Romance

The Boy With the Bookstore

The Boy With the Bookstore

  • Downloads：8640
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-09-08 08:53:01
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Sarah Echavarre Smith
  • ISBN：0593545982
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
  • Download

Summary

When a baker meets the bookshop owner of her dreams， and he turns into her nemesis， they’ll both have to read between the lines to avoid a career-ending recipe for disaster。

Max Boyson looks good。。。from a distance。 But up close and personal， the tattooed hottie Joelle Prima has been crushing on for the past year and half has turned into the prime example of why you shouldn’t judge a book by his delectable cover。

When she first learned about the massive renovation to the building they share， Joelle imagined that temporarily combining her Filipino bakery with Max’s neighboring bookstore would be the perfect opening chapter to their happily ever after。 In her fantasies they fed each other bibingka and pandesal while discussing Jane Austen and cooing over her pet hamster， Pumpkin。 Reality， however。。。is quite different。 Her gallant prince turned out to be a stubborn toad who snaps at her in front of customers， dries his sweaty gym clothes in her oven， and routinely helps himself to the yummy pastries in her display case without asking。

But beneath Max’s grumpy glares， Joelle senses a rising heat—and a softening heart。 And when they discover the real reason for the renovation， they’ll have to put both their business senses and their feelings for each other to the test。

Download

Reviews

Milena ，

Joelle， the owner of a Filipino bakery， and Max， the owner of an indie bookstore， are tenants in the same commercial building。 They've had a crush on each other for a while but never acted on it until one day when they have a make-out session in Max's office。 The next day， they find out that the building's owner wants to do major renovations that will negatively affect their businesses。 Max and Joelle are forced to share a small space until renovations are complete。 The stress of sharing a cramp Joelle， the owner of a Filipino bakery， and Max， the owner of an indie bookstore， are tenants in the same commercial building。 They've had a crush on each other for a while but never acted on it until one day when they have a make-out session in Max's office。 The next day， they find out that the building's owner wants to do major renovations that will negatively affect their businesses。 Max and Joelle are forced to share a small space until renovations are complete。 The stress of sharing a cramped space and problems in Max's personal life quickly turn their budding romance into animosity。 Will they overcome their differences and save their relationship， or will it fizzle out before it even begins？I have mixed feelings about The Boy with the Bookstore。 It has a few elements that I really like: a romance between a baker and a bookseller （a perfect pairing）， Portland setting （my backyard）， grumpy/sunshine， and forced proximity tropes。 But it also has elements that disappointed me。 Mainly an immature hero and a heroine who did not behave like responsible adults by jeopardizing each other business， despite having a crush on each other。 I was exasperated with both Max and Joelle and found it hard to root for them。 I recommend this book to readers who like the tropes mentioned above and don't mind immature thirty-something characters。 *ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley 。。。more

Victoria Lanigan ，

First of all I would love to visit this bookshop！ This was a cute premise。 Max owns the bookshop， Joelle runs a bakery and their renovations of the building is supposed to draw them together。 However， reality is not exactly what either of them anticipated。 While， I don’t love miscommunication as a large plot point this was still a cute one。。I did like the ending and the story of how a certain baby got their name！。Huge thank you to @berkleypub and @netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for a First of all I would love to visit this bookshop！ This was a cute premise。 Max owns the bookshop， Joelle runs a bakery and their renovations of the building is supposed to draw them together。 However， reality is not exactly what either of them anticipated。 While， I don’t love miscommunication as a large plot point this was still a cute one。。I did like the ending and the story of how a certain baby got their name！。Huge thank you to @berkleypub and @netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Arzum ，

SARAH SMITH NEVERRRRRR MISSES。 A FREAKING MASTERPIECE！！！ SO SO WORTH WAITING FOR！！

Sonya ，

This was a 3。5 star read for me， so rounding up because since， in all fairness， I did enjoy the story。Joelle is a baker and owns her own shop。 She has been crushing over business neighbor and bookstore owner， Max， for a year and a half。 Just when Joelle takes her chance on a budding romance， she and Max are thrown into chaos。 The owner of the building that houses their businesses decides to renovate the building， forcing Max and Joelle to share a space for both of their businesses。 The Boy with This was a 3。5 star read for me， so rounding up because since， in all fairness， I did enjoy the story。Joelle is a baker and owns her own shop。 She has been crushing over business neighbor and bookstore owner， Max， for a year and a half。 Just when Joelle takes her chance on a budding romance， she and Max are thrown into chaos。 The owner of the building that houses their businesses decides to renovate the building， forcing Max and Joelle to share a space for both of their businesses。 The Boy with the Bookstore has plenty of romantic tension， miscommunication and misunderstandings。 So much so that it's a bit back and forth。 It felt like every other page of the book was a conflict and then a convenient make up。 I did find the back stories of the characters interesting。 Both characters bring the weight of their family drama into the story。 Both characters are rather likable， but I did get a little frustrated with their hair trigger irritations with things that happened。 It was frustrating。 The anger to fondness back and forth of it was so quick that you never really got the slow build to understanding and forgiveness。 To be honest， at one point I really questioned if they should even be together。 That being said， there is a good amount of spice in this book as well and the sexual tension is definitely there。 I did enjoy the book and Smith's writing is pretty solid。Overall， it's a cute and fun romantic read。Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC and the opportunity to read and review The Boy with the Bookstore by Sarah Echavarre Smith 。。。more

