Like Henry’s two previous runaway bestsellers, People We Meet on Vacation (2021) and Beach Read (2020), Book Lovers is poised to capture readers’ hearts and minds.

Full Starred Review: https://www.booklistonline.com/Book-Lovers-/pid=9759551

This book made me fall in love with Emily Henry all over again. I loved “Beach Read” and did not care for “The People You Meet On Vacation” but ”Book Lovers”? Chef kiss. It is a beautiful romantic story that made me fall a little more in love with my husband and smile for days after. I could not put it down. Henry’s characters are deeply flawed, realistic and likeable. How does she do it? It feels like magic. Just like in “Beach Read”, the book being edited (instead of written) by the main characters is interesting and not just some throw away fluff. I was invested in it too. Read if you love love and books about books.

I was given an advanced reader's copy via NetGalley, thank you to them. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Emily Henry is truly the best of the best at creating the perfect modern rom com. I always feel like I understand her characters so well by the end and there is so much depth to her stories. I loved the small town vibes of this book and the love of books that was weaved throughout. The banter between Charlie and Nora was A+. I hardly laugh out loud and books but I did so many times. Emily writes dialogue that flows so quick and is so funny. I loved Charlie so much, I wish we got more from him (or even his POV) and I wish the ending hadn't been so rushed.

I will read anything Emily writes!

I am in love with love and in love with this book! I think that Nora and Charlie are a couple of my favorite characters that Emily Henry has ever written. In fact, this is my favorite book that she has written. I love how it revolves around books but also around family and ourselves. Nora has always done everything for her sister even if it meant halting her hopes and dreams. When Libby begs her to stay a month in Sunshine Falls, North Carolina (home of one of their favorite books), she agrees because she feels there is a distance between them. She is a literary agent so works it so that she can still do her job while away. What she doesn't count on is coming across Charlie, a book editor that she didn't exactly love to be around, being there. They are thrown together to edit a book and yes, the literal sparks fly! And you will love it!

I reiterate that this is my absolute favorite of Emily Henry's books and that is saying a lot because I loved her other books too. This one just hit all the right notes for me. The banter was topnotch. I laughed so much and yes, I was in tears at the end. Bravo, Emily Henry!

Thanks to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing for an advance copy of this wonderful book.

I am a fan of Emily Henry books. This is another hit, in my opinion. I love a book about people who love books! This is a love story but not just about romance. There is family love, a love for a place to call home, and, of course, a good looking man. There are scenes in a bookstore and scenes in a coffee shop. It's pretty much the perfect book for me! I love that the different tropes of romance books are discussed and treated just like most readers think of them.

This book felt like the next great return of the romcom movie. If someone doesn't make this a film it will be a great loss to the romantic world.

It was witty, adventurous, and had all of the values needed to make the funniest and sweetest romance on the market

Some books feel like they’re made for you. This one feels like it was made for me, and I know without a doubt so many of you will feel the same. With sharp dialogue, a swoon worthy romance, an emotional sister relationship, and an exploration of life choices and where they take us, Book Lovers will grab onto your tender reader’s heart and not let go even after finishing it.

Emily Henry is unreal. She knows how to create an unputdownable book! I was hooked from the first chapter and I really appreciated how the story evolved—and in ways I couldn’t predict. This really might be her best work yet.

I want to put a spotlight on the sisterly bond in Book Lovers because it is incredible. It makes me weepy even thinking about Nora and Libby! I loved them. They have both funny and heartbreaking moments and it’s just fantastic. This is very much a sibling story as much as it is a love story. And also, if you’re an eldest sister, this book might hit extra hard.

The romance is to die for. It kind of subverts some romance tropes in the best way, and in a wonderful Emily Henry fashion. I am such a sucker for a rivals-to-lovers romance. As soon as I saw that the MC, Nora, is similar to Amanda in the movie The Holiday (one of my all-time favorites), I was all in for a romance with a character you don’t as often see in romance novels—a woman more prickly, more guarded, and fiercely loyal to her family all the while. Nora is career-driven and has an appreciation for the finer things in life like a ten-step skincare routine, which, same on that front! She thinks she isn’t the right type of person for a love story, and I love that Henry said no, you absolutely are. And she is. Plus Charlie is a wonderful love interest and his connection with Nora is dynamite. Henry understands her characters to their core, so the banter as well as the emotional moments stun you. This happily ever after is *earned,* which in my opinion makes the very best kind of endings.

