Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for an e-ARC of Book Lovers, available everywhere now! This novel was my first introduction to the author's work and after spending time with Nora Stephens and Charlie Lastra, I'm realizing that I've definitely slept on the author's other novels.

Nora is not your typical plucky, sweetheart heroine in your classic romance novel. After her mother passed away, all the walls went up and the only people she finds herself softening for are her clients, who she remains in touch with all hours of the day, and her sister, Libby. There's nothing she wouldn't do for her, and that includes trekking out to Sunshine Falls, North Carolina for the month of August so they could spend some R&R together. She'll give it a chance but not so secretly, she misses New York. New York, where people don't use deodorant and soon their armpit is in your face when you're riding the subway. That doesn't matter for Nora, however, because we get repeated mentions of how tall Nora is. I'm getting off-track.

Small town life is exactly what she'd envisioned but what she hadn't envisioned on was running into Charlie Lastra, a brooding editor that passed up an opportunity to work on her client's novel. Not only do the Manhattan rivals start being pleasant to each other, they eventually decide to work together to ensure that a certain author's new book goes off without a hitch. The more time they spend together, the more they begin to see why it couldn't have ever worked with anyone else.

I really enjoyed parts of this story. It was evident how much Nora cared for Libby, though I found it overbearing at times and even then, I went back and forth on because having assumed the caretaker role for my sister, I recognized a lot of that behavior in myself. That being said. so much could have been solved with just talking to each other rather than assuming things and/or jumping to conclusions. It could have made the novel that much shorter as well because while I liked the novel, 400 pages is a lot.

As for the romance, Nora and Charlie seemed like a well-matched pair and though they're supposed to have some amount of rivalry between them, I didn't pick up on it during their banter. They seemed pretty comfortable with each other off the bat. I also liked the end; it tugged at my heartstrings!

Book Lovers by Emily Henry is a stand alone novel. We meet Nora Stephens, our heroine, who is a literary agent, always landing great deals for her clients; she is cutthroat in many ways, but her clients love her. Nora runs into a book editor, Charlie Lastra, who hates the book that one of her clients is releasing, with the negativity between them sarcastic. Nora represents Dusty Fielding, a romance novelist, who just completed her book, Once in a Lifetime to wonderful success.

Nora’s sister Libby, is pregnant again, very exhausted and wants to take a trip with her sister for the month of August, to Sunshine Falls, N.C. (where the book Once in a Lifetime takes place). Nora is a workaholic, but she agrees to take some time off to be with her sister, especially since she has always taken care of Libby over the years, including spending time with Libby’s family (husband and two kids, who stayed home). When they arrive at Sunshine Falls, the small town is not quite what the book describes, but the residents are very nice. Nora will be shocked to run into Charlie Lastra, whom she hasn’t seen since their disagreement two years ago. Turns out that Charlie is living in Sunshine Falls to help his family, and they keep running into each other. When Nora needs some help, she asks Charlie, about a new novel by Dusty, and he falls in love with the book, begging to be the editor for the book, Frigid; Nora is upset, because the heroine in the book reminds her of herself. Once they begin working together, the relationship between Nora and Charlie begins to change to slow burn romance.

What follows is a fun, heartwarming and emotional story focusing on Nora and Libby’s relationship and how to relinquish her parental control after the mother’s death; and the slow burn romance that builds between Nora and Charlie was lots of fun. The banter and snark between them were amazing, and in the second half of the book, I really rooted hard for them; which made a fantastic enemy to lover’s story. I also loved the publishing background revolving around agents and editors.

Book Lovers was a wonderful fun story of family and romance with a small-town atmosphere, not to mention the constant bantering between our couple. Books Lovers was so very well written by Emily Henry. I suggest you read this fun storyline.

When I read Emily Henry’s Beach Read I was interested in her story telling. When I read People We Meet on Vacation I was invested in her story telling. When I read Book Lovers, I was in love with her story telling! I honestly didn’t think I would love anything more than Poppy and Alex’s story in People We Meet, and then she had to introduce us to Charlie and Nora. The love I feel for this book is just so hard to even describe.

