Two bookstore owners falling in love while trying to take each other down? Yes please!

I was invested in this book the moment I knew what that it would involve bookstores and the enemies to lovers trope, and it did not disappoint!
I loved Lexi, and how her plan to take down Sam didn't work out how she planned but turned out even better in a completely different way.
I really liked Sam, and how he took control of his life, choosing what he wanted instead of what others wanted for him.
I not only loved the two main characters in this book, but the side characters were as equally amazing, and the friendships and almost found family aspect of this book made it even more enjoyable, as they were all supportive of one another, and put each other first as much as they possibly could.

overall, I would highly recommend this book if you are looking for a literature themed enemies to lovers, with bookstores and amazing side characters!

I liked that this was about rival book stores. I liked Lexi and the small town feel of the area she lives in. I liked her bookstore and the look into being an owner of a bookstore.
I think the love story here fell a bit flat.
But still a really cute premise and a good look into bookstores and how they are run.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC.

This book drew me in with the synopsis. Rival book owners? Check. Enemies to lovers? Check. Opposites attract? Check. Small town? Check.
But omg it was just…not good.
It was very long and drawn out, I had already checked out near the end and just ended up skim reading some of it ngl.
I didn’t really like the characters and couldn’t vibe with them; they just felt a bit odd and almost ‘too much’ in a cringy way.
The writing was also quite poor (I’m not the type of person who can normally pick up stuff like this), but some lines just didn’t flow right, and also the plot line/timelines was off at some points

Lexi inherits her grandmothers bookshop in DC and is doing reasonably well until Sam turns up and turns the secondhand bookshop round the corner into another bookshop selling brand new books

To me, this book felt forced and undercooked, and I struggled to get through it even though I could see clearly where it wanted to land. Working within this set of tropes, there are so many other versions of this book that make this plot feel light and fizzy, but I’m sorry to say this rendering felt grim and laborious.

This was not for me.
I love cosy rom coms and enemy to lovers but this one is not for me. I did not connect with the main character, she does not sound like a 30 something and more like a teenager monologue?
What she was doing seems a little shady, and a very self centred act. There are so many repetions! I couldn't cope with the same sentences being repeated constantly. Too many deviant monologues from the main plot and just too long in general.
The book seems written in the 3rd person and then the 1st person sometimes?

Thank you netgallery and Avon books for the opportunity for a arc review

This story is a typical enemies to lover storyline with two rival bookshop owners. I really enjoyed how the storyline incorporated a lot of bookish themes, mentioned other popular and current authors and books. Very clever and different.

However, overall I felt the storyline was very predictable and I knew what was coming next reason for reading this book in a couple of hours. I felt this book could have been cut down a few pages and still it would be the same outcome.

Cute ending and it did bring a smile to my face in parts.

3.5 stars rounded up

A solid rom-com with decent chemistry between the main characters (although it could have done with a little more steam). I found our heroine Lexi relatable and likeable, particularly her conflicting feelings about her friends' successes. I also enjoyed the book lovers and Jane Austen theme of the book, along with the traditional enemies-to-lovers trope. A cosy read for fans of romance novels.

This novel is You've Got Mail meets The Hating Game. Two rival bookstore owners, (You've Got Mail) Austen and Dickens who become friendlier when Austen decides to snare him in a slightly bonkers plot (The Hating Game) to make him fall in love with her. Although it seems foolproof, Austen does actually fall for Dickens and Dickens isn't as callous as he first seems. There is a bit of repetition, Austen's shop was bequeathed to her by her late grandmother which is mentioned several times, it's a pleasant enough read. Thanks to Net Galley for the advanced copy.

Okay so I have many thoughts on this book. I enjoyed the romance to an extent, the whole bookstore rivalry was interesting but mostly annoying at points. Like when someone who claims to love you is plotting the downfall of your business that you have built for years isn’t that romantic to me. Also, for people over the age of 30, it felt like I was reading a book about teenagers. The whole thing just felt so immature.

Also this book easily could have been about 200 pages less, so much unnecessary rambling from the main female character for 75% of the book, I must have skipped the majority of it. Also a best friend who seems to be annoyed at you for having a real feelings and being upset about life because she’s engaged and loved up? Sorry but no, I’ll pass. And someone please explain the actual need for Amanda? She brought nothing to the table. Sam annoyed me 50% of this book, and Lexi the other 50%.

The only thing I really enjoyed was the ending. It was cute, but I also have no concept of time in this book so idk if the epilogue and what happened in it came far too quickly or not. Honestly, this book did nothing for my romance loving heart, which is upsetting, but it’s not the worst book out there.

Thank you to Net Gallery and the publisher for sending me this arc in exchange for an honest review.

The overall story is quite good.

Is this a modern day fairy tale?

The female in this is quite man hungry.
She is quite ruthless in her thinking. To protect her business she decides to get the new owner of her competitor bookshop to fall in love with her so she can sabotage it.

The main female character was not very becoming to me and I found myself cringing with her antics throughout.

Three out of five stars from me.

wow wow wow. i havent read something this good in a whole. i absolutely loved it. the characters were so lovable and even when they had their moments i still loved them. so much love and sympathy for them and i’m so glad i found this book. if you’re looking for your next best read this will definitely be the one.

Bookishly Ever After is an interesting concept for an enemie to lovers story. It’s set in a bookshop rivalry in the middle of Washington.

The story was good though the characters and their depth felt very flat and I personally didn’t enjoy them.

The story needs work on pacing, though the background about the bookshop was lovely the actual story felt slow and heavy to read.

I was hoping for a little bit more from this book. Usually an enemy to lover style book is quite gripping but unfortunately this failed for me. I found the story a little slow and the main female protagonist a little annoying.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review.

Bookishly Ever After by Mia Page is a fun, enemies-to-lovers romance set in the cozy world of bookstores. The story follows Lexi Austen, a dedicated bookshop owner whose life gets complicated when Sam Dickens takes over the rival bookstore, Great Expectations, and starts changing things up. As their competition heats up, so do their feelings for each other.

Lexi loves her bookshop, a family legacy, and isn’t thrilled when Sam starts drawing her customers away. This sparks a series of amusing and heartfelt attempts by Lexi to win Sam over, inspired by her favorite classic novels. She invites him to a party, drags him to a dance class, and even tries to swoon into his arms – with mixed results.

While the setup is promising, the execution falls a bit flat. The plot becomes predictable and repetitive, making it drag in parts. Lexi and Sam’s characters feel immature at times, which makes it hard to really connect with them. Their constant back-and-forth can get frustrating, and there isn’t much character growth throughout the story.

The dialogue sometimes interrupts itself with unnecessary summaries, breaking the flow and making conversations feel less natural. This affects the overall engagement and emotional impact of the story.

The book's pacing could use some tightening. It feels too long, with repetitive scenes that could have been trimmed down to keep things moving.

Despite these issues, the book has its charms. The setting of rival bookshops is delightful, and the enemies-to-lovers trope is always fun. There are humorous and endearing moments, especially in Lexi’s creative (if a bit misguided) attempts to charm Sam. Fans of books about books will enjoy the literary references and the cozy atmosphere.

In short, Bookishly Ever After has a great premise but doesn’t quite hit the mark. It’s a light, entertaining read with some charming moments, but could use more character depth and tighter pacing. Many thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books for the ARC. If you love the idea of a romance set in bookstores, it might be worth a read, but be ready for some ups and downs.

Really enjoyed this book and the tale between Lexi and Sam. This book was good to show the challenges of being your own boss alongside the quirks of friendship and relationships.

Thank you to Avon books and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this arc.

tropes:
- revenge plot
- rivals to lovers

This book on paper, has the potential to be something cute and interesting. However for me this fell incredibly flat, and these are some of the reasons why.

For me a book that is written in third person has to do a lot more in terms of really developing the personality of the characters as we aren’t getting to see any of the internal thoughts / monologues etc. This unfortunately doesn’t happen throughout this book and therefore leaves the characters feeling truly one dimensional.

I feel like a romance story set within a bookshop is now becoming such a cliche for me that there was nothing new and riveting there. The revenge plot for me, was harsh and just seemed like a complete jerk in the character I thought I had already met. It was a massive juxtaposition that I personally felt was a bit over the top.

One little thing I noticed throughout the whole of the book was the inconsistencies with the spelling of characters names. For instance is it Lexi or Lexie? Because both are said at multiple different points throughout the book, and I was starting to doubt myself that these were two separate people.

In summary, this book unfortunately was not for me.

A will they/won’t they love story set in rival book shops? Yes please; there’s even a cute cat in the mix. There are also plenty of references to the difference between the UK and the US, the language, the culture and the environment. A fun afternoon.

I was excited for this book as the premise was right up my alley. The story surrounding Lexi was like a mirror of Will in Notting Hill: owner of a small bookstore, perpetually struggling with romance, a little awkward but still charming. But there’s a twist! The love interest is not a beautiful movie star but instead a rival bookstore owner. That does sound good, however… it ended up falling flat in the end.

I’m huge enemies to lovers fan - but this wasn’t really enemies to lovers. It felt pretty fragmented and the plot felt a little uncomfortable at points. I feel like the early enemies stuff could have been more succinct and the book could have been shorter because of it.

I did like the Jane Austen inspiration and I thought that was creative and fun. Also, the Britishisms were good and accurate so that’s always nice. I also thought the overall premise was fun and the Lexi was initially charming and funny but then everything started to become a touch nonsensical. I didn’t really understand why these two like each other not do I get the chemistry?

This is ultimately a 3⭐️ read because I read it all relatively quickly. It was an easy read in terms of writing style but the plot nor romance were just not quite there for me.

The plot was really nice, a good and fun idea. There were just a couple of things off for me.

Firstly, I didn’t love the writing style it was a bit too slow for me, but that’s a personal preference.

But what bothered me was the way Lexi didn’t know Sam at first (besides him being her bookstore owner nemesis and having had like a few basic interactions) and somehow already is kinda obsessed with him. She promises she won’t fall in love but already cannot stop thinking about him all the time (and wants to jump him). It wasn’t insta-love or insta-lust exactly, it was just weird. Because of it the development of feelings didn’t feel right to me all in the first half the book. After they’d actually spent time together and talked, it felt a lot more natural and I started to enjoy the book more.

I liked the story in itself and what happens in the book. I didn’t enjoy the early premises, but after pushing through the first half, I really enjoyed the second part. I also liked the banter between Lexi and Sam, their dialogues were light and funny and the part I found best written in the book.