“Maybe love shouldn’t be built on a foundation of compromises, but maybe it can’t exist without them either. Not the kind that forces two people into shapes they don’t fit in, but the kind that loosens their grips, always leaves room to grow. Compromises that say, there will be a you-shaped space in my heart, and if your shape changes, I will adapt.”

This book deserves no less than 5 stars. Any book that makes me cry happy tears to the point where I want to hug it is one that is immediately going on my favorites shelf. I say this every time and I’ll never get tired of it: Emily Henry has done it again.

*Thank you so much to Berkeley Books for the ARC*

This book is pure perfection. Probably one of the best books I have ever read. Book Lovers features Nora, a literary agent living in NYC. Nicknamed “the shark”, Nora is all about her job. She loves books and loves helping her clients get their books published…no matter what it takes or the hours the job requires. What she doesn’t love is that she has grown apart from her sister Libby in the past few months. So when Libby invites her to do a three week girls trip, Nora jumps on the opportunity. She could never deny Libby. Even if it was to go live in a small town in North Carolina for said trip.

This is a book about sisterhood, romance, family, love and loss. It's about finding out what is important to oneself and doing everything you can to fight for that. I highlighted constantly as I read. Henry’s ability with the written word is breathtaking. I wanted to take it all in over and over and over. There is so much wit in the book but also so much depth. I really and truly felt Nora’s pain and joy as she felt them. I laughed and cried several times while reading. Nora ends up working on the same project with Charlie, an editor she once had a terrible meeting with. I could read about these two conversing all day every day. Their conversations are smart and insightful and made me think so much.

Of course, as the title suggests, there is a secondary romance…between reader and books. Having that peek into bookstores, publishing, editing, writing, etc was so much fun. I loved seeing my own feelings about books and reading put into words. Despite the sad points within the books, reading this just made me happy. It filled my heart. This will be a book that will live on my shelves for me to revisit time and again. Henry’s best work by far. I just can’t wait to see what is next.

Possibly the perfect rom com? This is the one I've been waiting for!

I have read and enjoyed, but not been blown away by, Emily Henry's previous two books. I liked the writing and mostly the plots but was very distracted by their titles that were disconnects from the books. Strong books and I could recommend them but not all-time favorites.

But this time, Ms. Henry has done everything right. Rom Com with two interesting, smart, independent people- check. Distinct secondary characters/foils who I care about- check. Tons of witty banter and sexual tension (spicy but without there being too many actual sex scenes to dwell on)- check. Distinct setting that is a character itself with lots of Gilmore Girls' Stars Hollow vibes- check. Interesting careers that we get a glimpse of- check. Love of said careers and NYC- check. Love of lists- check (was this written just for me?)

This book checks all the boxes and is also so enjoyable. Even the little throw away lines were exactly right. Touching and memorable and fun and lovely- this is a book that will keep you loving reading. Thank you, Miss Henry; you've hit your stride.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing for the advance copy for review. I can happily recommend this book.

I am 3 for 3 on Henry's last 3 books. I don't typically read romance but Henry does such a fantastic job of mixing the romance with snarkly/witter banner and has enough of subplots to keep me engaged and reading. She has become an instant read for me each summer and is perfect for those looking for a great fun summer read.

This one takes the typical romcom of big city man meets small town girl and stays in small town leaving the scorned uptight ex and spins it from the view of the scorned uptight cold hearted big city woman. I appreciated the lead character change up and enjoyed following Nora, a literary agent who's pregnant sister gets her to agree to come to a small town with her for a month to relax before baby #3 comes along. During the trip her sister has doing a checklist of small town stuff, trying to get her to have a small town romance but instead she runs into Charlie a big city editor.

I loved the plot, loved the characters, loved the banter. Another win for me. Thank you Netgalley and Berkley for the fantastic arc of Book Lovers.

This book was perfection.

The enemies to lovers romance was perfection.

The sister story line was perfection. The setting was amazing. The prologue hooked me right from the beginning. All the literary references were fabulous. This is one of the best romances I’ve read in a while.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy. Opinions are my own.

WOW! Book Lovers is the most entertaining and engrossing book I’ve read this year! It is laugh out loud funny, and poignant, and who of us doesn’t love a book about books with incredible characters and witty repartee? And it is beautiful, too. It’s like the author is saying, Book Lovers, I offer you this. That’s really all you need to know. Just Go. Buy. This. Book!!!

Nora is a checklist-making, totally driven, work focused literary agent. Charlie is a scowl-y but brilliant editor. They disliked each other from their first meet. Until, that is, they run into one another in Sunshine Falls, NC. He is on a trip home - quite a surprise for Nora because how can an S.F. native transform himself into the quintessential New Yorker? Nora is there on a trip with her pregnant sister Libby who might just need some time to regroup. Nora has felt like their bond has been slipping so she really wants this trip to help.

Maybe Nora isn’t such a shark and maybe Charlie isn’t so emotionally closed off? And maybe there might be some romance… and witty repartee. Poignant, funny, emotional, redemptive.

Book Lovers, I offer you this.

If you loved Beach Read I dare say you might enjoy this one even more.
Emily Henry has such a wonderful knack for sharp and funny dialogue. Do the character's hesitations about their love lives make perfect sense? No, but they make enough sense to work within the genre. And Henry is well aware of all the tropes and leans into them, while also making a smart decision to start our leading lady in the self-described role of villainous girlfriend.
There is also a running bit about Big Foot erotica that made me belly laugh. This is a perfect gem of a book for summer.

My third book by Emily Henry in 3 years and this is by far my favorite one!

Remember Sandra Bullocks character in The Proposal? Yea that’s Nora. Uber successful and cutthroat literary agent. Her favorite things include her beloved Peloton and getting the best deals for her clients. Known as The Shark, Libby hasn’t taken a vacation in years. That is until her sister Libby convinces her to spend a month in Sunshine Falls, North Carolina. Not only is it the setting of one of Nora’s most successful author’s books, but it’s also the picturesque small town Hallmark producers lover. In an attempt to get her to love the town, Libby has made Nora the ultimate rom-com checklist. But instead of falling in love with the local farmer, she runs into fellow New Yorker, notorious editor, and her nemesis Charlie Lastra. And let the rom-com tropes commence.

What a fun read! I loved getting a behind the scenes look into getting a book edited. But I loved the way Henry sorta makes fun of all the rom-com tropes while simultaneously introducing all of them into this book the most! All of the characters were well developed, relatable, and loveable. The romance between our main characters felt well balanced and natural. I really just loved every single one of our characters, even Nora’s almost love interest is just the nicest person.

I mean seriously, this book left me with all the warm fuzzies!

Filled with plenty of witty banter, Henry has taken all the tropes of your typical Hallmark movie and turned it into a truly fun read. Recommend reading this one on vacation with a gin martini! I will most certainly be getting a physical copy for my bookshelf and will be recommending it to everyone this summer!


Book Lovers comes out May 3, 2022! Huge thank you to Berkley for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my instagram @speakingof_books.

PERFECTION! A book about the book world and a book editor and a book agent? Now that's my kind of book!

I did not love Emily Henry's 'People We Meet on Vacation' so I was a little apprehensive about reading 'Book Lovers'. It is, however, every bit as engaging as 'Beach Reads'. Nora and Charlie are absolutely perfect. And I love the author's sense of humor!!

“Nice haircut, by the way.”

“Straight men love bangs,” I say. “They make women approachable.”

“Nothing more intimidating than a forehead,” he agrees solemnly.

Nora and Charlie have seen every trope come across their respective desks so they make endless jokes about how they are each a typical cliché. Nora is aware that she is the driven, Type A successful career woman who always loses the boyfriend to the small-town, innocent shop owner. She makes endless jokes about it but in reality, she is terrified at falling in love with someone. Nora is tough but so relatable!

Charlie is the perfect foil for Nora. He is a gruff editor who sees right through Nora and teases her about her habits. They seem to hate each other at their first meeting but when they both find themselves in a small town outside Ashevile, NC, the anticipated sparks begin to fly.

The author has written an incredibly creative and engaging book that grabbed me from the first page. Because this book is also very much about family and responsibility, it is as much women's fiction as it is a smart romantic comedy. Some of the banter between Nora and Charlie reminded me of one of my favorite rom-coms, 'The Proposal', which yes, contains the trope of the Type A successful professional woman falling for a small-town guy.

The character development is top-notch and while I was ready to nit-pick this book, I could not find anything to complain about. The dialogue between Nora and Charlie is unforgettable and the author's sense of humor is fantastic! Add all this to the chemistry between the main characters, and you have the perfect summer read.

“Don’t tell me I hurt your feelings,” I murmur.

“You of all people should know,” he says, gaze dropping to my mouth, “we ‘surly, monochromatic literary types’ don’t have those.”

Highly recommend this slow-burn romance. It might Emily Henry's best book yet.

(Thanks to the publisher for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.)

My favorite book of 2022 so far.
My favorite Emily Henry.
Henry has this amazing way of writing romance books with substance. Each one feels real, each situation real, each person and their life real.
This book in many ways felt like Henry was writing about me and the person I once was and the person I am now.
I'm going to be thinking about this book for a while.

3.75 stars

Part romance, part ode to sisters and family. Hard-edged literary agent Nora Stephens has escaped to a bucolic Southern setting to spend some quality time with her beloved younger sister Libby. Libby is pregnant with her third child and badly needs some adult time and a break. Nora has been famously unsuccessful at relationships, which have dissolved around her in unfortunate circumstances very similar to some of the romance book plots she sees every day.

Nora and Libby lost their mom too young, and Nora has tried to ease Libby's way ever since. She is uber-organized, a tough negotiator, and controlling. She is also the ultimate New York City woman and is a bit twitchy away from the bustle of the city and her routines.

Libby, knowing her sister, creates a checklist for their getaway, including dating a local, wearing flannel and coming to the rescue of a village small business. Imagine everyone's surprise when Nora almost instantly runs into an acquaintance from the publishing world -- a man she once shared an antagonistic and uncomfortable lunch with.

Their screwball comedy banter is highly entertaining. A very readable tale with appealingly flawed characters. Thanks to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this so much! Definitely one of my favorite romances I've ever read. I loved the connection to the book industry, and the longing/chemistry between the love interests was off the charts. I also enjoyed how emotionally charged this one was outside of the main romance--the relationship between sisters was so well done, I definitely cried a couple of times. 10/10, will be purchasing to re-read in the near future.

This book! Oh man, I loved it the moment I saw the cover, craved it when I read the synopsis, and was an absolute goner the moment I read the prologue. There is no doubt that Emily Henry can write, but it is her presentation, the flow of her words, the characters that become more than just fiction on the page that make her books exceptional. She is truly a gifted author who gets exponentially better with every book she writes.

There is a playfulness between Nora and Charlie that showcased a genuine and heartfelt connection. Two people who live for the chaos of a big city life, enjoy the competition of their jobs, and find solace that their version of a happily ever after differs from the books they work on. While they are the antithesis of a typical romance trope, the author created a new genre that is unique to them.

I found myself holding my breath in anticipation of the next page, next sentence, next word. There was an ease and likability to not only Nora and Charlie, but to every character in this book. There’s a complexity to the story that gives it more heart and meaning than just a superficial romance. I feel that with this book, the author displays her ability to showcase her understanding and empathy with characters who struggle with emotional topics but intertwines humor and sarcasm to make the story feel linked to your heart. This book exceeded all of my expectations and has easily become one of my favorite books of 2022. And just let me know you will be pitching an alcohol water park. I’ll be first in line as an investor 😂

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for making my dreams come true with the eARC.

I was a little hesitant to read Book Lovers. I DNFed People We Meet On Vacation. I lean towards maybe it was the back and forth thing and not the writing. I saw a friend with similar taste as me liked Book Lovers. Why not try it?! I’m glad I did read it.

For the majority of the book, I smiled and laughed out loud. It was fun. Towards the end it got a little sad and woman’s fiction-y that it kind of lost the fun. It ended in a strong, happy note. I will read more books by this author. It was written well.


I voluntarily read an early copy.