I liked this literary couple, Nora, a literary agent, and Charles, a book editor, who meet at a small out of the way town, the subject of a bestselling book promoted by Nora. There, in spite of their differences and their strange attraction to one another, they collaborate on a new book by Nora's best selling author, which draws them in close proximity.

Nora's life is complicated by her continuing devotion to younger sister Libby, for whom she has made sacrifices that Libby is not aware of. Romance and family ties are inherent to the plot of this rom com and the themes are developed accordingly. The slow burn romance between Charles and Nora had me impatient and flipping the pages, however, and instead of prolonging the romantic suspense, the situation just left me wanting, like Nora, to flip to the end of the book to see if I liked the ending.

All's well that ends well, however, although I do wish the romance between Nora and Charles had been speeded up a bit..

For New York City literary agent Nora Stephens, spending time offline in North Carolina is not a get-away … it’s the one that got away! In real life this successful dealmaker has lost every one of her recent boyfriends to a meet-cute not of her making. There is no way this stylish hot shot with the regimented skin care routine and strictly scheduled calendar will ever make it through the month in oppressively sunny Sunshine Falls. But Nora has promised her younger sister Libby to spend time with her and bucket list before her next bun is out of the baby making oven. And she cannot bear to disappoint her. With wonky wifi she hunkers down in the local book store to get some work done and learns much to her chagrin that her NY nemesis, top notch editor Charlie Lastra is not only in this godforsaken little town at the very same time but his family owns the adorable shop and the B&B where she is staying. Many romcom moments later the two cannot deny the unlikely circumstances that brought them together and unquestionable chemistry they share. Sisterly connection, book obsession, steamy enemies to lovers - this laugh-out-loud summer read is a small town romance that will have you glued to that beach chair long after the sun goes down.

Henry has done it again, and I wasn't sure she could necessarily top <i>People We Meet on Vacation</i> in terms of glorious acheyness about characters who are flawed and genuine and raw and real. This is a book about people who love books — who love digging into all of the best parts of any story on the page and dissecting character and deep-diving into motivation — and about how it's never too late to find true purpose and happiness even if you've resigned yourself to never having that level of contentment in your life. Henry's main duo are also the type to self-sacrifice on behalf of family, something they don't realize they have in common until their love story starts, and it's that shared quality that enables them to realize exactly what they can offer one another in terms of stability and commitment — provided that they're willing to take the leap. At the same time, Henry doesn't force her characters to significantly change themselves for the person they happen to fall for, and I think that's really excellent.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

“How do you do that?”
“Do what?”
“Say the right thing.”
“No one thinks that.”
“I do.”
His lashes splay across his cheeks as his gaze drops. “Maybe I just say the right thing for you.”

WOW!!! 5 Fabulous Stars! And just like that, we hit the Emily Henry jackpot once again! We’ve adored every book we’ve read by this author, and with Book Lovers, she’s left us positively giddy, we love every fabulous minute!

In Book Lovers, Emily Henry has perfectly blended the seriousness of grief whilst enveloping it in warmth, peppering it with humour, and wrapping it up in a swoony romance with a small-town atmosphere. Gosh, we loved this book. It gave us those warm and fuzzy ‘book love’ feelings.

‘That’s life. You’re always making decisions, taking paths that lead you away from the rest before you can see where they end. Maybe that’s we, as a species, love stories so much. All those chances for do-overs, opportunities to live the lives we’ll never have.’

Now this is a big call, but… we think Charlie Lastra might be our favourite Emily Henry hero, and that’s saying something, considering how much we loved Gus in Beach Read and Alex in People We Meet on Vacation! Both those heroes were to die for, but Charlie…there’s just something about him – his vulnerability, his protective nature, and his directedness with Nora. It all boiled down to one fabulous hero!

“I’ve got you, Nora,” he promises quietly. “I’ve got you, okay?”

There was so much to Book Lovers – the wonderfully swoony romance, the ode to New York (which had us wanting to jet off there immediately!), the importance of family, the pain of grief, and of course the wonderfully quirky characters, all moulded together with the relationship between Nora and her younger sister Libby being the icing on the book cake. The sister’s relationship was so beautifully crafted, and how can we not mention the witty banter, cheeky one-liners, heart-warming moments, and intense chemistry that is synonymous with an Emily Henry read! We ADORED this book!

‘That is what I’m looking for every time I flip to the back of a book, compulsively checking for proof that in a life where so many things have gone wrong, there can be beauty too. That there is always hope, no matter what.’

Nora Stephens has always cared for and nurtured her younger sister Libby before and since their Mum’s passing some ten years ago. Both sisters have unresolved grief that is explored so poignantly throughout Book Lovers. To appease her sister Libby, Nora agrees to spend a month with her to tick off some ‘bucket list’ items Libby feels the workaholic and unlucky in love Nora desperately needs to experience. Libby doesn’t normally reach out to Nora in this way and considering it will mean a month away from her husband and two daughters, she figures the pregnant Libby needs a break.

Libby is obsessed with a small-town romance series, of which the author is one of agent Nora’s clients. Libby wants Nora to experience small-town living – in a way, to bring a small-town romance to life, but New York loving Nora agrees with some hesitancy – being away from New York and her work is frightening. Not to mention she is handholding her client through the new breakaway book, Frenzy.

But Libby’s needs win out. So, it’s off to Sunshine Falls for the sisters. And so, the journey begins! What Nora didn’t expect was to run into her New York nemesis, Editor Charles Lastra. The chemistry between them has always sizzled, but their sharp barbs and intense last meeting are seared in Nora’s brain.

Why is he here in Sunshine Falls and how can she avoid him? Does she even want to? What is Libby’s real reason for wanting some alone time? The overthinking Nora deduces all manner of scenarios, and we witness all the crazy, sad, and painful monologues Nora delivers.

“I think you’re one of the least disappointing people I’ve ever met.”

This book really hit the spot. Nora was such a unique heroine – very direct, no-nonsense, and the more we came to know how she ticked the more in love with her we fell. Book Lovers is a book for all of us book lovers. Emily Henry really hits the spot with all that we crave in this genre. She gets us, and we LOVE IT!

Here are my thoughts for Book Lovers. You’ve probably seen a ton of reviews over the last week so I’m not going to bore you.

I think I liked it. But only because I listened to 80% of it thanks to @prhaudio. Julia Whelan was the narrator and I would listen to her read my grocery list.

All I can say is that thankfully many people told me this was more of a story about sisters versus a romance. That majorly lowered my expectations and I think it’s why I actually enjoyed it.

Did I like Nora and Charlie way better than the two main characters from PWMOV? 100%. But did I like them more than Augustus and January from Beach Read? I don’t think so.

Me picking up this book was a serious case of FOMO. I’m glad I did but I’m not sure I’ll be running to get whatever book Emily Henry puts out next.

Another winner from Emily Henry. I think this is my favorite to date. This is book is for anyone who loves a smart rom-com and given that it’s the story set in the world of publishing, it’s a great read for book lovers. Absolutely loved it!

I mean, she wrote this for people who work in book publishing. I love it. We love meta. It's hilarious. And it's brilliant.

Bookllovers didn’t have a one size fits all trope. It was a bit of everything, enemies to lovers, friends to lovers, workplace romance, small town you name it and its it. It was an interesting read but unfortunately wasn’t the vibe I thought it would be and fell slightly average for me.

The book started off pretty easy breezy for me. The perfect distraction from this crazy world we live in. Charlie and Nora had some great banter and this was looking to be a cute and funny; until…it wasn’t. Charlie was mentioned at the beginning of the story then we didn’t hear of him again until 30% into the novel. I so badly wanted more of them. But this novel become more about Nora’s sister relationship.

Take my review with a grain of salt as I seem to be in the minority.

Loved it! Thought the characters were relatable and interesting and loved the chemistry between them. Appreciated the inside look into the publishing industry as well. Would definitely recommend!

Rom com is not my genre and neither are Hallmark movies; however, all the buzz about Book Lovers and its positive reviews made me curious, and I requested and received the title from Netgalley.

I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised. Author Emily Henry's clever take on the book publishing industry and its denizens skewers the Hallmark movie tropes of the heartless career woman, the superiority of small towns, the dangers, isolation, and unhappiness to be found in big cities, etc. Clever banter between main characters Nora and Charlie keep the narrative flowing as literary agent Nora worries about her younger sister Libby and her insecure bestselling client and editor Charlie worries about his sick father and flighty mother.

Of course, rom coms require a nearly insurmountable challenge for its protagonists (else there is no story). And, like many rom coms, the challenges in this one could have been solved by a few honest conversations between the main characters, instead of so much sturm und drang.

Nevertheless, Book Lovers was an enjoyable read that should satisfy readers, even those who are not rom com devotees.

Full Disclosure--NetGalley and the publisher provided me with a digital ARC of this book. This is my honest review.

Book Lovers: Emily Henry’s Charming Meta Romance for the Hallmark Cynics

It’s been a while since a romance novel made me burst out cackling on the second page, but Emily Henry has done it: Her heroine Nora (named for Ephron, of course) Stephens introduces herself by way of a Hallmark movie formula—basically, You know how every male lead in one of these movies has an ice queen girlfriend barking into the phone from her Peloton for him to come back to the city and leave behind idyllic country life? That’s me, I’m the Peloton bitch.

It’s an ambitious move, centering her latest contemporary romance on the kind of person that Hallmark and Lifetime (and, increasingly, Netflix) have long taught us is the antihero. But in doing so, Henry has outdone even herself by presenting a delightfully prickly enemies-to-lovers romance that brutally takes apart the Hallmark Happily Ever After and sensitively revises it into something more realistic yet still swoon-worthy.
Nora is a very particular breed of New Yorker, a cutthroat literary agent whose star client Dusty Fielding happens to write the kind of small-town romance that is her personal kryptonite. And while she’s such a finely-honed archetype of HBIC, I still felt incredible solidarity for her—as someone who once launched into a screaming diatribe on behalf of Idina Menzel’s character in Disney’s Enchanted (whose only sin was not being doe-eyed Amy Adams and therefore Patrick Dempsey’s polar-opposite love interest) because my college boyfriend had also deemed me the anti-soulmate of his personal movie.

It’s never fun to be the not-enough girlfriend, and Nora has had it happen four times. It’s completely understandable that this career badass would be terrified whenever a new beau goes on a work trip to some idyllic place that’s not New York City—and why it’s so difficult for her to leave the Big Apple for even a weekend trip.

The only person Nora would even consider departing the city for—and only during publishing’s slow season in August—is her younger sister Libby, who’s long-established in her own HEA with a doting husband, two rambunctious girls, and a third kiddo on the way. Libby convinces Nora to join her in visiting dreamy Sunshine Falls, which happens to be the setting for Dusty’s bestsellers. Only, it seems as if Dusty has taken some creative liberties with the town…and there’s another black-clad New Yorker who sticks out as sorely as Nora.

Surly book editor Charlie Lastra, thorn in Nora’s side since a mutual bad first impression years ago, is inexplicably summering in this random North Carolina town as well. And when they wind up in an unexpected Dusty collaboration, which conflicts with Libby’s pre-baby bucket list, Nora finds herself pulled between the most important person in her life—and someone who has the potential to become a close second.

This is Henry’s third romance to take place over a summer (like last year’s People We Meet on Vacation) and second to exist in the Venn diagram of publishing folks’ seasonal wind-down (after her 2020 debut Beach Read). But despite any surface-level similarities to the latter’s premise, in which romance author January Andrews and literary wunderkind Augustus Everett challenge each other to switch writing genres, Book Lovers might as well exist in a different section of the proverbial bookstore.

Beach Read played into that rom-com Pavlovian delight that is watching opposites attract, but for so many of us that’s pretty unlikely. Even Sally Thorne’s The Hating Game, with its slightly kinky enemies-to-lovers publishing dynamic that makes it a close comp to this, emphasizes the lovers’ every difference from height to attire to sunshine/grump personas. Book Lovers reassures readers that it’s OK to fall for someone who’s not just similar to you but is basically the male version of you down to every ruthlessly ambitious bone and unapologetic adoration for metropolitan life—that is, every “worst” aspect of you that compels others to leave.

Yet the novel also continues a growing trend in contemporary romance that I hope is here to stay, wherein the love affair isn’t the only heartstring being tugged. For most of the novel, in fact, Nora is more emotionally invested in the fact that she and Libby have grown apart, with her main motivation being to bridge that distance and fix whatever it is that saddens or panics her baby sister—despite the “baby” expecting her third child. The friction between these opposites drives the plot, never pitting one life path against a drastically different one but instead exploring the tension of diverging wants.

Nora’s run-ins with Charlie are at first incidental, though despite their charmless first meeting, they seem to have readily established the romance trope of epistolary courting—here, with self-published Bigfoot erotica via work email. Moments like this briefly strain credulity only because of how stridently Nora opposes the barest glimmer of a made-for-TV-movie formula. Yet that seems to be Henry’s point—that the old adage about the truth being stranger than fiction applies even (or especially) to love stories.

I was at first skeptical of setting another novel in the publishing world, to the point where I don’t know how I would have reacted to a January/Augustus Easter egg, but about two-thirds through, it clicked: Beach Read subverts genre snobbery by way of the derision directed at anything written by women, but Book Lovers takes a red pen to supposedly universal romance tropes—again, not wholly excising, but figuring out how they can actually jibe with reality.

The trickiest part of romance is sticking the landing. If readers expect an HEA but your whole book is predicated on life not always ending on a happy note, how do you reconcile the two? There’s a part of me that wonders, if Book Lovers had been written to lean more into the literary fiction side of things, if it might have turned out differently. That said, Henry pulls off an ending that both fulfills the genre tropes while still surprising this teary-eyed reader.

Another fantastic book from Emily Henry! Not sure how she does it but she keeps writing seriously fantastic books. The character development, pacing and plot were all on point. Nothing to complain about. I adore the grumpy sunshine trope and it was done so well in this book. The book was hard to put down!

4 Stars!
Cheeky Hallmark Movie

The story follows Nora Stephens, a book agent from New York and her sister Libby. After their mother passed, Nora practically raised her younger sister, and always put Libby’s needs above her own. Now in their 30’s Nora is a workaholic and known for being ruthless; she represents Dusty Fielding, a popular romance novelist who wrote the bestseller “Once In A Lifetime” based on a small town in North Carolina called Sunshine Falls.

In order to distress and spend some quality time together, Nora and Libby travel to Sunshine Falls for a month-long vacation. Libby, a lover of romance novels, puts together a checklist of things for the sisters to accomplish- wear flannel, date a local, skinny dip, save a small business, etc. The last thing Nora expects to find in the small town is her rude, uptight colleague Charlie Lastra. Together Nora and Charlie help edit one of Dusty's new books, and finally become friends... or something more.

This book is an ideal summer read, a lighthearted rom-com with some steamy moments. I loved the banter between Nora and Charlie, especially the first half of the book and the literary references. The small town atmosphere and characters really felt like a Hallmark movie. My only complaint is that the sister’s relationship overpowered Nora and Charlie’s quite a bit, but overall I really enjoyed it!

Thank you Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for sending me an ARC!

An enemies-to-lovers that was executed perfectly! I devoured this book in one sitting. I adored the characters and found them all so charming! The book aspect was phenomenal and made this book nerd so incredibly happy. The small town charm, sister relationship, and witty writing were just icing on the cake. I loved it! 4.5 stars.

I was hopeful that I would like this book as much as I liked Beach Read and that it would be so much better than People We Meet on Vacation. It definitely leans more toward her first book. It took me a few chapters to get into the story of Nora, Libby, and Henry. The quaint town is like a character in this book. I am looking forward to Emily Henry's next book because I feel that she hasn't even hit her groove yet.

This book was nothing short of incredible. I was under the impression that nothing could top Beach Read for me yet here we are. This book was written for the older sisters. I've never wanted to re-read a novel so quickly after finishing. I could get lost in Nora & Charlie's stories for hours. Emily Henry's writing never ceases to amaze me. The easiest 5 star rating I've ever given!

⭐️ 5‼️

*screams into pillows*

This book was magical! To be very honest, I was very hesitant about trying out another Emily Henry read. The only other book I’ve read by this author was People We Meet on Vacation, and I was not the biggest fan of it

But I kept on seeing this author on Tik Tok, and hearing so many people rave about her work so I knew I needed to give her another chance.

BOY DID THIS BOOK ROCK MY WORLD

I gave this book a 2 min hug, while ugly crying, after reading it. I am the oldest of three girls, and after a pretty nasty divorce between my parents I ended up feeling like both of my parent’s partner for almost all of my childhood/teenage years. I had to grow up faster than I wanted to.

I never thought I would read about a character I could connect so deeply with, but then came Nora Stephens and I feel like that girl is my soul sister.

This book was absolutely PHENOMENAL, and if you had a hard time with PWMOV please know this is NOTHING LIKE THAT

This deserves 5 million stars ‼️

Emily Henry is an insta buy for me !! Her books always hit me hard and this one was no different. I would say this book was more of a fiction read than a romance. The relationship between Nora and her sister gave me anxiety. I did really like Libby’s character and the development between the two. I teared up with those two. Okay to the goods! The banter between Charlie and Nora was top tier. Emily Henry does so well with humor in her books. Overall, I wished there was more romance, but once you read it you’ll understand why it didn’t have as much spice. Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this in exchange for a review.

I fell hard for this book. This book is more life lesson than romance, but it is amazing no matter what! I loved the characters and the relationship between Nora and Charlie as well as the relationship between Nora and Libby.

Emily Henry has an amazing ability to keep me laughing even when she's showing me what life offers. This one screams Hallmark while being so much more than "just another Hallmark" book. Anyone loving romantic comedy or chicklit will love this.

The absolute perfect book for a BOOK LOVER!!!

The witty banter!!!! Like seriously. This might be the best banter ever written. A mix of talking, texting, and emailing. Why is Emily Henry so freaking talented?! I think this is my fave of hers.

I laughed.
I cried.
I swooned.

Like her other books, there is a lot of character building in the beginning which makes it a tad slow. THEN - she hooks you. And you’re in love with the characters so hard. I identified with Nora’s need to make everyone in her life happy. And I LOVED CHARLIE! Like instant book boyfriend. I mean a guy that shares my love of books and is incredibly smart and kind *swoon*

There is the typical Emily Henry steam levels and perfect chemistry. Hot kisses in the best locations. Also typical of Henry, there are some heavy themes (grief in particular) and some great family dynamics.

Honestly, my fave book of 2022! Easiest five stars that I’ve ever handed out.

TW:: loss of a mother, stroke