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.

super cute, just not for me! i found the book to be a little boring despite the fast pacing, and while i really liked how down horrendous the ml sebastian is, i just wasn’t feeling the sparks the way i was supposed to. to be clear, this is 100% a me thing— this is very well written and i can tell this will appear to the book girlies looking for an escape. maybe a case of right book, wrong time? 3.5 ⭐️

Kate has left London after her ex boyfriend hurt her and she quit her job in editing to open up her very own bookshop, dedicated to the genres she loves to read, in a small village where her mother grew up.

Sebastian, the moody, aloof owner of the sophisticated bookshop directly opposite Kate’s. He’s a stickler for the rules, desperately trying to get extra income to get his family bookstore out of debt. And his idea is a literary festival.

Kate wants involved in the festival, Sebastian is reluctant to include her. He does like her. She’s on his turf. But that isn’t the only issue he has. He has a rule that he doesn’t get involved in women on the village and suddenly he’s finding himself attracted the new comer Kate.

Little do they know, their lives are more intertwined than they realise!

Cute little rival to lovers read with a little spice. An easy read with feel good vibes

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you to NetGalley, Headline Books and Jackie Ashenden for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Headline for the eARC!

Rating: 4/5⭐️
Spice Level: 2/5🌶

Read if you like:
- Rivals to Lovers
- Grumpy x Sunshine
- Small Town Romance

A romance about two bookshop owners with a rivals-to-lovers trope? I couldn’t add this to my TBR fast enough—what’s better than a bookish romance? I’m happy to say it lived up to my expectations!

This book was so much fun to read. The rivals-to-lovers vibe added great tension between the characters and led to lots of cute, funny banter. The story was simple but creative, and it felt like a book-lover’s dream. I found myself smiling a lot, especially because the grumpy x sunshine pairing made their interactions even funnier.

I’m not a huge fan of insta-love, but this one still worked for me. The physical attraction between the characters felt real, and even though it started with insta-love, their relationship took its time to build. The story moved quickly, though it slowed down a bit in the middle. Luckily, it picked up again by the end.

I absolutely loved Kate—she was such a ray of sunshine! But Sebastian frustrated me sometimes. I know he’s supposed to be grumpy, but he got on my nerves here and there. Thankfully, his character improved by the end.

I also liked that the story included some heavier emotional topics. These moments added more depth and felt real and relatable.

Overall, Book People is a sweet and fun romance that I’d recommend if you love books, small-town vibes, and the perfect mix of humor and heart. With a little bit of spice and a lot of charm, it’s a great pick for romance fans!

This book is a delightfully spicy, enemies-to-lovers rom-com that will steal your heart. Ashenden weaves a captivating tale of love, rivalry, and passion, creating a perfect recipe for anyone who loves a grumpy-sunshine romance with plenty of spice. Don’t miss this heartwarming, steamy adventure!

3.5 stars

Grumpy x sunshine HEA, he’s a historic bookshop owner & she’s the new bookshop owner across the way. Small UK town & historical family love letters vibes. The story was a little predictable but nice; the writing was good enough to keep me interested. However, the ending dragged a little bit with the back and forth will they or won’t they. The random happily ever after reunion made things tied up a little too neatly in the end. Overall a good read, but likely won’t be thinking about this much beyond closing it.

I received an ARC from the publisher, though the opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley and Headline for providing me with an eARC of Book People by Jackie Ashenden in return for my honest opinion.

If you are looking for an easy to read rom-com at the beach this summer, I highly recommend this book!! I devoured it in two sittings, could have almost done it one if I disregarded sleep but alas my tiredness won that battle!

Book People delivers exactly what it promises, a sweet and spicy, enemies to lovers bookshop rom-com! I am a big lover of enemies to lovers, especially when we also have a grumpy- sunshine dynamic, which is exactly what Kate and Sebastian are!

I loved the idea that these two owned rival bookshops in the same small town, I do think the enemies section was rather short but the chemistry between these two was off the charts, so I was grateful that it wasn’t a slow burn! I also loved the side story of the mysterious love letters between Seb’s great-grandfather and the mystery women (the plot twist was kinda obvious to me, but I loved it all the same).

I did feel that sometimes that we were having a lot of the same or very similar conversations, especially when it came to Seb not understanding or denying his feelings… However Seb is like a constipated potato when it comes to his emotions so I can forgive this quite easily!

This was sweet and cute and extremely predictable.

Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for the e-arc.

Actual rating: 2.5 stars

This book sounded so good and right up my alley when I first saw it on NetGalley, but honestly I didn't enjoy it much. I really wanted to like it and told myself to keep reading to see if it got better, but the more I read the more I wanted to put the book down.

There were a lot of things that bothered me but Sebastian and Kate's characters bothered me the most. Sebastian consistently calling her Miss Jones instead of Kate was annoying. There wasn't much character development in my opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Perfect for readers who enjoy a romance with banter and some spice! I enjoyed reading this book and although I would have loved it if there was more passion and tension, I still really enjoyed it. I loved the characters and the personal experiences of them and how they both overcome challenges. I would recommend this book to readers who love a enemies to lovers romance but them not really being enemies.

Thank you Net Galley, the author and publisher for allowing me to receive an ARC in exchange for my honest review.