This is the first book I have read by thy this author and I struggled with finishing. There was a lot I liked about the book: the "Bigfoot porn", the characters, the premise. I enjoyed reading the book while I was reading it but had to force myself to pick it up. I'm not sure why that was. The first part was fun, the middle I skipped a lot of, and found myself enjoying the end as much as the beginning. I thought I had the exact ending figured out right away, but didn't. I was happy with the way the book ended.

Thank you, N etGalley, for the chance to read and review this book. All opinions expressed are mine and given freely.

This might be my favorite Emily Henry adult romance yet. She just gets what I want in a romance, and I loved the bookish rep in this one - even more than in Beach Read.

All of her novels do such a great job of blending romance and real life, and I love how this one turned the Hallmark movie tropes on their heads. I also love the ending for Nora and feel like she had so much growth throughout the story.

Can't wait to see what Emily Henry does next.

Emily Henry never disappoints. This is the perfect summer rom-com to devour on your next vacation! I love this mix of lightheartedness and humour in this story, and boy, does it get steamy!

I liked the premise of this novel having worked with books a lot over the years but it just didn't work for me. The text and emails between Nora and Charlie are great, but I didn't enjoy much else. I was into the story until about a quarter of the way and then I started skimming. Nora's issues became annoying and the sister's secrets just didn't keep my attention. Nora was too broken for me to enjoy her story. Charlie is flat and the sister has no depth. Not sure if I'll read anything else from this author.

Yeah, yeah you've probably seen about 1 million five star reviews but I'm hopping on because I loved this one! Like a lot. So if you have ignored all the other five star reviews, do not ignore mine and READ IT!!!

A really fun read! It wasn’t my favorite of hers but I did still love it! Poppy and Alex just have my whole damn heart. But also, I would die for Charlie Lastra. I wish there had been a bit more resolution to her being the inspiration behind Nadine Winters, but realize that wasn't the main part of the story.

If you’re looking for a summer read that’s equal parts charming and thought-provoking, look no further than Book Lovers by Emily Henry. Told from the alternating perspectives of Nora and Charlie, a successful literary agent and a talented editor, both with a complicated history, this novel follows the pair as they’re forced to work together in a small town in North Carolina. As they get to know one another better, they begin to question the stories they’ve been telling themselves about love and happiness and what it truly means to be a hero or heroine. With its witty banter, complex characters, and a page-turning plot, Book Lovers is a must-read for fans of contemporary fiction.

Oh how I loved Book Lovers! There truly is nothing better than combining books and romance and this novel is SUCH a feel-good! Highly recommended, just as with Emily Henry's other novels.

Nora Stephens and Charlie Lastra are the stereotypical anti-heroes in other people's stories but Emily Henry has a true talent in making you fall in love with character because their flaws, not despite them. Two driven rivals stuck in a small town for the summer, and find that their commonalities might be the the only thing that keeps them sane. It's like it was made for me.

A good summer read for the romance lovers. Would make perfect choice for our Romance Book Discussion.

10 stars. I loved everything about this book. It's honesty and the love story was spot on. It was simply perfect. This author never disappoints.

I found Emily Henry's books last year and am now an avid fan! I really enjoyed Book Lovers and if I had time it would be one I'd re-read!I loved Nora and Charlie's love story and the relationship she has with her sister as well. The storyline is fun, very Hallmark-y and full of humor which is another plus for me.

This makes another great beach read written by Emily Henry. If you're in the mood to step away from the busy-ness of life and enjoy a summery read, check out her books.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Published 3 May 2022.

Emily Henry has solidified herself as the queen of beach reads amongst the #BookTok community, and rightfully so. Her novel Beach Read is an unexpectedly poignant affair, and People We Meet on Vacation is a crowd-pleasing resort fling.

But where they are solid additions to the genre, Book Lovers is a love story on steroids.

There is little this ambitious read cannot do. It delivers a swoony-worthy, “burn your house down the tension is so hot” enemy-to-lovers romance, a small picturesque town with quirky locals, and heartbreaking family dynamics that transcend (if not scold) the shallow genre.

The premise is one I will never grow tired of because it is an instant hook. We all know the archetype: the cold, bitter businesswoman that never gets the man because she cares more about demolishing a Christmas tree farm than tending to her boyfriend’s needs. However, Nora Stephens is not the plucky hometown girl urging men to leave their cutthroat girlfriends; she is that cutthroat girlfriend. She’s a killer negotiator and a formidable book agent. Her career is her passion, and her icy exterior is her coping mechanism.

Book Lovers is not here to embrace the idea that women must abandon their big-city ambitions for the small-town lifestyle to find love. On the contrary, this romance novel manages to be both a fun tribute to and a ruthless takedown of the tropes that define Type-A personalities like Nora and Charlie, the book’s equally sadistic love interests. It views the small town’s late-night skinny dips and bookstore restorations as aids in healing Nora’s residual traumas while reaffirming her desire to return to the city’s work grind.

Nora’s journey transcends typical trappings that have become the downfall of many rom-coms. By acknowledging the flaws these tropes create, Book Lovers avoids predictable pitfalls and still gets to have fun in this playground of cliches.

The rival dynamic between Nora and Charlie is enemies-to-lovers at its finest. There’s no polarizing hatred that bonds these two. They are simply two headstrong people who want what is best for their careers, which means disagreements are inevitable. Their banter is as sleek and cutting as their professions, except for an ongoing joke about Big Foot smut that proves to be a charming disarming tool.

