Jackie Ashenden's "Book People" transports us to a charming village in small-town England, where two rival bookshops serve as both adversaries and the backdrop for a blossoming romance. On one side, we meet Kate, the optimistic newcomer who has revitalized her late mother's property into “Portable Magic,” a lively sanctuary for romance, cozy mysteries, and thrillers. Across the street stands Sebastian Blackwood, the town's brooding book lover, whose shop, “Blackwood Books,” appeals to serious literature enthusiasts and Booker Prize fans. Their relationship is a classic case of… well, tension-filled proximity.

The narrative unfolds six months after Kate's arrival, as her frustration with Sebastian's frosty demeanour grows. At the same time, he seems just as annoyed by her cheerful presence—and the very existence of her bookstore. Complicating matters is a long-standing family feud, subtly hinted at early in the story and intricately woven throughout the plot, alongside the impending deadline of a literary festival that Sebastian is organizing.

Ashenden's prose shines, skillfully capturing the idiosyncrasies of village life and the pleasures (and occasional challenges) of running a bookshop. Both Kate and Sebastian are intriguing characters, and the author’s playful examination of their contrasting personalities—sunshine versus storm cloud—infuses the story with humour and warmth.

However, the romance doesn't always progress as seamlessly as one might wish. While Sebastian's gruff exterior can be charming, his recurring self-doubt and belief that he is unworthy of love sometimes burden the narrative. The chemistry between him and Kate, though often endearing, can occasionally feel uneven because of this.

Nonetheless, "Book People" provides a delightful escape into a world filled with literary banter, charming characters, and heartfelt moments. Fans of opposites-attract romances with a literary flair will find plenty to enjoy in this enchanting tale.

Thank you to Jackie Ashenden, Headline Eternal, a division of Hachette, and NetGalley for providing an eARC in return for my honest review. Publication Date: January 28, 2025

I thought this was a super cute book and I really enjoyed it! I love romance books that are set in a bookish setting, especially combined with my love for small town romances.

I enjoyed Kate and Sebastian a lot together, especially at the beginning. For me personally I would’ve liked them to hold off on their feelings for a bit longer, but it worked out well. I just couldn’t get over how Sebastian hides behind the idea of the Blackwood men. It felt like a kind of dumb and cowardly reason to swear off relationships and feelings. Especially after his friend kept trying to reason with him.

The subplot of the letters was a really sweet addition. Not very surprising but still enjoyable to read and discover the story behind them.

I did however find the ending of the whole book a bit lacking. I wish we had gotten some more involvement of Lisa and closure about the book she writes and whether Kate got to help her with it or not. Sebastian’s family drama also seemed far from resolved. Also would love to know how they manage to keep two bookstores afloat in the same small village but I guess that’s just the reality of romantic dream worlds.

Overall I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to others who love small towns and book shop settings!

This enemies to lovers romcom if full of rivals book sellers, grumpy sunshine and forced proximity. The perfect blend of romance and spice, bookshops and a sprinkle of mystery. Kate and Sebatian are the only couple with their name, I enjoyed the added storyline of their ancestors. Easy little read perfect for the holidays by the water.

A little about the book. Kate is a passionate bookseller with a dream to open a shop dedicated to the kind of fiction she adores lighthearted, popular, and endlessly fun. But her enthusiasm isn’t shared by everyone in the cozy small town, least of all Sebastian, the rigid and refined owner of the highbrow bookstore across the street.

Sebastian has rules for everything his inventory, his wardrobe, and most importantly, his dating life (strictly no locals). So, when a town literary festival forces the two rivals to work side by side, tensions rise, sparks fly, and one impulsive, steamy kiss threatens to rewrite everything they thought they knew about love and competition.

This could have been the perfect book for me. The premise completely pulled me in! Two rival bookshops opposite each other, a grumpy-sunshine romance between the competing owners and letters revealing a secret love affair of one of their grandparents!

I love books, bookshops, books about books, love stories revolving around books. And who doesn't love a past secret affair through letters! A lot of my favourite romances revole around very similar premises.

Unfortunately, I don't think this book was for me. I found a lot of it repetitive. I wasn't particularly fond of either character. The pacing was a bit off for me and I ended up skimming a lot. It didn't do anything that made it stand out to me, personally.

This could still be a wonderful book for anyone who likes the sound of the premise. There isnt anything seriously wrong with this book, it just didn't work for me!

Rival booksellers with intertwining family history (they are not related!!). Loved the grumpy/sunshine element to this but wanted a smidge less instant love. The banter was cute and the family stuff moved me. This was an overall enjoyable read. I hope there is another book in this universe about Dan.

