Thank you to Headline PG, NetGalley, and Jackie Ashenden for giving me the opportunity to read and review Book People with my honest opinions.

Book People is a love letter to people who love books. We have Kate and Sebastian, rival booksellers whose shops are directly across the street from each other, in a small town that seems too small for two bookshops. It seems like there is a lot of hatred on Sebastian's part, but in reality he holds a flame for Kate and is just too proud to admit it ... for a while.

If you enjoy enemies to lovers / grumpy and sunshine / and obviously, the world of books - this is for you!

I found the book to be quite engaging and the relationship between the two main characters had great chemistry. The love story in the background was a mysterious and unexpected surprise. I thought the author wrote beautifully and I would recommend this lovely story to any romance reader.

Sebastian and Kate. This was a classic case of will they won’t they and I honestly started to wonder if they would. This books had a little of everything: romance, mystery, tension, and more. I think my only downside was we got to 95% and I was still not sure how it would end and Sebastian was just being stubborn and close minded I wanted to strangle him a little… otherwise well done!

I loved this book! The dual point of views, the mystery letters, enemies to lovers, grumpy x sunshine, and a literary festival!! Books about books and bookstores are some of my favorite books!! The spice was soooo good! Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for my digital ARC!!

Loved, loved, loved this book! It has all my favorite things: enemies to lovers, books!, small town, witty banter and spice. This well-written rom com will be at the top of my recommended reads in 2025! Thank you to @headlinebooks and @NetGalley for sharing this ARC - opinions are mine as well as the absolute pleasure in reading this novel.

Book People by Jackie Ashenden (out January 28 from Headline Eternal, a division of Hachette). Here we have two main characters with competing bookshops in a small village somewhere in England. We have the standard FMC who is "new" in town (it's complicated) and all sunshine and positivity (though inside she is something a little different), owning the genre-positive bookshop that is new in town. And we have the standard grumpy MMC who has the stern overly serious "literary" bookshop that has existed in the village for decades. We join them six months after Kate has moved to the village and she is frustrated at the grumpy man and his shop across the street who seems to ignore her. And he is frustrated that her shop even exists. There's also a past story between their families that is telegraphed VERY early in the book and is a constant backdrop, along with a "festival" that is being planned by Sebastian.

Honestly? Little of it works. They're already crushing on each other when we meet them, there's almost no true tension present and it doesn't take long before we're moving to kisses and bedrooms. The financial health of Sebastian's store is more or less forgotten as the book moves along, as is whether or not Kate truly wants to own a store. God's honest truth here...the better story was that of the great-grandparents, which...while I was not shocked by the reveal...held my interest. THAT would have been an interesting read. It might not have caught the crowd this book is aimed at, but that was the story that was emotionally resonant. I wanted more of the Kate/Sebastian of the past. Their outcome had some doubt (even if I didn't doubt how it had ended).

I wanted more of the village. I wanted more antagonism between our main characters before they just start climbing into each other's beds. I wanted more sexual tension between them. I wanted more humor. I (to my amazement!) wanted and epilogue with our present characters instead of the one we got - and I generally don't like epilogues! This isn't a poorly written book...but as I said above...enemies-to-lovers is such a tricky trope to pull off and without any sort of build-up...it just didn't work. There are things about this book I did like. I liked the doubts inside people (even if Sebastian's seemed dumb). I liked the idea that Kate needed to learn to love herself and be more confident in what she wanted (though I could have done without Jasper's reappearance). It is a well written book (even if my ARC was a mess typographically) and the author's prose command is great. Like I said...if this had been a different book, one about the great-grandparents, I would have eaten it up. Here...I was just frustrated. And by the end, I just wanted it to be over. 3 stars is the best I can do.

I could only get so far into this book before I gave up. I've read a few by this author before and it seems that her books are very hit or miss with me. Unfortunately this was a miss, I didn't love the characters and wasn't invested enough in their story

I absolutely loved the characters and plot line in Book People by Jackie Ashenden. However, I did not like the vulgarity in language. I did not read every page so cannot say with certainty whether there were closed-door or open-door scenes. This would have been a 5-star read for me if not for these things.
Releases Jan. 28th. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Thank you Headline Eternal and NetGalley for the ARC!

I loved this sweet book! Enemies to lovers, bookshops, a brooding male lead - what more could one want?

Kate and Sebastian's love story was just what I needed to get out of my book slump.

Thank you again for the ARC!

Book People by Jackie Ashenden is the perfect blend of sweet, spicy, and hilarious in an enemies-to-lovers bookshop rom-com! The story follows two people who can't stand each other but are forced to work together in the charming world of books. As they navigate their heated rivalry, sparks fly, and they discover there’s more to each other than they initially thought. Ashenden’s writing brings humor and chemistry to the forefront, making it easy to root for these characters as they go from enemies to something more. If you’re a fan of witty banter, steamy romance, and bookshop settings, *Book People* is a must-read that will keep you hooked from start to finish!

Super cute! Not me wishing I could open a book store.......I absolutely loved Kate. Sebastian was frustrating in all the best ways. Recommend for a light hearted cute read.

Thank you NetGalley and Headline for providing an ebook in exchange for an honest review!

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

This was a small town romance, following our two leads who are rivals bookstore owners. The love and attraction is almost instant, but both characters are hesitant to start a relationship for their own reasons. I enjoyed how honest the characters were and how communicative they were about their expectations with each other. I felt like the beginning started off a little slow, but really picked up the pace around the 50% mark. I really loved the introduction of H & C. It got me hooked and intrigued at a romantic mystery backstory. I think the last half of the book really saved it for me, so I recommend if you want a small town romance with a light mystery twist!