Veronica （Honey Roselea Reads） ，

My Blog | My BookTube | My Book Club | Instagram | TwitterThank you to NetGalley and Berkley Romance for inviting me to read The Boy with the Bookstore and for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review！A review will be up on my blog on September 6， 2021 at 10 am CST on Honey Roselea Reads for you guys to check out！My review on The Boy with the Bookstore will be accessible using this link from September 6， 2021 at 10 am CST and onward。For now， here is a preview to what the review My Blog | My BookTube | My Book Club | Instagram | TwitterThank you to NetGalley and Berkley Romance for inviting me to read The Boy with the Bookstore and for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review！A review will be up on my blog on September 6， 2021 at 10 am CST on Honey Roselea Reads for you guys to check out！My review on The Boy with the Bookstore will be accessible using this link from September 6， 2021 at 10 am CST and onward。For now， here is a preview to what the review will look like:❀❀❀❀Joelle Prima has worked side by side Max Boyson for years， but after the owner of the building they both work at wants to renovate， they are forced to share a space， a bookshop owner and a baker in one tight area。 But， it gets even harder when Joelle has had the biggest crush on Max since they first met。I gave The Boy with the Bookstore four stars， really enjoying the forced proximity of Joelle and Max having to work together。 They were both really cute together and the chemistry from the start was amazing。 I felt their connection from day one and since the first chapter， you can see just how funny and cute they would be together。 Their relationship was… [ continue reading ] 。。。more

Cat D | _basicbookworm ，

Joelle has had a huge crush on the man who owns the bookstore next door to her bakery from the moment she first saw him。 Now that the building they share is getting renovated， they will have to share a space， which seems like the perfect opportunity for them to get together。 However， the reality of sharing a space is not at all what Joelle imagined， instead Max turns out to be the biggest grump。 Will they be able to put their differences aside and learn to get along？What could be better than a r Joelle has had a huge crush on the man who owns the bookstore next door to her bakery from the moment she first saw him。 Now that the building they share is getting renovated， they will have to share a space， which seems like the perfect opportunity for them to get together。 However， the reality of sharing a space is not at all what Joelle imagined， instead Max turns out to be the biggest grump。 Will they be able to put their differences aside and learn to get along？What could be better than a romance set in a bookstore？ Oh wait…a bookstore/bakery romance！ This book combined so many of my favorite things and I could not have been happier to read it。 I was sucked into this story right away， and before I knew it I had finished the whole book。 I loved the main characters - it was so cute that they had both been secretly crushing on each other， and while they had to work through the shared space and some personality conflicts， I really enjoyed them together and thought they had great chemistry。 Max had a deep， layered back story， and getting to know him was heartbreaking at times， and gave him so much depth。 Joelle was a literal angel of a human and truly a gem。 Plus her family was so fun。 Add a few sometimes mischievous and always very loved pets and I was so sold for this one。 Thank you to Berkley Publishing for the advance copy。 Another thank you to @berittalksbooks and @dg_reads for hosting a great buddy read for this one！ 。。。more

Christy ，

I won this book in a Goodreads give away。 I got excited when I saw Tessa Bailey wrote the blurb on front， but I just didn't connect with either character。 Parts of the book felt so forced and fake。 I won this book in a Goodreads give away。 I got excited when I saw Tessa Bailey wrote the blurb on front， but I just didn't connect with either character。 Parts of the book felt so forced and fake。 。。。more

Brittany ，

Joelle runs her own Filipino bakery in her small hometown。 She gave up her dreams of running a bakery in Paris in order to be close to family and help them out。 When her bakery building gets an unwanted renovation with the bookstore next door to her， can it be a blessing in disguise？ Will her crush on the bookstore owner finally go somewhere？Max has his own bookstore and two rescue pets he loves。 He has his routine down: a coffee and croissant from the cute bakery owner next to his store， and th Joelle runs her own Filipino bakery in her small hometown。 She gave up her dreams of running a bakery in Paris in order to be close to family and help them out。 When her bakery building gets an unwanted renovation with the bookstore next door to her， can it be a blessing in disguise？ Will her crush on the bookstore owner finally go somewhere？Max has his own bookstore and two rescue pets he loves。 He has his routine down: a coffee and croissant from the cute bakery owner next to his store， and then work for the day。 His troubled past rears it’s ugly head and causes Max to face a lot of unwanted feelings and childhood issues。 Add on top of that a surprise renovation on his building， forcing him to work in a tiny building alongside a bakery。 Will Joelle and Max hit it off or become nemesis’s？My thoughts:There were things to love and things to question。 I liked that the characters weren’t perfect， they are flawed。 I like the in depth character build up but there were issues with both characters。 Mainly Max was a jerk instead of communicating with Joelle。 Joelle was single minded and a bit immature at times。 I liked that it wasn’t an insta love romance。 Those irk me。 I will say that their set up would be perfect in real like though。 Pastries and books？ Count me in！ 。。。more

A。 ，

August 29-September 5， 2022 | Rating: 3 ★The Boy with the Bookstore by Sarah Echavarre Smith stars Joelle Prima， the owner of a bakery， and her long-time crush turned nemesis slash bookstore owner， Max Boyson。 An unexpected renovation in their building causes them to work together in a cramped space for what should be a month。 Tension arises and so does romance。What worked well？ I enjoyed reading about Joelle and Max separately， especially on the issues they were dealing with at the family level August 29-September 5， 2022 | Rating: 3 ★The Boy with the Bookstore by Sarah Echavarre Smith stars Joelle Prima， the owner of a bakery， and her long-time crush turned nemesis slash bookstore owner， Max Boyson。 An unexpected renovation in their building causes them to work together in a cramped space for what should be a month。 Tension arises and so does romance。What worked well？ I enjoyed reading about Joelle and Max separately， especially on the issues they were dealing with at the family level。 Joelle and her guilt towards her family while they also feel guilty towards her， something a lot of eldest/only daughters face。 Max and his estranged family， plus the loneliness he felt that caused hyper independence and unhealthy reactions to anger/stress。 Both characters working through this by themselves were the most interesting parts of the story！What didn't work well？ The romance between Joelle and Max。 Like other reviewers， I got whiplash with the number of enemies from lovers to enemies again and back to lovers throughout the book。 Both characters had major faults that just didn't convince me they worked well together。 Joelle overstepped a lot of Max's boundaries and offered advice that Max clearly didn't want， based on her own family's dynamics。 And Max was plain angry。 When he was in love， he was the sweetest。 But when he was stressed or angered， he lashed out in a very unhealthy way。 For two people who didn't understand each other's boundaries， I'd put them on my list of couples who break up post-epilogue。I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley。 Publication date: September 6， 2022 。。。more

Kristens。reading。nook ，

Super steamy， open door romance that I wasn’t expecting。 The title hooked me but I wish I had known it was open door。 Max was really mean to Joelle on a number of occasions and she should have just left him behind。 Besides those two issues， I really enjoyed Joelle’s storyline。 She was a great protagonist and the descriptions of her pastries had me drooling at times。

Kerri ，

This was a really fun Rom Com for your earbuds。 Joelle owns a bakery and runs it with the help of her family。 Next door to Max has his bookstore and they have struck up a friendship over their first year with their businesses。 Their flirty encounters amp up and are even steamier。 And THEN their story really begins with lots of twists and turns， and past trauma that affects them both as they try this new relationship。 The writing is fun and quick， and the characters are real， and don't always do This was a really fun Rom Com for your earbuds。 Joelle owns a bakery and runs it with the help of her family。 Next door to Max has his bookstore and they have struck up a friendship over their first year with their businesses。 Their flirty encounters amp up and are even steamier。 And THEN their story really begins with lots of twists and turns， and past trauma that affects them both as they try this new relationship。 The writing is fun and quick， and the characters are real， and don't always do or say the right things as so many of us do。 The narration duo of Donnabella Mortel and Dane Anderson really did a fantastic job bringing these characters to life。 It was a great listen。 It was a good read， but listening was better。 。。。more

Ali Bunke ，

The Boy with the Bookstore has a cute premise。 Two neighboring store owners have a crush on each other， and when their stores are forced to combine space due to a renovation， we get a forced proximity。 If found both Joelle and Max hard to feel for。 While Joelle is a wonderful daughter and takes good care of her family， she keeps telling us she is shy。 Her actions and words aren't those of a shy person。 So there was a disconnect。 Max seemed to have a dual personality as well。 He could be very unk The Boy with the Bookstore has a cute premise。 Two neighboring store owners have a crush on each other， and when their stores are forced to combine space due to a renovation， we get a forced proximity。 If found both Joelle and Max hard to feel for。 While Joelle is a wonderful daughter and takes good care of her family， she keeps telling us she is shy。 Her actions and words aren't those of a shy person。 So there was a disconnect。 Max seemed to have a dual personality as well。 He could be very unkind and I really didn't like him in the end。 The story has a fun story line， which I enjoyed and the authors writing is rich and enjoyable。 I just couldn't connect to these two。 There are some good secondary characters that I did enjoy as well。 The story has some delicious food descriptions and nice cultural representation。Thank you Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the eArc。 This is my honest review。 。。。more