I received an arc from Netgalley and the publisher.

When Kate, a fledgling bookseller, decides to open a bookshop that celebrates the kinds of genre fiction she loves to read (popular and fun!), she's surprised to find that not everyone in the town is as excited as she is.

Least excited of all? Sebastian, owner of the highbrow bookshop across the road, who has rules for everything: the kind of books he sells, the clothes he wears, and the people he dates (no-one local). When the pair find themselves working together on the town's literary festival, their growing attraction becomes harder and harder to ignore.

Despite the fact that I really didn't care for Sebastian, I loved Kate, and I really enjoyed this cute little romance. It was a quick read, and who doesn't like a book about book people? 🙂 ♥️

I received an advanced complimentary digital copy of this book from Netgalley. Opinions expressed are my own.

This was a tough book for me. I wanted to love it. The premise reminded me of Book Lovers which I loved, but it never really pulled me in. The pace, especially in the beginning felt too slow. I found Sebastian deeply unlikable in the beginning, which I suppose works for the whole enemy’s to lovers thing. But his whole mopey “I can’t give her what I wants,” attitude as the book progressed, didn’t work for me- it just made me want to scream at him to pull it together. I liked the secret romance from the past- it was sweet and heartwarming. Speaking of the past, Jasper should have stayed firmly in the past instead of showing back up just to make a mess of things. Overall, it was fine just maybe not what I was expecting or looking for.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

Late & Seb have the best love-hate relationship, and I knew from the start I would fall in love with them. I enjoyed this book a little too much. It made me giggle like a little school girl. I found myself laughing with the characters, and the story is beautifully written. I would highly recommend this book for anyone who loves You've Got Mail. I WILL BUY A PHYSICAL COPY!

Thank you to the publisher for the earc!

Romance isn’t my go-to genre, but sometimes I need one between heavier fantasies. This sounded perfect for me, as it features rivaling bookshop owners. While it served its entertainment purpose perfectly, I still had some issues with the book.

I was very early in the story, when I considered DNFing, because of the following exchange:

“‘As I said, it’s a literary festival.’
‘Books are literature,’ I snap.
‘Not all books,’ he says, patiently.”

Now, I kept reading so I know Sebastian just said it to anger Kate, doesn’t mean it, but I had to stop for a while after reading it. I’m a firm believer that as long as you read, it doesn’t matter what it is. Mangas, comics, poetry, audiobooks, picture books, travel guides, art books, whatever, they all count. I really hate when someone says “You can’t be a reader if you didn’t read [include whatever classic/non-fiction you’d like]!” Like, I’m sorry, but I won’t read classics if I can avoid them. High school made me hate them along with poetry, so no I won’t pick up something that was written in the 1800s. Language changed so much, most of the time I had to read sentences 3 times to understand them and by the time I reached the bottom of the page I already forgot what happened on the top. So, no I won’t read them, and if that makes me a non-tóreader in some people’s eyes, I don’t care.

Now that my rant is over I can talk about the book! It was entertaining, maybe a bit cliche, but I didn’t have huge expectations. I admit the story with the love letters was extremely predictable for me, so not even the ending was a big surprise. I did love how each chapter started with one letter, and while it was a bit confusing at first (mostly because of the formatting) quickly realized what’s going on.

I loved Kate’s character, she was smart, a bit stubborn, but had a dream and was willing to do whatever it took her to reach it. Sebastian on the other hand felt a bit too much. I wasn’t a huge fan of his character.

I did love the setting so much! I always wish to visit a small English village and now the feeling is even stronger.

Not bad, especially because Bas is nice and intense as a male character, without trespassing on the alpha male, which is a pleasant novelty. The subplot is also particularly fascinating, and all together it completes a multifaceted contemporary romance, plus books.....

Non male, soprattutto perché Bas é bello intenso come personaggio maschile, senza per questo sconfinare nel maschio alfa, il che é una piacevole novitá. La sottotrama é anche particolarmente affascinante e tutto assieme completa un contemporary romance dalle molte sfaccettature ed in piú ci sono i libri....

I received from the Publisher a complimentary digital advanced review copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.

Book People tells the story of rival book shop owners, Sebastian and Kate, who end up working together to plan a book festival for their small town. I swear I have read this plot line before? They end up falling for each other, a little too quickly in my opinion. I enjoyed this book, and likely would have rated it higher if it wasn't for the insta-love. I would consider reading more from Jackie Ashenden in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Headline for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. Book People is available on January 28, 2025.

