The cute, seaside town of Portneath has been the home of Capelthorne’s Books for nearly a hundred years…
The shop, in the heart of a high street that stretches crookedly down the hill from the castle to the sea, may be a tad run-down these days, but to Jules Capelthorne, the wonky, dusty world of literary treasures is full of precious childhood memories. When her great-aunt Florence gets too frail to run it alone, Jules ditches her junior publishing job in London and comes home to make the bookshop’s hundredth birthday a celebration to remember.
Jules quickly discovers things are worse than she ever imagined: The bookshop is close to bankruptcy, unlikely to make it to its own centenary celebration, and the lease on the building is up for renewal. With a six-figure sum needed, the future looks bleak.
To make matters worse, the owner of the property is the insufferable Roman Montbeau, from the posh, local family who owns half of Portneath. The Montbeaus and Capelthornes have feuded for years, and Roman has clearly not improved since he tormented Jules as a child. Fresh from a high-flying career in New York, he is on a mission to shake things up, and—unforgivably—proves his point about Capelthorne’s being a relic of the past by opening a new bookshop directly opposite—a shiny, plate-glass-windowed emporium of books.
Jules may not be able to splash the cash on promotions and marketing like the Montbeaus, but she’s got some ideas of her own, plus she has a tenacity that may just win the hardest of hearts and the most hopeless of conflicts.
Let the battle of the bookshops commence…
Title: The Battle of the Bookshops
Author: Poppy Alexander
Publisher: Avon Harper Voyager
Expected Publication Date: August 19, 2025
Review:
Thank you to Avon Harper Voyager and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this title to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
I was really excited about this book. Mostly because I read another book about a battle between two bookshops and I wanted to see where this author would take such a story. This was my first book by Poppy Alexander. I loved the cover and had high expectations. Books about books always make my heart happy. This one, unfortunately, just did not hit the mark for me.
What I liked: the idea of this book. Two bookstores across the street from each other competing for sales. One is a smaller store that's been around for one hundred years, while the other is a large store, comparable to the big box stores we know now, offering many things above and beyond books. This particular theme really hit the mark for me. I love small independent book shops and try to visit them and give them my business whenever I can. But I also understand the ease of getting books from a larger shop. One that can offer not only a large variety but also discounts depending on how you purchase.
I also enjoyed the relationship between Jules and her great aunt. It was more of a grandmotherly/motherly bond. Aunt Flo (this name made me wince every time I read it) was definitely spry for her age and I loved her wit and humor. And the Romeo and Juliette theme of the book was also fun. I thought it would grow into something big that I could really sink my teeth into.
Beyond these two things I was just bored with this book. by 50% in, not much had happened. The Romeo and Juliette theme had barely played out by halfway through the book. I was waiting on the chemistry between Jules and Roman but it just was not there. Plus, their meetings were not fraught with the tension I truly thought I would see. And the names were way to close to the original.
The plot just kind of chugged along, with long passages describing daily chores, daily things that really didn't need to be so intricately described. I felt like the author just wanted to fill the story with words but none that would move it anywhere. Many of the scenes failed to move the book over. And the long passages of telling rather than showing really slowed the pace. And I was confused as to why the author chose to make this dual POV. In the first 50% you barely get Roman at all. It's all Jules being drama and the text is overly imbued with her drama. I could not relate to her nor could I find it in myself to even like her.
When I find myself forced to pick up a book because I feel like I have to finish it, then I know it's not for me. It just felt flat and didn't pull me in as I really wanted. Others who like a slower pace with a romance book that isn't really focused on the romance may like this one. I do not like to put aside review books but I ended up DNFing this one at 50%.
Author:
Poppy's first published book - the bestselling 25 Days 'Til Christmas - has been translated into several languages and optioned for TV.
Poppy Alexander wrote her first book when she was five. There was a long gap in her writing career while she was at school, and after studying classical music at university, she decided the world of music was better off without her and returned to writing instead. She takes an anthropological interest in family, friends and life in her West Sussex village (think, The Archers crossed with Twin Peaks) where she lives with her husband, children and various other pets.
She is generally lurking on social media as @PoppyAlexanderBooks on Instagram and Facebook.
Poppy also writes as Rosie Howard.
Poppy Alexander wrote her first book when she was five. There was a long gap in her writing career while she was at school, and after studying classical music at university, she decided the world of music was better off without her and returned to writing instead. She takes an anthropological interest in family, friends and life in her West Sussex village (think, The Archers crossed with Twin Peaks) where she lives with her husband, children and various other pets.
She is generally lurking on social media as @PoppyAlexanderBooks on Instagram and Facebook.
Poppy also writes as Rosie Howard.
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