Book People by Jackie Ashenden – Book Review

Synopsis

💘You have to break some rules to write your own story . . .💘

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

Don’t miss this utterly charming, spicy, enemies-to-lovers rom-com from Jackie Ashenden!
_______________________________________

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. Professional rivalry aside, just one steamy kiss can’t mean anything, can it?

💭 My Thoughts 💭

Book People by Jackie Ashenden – Book Review

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

A book about books and bookstores? I was so ready to fall in love with Book People. Unfortunately, while the premise had promise, the execution left me feeling a little… underwhelmed.

What I Loved

Let’s start with the good stuff! I’m always a sucker for a story set in a bookstore, and Book People absolutely delivers on that front. The atmosphere, the love of literature woven throughout, and the charm of bookish characters—it’s the kind of setting that makes any book lover feel right at home.

There were also moments that really worked. The exploration of grief, trauma, and personal growth added depth to the story. The FMC’s journey, in particular, had some touching moments that made me empathise with her struggle to move forward. I also appreciated the themes of family expectations and legacy, even if they were a little heavy-handed at times.

What Fell Flat

Now, the romance. This was supposed to be an enemies-to-lovers story, but it didn’t quite hit the mark. The tension that makes this trope so compelling was missing, and instead, we got a dynamic that felt… off.

The MMC? Honestly, a bit of a wanker. He’s self-absorbed, stuck in his own head, and completely fixated on his family history as if it dictates his entire existence. While I can appreciate a character struggling with their past, his attitude made it hard to root for him as a love interest. He lacked the charm or growth to balance out his more frustrating traits.

Then there’s the FMC, who is understandably traumatised from a previous relationship. While her struggles were valid and made sense for her character, they sometimes overshadowed the romance. There were sections where I found myself skimming because her internal monologue felt repetitive. It’s important to represent trauma in a meaningful way, but in this case, it slowed the pacing and made certain parts drag.

Final Thoughts

Book People had all the ingredients for a cosy, bookish romance, but it didn’t quite come together the way I’d hoped. If you love books about books, it might still be worth picking up but don’t expect a top-tier enemies-to-lovers romance. The setting was lovely, and there were some good emotional beats, but the lack of chemistry and frustrating character dynamics kept this from being a standout read for me.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ – A decent read, but not a favourite.

Thanks to Netgalley and Headline for an eArc of this book; my thoughts and opinions are my own.

Have you read Book People? Let me know what you think in the comments!

𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝗦𝗣𝗜𝗖𝗘 𝗟𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗟:MA16+ Open door spice scenes 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Book Details

ISBN: 9781035418015
Author – Jackie Ashenden
Published – eBook Jan 28th 2025, Paperback Feb 11th 2025
Series –
Publisher – Headline Eternal
Format – Paperback
Language – English
Number of Pages – 352
Audience – Adult
For Ages – 16+