So cute. I love a book about books or a bookstore or writers. This book hit a couple of those. And it was a rom com. Cozy vibes and banter

Imagine a small village. It has a very traditional bookshop that has been in one family for generations. It prides itself on being serious and is run by a Darcy like owner.

Imagine that a new bookshop opens and that it is right across the street. It is run by an Elizabeth Bennett like young woman. She stocks all of the genre books that a reader might dream about. She also offers many types of meetings and activities.

Imagine also that there is going to be a book event that these two may need to both embrace. And…imagine sparks flying in what is justifiably described as a “spicy” romance title.

Add to all of this, a collection of love notes from the traditionalist’s great grandfather and a mystery woman. They refer to each other as H and C-Wuthering Heights anyone? They add some intrigue to the plot.

Mix all of thesetogether to find an enjoyable read that will appeal to its intended audience. There may not be suspense but there most definitely is fun in these pages.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Headline for this title. All opinions are my own.

I was drawn to this book because I love to read and I seem to be choosing books that are about book sellers, librarians and writers lately. I enjoyed the enemies to lovers troupe, with two book sellers as the main characters, at the beginning but then it just seemed to drag on a bit. It was much more complicated than a simple enemies to lovers but just went on too long in my opinion.

Thank you Net Galley, Jackie Ashenden and Headline Publishing for the opportunity to preview this title. The opinions shared are my own.

Book People is expected to be released on Jan. 28, 2025.

Something about this book just didn’t click with me. I loved the premise, a book about books but just found the main characters very two dimensional. I really didn’t like Sebastian and found Kate to be a bit of an airhead. I really enjoyed the small back story of the great grandparents but that wasn’t enough to save it for me.

I had a difficult time choosing between giving 3 or 4 stars, but overall, I just personally wasn't quite as into it as I'd have hoped. I didn't particularly warm to either Kate or Sebastian, although they are both likeable characters.

Having said that, this is a sweet romance (with a dash of spice) that will appeal to any fellow book lovers. I did really enjoy Ashenden's writing and look forward to reading more of her work.

If you like a small-town, bookish romance, then this is the book for you!

Book People gets off to a good start, but I didn’t feel like it offered anything new or especially interesting. This is a rivals to lovers story with some steaminess, but it didn’t do much for me.

I love book themed books. I love small town romance. So this one was a win for me! Cute banter and all. My first book by this author and I was impressed!

Hot, steamy and sensual! Book People is a smutty romance about two rival booksellers in a small village. We navigate their enemies to lovers journey as they work out how to plan and deliver a literary festival. Kate Jones is our sunshine character - bubbly, bright, and innovative who just can't understand why Sebastian Blackwood, the towns aloof and reclusive literary snob, doesn't like her.

I was hooked by the characters and the premise from the get go. I loved seeing how the main characters communicated and how their relationship changed across the book. The two ultimately complimented each other perfectly! My only gripe being the "alpha male" behaviour that Ashenden loves to write about gets ramped up too far at times in this. While it makes sense for one of the characters to be like this, it isn't really in character for the main lead.

A throughly engaging romance and a fantastic read!

Book People by Jackie Ashenden is both an enjoyable enemies to lovers romance and a love letter to books themselves.

Book People is the story of Kate and Sebastian, rival book sellers in a small town setting (already sounds good tight?!). Kate is looking for a fresh start after leaving her job and abusive ex in London, following the death of her mother. Despite everything she’s been through she’s strong and determined, very much the sunshine to the grumpy Sebastian, who feels himself cursed by the Blackwood name to live alone and so has chosen to close himself off. Yet the pair are forced to work together in the name of reviving the villages literature festival. In doing so they uncover a mystery that brings them closer together, and really can one steamy kiss really hurt?!

There are so many well known and well loved tropes going on in this one, we’ve got:
📖 small town setting - Wychtree is the type of village where everyone knows your business and gossip travels fast
📚 opposite attract/grumpy sunshine
📖 rival bookshop owners - their love of books flows through the pages
📚 enemies to lovers - though it’s clear they’ve each been attracted to one another from the start but fighting it
📖 (spoiler alert) the ex receiving a good punch from a very protective (though somewhat possessive MMC)
📚 a great romantic subplot with the discovery of some lost letters - this whole storyline was one of my favourite parts of the novel

I enjoyed this one and it was certainly a quick and easy read. The building chemistry between the MCs was good and worked well. I preferred Kate out the MCs, she felt more real and had more to her. Sebastian was a decent enough MMC but I found him to be a little more flat and more of a caricature, he was rather repetitive in his brooding; he worked better when with Kate than when on his own.

I really enjoyed the build up to the festival and how much Ashenden’s love of all things books shone through. Overall this was a solid read that I enjoyed.

Book store rivals.
Enemies to lovers.
Say no more.

Owning a bookstore is a dream, and to read a story of someone owning a bookstore is like eating an entire bag of candy. Really good candy, ok.
I enjoyed this one! It followed two bookstore rivals who have shops across from each other. Kate, owner of Portable Magic, is the sunshining neighbor to Sebastian, owner of Blackwood Books. Reluctantly, (on Sebastian's end) they both wind up working together in planning a book festival for their town. Along the way there is banter, angst, a mystery of love letters, and the enemies do become lovers.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for giving me a chance to read this arc. Above is my honest review, and will be posting it to Goodreads. See below for link.

Sadly, this book really did not do it for me. Trying to jump on the Emily Henry-Hypetrain of cosy, book-centered romance reads, this misses a lot. The story is predictable in a boring way, the characters are so cliché, the pace of their romance seems far too rushed and unnatural. Sad!

I loved this book! The story was very interesting and it kept my attention the whole time. And the banter and romance was very well done.

Book People sounded like an incredible book, but it ended up falling flat for me.

Kate needs a major life change and moves to the small town her mother is from and opens a book store. Her book store is modern and teeming with romance books, thrillers, fantasy, mysteries and sci fi. Across the street, Sebastian has another more traditional book store with literary fiction, poetry, and nonfiction books. Kate and Sebastian are set up to be rivals but slowly warm to each other as they plan a book festival together.

I like many others love books about books and writers and book stores. But this one lacked the character development that I wanted. Sebastian felt too broody and overly macho man protective of Kate who he just met. The grumpy sunshine just fell flat. Also, the letters plotline felt shoehorned in and was immensely predictable.

Tropes

* Grumpy Sunshine
* Small Town Romance
* Bookstore Owners
* Rivals to Lovers
* Love Letters

3 stars

Book people is a rom com about two rival bookstore owners that reluctantly work together to revive a book festival in their small town.

Kate just broke up with her toxic boyfriend and moves to her family's hometown that she hasnt been to since she was small. She opens a bookstore across the street from the rival bookstore to the dismay of the sexy and brooding owner.

I loved how both characters cared for one another while trying to heal from prior relationships. Sebastian was a little intense at the beginning, but mellowed out a tiny bit. I really enjoyed the background romance and bits at the beginning of each chapter.

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

3.5 stars rounded to 4.
Book People by Jackie Ashenden centres around some fun rivalry between Blackwood books and Kate's bookstore across the road selling things like romance and thrillers and all kinds of genres. As Sebastian sells a different kind of book, ones I probably wouldn't buy, he feels a little superior and also resents Kate opening a bookstore opposite him

So the wars begin, however it's not long before these enemies are becoming something else. Kate is just out of an emotionally abusive relationship and Sebastian continues to believe that the men in his family are totally inept at relationships. He has built up a whole story about it.

They find some commonality when they discover some old letters between their great great grandparents. They were Kate and Seb too. This adds a bit of mystery although the reader is able to put two and two together I think long before the now living Kate and Seb do.

It is written in alternating chapters in the first person by Kate and Seb - present day.  I don't usually like first person narrative, however the back and forth helps see both points of view.

I enjoyed the book, it didn't totally wow me, but the bookish setting, the two characters and their own individual histories kept me reading. Of course it has a happy ending. It is mainly set in a small town in England, however the final chapter has  been set in New Zealand, and was a nice touch to end the story.

I love an enemies to lovers book and when it involves 2 bookshop owners it’s magical.
This book is well written as you enjoy multiple POV. Being able to see what’s going on in the head of both main characters allows you to really bond with them, as you follow along on their journey.
The plot flows nicely and the added suspense of the letters keeps you invested in the storyline.
I loved this book and would happily recommend it to anyone who likes these tropes.

This was fun, spicy, banter filled and all around a lovely little rom-com. If you enjoy enemies to lovers, this will be a hit!!

This novel circles a lot of tropes (enemies to lovers, grumpy sunshine) without actually landing. There isn’t enough backstory to make their relationship- both initially as enemies and eventually as lovers- believable. Our guy is too grumpy. Our girl is too bubbly. It all leans too hard into the tropes without enough substance for me to become invested.
There is a fun subplot involving love letters from the past, and at times I was more interested in that plot line than our main one.
Overall, this was a miss for me.
I received a NetGalley arc of this story in exchange for my honest review.

This book has everything a romance reader could want!! Small town, book store owners, a book festival where to rival bookstore owners have to work together? Absolutely perfect!! I loved this! It was funny and romantic and I loved the pacing!

Book People made me realize that I actually don't mind small town romances.

I usually find them boring but in this case I was amazed at how much I liked it. It was cute overall although I think this one won't stick with me for a long time because of the whiny mmc.