Book Review: Love Walked In by Sarah Chamberlain

Title: Love Walked In

Author: Sarah Chamberlain

Page Length: 352

Pub. Date: Sept. 2, 2025

Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin

Synopsis: He has a struggling bookshop. She has a knack for bringing bookstores back to life. As soon as she walks into his store, all bets are off…

Mari Cole’s whole life is her dream rescuing and revitalizing indie bookstores. Friendship? Love? No thanks. After a hard childhood, she doesn’t want to get too close to anyone. Besides, books have never let Mari down the way people have.Then she gets the offer of a rescuing Ross & Co. Once the most prestigious independent booksellers in London, the store is a shadow of its former self and needs an expert outsider to turn things around. But the offer turns out to be a double-edged Leo Ross, the store’s new owner, is as cold and hostile as the British winter.

For as long as he can remember, Leo Ross has known his future is becoming the next generation to run Ross and Co. He’s sacrificed almost everything he cares about, but the bookshop is still failing on his watch, and now there’s an obnoxiously cheerful American woman convinced that she’s going to magically make everything better. Leo’s life is difficult and messy enough as it is, and he doesn’t want her help.

When Mari and Leo are forced to work closely together to bring the store back to life, Leo’s icy surface thaws to reveal the passionate man underneath. As the cold winter gives way to the possibility of new beginnings, Mari begins to see that true love could be even better in real life than in the pages of a book. Can they put their pasts aside and learn to let love in?

LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon

My Thoughts on Love Walked In:

There’s just something special about a book set in a cozy, struggling bookshop, especially when it comes with a reluctant grump and a relentless ray of sunshine. Love Walked In is a great contemporary romance with charm, wit, and a fantastic love story.

Mari and Leo’s dynamic is everything I love about the grumpy-sunshine trope. She’s warm, chatty, and knows exactly how to breathe life into a struggling bookstore, and her enthusiasm, creativity, and big ideas are exactly what Leo and his flailing bookstore need. Leo, on the other hand, is guarded, serious, trying to hold everything together on his own, and very skeptical of Mari’s interference. Described as “the man who made Eeyore look like a cockeyed optimist,” Leo is very different from the bubbly sunshine that is Mari. But underneath is someone thoughtful, sensitive, and deeply loyal. The banter between the two is sharp and fun, their chemistry is fantastic, and I like how their initially tense relationship develops into something more. My word, some of the things Leo says to Mari once he lets his guard down are absolutely swoon-tastic!

The bookshop setting was such a strong element, and at its heart, the book is clearly an homage to bookstores. Watching Mari work her magic and Leo slowly start to trust her (and himself) in a bookstore was fabulous. There are many conversations about books, reading, changes in the community, and what bookstores mean to people, which I loved. The dual POV also worked well here, giving insight into both Mari and Leo’s emotional journeys. Both have been through a lot in their lives, and both face so much uncertainty in their personal and professional lives. They both have a lot of insecurities and life-changing decisions to make. Getting both of their perspectives on things, especially their blossoming relationship, added depth to both characters.

Overall, Love Walked In is a charming bookshop romance with charm, humor, and emotional depth. I really enjoyed it and look forward to reading more by the author. Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.

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• grumpy/sunshine
• slow burn
• opposites attract
• forced proximity
• dual pov
• found family

“You have princess hair,” he said, pressing his lips against the strands. The word “reverent” popped into my head, but I pushed it away.

“I’m no princess.” If I was anything, I was the scrappy orphan, making my way in the world with only my wits.

He gave me a slow, wicked smile. “Then why do I want to kneel for you?”