My Review of *Bookishly Ever After* by Mia Page (3 stars): A Cosy Enemies-to-Lovers Romcom with Great Banter and a Bookish Aesthetic

I really enjoyed this lighthearted romcom set in Washington, which follows two rival bookshop owners.

Our female main character, Lexi Austen, has inherited a bookshop in a lovely area of DC from her grandmother and is dedicated to keeping her legacy alive. Despite her best efforts, she’s struggling to keep the shop afloat while also juggling her dating life and her relationship with her best friend, Erin. Her biggest nemesis, Sam Dickens, owns a rival bookshop that’s not only stealing her customers but also her marketing strategies. To get back at him, Lexi develops a Jane Austen-approved plan to make Sam fall in love with her... to throw him off his game, get her customers back and increase her profits.

Full of romcom readers' favourite tropes, this is a fun and cosy read, albeit very predictable. I enjoyed the bookish aesthetic and references in this book. However, I found the ending way too convenient and very rushed. It’s a great relaxing read to take to the beach, but I would have loved for the ending to be more thought-through.

I had such high hopes for this book. I mean an enemies to lovers romance about rival bookstore owners is right up my alley... but unfortunately this one just did not deliver. Main characters always have a flaw - they would be boring and unrealistic without one. But Lexi was more flaw than character. She is self-centred (I mean who's first thought when their best friend gets engaged is to worry about never seeing them again??? Be happy for your friends!!), pompous, and honestly uninteresting. The only thing I know about her is that she has red hair, is British (this fact is reiterated approximately every two pages), and that her grandmother passed away. Her plan to woo the rival bookstore owner Sam is quite honestly horrible - especially once she learns more about him.

I loved this book and the characters! Bookish vibes and Enemies to Lovers 100% Amazing!

I would like to thank Avon and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book early.

This book has so much potential but I really struggled to get through it 🙁

It feels like it needs a further edit to cut down some of the long descriptive paragraphs and to speed up the pace slightly. There are quite a few points in the book where it went off on a tangent for far too long which lost my attention.

I enjoyed the first part of the book and I really like the idea of the book. I think it just needs cutting down a bit

If you are a fan of You've got Mail then this is the book for you. I am not a fan of that film and I struggled with the balance of enemies and lovers in this book as when they are enemies they are trying to ruin each others livelihoods and stores which doesn't feel the same as some witty/sarcastic jabs. It was an easy read and I was happy to finish it but the romance wasn't for me and I have read books about bookshop owners and book lovers that I prefer and would recommend over this one.

Lexi inherited her grandmother's bookshop in Washington DC. All was good until Sam opened another bookshop close by. Can she win the war and are her tactics fair? A really enjoyable read, perfect for wet days or holidays.

This book was pretty disappointing. I doubt it tedious to read and I ended up speed reading the second half of the book.

I really enjoyed this book! It follows two bookstore owners, with surnames of Austen and Dickens (which I loved), as they battle against each other for their customers and to try not fall in love with each other. I loved the banter and humour in this book - its something I really appreciate in a romance book as i really feel like its something we all look for in a partner. It also really made me appreciate my local independent book store owners as the book shows just how difficult it can be to run one. This book also has biiiiig enemies to lovers vibes, and i was so frustrated at Sam as he kept doing all the wrong business moves which in turn put him well out of favour with Lexi!
My main negative about this book was the masses of miscommunication throughout. There were multiple occasions where the two characters argued and stopped talking to one an other and it could have been avoided if they had just spoken to one an other! It’s my least favourite thing to read in a book and i find it so frustrating to read!
All in all though, an easy read which had me laughing throughout. Would recommend to any of my book friends.
Thanks to Avon books, Mia Page and NetGalley for the arc of this book.

This is such a lovely book and I loved to read about how spiteful both Lexi and Sam could be to one another. Any book with enemies to lovers set around a book shop is a winner for me!

It was silly good fun

Highly recommend!

3.5 stars

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

If you love You’ve Got Mail or enemies to lover books, or books about books or just a big Jane Austen fan…this might be right up your street.