This is a cozy romance built entirely on tropes and bookstores. Kate has moved back to her mother’s hometown following her mother’s death and opened an adorable bookshop that specializes in genre fiction. Across the street is a lofty bookshop owned and run by Sebastian, as haughty as the name makes him sound. Of course, they are both gorgeous and attracted to each other. And so, a grumpy sunshine romance ensues.

Overall, this is a cute and enjoyable romance. It is not a particularly memorable romance but it functions quite well within itself.

I would recommend it to readers who are looking for a read that they can escape into.

Thank you to Net Galley and Headline Eternal for the DRC. All opinions are my own.

Book People by Jackie Ashenden gave me Book Lovers-vibes, so if you're a fan of that book, this one is for you. Sebastian and Kate make an ideal grumpy-sunshine pairing which leads to plenty of laughable moments. I loved the slow-burn romance. While the story was predictable and didn’t bring anything new to the contemporary romance genre, it made for a cozy, easy read, perfect for a snowy day cuddled on the couch. The pacing was a bit uneven, with some sections feeling less engaging than others but overall still a quick fun read.
Thank you to Headline Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
#BookPeople #NetGalley

It was a quick and fun read. As a bookseller, I loved the concept of the book and would recommend it to others to read. At times I did feel like the main characters were both a little stubborn and too consumed with their past. However, it is understandable because it is what drove the plot. Ultimately, it was a great book. Thank you for allowing me to read it early!

Enemies to lovers but they're bookshop owners?! Sign me up! I really enjoyed this book from an author I haven't read before. Book People takes place in a small English village; Kate has just opened up a small bookshop right across the street from Sebastian, who also owns a bookshop. But the village is big enough for two book stores, right?

I loved the grumpy-sunshine banter between Kate and Sebastian, and his grumpy was next level. But as their friendship develops and they begin to work together, Kate breaks through his icy exterior to find the fire burning within. The storyline about their great-grandparents was a nice parallel storyline that I really enjoyed. I wish we would have been able to spend a little more time with Kate and Sebastian after they declared their love for each other but the bonus chapter about the original Kate and Sebastian was a nice ending.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book.

I wanted to love this, but it just didn't do it for me. I didn't think it was bad, it just wasn't my favorite. I really liked Kate, and the storyline as a whole, but I did not like Sebastian, and I think that's what ruined this for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.

Book People is an enemies/rivals to lovers, grumpy-sunshine romance.

I wasn't sure how I felt about this book at first. I almost DNF it because of the beginning.....Honestly, Kate annoyed me at first. She moves into the small village and opens up a bookstore right across the street from Sebastian's bookstore, which steals half his customers and she doesn't understand why he's annoyed/hates her. Then, he has an idea of having a book festival to help his now dying bookstore. Kate finds out about it and pretty much says he needs to include her shop or she's having a festival the same time as his and again is stealing half his customers. I would have been angry and not talking to her as well. But I'm glad I stuck with it and kept reading, because I did end up loving it at the end.

While I didn't love or get Sebastian's and Kate's chemistry in the beginning...because there wasn't any. If it wasn't for the dual POV, you would have never known they even liked each other....I did love them together towards the end. I loved the backstory of Sebastian's great grandfather writing secret love notes back a forth to a mystery woman. That's pretty much what kept me reading. To find out who the mystery woman was and by then I started to fall for Sebastian and Kate together also.

Overall, It's a super cute, cozy romance. Read if you like:
📚Rival bookshop owners
📚Enemies-to-lovers
📚Small-town setting
📚Grumpy-sunshine
📚Forced proximity
📚Dual POV

Thank you Netgalley and Headline publishing for this eArc in exchange for my honest review

OMG this book was so good. I love an enemies to lovers and this one did it for me. Kate and Sebastian were soooooo right on so many levels. Rivals who realize there is a fine line between love and hate. THE KISS? bye the kiss had me going crazyyyy. read this! its so cute n fun, would recommend

A book, about book lovers who own bookstores, fall for each other and while that happens they host a book festival and uncover old letters about old family members.

A literal dream. I’m sorry but I would love to live in a small village and own a bookstore and fall for a fellow bookstore owner in the same village.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it was so different to any books I’ve read and I was hooked on every aspect of the story.

The banter, the romance, the tension, just everything was done so well!

‘Of course she loves it. This woman doesn’t need a bed. A bookshelf is fine…’

I really wanted to love, but it felt short a little bit for me. I think it was trying to be Book Lovers by Emily Henry. Still not a bad read.