Deborah ，

I received a complimentary advanced copy of THE BOY WITH THE BOOKSTORE by Sarah Echavarre Smith。 Thank you to Berkley Publishing and PRH Audio for the chance to provide an honest review。Publication Date: 9/6/2022THE BOY WITH THE BOOKSTORE begins with Joelle， the proprietor of a Filipino bakery。 Joelle has a big crush on one of her favorite customers， Max。 Max is the gorgeous owner of the bookshop next door。 She’s determined to finally make a move and ask him out， but things get more complicated I received a complimentary advanced copy of THE BOY WITH THE BOOKSTORE by Sarah Echavarre Smith。 Thank you to Berkley Publishing and PRH Audio for the chance to provide an honest review。Publication Date: 9/6/2022THE BOY WITH THE BOOKSTORE begins with Joelle， the proprietor of a Filipino bakery。 Joelle has a big crush on one of her favorite customers， Max。 Max is the gorgeous owner of the bookshop next door。 She’s determined to finally make a move and ask him out， but things get more complicated when the pair find themselves having to share space while their building undergoes renovation。I love a good foodie book and the food in this one was definitely a highlight！ Combine a bakery and a bookstore and who could ask for more？ There definitely were challenges with two strong willed business owners having to share space in a location neither would have chosen。I will admit that I didn’t initially like Max a lot。 He really managed to run from extreme hot to extreme cold on Joelle and I was definitely sympathetic with her confused feelings。 They both wind up going to pretty big extremes working against each other。 Max did manage to grow on me somewhat as the story went on and we got more from his POV。 That said， I did want to yell at them both at times to communicate and hold back their tempers！THE BOY WITH THE BOOKSTORE just came out on Tuesday！ 。。。more

Stacie ，

Many thanks to Let's Talk Books Promo and Berkley Publishing for an early， gifted copy of The Boy with the Bookstore。 I was apprehensive going in because I read a book by this author under a different name and I wasn't a big fan。 I am pleased to say that this book absolutely did not disappoint。First， it's grumpy sunshine which is my absolute favorite。 Second， it's set in a bakery and a bookstore。 It doesn't get much better than that in my opinion。 Third， super cute animals。 It's all my favorite Many thanks to Let's Talk Books Promo and Berkley Publishing for an early， gifted copy of The Boy with the Bookstore。 I was apprehensive going in because I read a book by this author under a different name and I wasn't a big fan。 I am pleased to say that this book absolutely did not disappoint。First， it's grumpy sunshine which is my absolute favorite。 Second， it's set in a bakery and a bookstore。 It doesn't get much better than that in my opinion。 Third， super cute animals。 It's all my favorite things in one book。 There's also forced proximity， I've loved you forever， banter and a strong support system。 Seriously， the book has it all。I had fun reading about Max and Joelle even if I did want to punch Max a time or seven。 The book tackles some serious issues but they are dealt with in a way that doesn't take away from the rest of the story。 My romance loving friends are definitely going to want to check this one out。The Boy with the Bookstore comes out on Tuesday September 6 and is available for pre-order wherever you buy books。 。。。more

Farah ，

Max is the bookstore owner who works next door to Joelle's bakery and who Joelle has had a secret crush on for the last year and a half。 When they are both informed by their landlord that their building will undergo renovation， he also asks them to share a temporary space rent free， while the renovations are underway。 Could this be the start of Joelle and Max's happy ever after？Oh my， this book was so adorable！ I loved the main characters and their sweet romance but even more so， I loved how the Max is the bookstore owner who works next door to Joelle's bakery and who Joelle has had a secret crush on for the last year and a half。 When they are both informed by their landlord that their building will undergo renovation， he also asks them to share a temporary space rent free， while the renovations are underway。 Could this be the start of Joelle and Max's happy ever after？Oh my， this book was so adorable！ I loved the main characters and their sweet romance but even more so， I loved how the importance of family was highlighted throughout the book。 With POV's from both Joelle and Max， I flew through this one。 Thanks to Penguin Random House International and Netgalley for a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more