Lexi emigrated to Washington from the U.K. when she was given her a grandma’s bookshop, Pemberley Books. Only problem is the bookshop is now struggling to stay afloat, which isn’t helped by the rival bookshop around the corner owned by the very handsome, annoying Sam.

But Lexi decides, with Jane Austen as her guide, to create a plan to get her bookshop to be the best one in town. She decided to try and get her nemesis to fall in love with her to get him to be too distracted when running his bookshop. But well… that’s hard to do when you are trying to stop yourself falling in love too.

A cute bookish story. I liked all the Austen references, especially a certain bit nearing the end of the novel. I could really feel all the emotions of the character when she was hitting rock bottom. I was sobbing most of the way through this but I think that was more my mental state than the book.

I enjoyed the bookshop settings. The writing style felt a bit too detached at some points and often I wasn’t convinced on them as a couple. They both did a lot of these to hurt each other, and I didn’t feel the chemistry.

I did enjoy the book but it isn’t without its flaws

I really liked the setting in a book shop and the loose Jane Austin theme running through it. Lexi I thought was a good character but Sam didn't really grow on me until the end and even then I wasnt convinced by their romance. I enjoy enemies to lovers books but this was a bit weak compared to several others I've read recently x

I appreciated what this book was trying to do but it fell a bit flat for me.

I felt like it there were a lot of paragraphs that went off on tangents that weren’t really relevant to anything and also there was a lot of unnecessary repetition.

The reason for Lexi’s plan was weak and really didn’t make any sense and because it was a bit weak I never really felt like there was any real, romantic connection between Lexi and Sam and so I wasn’t invested in that element of the story. And also, Sam kind of turned into an actively terrible person and it just didn’t seem all that believable that you could come back from that.

I liked this book okay. I love books centered in a bookshop and was interested in a You've Got Mail vibe. This book is not like You've Got Mail at all, unfortunately. Lexi, MFC, is fine and I love her wanting to carry on her grandmother's legacy but Sam is not a very likable character. There are so many red flags and I was a little confused as to why Lexi wanted to pretend to date him in the first place. This book would have done well with a dual POV to understand Sam and all his baggage.

I thought some of the other characters were not necessary at all like Sam's ex girlfriend. I really felt like Lexi should have just gone home to England as her sister seemed to be the only one who really cared about her at all.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books for the e-ARC. This review is my own opinion.

I have really gotten into books about book nerds recently - I suppose because it's easy to relate to something that appeals to me so much. I was really excited to read Bookishly Ever After as it sounded a bit like You've Got Mail and, let's be honest, who doesn't love You've Got Mail.

I struggled to get into this book for quite a while and even after Sam and Lexi began getting on, it still seemed a bit boring. I stuck with it though because, in the grand scheme of enemies to lovers, they got together quite early on. Things started getting interesting after around the 50% mark and I was glad I stayed with it until it started getting better.

This book felt very dialogue light. I was really looking forward to some hot enemy banter but there wasn't much in the way of this as a lot of the story was focused on Lexi's inner thoughts and her issues with the bookshop.

I think it's important for me to focus on my favourite part of this story - the bookshop. I cried when it seemed that there was absolutely no way out for Lexi other than to sell the bookshop and I really liked the relationships she had with her staff and with the shop itself. I felt this was so well written and it made me want to visit this fictional shop. I hate to say that this was probably the only part of the book that I loved.

On to the bad -
Sam is actually kind of a dick. So, Lexi and Sam sleep together and his response to her wanting to woo him in a "Jane Austen" way was to try and ruin her financially. He did not act like a reasonable human being and just came off as a huge bag of red flags. He then had his ex-girlfriend working at his bookshop, serving drinks, talking in "we/us" and at no point felt the need to let Lexi know that there wasn't anything going on there, until she asked him about it. There was also absolutely zero point to Amanda being introduced. It worked well enough that Sam had an ex who had really hurt him by attempting to use him for his family's money, it served no purpose her being in the story other than to create a bit more drama.