Book Lovers is the story of Nora Stephens, a book agent from New York, that loves books but is not what she would consider the right type of heroine in one. She is fierce and loyal to her clients and cutthroat to get them what they deserve. And she would also do anything for her little sister, Libby. So when Libby wants to go to the town from a book that one of Nora’s clients wrote, Nora agrees because she would do anything for her sister. Including a list of things Libby thinks Nora needs to loosen her up. But what Nora never expected in Sunshine Falls was Charlie Lastra. Nora and Charlie have been fighting since they met. But as they spend more time together The woman that thinks she is no heroine and the man that thinks he is no hero might just learn they can be those things to each other by rewriting their stories.

Truth me told, I did not expect to cry reading the last 20% of Book Lovers and yet here we are. I loved Nora and Charlie so much I can’t even find the words! They were the perfect pairing and brought so much joy to my reading experience. They bickered and teased and just really understood each other. But this book was about even more than their romance and that is what endeared me to the story. It was about grief and the panic of loss and being left behind. It was about not really feeling like you fit somewhere. It was about family and love and responsibilities. It was about life and I loved every minute of it!It was everything I wanted in an Emily Henry book and more.

Book Lovers is a journey you will love from beginning to end. Nora and Charlie will grip your heart and hold on to it and if you are like me you will find yourself crying in the end as they both grow and change and rewrite their stories. Basically pick up this book. That is all you need to know.

The day I opened my mailbox and discovered Book Lovers waiting for me was one of the best days this year. I am a huge Emily Henry fan, especially Beach Read, so Book Lovers has been a highly anticipated 2022 read.

Oh, how I love this book! This one is hands down my favorite of the 3 books Emily Henry has written. From the funny and witty banter, to the different relationships (love, family and yourself) and the traces of book tropes and Hallmark movie magic sprinkled throughout, this was a 5-star hit.

I absolutely loved the banter Nora had with Charlie, where I found myself laughing out loud and chuckling. My pages kept turning to find out what Libby was trying to hide from Nora, and why Nora struggles to sleep at night. There’s snippets of how the publishing world works. Then there are also the side characters in Sunshine Falls who are quirky and perfectly cast from my favorite small town stories.

While the story is billed as rivals, I didn’t feel as though Charlie and Nora were rivals. But definitely an enemies-to-lovers vibe was found. The relationship between Nora and Libby was just as, if not more, important as they had been drifting apart and took this trip to find their way back again. Nora was also rediscovering herself. Emily Henry did such a great job weaving all of these storylines together, along with showing us the ups and downs of Sunshine Falls!

Nora Stephens is a true New Yorker. This tough, independent literary agent is fiercely loyal to her clients and her younger sister Libby. The sisters were raised without a father, and they lost their mother over a decade ago. Even though Libby is married, has two young children and one on the way, Nora acts as a surrogate parent and leaves little time for a personal life. The few men she has gotten close have all left her for the sweet girls-next-door, just like the heroines in the books her authors write about. When Nora senses that she and Libby are drifting apart and Libby is keeping secrets from her, the sisters decide to go on a summer getaway to the small town of Sunshine Falls, North Carolina. They come up with a list of things to do on vacation to ensure that they have true adventures. Some of the items on the checklist are straight out of dozens of romance novels and Hallmark movies.

Upon their arrival, Nora is surprised to run into Charlie Lastra, an attractive book editor from NYC. A man she has considered her nemesis after a disastrous business lunch several years prior. Charlie is from Sunshine Falls and being in his hometown, he shows a friendlier side and becomes more appealing to Nora. And Charlie warms up to the woman known in the industry as “The Shark.” Being professionals, Nora and Charlie resist their attraction to one another.

Author Emily Henry has firmly set Book Lovers apart in a crowded field of romance novels. As in last year’s highly appealing People We Meet on Vacation, Henry creates wonderfully charming and extremely likeable characters. The dialogue is clever and very funny. There’s sufficient family drama to tug at your heart. And the right amount of passion as the enemies to lovers story develops. What a joy to escape into an Emily Henry novel. Don’t miss this one. I adored it.

It’s been a while since I inhaled a book in one sitting, but I just couldn’t put this one down. This is my first book by Emily Henry, but it most definitely won’t be my last.

Book Lovers is a rivals to lovers romance that also centers the complexities of careers, love, family, and the bond of sisterhood.

Nora Stephens is a kickass literary agent who will do anything for her clients. Nora also puts the needs of her little sister Libby above her own. But Nora has started to notice that her and Libby’s relationship isn’t as close as it used to be thanks to the demands of work, so she begrudgingly agrees to a month long holiday to Sunshine Falls, the idyllic small town that one of her best selling authors wrote about. The downfall? Her work nemesis Charlie Lastra is also in Sunshine Falls, which means nothing but trouble.

I honestly loved both Nora and Charlie. While it seems like they have clashing personalities, the chemistry between them is evident from the beginning. I loved the effortless banter and their passion for books and publishing. Watching them geek out over editing a manuscript was amazing.

I also really enjoyed the dynamic between Nora and Libby. Henry did a great job of showing the complexities of sisterhood by highlighting their similarities (paying homage to their mothers’ memories) while also showing the consequences of assumptions and miscommunication.

Oh, and this book is narrated by one of my faves, Julia Whelan…she does a phenomenal job!

Book Lovers is Emily Henry’s latest smash hit, and a total joy for “book lovers” everywhere!

What I absolutely adored about this book is how unique the characters’ voices are, now considering all of the the wonderful fictional people and relationships the author has created up through this point! This book had me on the edge of my seat (Henry is the only author who can consistently have me start and finish a book in 24 hours) and the start/stop build of the main characters’ romance was totally delectable!

Emily Henry is an incredible talent and this book proves that she’s brilliant at writing nuanced protagonists with stunning romantic chemistry. Nora and Charlie were just pitch perfect together. I will however say that I think this book is poorly marketed by labeling this as “rivals to lovers” because they simply are not rivals. The barely know each other and have had a vaguely bad first meeting but that does not a rival make. But I digress, they were fantastic together and Charlie made me swoon so many times!

If only the book was solely about them, however this book also focuses on Nora’s complex dynamic with her younger sister, Libby, and while I think that dynamic was well explored I simply did not care. It takes up so much of the narrative and so much mental space for Nora that her romance actually felt like a side plot to her relationship with Libby.

Also this book is incredibly meta and because the characters are in the publishing industry, they are hyper aware of the character archetypes and narrative tropes they fall into. Which is cute at first but felt a bit grating to me after a while.

I’m conflicted, love Nora and Charlie, but I’m not sure I loved the book.

3.75 stars

I really ended up liking this one. I'm not normally a rom-com fan, but this one won me over by the end.

Well written book, but witty banter isn’t my favorite thing. I was in the mood for a story with more action than this.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
I’m so late (Dangit work, kids softball practice, dinner, laundry, and all the damn things)
HAPPY PUB DAY to @emilyhenrywrites!! She does it again folks!!! Another 5 star read for me! I have NEVER been disappointed by her books! This was the perfect enemies to lovers, let’s live out a bunch of tropes, book about books ever!! The chemistry, the hate, the real life 💩. I LIVE for that! If you can make the romance book relatable I am here for it. When I open a Emily Henry book I am always immediately sucked in, there is no sitting around waiting for the good part, there is no OMG when will this be over. There is always an ok I need to make sure I don’t have anything going on because once I start I am unavailable, I am not stopping until I finish mindset. Tonight I wanted to tell my kid that saltines and goldfish crackers were for supper because I didn’t want to stop. Instead I heated up breakfast sandwiches (huge upgrade and I hardly had to stop reading). Emily Henry is an auto buy author for me and after this it will never change. Anyway enough of my rambling. Thank you @penguinrandomhouse, @berkleyromance, @berkleypub, @netgalley, and @librofm ( y’all I feel like I’m at the academy awards) for the advance e-copy and audio!! Also picture brought to you by me, featuring the amazing KS sunset in the back! Next time I will try and catch it sooner!
PS @justjuliawhelan is an amazing narrator!

Book Lovers is a great relaxing read! I guess you could say it’s an enemies-to-friends-to-more romance. I really enjoyed Nora’s small town experience in North Carolina. Because Nora and Charlie both work in publishing, the story includes a love for books that avid readers will really enjoy, especially if you like romance books. The characters are all wonderful, including Nora’s pregnant sister. I just loved everything about this book and it’s now my favorite Emily Henry book. Grab your copy ASAP!
Thank you to @berkleyromance for a free digital ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I want to thank NetGalley and Berkley for providing me with a copy of this book to read and give my honest review.
This is my second Emily Henry book (the first being People We Meet On Vacation) so while I got to know the author a bit in that first book, I feel like this book really showed me the depth her writing can take.
I was approved to read it the night before it was due to be published, so I jumped in right away hoping to finish it by the day it came out; close by no cigar!
This book is everything I really want in a romance.
Let's talk characters.I love the main character, Nora, who is definitely a shark but has this mushy dolphin feeling come into her personality as she grows. She's like the shell of a brazil nut, with it's super hard exterior, that you finally crack and realize the amazing thing that's inside. Then there's Charlie. He's another one with a hard exterior, but he's definitely a bit more pliable, his soft side oozing out warmly and engulfing everything in it's path so it, too, feels that warmth. I could go on about Libby, Nora's sister, who compliments her so well, their banter so easy and their love for each other as sisters so real. Or Sally, Charlie's mom, who we don't get to see enough of but is enough around the periphery to give us a hint of the momma hen she truly is. And Clint, Charlie's dad, who we just glance at for a few times but who definitely gives some wise words as well as learns some wise lessons in his big scene.
Being from New York, I love how the author is able to work it into little details in the book that remind me of growing up. The way people rush about, the woosh of the train entering or leaving a subway tunnel, the crowds of people when that first real day of Spring hits and everyone comes out and about (even if it is only 55 degrees). She makes me miss living there. She makes me miss some of that hustle and bustle, even though I'm perfectly content living in my comfy, suburban, New Jersey home.
I don't want to go on about how the story progresses or how it ends because I feel like that would spoil the wonderful that is this story.
The one thing I will say is besides the growing and analyzing and decisions made in this book, there is TONS of humor. Each chapter had me laughing out loud at something (at least until the very end when I will tell you there were some tears).
I'm so glad I picked this one up. It is 100% worth the read. I urge you to go buy it if you want a love story that's not quite a love story that turns out to be something like a love story!

What I Liked: Emily Henry has become a must read for me because she writes characters I wish were real, characters I want to be friends with, and characters I want to date and fall in love with. Only in my dreams do I have the ability to speak like her characters do-the witty banter between Nora and Charlie, the heartfelt conversations between Libby and Nora, it was all perfection. Charlie is a perfect, brooding, enemies-to lovers romance hero who has flaws and imperfections but who deep down wants to be brave enough to show his true self to someone who deserves it. Nora is a true queen and a breath of fresh air in the romance novel world. She’s not the girl who dreams of the white picket fence or 2.5 kids. She knows who she is and what she wants but that has left her feeling left out in a world that places so much emphasis on being the sweet, docile woman. I love that Nora and Charlie compromise for each other without losing themselves in the process. While categorized as a romance, one of my favorite parts of this book is the complex relationship between the sisters and the evolution of that relationship. The way Henry shows how two people who are everything to each other can still view shared experiences differently is masterful as is the way she shows how two “identical” people (Nora and Charlie) can be vastly different.

What I Didn’t Like: I loved everything about this book. There is nothing I would change.

Who Should Read It: Fans of Emily Henry will love this book as will fans of complex yet fun romances.

Review Wrap Up: This book was truly an enjoyable experience that checked all the boxes I look for in an enemies-to-lovers romance: flawed yet likable characters, sexual tension, witty banter, and a satisfying ending. Emily Henry continues to write entertaining stories that are must reads for romance fans and I highly recommend this book.

Favorite Quote(s): “Is there anything better than iced coffee and a bookstore on a sunny day? I mean, aside from hot coffee and a bookstore on a rainy day.”

“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.”

"Is there anything better than iced coffee and a bookstore on a sunny day? I mean, aside from hot coffee in a bookstore on a rainy day.”

Scrappy, always witty, laughs, vivid, Charlie & Nora. So many literary focuses and themes. This book goes out to all the older sisters out there 🥹 “Yes, I already told you, Nora. I’ll go anywhere with you.” but ugh, Charlie. What I loved about him is that his love language with Nora is physical touch and it’s just, perfect.

Emily Henry had Nora describe the book they’re editing in the plot as: ”This book has crushed me with its weight and dazzled me with its tiny bright spots. Some books you don’t read so much as live, and finishing one of those always makes me think of ascending from a scuba dive. Like if I surface too fast I might get the bands.” BECAUSE SAME. Book Lovers gets that.

”For anyone who wants it all, may you find some thing that is more than enough.”

Adored it. Merry Christmas Eve! Officially Emily Henry’s holiday. Obvi obsessed with her. The present under our tree.

Thank you Berkley for the gifted copy of this book.

