1. this isn’t enemies to lovers, it’s romance novel enemies to lovers so jot that down. (romance enemies to lovers is when a misunderstanding causes them not to like each other for like 2 chapters and that’s it.) that isn’t why this is four stars but i did have to start there!!

my major criticism is that i felt like nora and charlie began the book so complex but as we went along, each of their neuroses were given a simple and easily identifiable place of origin that just didn’t feel realistic to me. one of my favorite things about henry’s romances IS how complex the characters are and how she resists the archetypes and simplifications that are common in the straight romance market.

i really loved the beginning and the introduction to the characters, and i honestly love a lot of the tropes it pulled out (legitimate reasons keeping lovers apart, location pulling them apart, love sometimes not being enough!!!!!). the pining was very very good in the middle. i also just generally think the theme of not having to change or compress down to be loved is good. but these are frankly things i expect from henry because there are undercurrents of these themes throughout henry’s books (part of the reason i love them so much!!!)

i liked the way it subverted the big city to small town trope. i’m a person who has only lived in cities recently and romanticize moving to a small town, but this felt like a v strong criticism of the prevalence of that trope!

all this being said, the book spent a lot of time in small town sunshine falls for a book about two characters who Love New York as a defining characteristic of both themselves & their relationship. kind of felt like having your cake and eating it too.

i liked a lot of what it was trying to do and the bones but it struggled to come together for me. not my fave henry.

I utterly adored this book. I still have yet to read PWMOV but Book Lovers has skyrocketed to my favorite Emily Henry. I had so many highlights and things that resonated with me, especially Nora. Although I am married and have kids, I find that my strong, sharp nature can be off putting and Nora experiences that struggle continuously - sharing the frustration of always being deemed as too hard, too mean, too aggressive for love. But Emily gives her the best, sweetest, swooniest love story with Charlie Lastra and Charlie has become a new fave book love interest.

As much as this is a romance, it is also a story about sisterhood. What it means to lose a parent and feel responsible to car for and protect your younger sibling. Nora spends her entire life trying to be better for Libby, give Libby everything she wants and need, protect her. So much of this is Nora learning to let go.

Lastly, there is so much book within a book/story within a story. I love a bookstore setting and even with super cliche and meta jobs for the characters (author and literary agent), this never feels trite. The language that Emily uses: describing feelings akin to reading the last line of a book, never quite getting the ending you want. I truly think this is Emily's best book.

Now I am lowering this to 4.5 stars in Storygraph because I need Emily to write people of color. Like I don't understand it. They are invisible, never appearing, never in the town at all. I would even be happy with a Black best friend if written well. Emily - this is your third book. Please, get some sensitivity readers (happy to be one! I have experience) and add some POC into your next book.

Beach Read was good, People We Met on Vacation was surprisingly wonderful, but Book Lovers (which I’ll admit, I was a bit apprehensive about) truly knocks it out of the park. It’s been awhile since a book grabbed me in the way this did; this had perhaps the best prologue I’ve ever read. I instantly felt the connection between Nora and Charlie and the witty banter was some of the best I’ve ever read. It is rare I laugh out loud at a book but I found myself doing so time and time again. The build up to their relationship felt natural and not rushed. I felt they had the right amount of interaction for the connection that was occurring.

The descriptions in this story were also so detailed and spot on. This book serves, in a lot of ways, as a love letter to many things, but especially to New York. I resonated strongly with that and with Nora’s character. Even though I don’t have siblings, the storyline involving her and Libby’s mother was so intricately woven through, I felt the pain. This book is about sisters and loss just as much as it is about romantic love and that is what sets it apart from the many romances on the market today. I’ll surely have a book hangover after this one.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Book Lovers is Emily Henry's best book yet!
This is my favorite romance read of the year!

Literary Agent Nora and her sister Libby are very close. Nora has always looked out for Libby especially since their mother passed away. Now suddenly the roles have changed and Libby finds herself taking care more of Nora without really realizing it.
Libby has a brilliant idea that the duo embark on a vacation to Sunshine Falls, North Carolina. A little sister's trip away.
Sunshine Falls happens to be the setting of Nora's famous clients novel.
When Nora bumps into Charlie, who is a book editor and has fate would have it lives in the town she is currently visiting. Nora isn't a fan of him. But the two keep running into each other. And what starts as rivals disliking each other, could be just what these two book lovers need!
Because they can't deny when the sparks start flying!

Henry knows how to write a stunning enemies-to-lovers story!
And this book is another wonderful, beautiful story that strikes a perfect balance between cynical, humorous banter and serious topics.

Captivating story telling from the beginning: I couldn’t put down this book.
I seriously devoured the pages. The writing was so addictive and easy.
I couldn’t stop reading Nora and Charlie's growing attraction.
The rivals trope is one of my favourite tropes and Henry outdid herself here with Book Lovers!
It’s romantic and adorable and hot and hilarious, yes, but it’s also genuine, clever, well-written, and addictively told. Not to mention a very refreshing story.
Also with fascinating supporting characters, and it’s also surprisingly poignant and thought-provoking this book is top notch!
It’s everything I wanted in a rom-com and so much more! 

If you're looking for a unique romance book with great tropes, freaking amazing banter, addictive writing then you need to pick this book up now!

It’s everything I wanted in a rom-com and so much more! 

She’s quickly becoming one of my favorite contemporary romance authors.

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

Berkley,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!
I will post my review to my platforms, blog, B&N and Waterstone closer to pub date.

Emily Henry’s ‘Book Lovers’ feels like wrapping yourself in a warm, witty hug. It’s a tribute to anyone who has ever felt like they don’t quite “fit,” and is a fantastic exploration of relationships in all their forms. And, as the title suggests, ‘Book Lovers’ is, in many ways, a tribute to people who love reading books.

Nora Stephens is an unapologetically driven literary agent that people may or not refer to as “the shark” when her back is turned. While she’s (mostly) fine with that assessment, she finds that when she ends up in the same small town as Charlie Lastra, a book editor/rival, she realizes that she just might care what he thinks. Shockingly.

Henry once again delivers readers a fantastic amount of quippy, razor-sharp banter, a lot of slow burning chemistry, and wholly formed characters. As main characters, Nora and Charlie both shine, each complimenting each other in the most satisfying of ways. The relationship between Nora and her sister, Libby, is also wonderfully crafted. I laughed. I cried. And I empathized. Hard.

This book reminded me why I love reading so much, and it will definitely be on my best-of list come the end of the year.

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

This is the Emily Henry’s best work yet. Full stop.

Here are just a few of the million things I LOVED about this book:
- Nora: This book is a love letter to driven, misunderstood women. I loved and related to Nora with every fiber of my being. She’s a “shark” at work and the best at what she does, but because she’s a woman, she gets all the negative associations that come with that thrown at her - bitchy, unfeeling, etc. - when that’s not who she is at all.
- Charlie: Move over literally everyone ever, Charlie is my new favorite book boyfriend. As @kikiareyoureading pointed out, he’s a combo of Gus and Rhysand. I might actually argue he’s mostly Rhysand. He is PERFECT. Ugh.
- Nora + Charlie: The BANTER is absolute perfection. It sizzles on the page. I laughed, I cried, I couldn’t get enough.
- Nora + Libby: I have so many feelings about their relationship and some of them are mild spoilers, so all I’ll say is that their relationship was wonderful and really tugged at my heartstrings.
- This book is a romance but there is just so much depth. I cried for the last quarter of a book in a way that I did not anticipate, just because I related so much to everything and Emily Henry’s characters are such specific, real people that you can’t help but feel SO deeply for them.

I’m just so flipping excited for the entire world to read this book.

Nora Stephens is a literary agent who will do anything for her clients... and her Peloton bike, which is referenced SO MANY times in this book! Don't get me wrong - I love my Peloton - but wow that was a lot! Ok back to the book - Nora's younger, pregnant sister, Libby, convinces Nora to spend the month of August in Sunshine Falls, NC, an adorable small town and the setting of Nora's biggest client's recent hit book. While there, Nora hopes to reconnect with her sister and have some downtime from work, but she is thrown for a loop when she runs into her work-nemesis, Charlie, a moody book editor.

Another good one from Emily Henry! I love Emily Henry's writing style - the characters were hilarious and the writing is so witty that there were multiple instances when I burst out laughing. She never forgets to put the rom in rom-com, which I certainly appreciate. I felt that a lot of the issues the characters in this book could have been solved through some frank conversations, but then we wouldn't have a book so I totally get it! Nora is a supposed "shark" but to me she seemed anything but unfeeling and at times I was dying for her to be even the slightest bit selfish and just worry about herself instead of others. Overall I really enjoyed this one and will continue to read any book this author puts out!

I really enjoyed this book, as I do most of the books by this author. The main character in this story, Nora, was a very relatable character for me for many reasons. The other characters were also very likable and engaging and I enjoyed reading about all of them. The story focused around the book industry and family relationships that will be appealing to all those who also love books. Definitely a great pick!

(4.5 stars, rounded up)

Content warning: loss of a parent

Nora Stephens is a publishing agent in New York City. She's career-focused and unlucky in love. Each one of her boyfriends ends up traveling and having a small-town romance that he then dumps her for. She's the other woman in the Hallmark movies -- the one who's left behind so the man can live his fairy tale romance.

Nora's sister Libby convinces her to spend a month in small-town Sunshine Falls, North Carolina because it's the setting of one of her favorite novels. Nora runs into rival Charlie Lastra, who refused to be the editor of the same book that began the sisters' vacation. Even though she can't stand Charlie, it's obvious that their chemistry is off the charts. But will control freak Nora be able to let everything go and accept her attraction? And when more than her love life goes off the rails, will she be able to keep it together?

The characters in the novel are complex, each dealing with their own set of issues. Nora is still mothering her adult sister, who she's felt obligated to care for since the death of their mother. Sister Libby is overwhelmed by being a stay-at-home mom to two children with a third on the way in a small, one-bedroom NYC apartment. Charlie is still damaged by not being the perfect son because he's more cerebral than his construction worker adoptive father.

Recommended for all readers of women's fiction and those who enjoy bookish novels and romances.

Representation: single mother, stay-at-home mother, lesbian

I don't often read romance novels, but when I do, I can only hope that they will be half as clever, witty, and heartfelt as Emily Henry's latest, Book Lovers.

Nora is a successful, type A literary agent in NYC, who has cared for her more free-spirited younger sister Libby after their mother dies while they are both still teens. When book editor Charlie turns down a novel from her top client, he is cast as Nora's nemesis (anyone familiar with the enemies to lovers trope can probably see where this is headed). So imagine the hijinks that will ensue when she runs into him in tiny Sunshine Falls, North Carolina, while on a bucket list sister's trip that Libby has planned before the birth of her third child.

I spent the first two thirds of this novel laughing out loud... the banter (whether spoken, emailed, or texted) between Nora and Charlie is so sharply written and flat out hysterically funny. The last third of the novel, I was genuinely moved by their obstacle-ridden romance. And wow, do these two have chemistry!

Of course, NYC is not the sugar spun metropolis it is made out to be in this novel, nor is small town North Carolina likely filled with hunky Cornell-graduate farmers ( sadly I was thinking, where is the jerk in his MAGA hat driving his pick up truck with the Confederate flag and gun rack). But it was sweet to just live in this lovely escapist world for a couple days.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced readers copy of Book Lovers in exchange for my review.

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the ARC.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 5/5 stars

Beach Read has been my all-time favorite romance book since it came out, but when I saw Book Lovers had a peloton in it..I knew. I knew Book Lovers would be better than Beach Read. And it was.

Book Lovers tells the story of Nora, a cutthroat literary agent who has cast herself as the “cynical city girl” in Hallmark movies that is always dumped by the lead character so he can find love with the sweet small town baker. When Nora’s sister asks her to go on vacation to the small town of Sunshine Falls, she reluctantly goes. There, she runs into her nemesis, book editor Charlie, and finds she may actually fall in love in a small town..with a man from the city.

It is known with my friends and family that I have been a huge fan of Hallmark since one fateful, wine-filled night in 2012 that ended with me sobbing in a cat onesie and wondering if I just discovered true cinema. They are a lifestyle and I have always been fascinated with the villain girlfriend from the city. This another reason I knew I would love this book.

These characters. Basically, I would die for Nora. I have been loving the hot mess lead characters in romcoms this year, but Nora is a little more relatable to me personally with her book loving, micromanaging, anxious, introverted-and-constantly-worried-it-comes-off-as-mean self. There is also the obsession with her peloton that I very much relate to. Yes, it’s a piece of exercising equipment, but I have bonded with it like it is my child.

As for Charlie, I am obsessed with him. Obsessed to the point where I don’t want to talk about him and give away just how obsessed I am with a fictional man written by a woman. That fashionable, sarcastic vampire is the standard to which I will hold all book boyfriends to. We will just leave it at that.

I loved this book. I loved the world, the banter, the plot, everything. I love the audiobook and I haven’t even listened to it yet. I never wanted it to end and I’m heartbroken that it has. Emily Henry can write characters that just speak to me. We all wish to be the person that leaves an amazing job to find love and the Christmas spirit on a small town Christmas tree farm, but some of us know we would never want to deal with the financial stress and relationship strain that it would inevitably lead to. This book is for those people. I’m those people.

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Full review to be posted on release date.

It’s official. Emily Henry is one of my absolute favorite authors. This is my third book by her and each book has been better than the last (and that’s saying a lot since I loved her last two). She’s such an incredibly gifted writer and always finds the perfect balance of emotion, heart, and humor. Her words hit me right in the feels and I devoured this book. Book Lovers falls more into women’s fiction for me (though there is a very strong and wonderful romantic plot), since Nora’s character arc is the foundation of this story.

Things to look forward to:
- One of the best sister relationships I’ve ever read. I loved the romantic plot in Book Lovers, but it’s the bond between Nora and Libby that really sold me on this book. It’s honest and raw and will have you crying happy and sad tears.
- Charlie. Oh wonderfully pouty, bigfoot erotica reading, sweet cinnamon roll of a man. I loved seeing him slowly open up his heart. His banter and chemistry with Nora was the best and had me grinning ear to ear. I was not expecting this book to be as spicy as it was, so that was a very pleasant surprise!
- The book is an ode to all things bookish! I loved all the tropes mentioned (small town, forced proximity, enemies to lovers, etc) and the bookish references and that the main characters were a book editor and literary agent. I don’t think I’ve read a book featuring these professions before. It was a pseudo-behind the scenes that completely worked.
- Small town shenanigans and a colorful cast of secondary characters. Much like Nora, I slowly fell in love with Sunshine Falls, especially all of the punny establishments.

This is a beautiful novel about family, love, and living a life at full volume. Easily one of my favorite reads of the year!

CW: grief, death of parent (past), anxiety/panic attacks (on page), parental abandonment (past), bullying (past), mentions and discussion of: hospitalization/stroke and caring for loved one, housing/food/financial insecurity

*I voluntarily read an advance review copy of this book *

*screams* Oh my gosh! Truly so many emotions for one of my most anticipated releases of 2022. First of all, this is my favorite of Emily Henry's romances. Period. While I have enjoyed both Beach Read and People We Meet on Vacation, Book Lovers brings something completely different to the table. What would I even classify this? Enemies to lovers? Grumpy and less grumpy? City person not as much of a city person? With a hint of workplace romance? But really, what it boils down to more, is that this book is so much more than just a romance between two characters. This is a romance between a woman, her family, her love for the city, her love for her job, and her loving herself.
There's a lot that you get a glimpse of reading this from the viewpoint of main character Nora. She's passionate, she loves her Peleton, she works. All the time. But she's also scared. She also puts others before herself. She wants to be there for her sister, even if they don't see eye-to-eye. And she loves Charlie. Charlie, her butting-head coworker but he's really an editor for a book she helps sell. Their relationship is just...perfection. It's so wholesome to watch page by page, how he pours out so much for her, and how she slowly starts to fall in love.
Gah. I just want to relive this book over and over again. Emily Henry's writing in this is just so mature, so well crafted. Ugh. Get me tissues and a highlighter so I can just note all the times Charlie bends over backwards for Nora. It's truly...perfection.

from the moment this book started, i knew i was going to love it. and i DID. it was so good, emily henry did not miss. the grief this book put me through, i wanted to CRY. this book was so emotionally charged. also... the notion of following your dreams?? and doing what you want?? the timing of this book has never been better for me. i wish i had more coherent thoughts for this book because it deserves more than me just saying i loved it over and over again. maybe nora and charlie can team up and edit my review.

