A charming seaside bookshop setting can’t quite make up for a romance that never fully comes to life.

Goodreads | How to Find a Romance in a Bookshop

Release date: August 18, 2026

Publisher: Avon

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Synopsis:

After a social media post gone wrong, a literary agent runs away to look after a seaside bookshop for the summer—and forms an unlikely friendship with a charming novelist struggling with his latest idea.

Petra doesn’t like books anymore—not since her career as a literary agent imploded after a social media typo went viral. Now she is stuck for six months, babysitting a little bookshop by the sea—surrounded by books that just remind her of her failure.

Ross McCloud’s award-winning debut novel blew the minds of the world’s literati, but that was five years ago. Now Ross and his keenly awaited second work have vanished. Something has gone wrong—horribly wrong—and Ross doesn’t want to talk about it.

Marooned in Capelthorne’s Bookshop miles from London, Petra can’t stop thinking about all the ways she has let people down. Then she discovers Ross lurking, incognito, in the second-hand books section. Misery loves company it seems, and a kinship tentatively forms.

In the meantime, the magic of the bookshop slowly begins to enchant Petra. Soon, her book recommendations assume legendary status; she is chairing the newly formed Beach Reads Book Club; leading a weekly writing group and hosting a series of popular talks and signings by local authors. She is even starting to read again.

Petra is also finding time to help her new best friend Jess—owner of a local telephone box library—to launch the inaugural Portneath Literary Festival. What better opportunity to put the Festival on the map—says Ross—than for Petra to unveil his second novel to the world there, before re-launching her career representing him at the Frankfurt book fair? What a comeback! But can Petra find the courage to help the man she loves?

Their love of books may be re-ignited, but is that enough to save them both from their own worst enemy—themselves?

Tropes:

• Friends to lovers
• Grumpy x Grumpy
• Small-town romance
• Slow burn

Review:

I really wanted to love this one. Between the British seaside setting, cozy independent bookshop, and a story centered around books and readers, it sounded like it would be exactly my kind of comfort read. Unfortunately, it never quite came together for me.

My biggest issue was the marketing. With romance right there in the title, I expected the relationship to be the heart of the story. Instead, this felt much more like general fiction with a romantic subplot. Even then, the romance was easily the weakest element. Petra and Ross go from awkward encounters to dating and declarations of love with very little development in between. I never believed their relationship because there simply wasn’t enough buildup, and the chemistry never clicked for me.

What kept me reading was everything happening around the romance. The seaside bookshop is undeniably charming, and I loved spending time with the quirky residents of the town. The members of the book club and the local literary community brought warmth, humor, and personality to the story, making those scenes far more enjoyable than the central romance itself.

Perfect for Readers Who Love

• Cozy British seaside settings
• Independent bookshops and book clubs
• Quirky small town communities
• Women’s fiction with a literary focus 

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.