I loved the previous two books by this author, but this is my new favorite. I loved everything about this book. The two main characters had killer chemistry, and the fact that they both work in the publishing world? Perfection. Add in a sister relationship, a small town, excellent banter/dialogue, and a slow burn romance, and you have one of my top 5 books of the year so far.

Nora is a literary agent who represents the author of her sister Libby's favorite book (a book which Charlie, an editor said would fail - it did not). Libby wants to take a sister trip to Sunshine Falls, where the book is set, and Nora agrees. The town starts as a disappointment, with one cab, closed shops, one restaurant and barely working wi-fi - and none other than Charlie working at the town bookshop.

As Nora and Libby work on the bucket list Libby made, Nora is also working on Dusty's new book, and convinces Charlie to help her. Enter the chemistry, the enemies to friends to maybe more, and the swoony situations that had me begging them to just hook up already!

I will definitely re-read this one and it's got a spot on my favorites of 2022 shelf!

I could not have loved this book more! This is the first Emily Henry book I've read and I'm moving more of hers up to the top of my TBR. The characters were wonderfully complex. I wasn't ready for the book to end and I hope some of these side characters have their own stories ;)

Nora Stephens has been overworking herself her entire life. With her mother passing away at a young age and having to take care of her sister, Nora has never known peace, especially in her own love life. When Nora gets the chance to go with her sister Libby to the town behind one of her client's books with a list of things to do, she comes to realize that things can be easy, and it all starts with brooding Charlie.

I was absolutely hooked into this story! I love pretty much every single character. Nora is snarky but also knows how to get stuff done. However she is also such an overworker and is scared for change, and I related to her and her situation so much. Her sister Libby is really sweet as well, and their sibling dynamic is really strong, especially towards the end. I may be an only child, so this relationship didn't have as much as an impact on me, but regardless it was still really well written and composed.

Charlie is an entire league on his own. His introduction to the story is stellar, and he shows off how kind and humorous he can be under such a hard exterior. Some of my favorite moments from this book involved him, especially at the ending. I was rooting for Charlie from the first page, and he really shone in not only how he treats Nora, but also in how selfless he is as a person.

One of my favorite things about this story was probably the interlacing of the publishing world into the story. It was seamless with not too much emphasis, and it really brought out the best in the characters whenever they were working on novel editing. The humor was unmatched, with my favorite running gag being the Bigfoot erotica. It had me laughing until I was crying.

Most romances tend to have some side romance with other minor characters. While this does occur, one of the things I love is that it's resolved in a manner that doesn't make it hostile. The guy accepts that the girl doesn't like him, and moves on. It's nothing blown out of proportion, and it made me love the story even more for not including that typical stereotype.

Book Lovers is a light-hearted and familial story, and perfect for anyone looking for a quick and bright romance.

I received a copy of this book as an e-arc from NetGalley. Any and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Happy Belated Pub Day to this bookstagram darling - BOOK LOVERS by Emily Henry!

Have you ever connected with characters so much that when they hurt, you hurt just as much along with them? That’s what I felt the entire time I was reading. I felt probably one of the most visceral connections with these characters, especially Nora.

Emily Henry has such an incredible way of writing characters and allowing them to flourish in the worlds she creates. You won’t be able to help falling head over heels in love with every single character! They’re just so wholesome? But also so spectacular and relatable.

What really captivated me, aside from the blossoming romance, was the sisterly relationship between Nora and Libby. Seeing Nora take on so much as the older sister was so intense because same. I could relate so hard to that. The way their love shined through every single interaction made all the tears well up in my eyes - as is happening right now, just thinking about it.

I will probably never recover from how much I related to this book. I laughed, I cried, I felt so many emotions all at the same time!

Thank you so much to @berkleyromance for the opportunity to read an e-ARC 💕

I love Emily Henry books and enjoyed “Book Lovers”, although admittedly I think this is probably my least favorite of the three I read. This follows a NYC book agent who realizes her life is like the b-characters/antagonists in romance novels. As a lover of books and Hallmark movies, this is a different side of the trope that we are familiar with. Unlike her previous novels though, I didn’t feel the true development and draw in the love story of Nora and Charlie. It just seemed to develop out of nowhere. As always, Henry has great banter and humor in this one, which caused me to round up. 3.5 stars ⭐️ up to 4 stars ⭐️. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley.