BLOG TOUR: The Battle of the Bookshops - Poppy Alexander

A charming literary-themed novel about a young woman determined to save her great-aunt’s beloved bookshop from extinction by the shiny new competition—which also happens to be run by the handsome son of her family’s rivals.

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…

 

What did I think?

Poppy Alexander is back with another fabulous book for book lovers everywhere!  I loved reading The Littlest Library so I was delighted to be back in Middlemass village for more bookish escapades.

It's a fresh and charming take on Romeo and Juliet with a long-standing feud between the Montbeaus and the Capelthornes.  Roman Montbeau and Jules Capelthorne are the latest generation to continue the family feud which is complicated by the fact that they really fancy each other.  Of course they can't admit their feelings as their families are at war!

When Jules' Great Aunt Flo has a fall, Jules returns home from London to help her run the only bookshop in the picturesque town of Portneath.  Roman returns home from New York at the same time but his reason is kept under wraps for a while.  As the pair frequently bump into each other, Jules start to warm to Roman but then he goes and opens a rival bookshop.  Roman's shiny new bookshop is sure to put Capelthorne Books out of business but Jules isn't going to go down without a fight.

Oh this story is simply adorable!  A book about books is always going to appeal to me and The Battle of the Bookshops is outstanding.  I loved the Shakespeare references that are hidden like Easter eggs throughout the book and it's not just Romeo and Juliet ones.  I'm not that familiar with Shakespeare but I noticed quite a few and I loved finding them.

Incredibly romantic and completely charming, The Battle of the Bookshops is an unmissable and unforgettable book.  I will definitely be reading it again as I adored it.  Very highly recommended.  An easy five stars.

I received a gifted paperback to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

About the author:

Poppy Alexander is the author of The Littlest Library, Storybook Ending, and 25 Days 'til Christmas. She 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 took up public relations, campaigning, political lobbying, and a bit of journalism 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.

Links:

Website: https://poppy-alexander.com/

Instagram: @poppyalexanderbooks

Follow the tour:

BLOG TOUR: The Littlest Library - Poppy Alexander

 

It's only the beginning of her story...

Jess Metcalf is perfectly happy with her quiet, predictable life - it's just the way she likes it. But when her beloved grandmother passes away and she loses her job at the local library, her life is turned upside-down.

Packing up her grandmother's books, she moves to a tiny cottage in a charming country village. To her surprise, Jess finds herself the owner of an old red telephone box, too - and she soon turns it into the littlest library around!

It's not long before the books are borrowed and begin to work their magic - somehow, they seem to be bringing the villagers together once more...

What did I think?

The Littlest Library is such a lovely story and it involves books so that's a win/win for us bookworms!  I already love books, that's a given, but reading this book has made me want to rediscover my childhood favourites and the many classics I have sitting patiently on my bookshelves.  There is nothing quite as magical as books and The Littlest Library reminds us of that.

Jess is at a crossroads in life after losing both her grandmother, Mimi and her job in a library, so it's the perfect time for a new start.  I adored reading about village life in Middlemass and how a detour off the motorway played a hand in Jess finding herself living there.  I think Jess is very brave to move somewhere new on her own and I loved seeing how her character developed over the course of the novel.   

I can't go any further without mentioning the books!  Oh my word, what an amazing thing for Jess to do: to put all of her grandmother's treasured books into the phone box for people in the village to borrow.  The books really made a huge impact on the village and some of them even have wonderful little notes in the margins that are a lasting legacy from Mimi.  I was so touched by this and although I would never write in a book, I can see how wonderful it must be to find a hidden message like this.

I really liked Poppy Alexander's writing, not just the warm and lyrical style but the way that the story is more realistic than fairy tale.  Jess has quite a few obstacles to overcome and I really felt for her when she was faced with difficult decisions; if only happiness could pay the bills!  I had my fingers and toes crossed that fate would would intervene once again, but you'll just have to read it for yourself to see if Jess gets her happy ending.

The Littlest Library is a charming novel with community (and books) at its heart.  I really enjoyed it and wouldn't hesitate to pick up another Poppy Alexander book.

I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour; all opinions are my own.

My rating:

Buy it from

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

About the author:

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 took up public relations, campaigning, political lobbying and a bit of journalism 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.

Follow the tour: