keen on 3rd-person-present, if I'm honest, so the narrative style wasn't quite to my taste - I find it a bit intrusive and distancing at the same time. And I wanted a bit more depth in the characterisation of Sam, in particular - it's never clear why opening a bookshop was his 'dream', and it was weird that Lexi never actually asked. That said, as a bookseller, I loved the setting - Pemberley Books was absolutely somewhere I could see myself working! - and the struggles Lexi had as someone not wholly 'of' her birth country, and slightly adrift as her DC support network grow up and ostensibly leave her behind, make her a very sympathetic protagonist. A fun read which is likely to appeal to Austen fans and book lovers who enjoy the enemies-to-lovers trope!

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon Books for allowing me to read this ARC.

Lexi Austen and Sam Dickens own rival bookstores in Washington DC, and in this book, we see them battle it out for the top spot on Capitol Hill.

Filled with delicious moments of cheekiness, flirtatious banter, and chemistry, this novel is sure to find immense popularity and success.

Bookishly Ever After is enriched by the consistent references to other romance books, such as The Hating Game, and Persuasion. The author's enthusiasm for the genre is obvious not only through these references, but also through her brilliant execution of an enemies to lovers romance.

really enjoyed this book, the characters were intriguing and the story was engaging. I'll look out for more by this author.

This story started promisingly, with an enemies-to-lovers, rival bookshop owners’ plot: And I do usually love books about books. Unfortunately, I couldn’t fathom the outlandish plan Lexi came up with to get ‘back’ at Sam for trying to make his business a success - it felt a little childish and unnecessarily manipulative; especially when he was quite nice to her initially. Unfortunately, the situation merely represents the issue that the majority of independent bookshops, and shops in general, are facing today. I didn’t particularly like Lexi at all, I couldn’t relate to her and so unfortunately this book was a miss for me. Thanks anyway to NetGallery and Avon books for allowing me to get an early copy of this book, which is out on 6th June 2024.

This isn't my usual type of book but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Loved the characters and the setting - bookshops ate my regular haunt and I'd love to own one so this book really resonated with me. More please Mia.

Title: Bookishly Ever After by Mia Page
Release Date: June, 6th, 2024

⭐️⭐️⭐️ Stars

Bookshop owner Lexi Austen finds herself facing multiple challenges, including a messy dating life and fierce competition from Sam Dickens, a rival bookstore owner determined to steal her customers. Drawing inspiration from classic literature, Lexi hatches a plan to turn their rivalry into romance. She invites Sam to a ball, takes him to a dance class, and finds herself falling for him despite their ongoing competition. As their relationship heats up, Lexi must navigate the complexities of both her beloved bookshop and her own heart.


The story starts slow, taking some time for me to engage. The protagonists, Lexi and Sam, come off as somewhat immature at times, and Lexi's motivations for her actions remain unclear. The narrative also suffers from occasional issues such as disjointed conversations and unclear narration style, switching between first and third person. The timeline feels inconsistent, lacking fluidity between chapters, and the ending feels abrupt.

Despite these drawbacks, the book offers some enjoyable elements and incorporates appealing tropes, making it a fun read overall.

Tropes:

Rivals to Lovers
Miscommunication
Slow Burn Romance
Bookish

Thank you to the publisher Avon Books UK | Avon,The Author Mia Page & NetGalley for an advanced reader copy (ARC) in exchange for my honest review.

Bookishly Ever After is a sweet, heartfelt romance about two bookshop owners, Sam and Lexi, who are slightly bitter rivals but of course they’re attracted to each other.

I loved the set up for the book, and I had a great time relating to Lexi’s thoughts about how everyone else talks very differently from British people, especially the banter. She was very relatable. Sadly, the book wasn’t quite for me. Part of it is that it’s written in third Person which I don’t rent do like in romances. That’s of course a totally personal preference and really does not reflect the book itself; it’s just a note because it would be rated much higher if i had different preferences. I also wasn’t quite happy with the conflicts in this book. Both of them reacted in very childish ways and the way they don’t really communicate but just break up irked me. I’m not a big fan of miscommunication/too little communication. Overall though, this is a super sweet book about book people falling in love, and who doesn’t enjoy that.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book.

Unfortunately this was not for me. I found it quite repetitive and the ending felt a bit too quickly wrapped up. I did love the idea of Austen vs Dickens.

I'm a sucker for a book about books and the premise of the story won me over. Enemies to lovers and rival Bookshop owners what more could I ask for.

After a slow start the story does pick up pace and I'm glad I perservered as it was quite a fun and enjoyable read. I also found the relationship between Lexi and Sam and bit boring in the end as I think there was just a little much too-ing and Fro-ing. Honestly I just never knew was too expect next and thought I really couldn't relate in anyway.

Writing wise I wasn't sure if it was meant to be in 1st or 3rd person as found it switched quite often. 🤔

Despite all of this like I said it was a fun read and other people who enjoy bookish books and familiar tropes might enjoy it.