Review: Bookstores, Crushes, and Mortal Enemies by Katie Kaleski

07 June of 2020 by ButtonsMom2003

Reviewer's Rating: 5

5.0Overall score

What a sweet story!

Bookstores, Crushes, and Mortal Enemies By Katie Kaleski

Genre: Contemporary Romance, YA, NA, GLBTQ, MM

Tropes: Enemies to lovers, friends to lovers, coming of age

Released: April 14, 2020

Publisher: Swoon Romance

Length: 204 pages

Cover Design: Melissa Liban

Synopsis

Jackson Hillside just had a meet-cute made for the movies. It could have been truly epic except the other guy, Auggie, spilled coffee all over Jackson’s favorite shoes. Determined to break his streak of bad luck with dating, Jackson goes to a party where he bumps into Auggie again.

Turns out, Auggie’s pretty great, albeit a little clumsy. Things almost look promising until Jackson learns Auggie’s family was responsible for the closing of Jackson’s family’s beloved bookstore.

Jackson doesn’t need Auggie anyway. He has “He Who Writes,” a guy he met on a writing website, and someone he’s really falling for. But things get confusing when Auggie re-enters Jackson’s life, and soon, Jackson might be falling for Auggie, too.

Now, Jackson’s involved with two very different boys, one he can hang out with in real life and one he has never actually met. And, when Jackson finds out the identity of “He Who Writes,” things go from promising to catastrophic.

BOOKSTORES, CRUSHES, AND MORTAL ENEMIES is an LGBTQ+ YA book inspired by You’ve Got Mail.

Review

Reviewed by ButtonsMom2003

What a sweet story!

I’m a sucker for a good NA (new adult) story but it’s been ages since I’ve read a YA (young adult) one. Bookstores, Crushes, and Mortal Enemies (BCME) probably falls somewhere in between the two. Auggie and Jackson are 17 in the story but there is no sexual content at all, just a bit of kissing.

BCME was a book that had me hooked right from the beginning. The only reason I didn’t read it in one sitting was real life kept interfering. This was such a sweet coming of age story. Jackson and Auggie have a great meet cute when Auggie bumps into Jackson causing Jackson to spill his drink and ruins his new shoes.

While there is a great attraction between Jackson and Auggie, things go downhill when Jackson finds out that Auggie’s father is the one who ruined his family’s life. Auggie won’t be deterred, though, and pursues a friendship with Jackson.

The story is told in first person POV by Jackson. We get to learn his innermost thoughts about life, his relationship with his father, his writing, and his budding romance with Auggie. There are great supporting characters from Jackson’s job in a bookstore as well as his best friend Charlie.

This is a story that I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend for anyone to read. I loved that there was no angst about Jackson and Auggie being gay – none at all. No one in the story had an issue with it. Not the parents, the friends or co-workers. It was a non-issue and I hope that one day it will really be true in real life.

I’d love to read another story about Jackson and Auggie a few year later in their relationship.