And what was the point of Erin? OK, she appeared and gave some advice when needed but to be annoyed and visibly "frustrated" with your best friend because they have completely blown off by the guy she likes on top of potentially losing a business that was left to her by her grandmother, meaning she would have to leave the country that she thought of as home, all because Erin just got engaged and wants to stay in her loved up little bubble? Absolutely not. Erin definitely came across as one of those friends who wants to know you when things are good but not when things are bad.

I feel like I need to mention again what a dick Sam is. He stole ideas that Lexi shared with him while they were (sort of) in a relationship, purposely competed against her, let her believe he was bac with his ex-girlfriend and just generally acted like an absolute douche, and then ha the fucking audacity to be upset when she said that he had to leave because of him? When he had literally run her out of business??? On purpose?????

Overall, I was not a lover of this book, although that was more due to the walking red flags that Lexi seemed to surround herself with. I would be willing to read by this author again but probably not an enemies to lovers. I am definitely of the opinion that Sam and Lexi should have remained enemies. Did I mention that Sam is a dick?

Tropes:
- Enemies to lovers
- Business rivals
- Book nerds
- Bookshop owners
- Brit in the US

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book.

A very sweet and charming enemies to lovers book set in Washington DC with two rival bookshop owners. I enjoyed reading this but felt in parts there were some unnecessary paragraphs and I felt myself drifting. Really enjoyed learning about the book shops and the characters’ relationship development.

I’m currently in my bookish book era — books about books, so if you have any recommendations, please keep them coming!

What can I say? “Bookishly Ever After” by Mia Page totally blew me away. I know a book is something special when I find myself staying up until the wee hours, determined to see how the story ends for the main characters. For this one, I was up until 4 in the morning, trying to hide my giggles and silent sobs so I wouldn’t wake my sleeping baby girl and husband. I knew I’d regret the lack of sleep in the morning, but the book was just too good to put down.

Lexi Austen inherits a bookshop from her late grandmother and is determined not to let her grandmother’s legacy fade away. She pours all her time and effort into keeping the business afloat, leaving no time for dating or hanging out with friends. Everything is going okay until a secondhand bookshop nearby is bought by Sam Dickens, a businessman who seems more interested in profits than in sharing and recommending books. Sam's shop starts selling new books and everything Lexi has in her store, turning him into her direct competitor and causing her to lose customers.

Lexi decides to use Jane Austen’s strategies from her novels to make Sam fall in love with her. She takes up playing the piano, plans to take Sam dancing, and does everything Austen’s characters did to throw Sam off his game.

But is Lexi safe from the feelings her own strategies stir up? Will Sam fall for her, and can she navigate whatever relationship develops without getting hurt? Or will they end up falling for each other, living out the enemies-to-lovers trope that Lexi’s romance novels have taught her?

“Bookishly Ever After” is fantastic. I know it has mixed reviews on Goodreads, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying it, laughing, crying, and falling in love with the characters. Lexi is so relatable as she fiercely protects her “baby” — her bookshop. Her internal monologues are entertaining, especially as she tries (and often fails) to sort out her feelings for Sam. I love her dedication in creating a good working environment for her employees and a welcoming space for her customers.

Sam, on the other hand, is a man carrying scars from past family issues and relationships. He’s a broken man willing to seek help and heal to be the right partner for someone. He’s a sharp businessman and an excellent pianist. The moments when Sam and Lexi are getting to know each other, sharing their pasts and understanding why they are the way they are, are some of the best parts of the book.

Plus, the story is set in Washington D.C., one of my favorite places I’ve visited in the USA. It’s refreshing to read about a place I’ve experienced, making it easier to relate to the characters' feelings and experiences.

And do I need to mention all the Jane Austen references? There are so many, especially from “Pride and Prejudice,” my all-time favorite classic. Sam felt like a modern Mr. Darcy, bringing back all the fond memories of when I first read Austen’s work.

I could go on and on about how much I loved this book. If you get a chance to grab a copy, I’d recommend avoiding reviews that downplay its charm. Dive in with an open mind, enjoy the story, and connect with the characters. I’m sure you’ll find it to be a hidden gem.