I requested this book on a bit of a whim and wasn’t really sure what to expect or if I’d like it, but, as a die hard romance fan I was blown away by this! I loved this story and found it so heartwarming and captivating. I would highly recommend anyone to read this! It has been one of those stories I keep coming back to and thinking about.

Sebastian runs Blackwood Books, the third generation of his family to do so. The shop carries literary works only and represents years of tradition. Kate recently inherited the property across the street from Sebastian and turned it into a fun genre fiction store, Portable Magic. When word gets to Kate that Sebastian is hosting a literary festival and didn’t think to include her, the only other bookseller in the village she is determined to collaborate.
I normally love books about book people, but I didn’t like this book. It definitely leans very heavily into romance and doesn’t leave a lot of space for the rest of the story or character development, those aspects felt like an afterthought. This is definitely a book for someone but just not for me.
Thank you to @headlinebooks and @netgalley for letting me have an advanced copy to review.
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I really enjoyed this story, the setting was so well done I really felt like I was there. A grumpyxsunshine is always a winning trope for me. I loved the characters, their story and their journey together was truly enjoyable. A great read for people who love books.

2.5 stars ⭐️ ⭐️ . 5

The concept of this book I found extremely cute. Two rival bookshop owners with a bit of a competition vibe. However, I found the execution poor.

I forced myself through this book, but the writing style was extremely choppy. The characters, specifically Sebastian were unlikable. If he called her by her last name one more time 😭. I was quite disappointed in this book, but I appreciate the author Jackie Ashenden, headline eternal the publisher, and NetGalley for this advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

The book was cute and a fun read, but I wanted more from the characters. loved the bookstore backdrop and the mystery notes. I liked both of the characters, there was a reason behind their actions, but I was still left wanting something, especially from the MMC

I almost couldn't read any further when a letter excerpt in this novel misattributed a quote from the Pride and Prejudice (2005) screenplay as written by Jane Austen and remarked upon my characters from the 1940s. Please fix that before it goes to print! Book People would know that.
The story had a good premise, but it was clumsily done. This could do with some substantial editing. The thought stream of the characters is repetitive. Then, at the end a character shows up and basically summarizes the entire flashback sequence that we've read. Um, we know. We've been reading this book. Story promising, execution lacking.

This quick read was a lot spicier than it seemed. It was like a naughty librarian story, but there is depth with the cosy mystery (think Letters to Juliet), the sweet and fiesty female protagonist (Sabrina Carpenter meets Eliza Bennett), and the alluring male love interest (Heathcliff meets Mr. Darcy meets Christian Grey.)
Book lovers will enjoy the genres debates and book store activities descriptions.

Thank you for the digital review copy.

I really enjoyed this! I love a good grumpy x sunshine and rivals to lovers. Their attraction and chemistry was undeniable, the banter was great, and I thought the sensitive topics were handled beautifully. I will say that the beginning is the books strongest part and it got a little slow towards the end but it wasn't too bad to ruin the book. I think this would be great for anybody who is a fan of rivals to lovers and a cozy bookshop atmopshere!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an eARC of this story, this is my objective review. Kate is new to a quaint village and is looking for a re-do on her life (which recently included a difficult break-up and her mother's death). She opens a bookstore in a building she inherited from her mother, which features "popular" genre books. In her short time there she struggles with being snubbed by Sebastian, the handsome bookseller across the street. Sebastian, whose family has been in the village for generations, runs a more serious "literary" bookstore he took over from his father, and he is overtly snobbish about it. He revives a local literary festival, but despite his attraction to Kate he deliberately excludes her for his own reasons. They eventually combine forces on the book festival, and try to process their growing attraction to one another. Is it a situationship or could it be something more?

**I discuss some mild spoilers in this review so please be warned.** There are dual 1st-person POVs, which I love. Pretty firmly grumpy-sunshine and enemies to lovers tropes at work. Both of them are so prickly initially, with family issues and history to work through (which presents a really engaging sub-plot that gets resolved by the end). Romantically there's quite a bit of push-pull as they initially fight their attraction, and Sebastian gives off a "my aloof outer shell hides a fiery passion" vibe. (He has the crabbiness and personality of a much-older, arthritic lighthouse keeper, like he's bad with people and something perpetually pains him but he soldiers on.) And Kate is sunshine but thankfully with a backbone. I found both of them to be likable in their own ways, and it was easy to root for them. But my gosh, Sebastian got to be so frustrating. His stubborn aversion to love was too repetitive, and eventually I stopped enjoying the story quite as much as I did in the beginning. And I'm sorry for that because I really did want his character to accept happiness but he kept talking himself out of it. He was so set against feeling his feelings that I almost wanted Kate to just walk away from the relationship. He fought things so much throughout most of the book that his self-growth in a relationship just didn't seem likely. The last 20-ish percent of the book I spent being frustrated over Sebastian repeatedly insisting he's incapable of love and Kate hoping that wasn't true. And Kate deserved better than that. It felt like Kate had to work way too hard to get him to admit to his feelings, and after seeing her stand up to her ex-boyfriend you had to wonder why she would do that. The way her relationship with Sebastian was going I genuinely thought there was going to be a break-up and time apart for Sebastian to work on himself before moving forward with Kate, which frankly would have been a much healthier outcome. That is not what happened, and although Kate and Sebastian do get their HEA, Sebastian's abrupt about-face at the end after talking with his father didn't feel genuine to me.

I struggled to write this review because I liked a lot of the book but what I didn't like was hard to ignore. I liked the author's writing style and I enjoyed both characters for most of the book, but the uneven nature of their relationship (and Sebastian's constant self-flagellation about how he didn't deserve love and didn't know how to love) took away from my overall enjoyment in the end. Readers who enjoy stories about a closed-off grump who struggles to see himself as being capable of love, and the sunshine-y woman who believes in their love will definitely like this book, but ultimately I don't think it was the book for me. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars.