A huge thank you to Netgalley and Jackie Ashenden for this arc.

My Review:

If you loved Beach Read by Emily Henry you will love this.

Think beach read but instead of authors, they are book store owners and instead of a summer holiday they are in a small english village, with snoopy neighbors and old ladies that like to read smut 😂

The Plot:
They are book store rivals, he is uptight and uppity with his beautifully historic bookstore that has been in his family for generations, while she is light and bright and a romance lover (a girl after my own heart ❤️). So naturally they clash!

After finding some old letters they start to unravel a whole lot of family history that brings them surprisingly closer together.

Unfortunately we do get a “you shouldn’t love me” walk away, but in true HAE fashion all is right in the end.

Its light, its funny at times, it touches on some deeper issues like emotionally abusive relationships and addiction, all in all its an easy read.

What's not to love about dueling bookshops and enemies to lovers and small town. Kate's book shop includes everything that's popular and fun while Sebastian's is more highbrow. So add in opposites attract. I didn't think that I would like this one but I ended up loving it.

Want a contemporary romance with a literary twist? Check out BOOK PEOPLE by Jackie Ashenden. While the book has many great qualities, for me, it fell short.

The good?
I loved the writing style - it was captivating and really created a sense of place. The premise is unique, and the romance that develops between the two main characters feels genuine, with emotional depth and chemistry.

The bad?
Pacing. Some parts are a bit repetitive at times while others are fully fleshed out. Some of the character development also felt rushed - leaving you feel disconnected with parts of the story

If you’re looking for a light, heartwarming story with a bit of predictability, this book will fit the bill

I wanted to love this book - I find myself often really loving books about bookstores/readers. However, the characters just didn't do it for me.

Jackie Ashenden has been a long-time favourite author of mine, especially for some of her earlier more erotic romances. Book People is a small-town contemporary romance about two rival booksellers, but there are some interesting family secrets that add some mystery and atmosphere to the story, making it a very enjoyable and entertaining read.

Kate Jones has inherited a property in Wychtree, a picture-perfect English Village. As a former book editor, she’s always wanted to own a bookshop so she’s opened one herself, named Portable Magic. She stocks all kinds of popular fiction and rotates her window display regularly to feature a fiction genre. Across the street is another bookshop, Blackwood Books, run by Sebastian Blackwood, which been passed down through his family and which stocks non-fiction and literary novels, more high-brow affairs than what Kate stocks.

Sebastian is not pleased, to say the least, that there is another bookshop in their small town. After all, even when residents wanted some popular fiction he didn’t stock, they’d always order it through him. But now they are going to Kate’s store instead, costing him sales. And it’s been a financially stressful time lately, not helped by having a rival bookshop to contend with. Plus Kate is just so annoyingly beautiful and friendly and charming – nothing at all like Sebastian’s reserved character.

But the two bookshop owners can’t keep out of each other’s circles for too long, especially when Kate hears that Sebastian is organizing a literary festival that she wants to be a part of. And when Sebastian’s headliner drops out, he has no choice but to accept Kate’s help with arranging another guest author, regardless of how he feels about her personally. And how he feels is… complicated.

As Kate and Sebastian plan the festival, they also get to know each other and Kate discovers Sebastian isn’t as cold as he seems. In fact, things between them get quite heated. And when they discover some historical letters that contain hints of a forbidden romance, they work at solving the mystery of the love affair together, discovering a window into a shared past. Can these two rivals find a way to help both their bookstores and get their own happy ending?

I was charmed by Book People from the outset! Enemies to lovers and opposites attract tropes blend well together and that’s what we have here for Kate and Sebastian. I loved the idea of two bookstores that cater to different customers collaborating together to ensure the survival of both, and the sexy romance between Kate and Sebastian unfolds at a brisk pace once they admit their attraction to each other.

I also really liked the historical mystery they work on together. Each chapter begins with a quote from one of the letters of the couple involved in the forbidden romance, and learning about them helps Kate and Sebastian come to terms with some of the more tragic events that have shaped their own lives. The overall result is a page-turning, enjoyable story I’m happy to recommend to bibliophiles and contemporary romance readers who like a little mystery with their romance.

They are book store rivals, he is uptight and uppity with his beautifully historic bookstore that has been in his family for generations, while she is light and bright and a romance lover (a girl after my own heart ). So naturally they clash!

I love reading stories about books and this one was just what I needed! I loved this cozy town and the banter between the main characters! A must read!

This is an absolutely swoon-worthy book. One of my favourite grumpy-sunshine books. Kate and Sebastian’s chemistry was palpable. I liked that Sebastian wasn’t an absolute asshole like many “grumpy” MMCs, he was just closed off. I feel like everything he did made me fall for him more and more. I also related to Kate in many ways. Her self discovery journey was so inspiring to read about, her search for the “real her” after the awful relationship from the past was so riveting.
I loved the journey of uncovering their ancestors’ history, it was such a an interesting driving plot. The never-ending plot twists kept me on the edge of my seat.
The main characters’ love of books is relatable as a book lover.