What readers will love most about Nora and Charlie is their ability to communicate — because talking through our feelings is hot.

No crossed communication or big secrets threaten to demolish the lingering touches and juicy character developments they cultivate. These two negotiate for a living and are happy to discuss the weaknesses of their romantic relationship with blunt honesty, proving intimacy is more than writing a good sex scene. It’s embracing the harsh realities of dating with vulnerability, not shock value.

The great love story of Book Lovers, however, is not romantic.

At the heart of this book is a sisterly bond worth prioritizing. So often in these rom-coms, the family relationships are superficial side-shows. This summer read is determined to make Nora and Libby’s relationship growth just as much a centerpiece of the plot as the romance.

It is also a startlingly accurate portrayal of the sister dynamic. There are times when Nora’s oldest-sibling traumas hit too close to home, where the crossroads between the eldest daughter and the Type-A personality intersect a little too close for comfort. For this, the novel’s desire to take on an unlikely and “damaged” heroine allows readers to resonate with Nora more than your typical leading lady.

Book Lovers is that rare beach read that stays with you long after the sun and sand fade. With amusing small-town tropes, charming characters, and one particularly sensational plot twist, Henry’s latest romance is the must-read book of the summer.

Another amazing book that had so many layers to the story line!
Meet Nora Stephens, she’s a top literary agent in Manhattan. She’s a take no prisoners and earned the nickname The Shark. Her sister Libby and her nieces are the ones that get to see her softer side. After her mothers death Nora took on the mother role and will do anything for Libby. Libby is now married and pregnant with baby number three and Nora still mothers her and always puts her own needs on the back burner. Nora is shocked when Libby says they need to take a sister vacation before she has the baby, and she wants to go to Sunshine Falls, North Carolina, which is the the tiny town that inspired one of Nora’s client’s most famous novels. Libby has made a list that Nora needs to follow, a list to help her have fun and spread her wings a bit, like skinny dip and sleep
with a local and wear flannel. When they arrive Nora is shocked when she bumps into Charlie Lastra another editor. To say their first meeting went horrible would be an understatement. Just before they met, Nora had been dumped and she ran late to their meeting and she felt Charlie had been rude and condescending.
Now in Sunshine Falls they can’t deny the sparks that fly. So when a crisis occurs and with one of Nora’s biggest client’s she and Charlie work together. But What happens when Charlie seems to check so many of the boxes on her list and she knows it’s going to be hard to walk away but what if she doesn’t and she gives love a chance?

I really loved the writing, but the premise makes no sense at all. Her sister happens to move to the town where her favorite/most famous author set a book? Which happens to be where Charlie lives? I'm all about fate but that really strains credibility. I kept expecting to find out that Dusty was secretly Charlie's sister so it would all make sense.

Review based on ARC.

This is my first book by Emily Henry and how I need to track down all of her other books and put her as an alert so I know when she releases new books.
LOVED this book! It takes romance tropes and turns them on their heads. The main characters are flawed and by flawed and their relationships are messy. Yes there's a HEA, but getting there means making sacrifices and exploring heartbreaking emotions.

Shelf Awareness for Readers, May 3 2022: Emily Henry's endearing Book Lovers centers on Nora Stephens, a shrewd literary agent who has somehow been cast in the role of "Evil Villainess" in her own life. She's been dumped no less than three times by boyfriends who have left the city on some temporary basis but who fall in love with the small-town vibes--and a small-town girl, decidedly unlike Nora. She tells herself she's made peace with that, pouring her heart into work and her younger sister, Libby, the only family she has left after their mother's death. When her sister invites her on a much-needed vacation to a small town in North Carolina, she doesn't expect Libby's Life-Changing Vacation List, drawn straight from a "small-town romance novel experience," to be actually life-changing. But when the "Dour, Unappeasable, Stick-in-the-Mud" editor she knows from New York shows up in the same small town, sparks fly and lives are, in fact, changed.

Like Henry's past novels (Beach Read), Book Lovers uses classic romance tropes with purpose and intention, offering readers a satisfying romance unto itself, while also reflecting on why romance novels are so enticing to begin with. Henry draws in themes of family and mental health, holding and taking space for self and loved ones, and the power of books to heal, soothe and reveal. "This book has crushed me with its weight and dazzled me with its tiny bright spots," says Nora of a new manuscript she's working on with a client. These words could describe Book Lovers, a smart, charming and dazzling book unto itself. --Kerry McHugh, freelance writer

Thank you to NetGalley for letting me reivew this book.

Emily Henry has done it again! Another 5 star book for me! This rom-com follows publishing shark Nora, who always finds herself being left for the small town country girl. Her sister decides Nora needs her own taste of small town romance, and they go on a vacation to a small Southern town- the setting of a popular book from one of Nora's authors. Of course, she runs into her publishing enemy Charlie while there.

This is such a sweet and fun enemy-to-lovers romance. I enjoyed the small town setting, the view into the publishing world, the sisters' relationship, and how the strong professional business woman gets her man.

A little spicy.

Emily Henry does it again. The way that she writes is so engaging and humorous. Typically, I don't go for romances. Yet, I have read every single one of her books and have loved them all. It's hard to pick a favorite one at this point.

An immersive romance with a small town vibe, witty banter, a strong woman focusing on her career, friendships and family. A satisfying enemy-to-lovers plot. Bookishly endearing, as always.