“Bookishly Ever After” hits the shelves on June 6th. Thanks to Mia Page, NetGalley, and Avon Books UK for the early access to this delightful read in exchange for an honest review. It was worth every smile, laugh, and tear!

Perfect for lovers of ‘You’ve got mail’ and ‘Notting hill’

This was a wonderfully sweet story. It had moments of predictability but still managed to keep me interested. The pop culture references were actually a great call because it almost called itself out. The author was clearly aware of the similarities and the references had me chuckling when they popped up.

The characters were likeable and overall it was an easy read which I’m sure all the 90s kids out there will love.

Bookishly Ever After by Mia Page is a charming spin on the enemies to lovers trope with more than a nod to the popular film You've Got Mail and the works of Jane Austen. Set in Washington at the Pemberley Bookshop run by Lexi Austen after she inherited it from her grandmother, we see her struggles not only as a small business owner but also as a woman fearing she is being left behind in the dating game as she watches all her friends pairing up, getting engaged and making wedding plans while she remains decidedly alone. Her business is struggling and that is not helped by a rivalry with another local bookshop, run by the very handsome but rather infuriating Sam Dickens.
It doesn't take a genius to figure out where this story is going, but that does not mean that there is not plenty of fun to be had along the way. It is a really enjoyable romp of a read, filled with witty banter and awkward encounters that soon start to turn a little steamy. Lexi is a character that I found myself really rooting for, and I quite liked the touch of reality that her business struggles brought to the story, it is not an easy time out there for small business owners and I think this book will make readers more aware of that fact and perhaps even encourage them to support local shops if they want them to survive. Sam is sweet and charming, and kinder that I would have expected coming into the book,
even if he was a little quick to jump to conclusions at times. and I loved seeing how their relationship developed with the inevitable ups and downs before the happy ending.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own

This was such a fun rivals to lovers read with all the book content you could possibly want. I enjoyed following Lexi and all the highs and lows in her life, all the while she was getting to know Sam better, sharing in some top quality flirty banter and a small dose of romance. I can’t even put my finger on what it was about this book that made it difficult to put down, but I’m currently running on very little sleep having stayed up far too late to finish it. It’s hard not to empathise with Lexi, and her feelings of isolation borne of being a solo business owner, single, and at a different stage in her life to her friends, and a different country to her family. I felt that there was a lot of depth to this story, and Lexi’s character was well developed, and she’s full of energy and ideas. There’s some great book titles dropped in throughout this story, and plenty of insight into life running a bookstore in this day and age, and one with tough competition. I did think Sam was a bit too reactive, and it was frustrating to see him not really own that or apologise. Whilst Lexi was toeing the line in a grey area, she certainly deserved a little more respect and these two needed to work on their communication. All in all though, a really lovely romance with not too many Austen references for anyone who isn’t a fan!

I received a free copy of this book. All views are my own.

This book was neither a hate or a love of mine and I don't like to give bad reviews. I had some big hopes for this book, as who doesn't love an enemies-to-lovers romance alongside a bookish themed story, but I just felt a little let down by it all. The beginning of the book was quite slow and throughout I had to take numerous breaks away from it just so I could get enough courage to carry on reading. I liked the Britishisms due to the main character being from UK and moving to the US to continue running her grandmothers bookshop. However there were times when I thought there was a lot of repetition about her moving to DC and it being her grandmothers bookshop, as how many times does a reader really need to be reminded of this.

I enjoyed the initial competitiveness and drama between Lexi and Sam, however I felt that Lexi took certain liberties with trying to make Sam fall for her, despite Lexi knowing the brutal breakup that Sam had experienced. It just felt wrong that Lexi was messing with Sam's head further. I also felt that there was a large amount of back and forth between the pair and Lexi's large amount of monologue didn't really contribute much to the storyline. The way that Lexi and Sam dealt with the situations was rather immature. I felt that there was chemistry between the two, however the way things played out just left something lacking.

Overall I just feel that the book could have been more, without being quite so drawn out.