I enjoyed the overall storyline of this book and the connection Kate and Sebastian had to the past. My biggest hurdle was that I had a hard time connecting with the characters.

Thank you to Headline Eternal and NetGalley for the ARC!

This read felt really unique to me because the personalities of the characters were different than I've ever read, specifically the MMC. I found myself laughing and giggling at their dynamic quite often. It was a very true grumpy/sunshine dynamic the first half of the book and I really enjoyed that. The world building of the little town was really cute and I loved all the little aspects of small time life. Both of their bookshops also sounded really interesting and beautiful in their own ways. The plot had a steady pace which made it a fun read but not necessarily a quick read. The humor in this book is very much niche but if it finds the right audience I think they will adore it. Overall I really loved their story together and felt it was a great cozy romance!

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC publication for an honest review.

While this is a contemporary book, it has a feeling of Jane Austen within the characters.

Rival bookstore owners, grumpy vs sunshine romance.

Sebastian was our stoic/grumpy, male lead with family issues who doesn't do relationships. He was a little over the top with his angst and stubbornness as he fought his feelings for our heroine.

Kate the newbie bookstore owner was super sweet and honestly deserved better than all the angry and dismissive behavior she received from Sebastian. I would love to visit her bookstore!

The two eventually let down their guard and had some sweet, romantic moments. The casual relationship statis was disheartening and the way Sebastian kept letting his thoughts and family history get in the way.

I enjoyed the subplot of the letters! And am glad Kate got to confront her ex!! The conclusion was kind of quick with the resolution and happy ending.

3.5 stars

mystery within discovered love letters...

Sometimes when I pass two stores that sell the same thing across the street from one another, my first thought is: "Wow. I wonder if those two stores, the actual physical stores, are in love". This book felt like the embodiment of that. An absolute blast of rivals to lovers goodness, would absolutely recommend to friends. Will be on the lookout for more from this author.

I usually love books that have to do with books. But this one fell short for me. I just couldn’t get into it and I found the MMC to be whiny. Unfortunately, I have to DNF @20%.

I loved this story! The bookshop setting was so fun and Kate and Sebastian's banter was great. Sebastian is the perfect grump and Kate his perfect opposite. A really fun read.

I absolutely loved their chemistry. I found myself laughing with the characters and the story. It’s a nice easy read and it moves along quite quickly.
Thank you to NetGalley and Headline​-Headline Eternal​ for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to the publisher, Headline | Headline Eternal, for sending me an e-ARC of this book.

📚Rival bookshop owners
📚Enemies-to-lovers
📚Small-town setting
📚Grumpy-sunshine
📚Forced proximity

Pub Date Jan 28, 2025.

This book is a charming, spicy, enemies-to-lovers rom-com. It was a fun read. However, I didn't love the "grumpy" portrayal of the MMC. He felt more whiny and immature than the typical attractive, morally gray, grumpy MMC we normally pine over. I did love the premise and how the story revolved around books. I would say this is more so average for the genre. It's a cute story but not a favorite. I may revisit, but for now, I am rounding down to 3 stars.

As always, all thoughts are my own. ✨🖤

I love books about books but this one was a miss for me. The main male character just felt whiney and snobby to me. It just fell flat for me even though the premise sounded amazing before I started it.

This was a really fun read. I loved the chemistry between the characters, and the bookshop setting is always a plus! I'm not always a fan of enemies to lovers, but this one was well done.

Thank you to NetGalley and Headline Eternal for providing the ARC.

This book was a really good balance of romance and emotion. Kate was very much sunshine personified and Sebastian was an emotionally stunted man who believed that he couldn't live up to everything Kate saw in him. Their chemistry leapt right off the page, and it was hard to put the book down once I started reading.

I will say that Sebastian displays a shocking lack of emotional maturity and understanding. Almost to the point where it didn't feel great reading about him sometimes. I appreciated Kate's candor and trying to provide him with her truth, but he was so emotionally unavailable that he couldn't even recognize his own feelings. It was somewhat unattractive for a main character.

Overall, the book was good. And I loved all the little parallels to Wuthering Heights. This book was very charming and lovely.

Book People...

They are both book people. One is grumpy, rigid (yes, I did chose that word specifically to describe Sebastian) and owns a literary book store. The other, is Kate, happy, pretty, fun and likes all sorts of popular books. She wants in on the book event Sebastian is putting on and he has to accept her help, whether he likes it or not. They are competitors for the towns' book dollars (or pounds, in this case). Spicy bookstore owners...
Recommend.