The Boy with the Bookstore by Sarah Echavarre Smith (Review by Stacie Kitchen)

Rating: 3/5

If you are looking for a very steamy book, then The Boy with the Bookstore is for you! Smith combines all my greatest fantasies into one novel. One day I’ll own my own bakery and a charming, beautiful man will open a bookstore directly next door. I love the bookstore/bakery premises in books and The Boy with the Bookstore combines both.

Joelle owns her own Filipino bakery, and every day at 7:45am Max Boyson comes in for an ube latte and croissant on his way to work. Max rents the space next to the bakery for his bookstore and has been coming in daily for over a year. Joelle swears she is going to ask him out, but often gets in her own head and says very awkward things (I relate Joelle!). Very quickly this book speeds up. Friends to enemies to lovers to enemies…Joelle and Max’s relationship takes multiple twists and turns throughout the book. Like literally their relationship changes on the flip of a dime.

After a fight, Joelle and Max are informed by their landlord that they will have to share a small space as their building gets remodeled. This creates a lot of tension between the characters and adds to some spicy interactions. Are the close working quarters too much for the two? Or will this only add to their desire of one another?

Joelle’s family is one of my favorite parts of the book. They are such a loving and supporting group of people. I learned quite a bit about Filipino food and culture which I thoroughly enjoyed. The witty banter between the characters was also well done. I was not a huge fan of Max and his temper. Joelle was such a kind and caring person and I felt she forgave Max a little too quickly numerous times. Some of the interactions between the two seemed a bit quick and out of nowhere but fit with the enemies to friends theme. The book has a nice mix of romance (super steamy if I didn’t mention that already) and deeper familial issues to add interest for a wide range of readers!