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.

Thank you so much to netgalley and Avon books for the arc of this one in exchange for an honest review!

Unfortunately, this book was a DNF for me. I just really did not like the main character and it really took away from the story. It was all to cheesy and cliche as well and I couldn’t get into it.

I hope others love this one but it was not for me.

I was hoping this would be a fab summer reads and for some it might be but unfortunately it was a bit predictable and very repetitive in some chapters. It has a mix of Jane Austen/yougotmail/Harry met sally and Bridget jones with a little bit of spice threw in. Though the bookshop gets lost in it and the characters are telling a story it just felt something was missing. I also felt it was too long shorter chapters may help with the story. The enemies to lovers didn’t feel natural and mind games just didn’t work. Though I do feel some will really enjoy it.

This book had so many things I love, and yet it just did not work. The book references, after the first few it felt like fillers for the plot that wasn't, the descriptions of both england and DC, two places that I absolutely love, were far to frequent, again filling places for the plot that wasn't, found family except that you could tell her friends (really her roommate/bestie) were frustrated with how she was/wasn't living her life and instead of supporting her the author added little asides of judgement that were awkward, and finally the you've got mail enemies to lovers vibes, except they weren't really. Lexi and Sam may have been professional rivals, but the first 60ish percent of the book they built this really beautiful friendship, one that you wanted to root for, feelings or not. Their relationship felt a little one sided, he was an absolute cinnamon roll, and she was playing mind games. It just didn't work for me, I loved him but I didn't necessarily love them.

This was just a read that had so much potential but was really cluttered/clunky that it just didn't work for me.

Thank you Netgalley and Avon Books UK
for the ARC in exchange for my review!

Unfortunately this was a dnf for me. There was a great premise and I thought it could be a fun enemies to lovers, but I just found it too cringy and Lexi was quite an annoying main character.

A good fun concept, great descriptions, and a leading couple with bright chemistry, but slightly hampered by an unlikeable lead, and the pov changing a little too much. Needed more rigorous editing.

A nivel about books and booksellers for those who love reading about those sorts of things. It was good to pass the time with, but I felt like the romantic plot started and stopped and I struggled to get on with it.

Thanks again to NetGalley and the publisher!

I have never wanted to go to Washington, but this book makes it sound exactly how You’ve Got Mail makes New York feel, cosy and small town and very appealing.

The two leading characters are extremely likeable and I wish it never had to end.

I have already recommended this book multiple times and I hadn’t even finished it.

This was just okay for me. I love an enemies to lovers story and I love bookish stories but this just fell a bit flat for me, I think it’s because I really disliked the FMC I found her so annoying and childish.
I thought the book could have been shorter, I found myself skim reading towards the end.
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Thank you NetGalley and Avon Books UK for the opportunity to review this book.

I thought that I was going to enjoy this - book focus, enemies to lovers- these are things that are normally a hit for me. Instead I felt it was simply blah
It had an uderwhelming love story with annoying protagonists and twee surnames.

Bookishly Ever After is my first book by author Mia Page. This is an enemies-to-lovers story about rival book shop owners Lexi Austen and Sam Dickens, who vie for the most custom in their Washington, DC, book shops.


The premise of this book and story was right up my alley. But I did find it to be a bit slow, especially in the beginning. Overall, I am glad that I stuck with it and finished the book. It was a cute read.

If there was a way an author could transport every dream and wish for the perfect book and put it down on paper then Mia Page has succeeded with Bookishly Ever After.
This is everything I want in a book. From enemies to lovers, bookshops, Jane Austen quotes and a love for the West Wing. I feel like this book was written just for me and I loved every single page.
I smiled, I laughed, I was rooting for Lexi throughout. I adored the characters, their struggles and the banter between Lexi and Sam was just superb.
All the love for this book and will be telling all about it!
Thank you for the opportunity to read an early copy.