Wow, I was beyond excited to be given the chance to read Book Lovers by the incredible Emily Henry, and it was even better than I expected! The main characters were endearing each in their own way and I couldn’t wait for them to find their happy ending.

NetGalley Advanced Review Copy | Coming May 3, 2022 - 5 stars - Guys, a book set in North Carolina with multiple mentions of Asheville! You think our airport is dinky, Henry? Haha, it really is…

And, you know that Cuban rooftop bar is Hemingway's Cuba…

This was one of my most-anticipated books of 2022, and it did not disappoint.

It's also no secret that I loved Beach Read and was a bit lukewarm about People We Meet On Vacation.

However, I demolished Book Lovers about an editor and publisher hiding out in small-town NC.

There's romance, introspection, steamy moments, literary tourism, and tons of witty humor. I needed this devour-worthy read right about now.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for a free advanced copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Read our full review on our Asheville website, Uncorked Asheville:

https://www.uncorkedasheville.com/books-set-in-asheville/

Or on our media blog, The Uncorked Librarian:

https://www.theuncorkedlibrarian.com/upcoming-new-book-releases-2022/

Books about books are like the main character of a movie saying “my life is so not a movie” — they’re oddly self-aware and reassuring. You meet characters who also love the musty smell of libraries and appreciate the rush of purchasing a new book. Emily Henry’s newest contemporary romance “Book Lovers” is exactly what its title suggests — it’s a book about book lovers talking about books like it’s their job (hint: it is).

At the beginning of the story, Nora Stephens meets Charlie Lastra, and the two don’t exactly hit it off. She’s a no-nonsense literary agent and he’s a brooding book editor, but their potential working relationship immediately turns sour the moment Charlie says he isn’t interested in editing Nora’s favorite client’s book, “Once in a Lifetime.” Much to Charlie’s dismay, the book becomes a bestseller two years later.

When Nora’s younger and very pregnant sister, Libby, convinces her to take a much-needed girls’ trip, the two travel to the small town of Sunshine Falls, the setting of “Once in a Lifetime,” for a month. Inspired by the book, Libby comes up with a vacation bucket list to ensure the two have their own life-changing small-town adventure. Nora’s plan to lie low and enjoy her vacation is ruined when she bumps into Charlie — again and again. As if Sunshine Falls wasn’t small enough, they are thrown together to work on her client’s new book, but Nora can’t ignore the biggest plot twist yet: she and Charlie actually work well together. Just as Nora and Charlie grapple with their connection in a new setting, they begin to wonder if their relationship will survive back home in New York. Does what happens in a small town stay in a small town?

It should come to the surprise of no one that “Book Lovers” was considered one of the most anticipated books of 2022 by pretty much everybody, myself included. As the New York Times bestselling author of young adult and adult romance novels, Emily Henry is the queen of fun and emotional summer reads, and “Book Lovers” is no exception.

“Book Lovers” is an ode to the Miranda Priestlys and Meredith Blakes of the world. You know, the Ice Queens and career-driven women we love to hate in pop culture. Nora fits this archetype: At work, she’s known as the Shark, and she hasn’t cried in 10 years. However, instead of villainizing her, Henry gives us a well-crafted and sympathetic character. Nora is incredibly sarcastic, which makes her first-person narrative enjoyable and her millennial-esque quirks (a.k.a. being obsessed with her Peloton) not that annoying. Nora knows she’s not the heroine of her own story — she’s successful but overly committed to her job, and she puts the needs of others, specifically Libby and her clients, before her own. She usually dates workaholic guys just like her, until it inevitably doesn’t work out and those exes go on to marry Nora’s complete opposites. But that all changes when Nora gets to know Charlie. Nora and Charlie understand each other because they’re both competitive within the literary world and they’re both New York City people until they die.

The trickiest part about incorporating the “rivals-to-lovers” trope is the transition from the characters hating each other’s guts to enjoying the other’s presence, but Henry’s execution is seamless. The animosity between Nora and Charlie quickly fades, but the chemistry and impeccable banter is constant throughout the story. You can’t help but say “Oh my god” after every single scene involving Nora and Charlie. From the start, their connection is obvious; but as the story progresses, their romance flourishes. Filled with scenes of intimacy (in every sense of the word), their romance is inspired. Charlie is always quick to remind Nora that he wants her to have everything she’s ever dreamed of. It’s such a simple-sounding notion, yet I can’t help but wonder if that is what we can only hope for in our romantic pursuits.

Don’t get me wrong, the romance in “Book Lovers” is exceptional, but it doesn’t compare to Henry’s dedication to developing the relationship between Nora and her sister, Libby. Although the sisters couldn’t be any different — Libby is the hopeless romantic and Nora is the unemotional realist who reads the last page of a book first — their love for each other is evident. Nora wants to use the trip as a way to restore their sisterhood to its former glory because she feels her sister slipping away. Now that Libby has her own family with her husband and two kids, it’s difficult for Nora to accept that Libby doesn’t need her as much. But both women are still dealing with the trauma of losing their mother at a young age, and the responsibility Nora feels for her grown-up sister still weighs heavily on her. It’s painful to read about the internal struggle Nora faces throughout the story. She’s stuck between taking care of Libby like she’s always done, and taking a step back and allowing herself to just be Libby’s sister, not her caretaker — something I’m sure many older sisters can relate to.

Reading Emily Henry’s work is unlike anything else. It’s an experience that makes you feel everything all at once: exhilaration, heartache and contentment. Readers can’t help but become immersed in the characters and the storylines Henry so graciously reveals within her books. Her writing is wholly unique and overwhelmingly beautiful, and the way she weaves humor into her romances is impressive. Although her novels are fun, there’s usually an unforgettable emotional aspect to the story which keeps readers invested.

“Book Lovers” is filled with romance, sisterhood and small-town quirks — what more could you ask for? Emily Henry’s quality of content remains consistent throughout all her books and it’s easy to fall in love with the characters she constructs. Keep in mind, this is the same author who brought us Augustus “When I watch you sleep, I feel overwhelmed that you exist” Everett in her romance debut “Beach Read.” Henry always manages to write incredible love interests; Charlie and even Alex from “People We Meet on Vacation” simultaneously raise the bar for all men. Henry must know her audience well because she incorporates just the right amount of romance that could make any reader swoon. Still, her books are much deeper than other contemporary romances. In a way, it is that depth that helps her books to remain timeless, and I, for one, can’t wait to see what she writes next.

Last year I read my first Emily Henry book and I am a forever fan.  Her writing is so easy to read and she brings you into her characters' lives with such ease. 

Nora, a cut-throat agent just wants what's best for everyone else..that's her priority in life.  Be it her clients, her mother, or her sister Libby (and her family).  Nora is the best.  She's so giving and understanding but it takes spending time with someone she believes is her enemy to find out who exactly she is. 

Charlie is a dream, he took a bit to make me fall in love, but he did it without remorse on my part, at all. 

I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of this book.  Watching the characters transform was brilliant.  this is one of those books that you need to just read and trust the process, Emily Henry is someone I will be watching for more new releases as her books are delightful to read!

I ABSOLUTELY ADORED THIS BOOK! Both main characters, the setting, and even the secondary characters absolutely stole my heart.

This is your quintessential, enemies to friends to lovers, but unlike most stories with this trope, we get a quick yet smooth transition into the lovers portion without having to spend most of the story fighting for it. Plenty of steam and authentic conflict that doesn’t seem contrived or absurd.

This is definitely one of my favorite romances of the year and it’s perfect for the summer months! It will give you the small town hallmark vibes we crave with all the substance those usually lack. I didn’t want to leave this story and I’m sad it’s over!

This was amazing! It is truly laugh out loud funny, which is not an easy feat. The relationships are so well-written. I loved everything about this.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.