Battle of the Bookstores

Author duo Alison Hammer and Bradeigh Godfrey, writing as Brady (The Beach Trap), gently riff on You’ve Got Mail in this cute but predictable rom-com. Chaotic Ryan Lawson runs Happy Endings, a romance-only bookshop in Boston that will soon be merging with Tabula Inscripta, the neighboring literary fiction bookstore managed by uptight Josie Klein. When Ryan and Josie learn that only one manager will survive after the businesses combine, competition ignites. Ryan and Josie trade heated barbs and attempt to one-up each other with book events. Meanwhile, both characters take solace in conversations with an anonymous internet friend, though neither realizes they’ve been messaging with each other. The authors throw a kitchen sink worth of tropes into their plot and winkingly comment on them through romance loving Ryan, who’s genre-savvy enough to recognize that he’s in an enemies-to-lovers scenario with Josie—especially when they’re forced to share only one bed. It can feel a bit like the authors are going down a checklist, and as a result the plot becomes somewhat rote, but the leads are charming and it’s easy to see how carefree Ryan helps soften Josie’s sharp edges. Readers looking for a light and sweet love story will want to check this out. (June)