emma ，

new dream guy just dropped（thanks to the publisher for the e-arc）

A_Stylish_Bookworm ，

DNF at 30%I am in the minority in not loving this book。 I found the 2 main characters way to immature and petty to continue。 When Joelle purposely messes a bookclub order to sabotage Max， I was done。 How can someone purposely be so spiteful to hurt someone's livelihood。 I also didn't care how they were attracted to each other and turned and became so mean so quickly。 Thank you @berkleyromance @prhaudio for a copy of ARC and ALC。 DNF at 30%I am in the minority in not loving this book。 I found the 2 main characters way to immature and petty to continue。 When Joelle purposely messes a bookclub order to sabotage Max， I was done。 How can someone purposely be so spiteful to hurt someone's livelihood。 I also didn't care how they were attracted to each other and turned and became so mean so quickly。 Thank you @berkleyromance @prhaudio for a copy of ARC and ALC。 。。。more

wellreadtraveler ，

If your looking for a light read that will “fill your cup” this is it for you。 Perfect senecio…hot guy who owns bookstore is next to cute quirky girl who owns the coffee shop。 Said boy comes in every morning to get the most delicious croissants and Ube coffee and makes the little coffee shop girls heart melt。 The two can’t seem to move beyond the counter until a remodel of their stores takes place and they are forced to move into a joint space for the month。 I mean a coffee shop and bookstore ar If your looking for a light read that will “fill your cup” this is it for you。 Perfect senecio…hot guy who owns bookstore is next to cute quirky girl who owns the coffee shop。 Said boy comes in every morning to get the most delicious croissants and Ube coffee and makes the little coffee shop girls heart melt。 The two can’t seem to move beyond the counter until a remodel of their stores takes place and they are forced to move into a joint space for the month。 I mean a coffee shop and bookstore are the perfect combo for any booklover right？ （ did I mention there is a cat， dog ，and hamster in this book too？） Not many bookstores offer a drink/snack because obviously…。books， but I can imagine picking a comfy chair and sitting down with a nice warm tea and loosing myself in a book。 I really enjoyed the characters and the storyline。Joelle is a hard working female business owner with the most supportive Filipino family。 They were in desperate need at one point and Joelle gave up her dreams to help save her family。 She has her coffee shop now and is slowly building a name for herself。 Joelle loves seeing her regulars come in， specially the hot bookstore owner Max。 With his tattooed muscle clad arms and perfect smile Joelle has been crushing on him for over a year， but Max is way out of her league so she’ll need to settle on gazing into his beautiful eyes every morning when he comes in for his usual。 What Joelle doesn’t know is that Max doesn’t even like Ube coffee but it takes a little longer to make which gives him a few minutes to talk to Joelle， who he has a crush on。 Joelle is adorable and as Max gets to know her he’s blown away at how amazing she is。 When the building owner comes in to let the two know they will need to combine their locations while he makes some upgrades the tow are obviously upset。 How can Max fit all his bookshelves in a concrete prison？ And Joelle won’t have room for anything other then one oven and a tiny work space， how can she possibly make this work？ The only good news is that Joelle and Max will be together， in one tiny space， and hopefully one of them will have the courage to finally tell the other how they fill。 Finding love in the stacks with the scent of fresh baked goods， perfection！ 。。。more

Lovely Loveday ，

The Boy with the Bookstore is a swoon-worthy enemies-to-lovers romance that is sure to take your breath away and leave you wanting more。 I love both of the characters and their angsty， heartwarming relationship that keep me turning the pages。 I just devoured it in one sitting and fully enjoyed it！

Camille ，

Thank you Penguin Random House International for my e-ARC in exchange for the honest review。Joelle， she’s been crushing to Max for the past year and a half。 She owned a Filipino and European bakery。 When she was 18 years old her family got a big problem。 Her father’s work friend told him about the the invest of how good everything is， but in the end， everything was all a lie。 A fraud。 A thief。 All their money was gone。 Joelle was a lovely women， when the kid stole a book from Max shelf and some Thank you Penguin Random House International for my e-ARC in exchange for the honest review。Joelle， she’s been crushing to Max for the past year and a half。 She owned a Filipino and European bakery。 When she was 18 years old her family got a big problem。 Her father’s work friend told him about the the invest of how good everything is， but in the end， everything was all a lie。 A fraud。 A thief。 All their money was gone。 Joelle was a lovely women， when the kid stole a book from Max shelf and some customer catch the stealing。 The kid tried to explain why he did it。 He tried to go to different libraries but the book is already taken even the ebook’s copy。 He just really need that book for his school work。 And what Joelle did was paid for the book。 Whitney is the best， best friend Joelle’s have。 She was super nice and lovable。 She’s always there to Joelle and always listen to her rants。Max owned a bookshop and he always buy a pastry at Joelle’s bakery before he open his own shop。 He has a crush on Joelle too。 But then when he got a chance， he fucked up and now his regretting everything he said to her。 When his store currently in renovation， he and Joelle shared a small space for their business but then Pumpkin （Joelle’s hamster） ruin some of his old books and he was mad and they start arguing。I live in the Philippines， but mentioning all those food makes me hungry and crave for those food。 This book， all Joelle and Max did was argue with each other the whole time。 Overall， it was a fine read。 。。。more

Dani （Daniiireads） ，

The Boy with the Bookstore had a pretty cute premise， but failed to keep my attention。 Plus I didn’t really like Joelle or Max very much （he was kind of a huge douche）。 There’s also a ton of miscommunication between the two of them， and I hate that trope so much。 Overall: cute， but not my favorite

Deborah Kehoe ，

I thought Joelle’s character was really well written。 She is of Filipino descent and her bakery has a lot of that cultures flavors。 It all sounded totally delicious and I wanted to get my hands on an ube latte after finishing this book。 It sounds intriguing！ Unfortunately， Joelle’s family and the ube latte were what kept me reading this book。 I loved her multi-generational family living situation and how she was so close to her family。 What bothered me was Max’s character。 His background of bein I thought Joelle’s character was really well written。 She is of Filipino descent and her bakery has a lot of that cultures flavors。 It all sounded totally delicious and I wanted to get my hands on an ube latte after finishing this book。 It sounds intriguing！ Unfortunately， Joelle’s family and the ube latte were what kept me reading this book。 I loved her multi-generational family living situation and how she was so close to her family。 What bothered me was Max’s character。 His background of being brought up by an alcoholic mother and raised by relatives who didn’t want him around really affected his character。 He was so mean！ I had a really hard time looking past his anger and finding the thing （other than his looks） that would sustain a relationship with Joelle。 I won’t give away the story， but yes， this is a romance and they do get together at the end， but boy does Joelle have to work hard to get there。 Max just got lucky finding someone who would put up with all his baggage。 I’m not sure I would have stuck around after the first argument。When the story reverted back to Joelle and her family I was intrigued， but this is a love story and unfortunately for me it fell a bit flat。 I could connect with Joelle， but Max didn’t have a lot of redeeming qualities other than his good taste in finding Joelle。 I do realize that reading is subjective， so if this synopsis sounds good to you， please read this book。 It just wasn’t to my taste。I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review and it was honest。 。。。more

Michele ，

As soon as I read the synopsis of this book I knew I had to read it cause it combines two things I love books and baking。 Joelle is a caring and hardworking bakery owner who’s close to her family。 Max is your classic tattooed bad boy who owns the bookstore next door to the bakery。 Joelle has had a crush on Max ever since his store opened and one day their conversation leads Joelle to kiss Max。 What should have been the start of a new relationship quickly turned into a disaster when their buildin As soon as I read the synopsis of this book I knew I had to read it cause it combines two things I love books and baking。 Joelle is a caring and hardworking bakery owner who’s close to her family。 Max is your classic tattooed bad boy who owns the bookstore next door to the bakery。 Joelle has had a crush on Max ever since his store opened and one day their conversation leads Joelle to kiss Max。 What should have been the start of a new relationship quickly turned into a disaster when their building gets renovated and they have to share a cramped space。 Tensions run high but eventually they find common ground and contemplate restarting their almost relationship。 Joelle is insanely caring and generous and goes out of her way to help others。 Max had a difficult childhood and has always been a loner and grumpy from time to time but he recognizes the goodness in Joelle and knows that he’s the luckiest man in the world to know her。 They definitely have some communication issues they needed to work out but they are opposites who fit well together。 This is a quick and enjoyable read combining two of the most enjoyable things in the world， books and baked goods。 I liked the dual POVs because that helped the reader better understand Max and his mindset-it doesn’t justify what he did but it lessens the blow。 On a side note， Max needs some therapy to work out the issues he has surrounding his childhood and how to express them in a healthier manner。 Thank you @berkleyromance and @netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest feedback。 。。。more

Sharon Tyler ，

The Boy with the Bookstore by Sarah Echavarre Smith is a contemporary romance that is currently scheduled for release on September 6 2022。 Max Boyson looks good， from a distance。 But up close and personal， the tattooed hottie Joelle Prima has been crushing on for the past year and half has turned into the prime example of why you shouldn’t judge a book by his delectable cover。 When she first learned about the massive renovation to the building they share， Joelle imagined that temporarily combini The Boy with the Bookstore by Sarah Echavarre Smith is a contemporary romance that is currently scheduled for release on September 6 2022。 Max Boyson looks good， from a distance。 But up close and personal， the tattooed hottie Joelle Prima has been crushing on for the past year and half has turned into the prime example of why you shouldn’t judge a book by his delectable cover。 When she first learned about the massive renovation to the building they share， Joelle imagined that temporarily combining her Filipino bakery with Max’s neighboring bookstore would be the perfect opening chapter to their happily ever after。 In her fantasies they fed each other bibingka and pandesal while discussing Jane Austen and cooing over her pet hamster， Pumpkin。 Reality， however。。。is quite different。 Her gallant prince turned out to be a stubborn toad who snaps at her in front of customers， dries his wet clothes in her oven， and helps himself to the yummy pastries in her display case without asking。 But beneath Max’s grumpy glares， Joelle senses a rising heat—and a softening heart。 And when they discover the real reason for the renovation， they’ll have to put both their business senses and their feelings for each other to the test。The Boy with the Bookstore has a great premise and some really high points to it， but I have to admit that I had trouble staying engaged。 I think that Max and Joelle had great depth of character and I enjoyed getting to know them。 Since they had been crushing on each other for a while at the start of the book I feel like I missed a good portion of the getting to know each other and coming to care about each other- which is often my favorite part of any story。 I felt like the romance progressed very naturally， and it all felt right， I just missed getting that initial meeting and I think that is why I had so much trouble getting engaged。 I have the same problem with other subgenres- like the second chance romance- for the same reason。 I thought the crisis and emotional baggage of both Max and Joelle were well done and realistic， and I liked that time passed and was mentioned but unimportant moments and time that made the pair more comfortable with each other were mentioned but not focused on。 Overall I liked the book， and I thought there is some great potential here， it just did not grab me the way I was hoping it would。 The Boy with the Bookstore is a solid， emotional romance with a dose of heat。 。。。more

Kris ，

I highly enjoyed this book from start to finish。 I thought it was an absolutely adorable read with a bit of depth。 I was a big fan of the execution of the grumpy/sunshine trope throughout the story。 I also loved some other tropes that popped up such as forced proximity and miscommunication。Joelle was a self proclaimed “mousy shy girl” ands she considered Max a “stereotypical bad boy”。 I loved the family dynamics throughout the book。 Having such a close knit family must be such a blessing， even i I highly enjoyed this book from start to finish。 I thought it was an absolutely adorable read with a bit of depth。 I was a big fan of the execution of the grumpy/sunshine trope throughout the story。 I also loved some other tropes that popped up such as forced proximity and miscommunication。Joelle was a self proclaimed “mousy shy girl” ands she considered Max a “stereotypical bad boy”。 I loved the family dynamics throughout the book。 Having such a close knit family must be such a blessing， even if they are in your business a lot of the time。I enjoyed getting mainly Joelle’s point of view， with a bit of Max’s thrown in。 It’s nice to see things from both points of view。 Don’t let this cutesy cover fool you， this book has a bit of spice to it！ 。。。more

Louisa ，

This is the first book I have read by this author。 I loved the synopsis， and the story didn't disappoint。 The Boy with the Bookstore could be considered a enemies to lovers' romance but I don't think Max and Joelle were ever enemies。 There has always been a spark between these two， and it's just never the right time。 During the book， they are definitely on the outs but never enemies。 Joelle， the bakery owner who's the business next to Max's bookstore， is a great girl。 She gave up her dream to he This is the first book I have read by this author。 I loved the synopsis， and the story didn't disappoint。 The Boy with the Bookstore could be considered a enemies to lovers' romance but I don't think Max and Joelle were ever enemies。 There has always been a spark between these two， and it's just never the right time。 During the book， they are definitely on the outs but never enemies。 Joelle， the bakery owner who's the business next to Max's bookstore， is a great girl。 She gave up her dream to help her family and Max who has worked his whole life to succeed。 He might be seen as a bad boy -he's tatted up and has a prickly demeanor， but he's really a good guy！They are put into a big space and have to share the space and it's not all they hoped it would be！ I enjoyed the push and pull - some serious angst was definitely present in this book！ Both these characters were multi-dimensional - there was so much more to them than meets the eye。 I enjoyed learning about them while reading and seeing them grow as people and as a couple！ 。。。more

Jennifer ，

This book is a sweet， heartwarming。 I am so happy I got a ACR of this wonderful book to enjoy。 I did see some red flags on Max but so happy he saw it too and fix it。 And because of the author’s I love listening to Whiskey to my soul by Roan Ash so much。

Rebecca ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This was a sweet read！ I don’t know how but it’s my third in a row set in the Pacific Northwest and I’m just loving the vibes of that region！Joëlle and Max are everything a romance reader is looking for: workplace romance， a tinge of enemies to lovers， hot sex but not overly descriptive scenes （your imagination can do the rest） and a solid plot to carry us through to the finish （definitely in the HEA category）。 Joëlle is a pastry chef and Max runs a bookstore next door。 They’ve been crushing on This was a sweet read！ I don’t know how but it’s my third in a row set in the Pacific Northwest and I’m just loving the vibes of that region！Joëlle and Max are everything a romance reader is looking for: workplace romance， a tinge of enemies to lovers， hot sex but not overly descriptive scenes （your imagination can do the rest） and a solid plot to carry us through to the finish （definitely in the HEA category）。 Joëlle is a pastry chef and Max runs a bookstore next door。 They’ve been crushing on one another for over a year when an apology croissant and a bit of verbal diarrhea actually does some good and lands Joelle in Max’s lap。 Insert the tinge of enemies to lovers as we experience max’s lack of communication skills for the first （and not the last） time。 Thankfully Joelle is a patient and understanding person （perhaps a bit too much so！？） and the couple navigates some scary professional and personal challenges before the book is out。 Recommend for fans of: Sadie on a Plate， Donut Fall in Love or Booked on a Feeling 。。。more

Anne Morgan ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Joelle is the sweet， girl next-door type who runs her own bakery and at age 18 gave up her dreams of moving to Paris and studying at culinary school to help her family。 Now she works hard and has secretly crushed on the guy who runs the bookstore next to her bakery for over a year。 She's sweet， awkward， generally has low self esteem， but is the awesome-and-doesn't-know-it type of person。 She tries to see the best in everyone， helps people whenever she can， and is willing to give them the benefit Joelle is the sweet， girl next-door type who runs her own bakery and at age 18 gave up her dreams of moving to Paris and studying at culinary school to help her family。 Now she works hard and has secretly crushed on the guy who runs the bookstore next to her bakery for over a year。 She's sweet， awkward， generally has low self esteem， but is the awesome-and-doesn't-know-it type of person。 She tries to see the best in everyone， helps people whenever she can， and is willing to give them the benefit of the doubt。 She deserves happiness and love and everything good。Then there's Max。 He seems ok。 He's hot， loves books and animals。 Casual flirty with Joelle that turns into something more one day。 Then， not。 The landlord decides to do renovations to their spaces so shoves both their businesses into one small garage to share。 Not ideal but Joelle rolls with it because there's no option。 Max gets furious and says mean things to Joelle along the "this was all a mistake" line。 Then spends months being a jerk to her in their shared space。 Anytime something happens that is out of his control and he doesn't know what to do， his reaction seems to be to take it out on others （generally Joelle） instead of even thinking things through before reacting。 I spent the first half of the book so uncomfortable I was almost crying because of his actions and the only reason I kept reading was that I assumed Joelle would talk him into therapy or something and he'd come around。 （also， I promised NetGalley a review and felt like I should finish the book）。 Somehow something happens， she forgives him， they click and everything is great and I loved how they were together- as long as things stay fine for Max。 But let something come along and Joelle voice an opinion he disagrees with or a suggestion he doesn't like and he's terrible to her again。 Max had a hard time growing up。 An alcoholic mother who abandons him means a rough time as a teen and feeling unwanted and alone and those have clearly left serious psychological damage。 And for a long time Max was a loner。 But when he started trying to have a relationship with Joelle and realized that any negative reaction he had meant he pushed her away， he should have considered therapy。 Because from Joelle's point of view， （well， from my point of view）， what he was doing when he wasn't happy was emotional abuse。 Not intentional， but it still happened。 The POVs in the book changed just often enough to redeem Max just enough that I was willing to finish the book， but it was close。 Max and Joelle have a big fight， he leaves town and turns his phone off for two weeks？ Never checking emails， messages or anything？ Yes， he was dealing with something else major during those two weeks but that was a horrible thing to do to Joelle。 Frankly， I wouldn't have taken him back。 While the idea behind the book， two people with secret crushes having to share a small space， was great， and Joelle was a lovely character （these being the only reason I gave the book two stars）， that was as far as this book made it for me。 Depending on how you read it （and potential trigger issues or past issues of the reader） Max is either an emotional stunted jerk in serious need of therapy or an emotionally abusive jerk who is only lovely when he gets his way on everything。 Either way， not a book that left me with happy feels along the way or by the end。I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review 。。。more

Samantha Verant ，

Baked goods and books go hand in hand （what a perfect combo！） in Echavarre Smith’s deliciously spicy romance。 The first kissing scene sizzled off the page and the chemistry between Joelle and Max took a natural and realistic course。 I absolutely adored sweet， kind Joelle and could relate to Max。 No spoilers， but this stirs up the perfect balance of heat， grumpy/sunshine， and family/relationship dynamics。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Boy With the Bookstore

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Boy With the Bookstore&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Boy With the Bookstore&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0