Emily Henry is popular for a reason. This is a great follow up to People We Meet on Vacation and Beach Read. I

These was a very sweet, nuanced book about family and loss and the bond of sisters. Oh yeah, and a love story. A lovely, supportive, honest sort-of-enemies-to-friends love story. I enjoyed it quite a bit. I took some issue with the secrets the sisters kept from each other, setting up the dramatic arc that of course is necessary for a book but in real life, just talk to each other! I was frustrated by Libby on more than one occasion. However, I thought both Nina and Charlie were exceptionally likeable, resilient, and caring. Being a book about book editing I do have to point out some major editing issues. There were a few times when the book jumped so startlingly it seemed like a whole section or pages were edited out and they forgot to close the gap. It was confusing and really brought me out of the story. I hope this gets fixed before publication.

Book Lovers is a story about an editor and a literary agent who both love books and their careers and New York City. Charlie is a broody, moody book lover and Nora is a broody, moody book lover who also loves her spunky, perky sister - more than anything. So when Nora's sister suggests they take a girls vacation for three weeks to a small town featured in Nora's latest hit novel she helped create, Nora can't say no. Upon arrive, Nora is presented with a list of items to check off during their stay. Everything from ride a horse to date a local is on there and Nora knows to make her sister happy she has to check each of these items off the list. Then she bumps into moody, drab Charlie and everything she always knew about herself and the small town and her career gets turned sideways.

This is a wonderful book about enemies to lovers; it's the kind of slow burn that leaves a boulder in your chest, heavy with wanting more, waiting for more! The build up throughout the entire novel is absolutely gut wrenching in the absolute best way. It's the same feeling you get waiting for Christmas morning to happen, or your birthday! You absolutely cannot wait until the end of the book --in a great way! This book had me laughing out loud the entire time, hooting and hollering, flailing about, and crying! I love the bond and relationship between Nora and her sister, the passionate burn between Nora and Charlie, and the twists and turns toward the end of the book. A marvelously written novel.

I am not much of a rom/com lover but I really enjoyed Emily Henry’s first two books. I will say this is probably my least favorite of the three, but it’s still rounded up to 4 stars.
The cons: there are MANY similarities between this and Beach Read. Two people working in the same field, vacationing in a town where one has family connections with a bookstore. There were lots and lots of tropes here! It took a LOOOOONG time for the romance to really happen, with some weird interruptions that I didn’t felt added much to the story, and then as soon as it did, things started to fall apart. It felt a little unrealistic with the timing.
But for the redeeming factors: I loved the relationship between Nora and her sister Libby. They were so sweet and real. And the ending of the book was **perfect**. Predictable but not TOO predictable. It actually made me teary eyed.

Is Emily Henry capable of writing a bad book? I don't think so. Beach Read was amazing. People We Meet on Vacation was classic friends to lovers perfection. Book Lovers?! Well, you didn't think it could get better than those two but it did. The wonderful thing about her romances is the depth in them. They are not simple romances, they offer astute observations of human nature and all the messy emotions that come with it. She's a master at storytelling, for sure. An auto-buy author for me!

This was such a cute and fun read. I absolutely loved the relationship between the two sisters, how wonderful it was to see them reconnect and rekindle their sisterhood. The love interest was...interesting, though I enjoyed the way Charlie and Nora got together, I did not understand how they could meet, then nothing happens for 2 years, and then they see each other and sparks fly. It was my only issue, everything else more than made up for it. I enjoyed the side characters and was almost convinced I need a small town vacation or an activity list.

I loved this so much. This may be the best book she has written. It had the everything i love in a rom com but also had so much heart and soul to it. I loved all the characters.. I also loved how she was able write a happy ending that was right for these characters and not the typical cheese of the working girl giving up something to have a happy ending. So excited to reread this when its released.

Off the top I want to say- tall girl representation! The protagonist Nora is 5’11”, a point discussed several times throughout the novel. This is a rare and very welcome thing in the romance genre.

Nora is a New York-bred literary agent whose nickname in the publishing industry is “the shark.” Since losing her mother as a young adult, her life has been about her career and her younger sister, Libby. Nora has a detached approach to dating and repeatedly finds herself being dumped for the small-town-girl-with-a-heart-of-gold type.

Charlie is a famously grumpy and talented (also handsome and nice smelling) book editor, who at the beginning of Book Lovers soundly rejects the latest novel from one of Nora’s favorite clients.

Two years later, Libby convinces Nora to shake things up and take a sisters trip to the tiny town of Sunshine Falls, North Carolina. Married-with-kids Libby wants to live a rom-com fantasy vicariously through Nora and puts together a trope checklist for their trip (date a lumberjack, save a local business, etc). Nora reluctantly agrees, only because she wants to reconnect with an increasingly distant Libby.

Almost as soon as Nora and Libby get to Sunshine Falls, Nora runs into Charlie for the first time since their disastrous first meeting. Still looking and smelling good, still grumpy. Sparks start flying as Nora and Charlie can’t seem to stay apart and each quickly learn there is more to the other than they thought. Meanwhile Nora is trying to diagnose and repair her relationship with her sister, meeting Sunshine Falls’ colorful locals, and wondering how to fit in in a small town (or if she even wants to).

My favorite thing about reading Emily Henry is her mastery at showing, not telling, us who her characters are through their actions and crackling dialogue. In Book Lovers she has outdone herself when it comes to banter. Whether it is riotously funny, smolderingly sexy, or completely heart-wrenching, the dialogue is authentic and warm, and Nora, Charlie, and the supporting cast are all wonderfully believable and complex.

Book Lovers is a hilarious, smart, steamy romance made even richer with explorations of grief, family, society’s expectations of women, and what it means to belong (or not). Plus, there’s some making out at the local library. I love, love, loved this book.

I just finished reading the book, and am blown away by how engaging it is. Incredibly witty banter, wonderful storyline that moves a very solid pace, and characters that are lovable, honest, and believable. This will be one of the most popular books in 2022. So glad that I had the chance to read it before it hit the shelves.

Thanks to Berkely for allowing me to read the ARC.

Emily Henry's Book Lovers is a fun romantic comedy that, in the end, relies too much on self-awareness and metaliterary jokes, with the result that in places, the dialogue and narrative become flabby.

Was this story perfect? No. But it’s pretty dang close! The chemistry between the main characters was wonderful. The relationship between Nora and Libby was heartwarming.

I absolutely loved this romantic story. Both the male and female leads are realistic with character flaws and insecurities. The romance is not a love at first sight scenario as is often the case in romance novels, but is love that develops as they work together and grow closer. The relationship between Nora and Charlie feels true and the feelings they share are relatable. I admire Emily Henry's ability to write so clearly about the characters' inner struggles and how they manifest in their behaviors and speech. The dialogue in this book is witty and realistic, fits their personalities and is fun to read. I found the development of the romance and other plot points to be well executed. This was a fun and romantic story, but much better than the average fluffy romance. I would highly recommend it to any romance lovers!
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Omg this book. I absolutely loved it. The characters were so relatable and you can really for them and their back stories. I enjoyed the comedy that came along with making fun of traditional romance tropes. Henry makes you want to cheer for and support the characters while also understanding why they make the decisions they do. This was not a traditional romance book at all. It was so much better. It was real. If you haven't placed Book Lovers on your TBR list yet, I suggest you do so before the May release date! Henry truly outdid herself with this one!

Thank you Berkley Publishing for providing an eARC of this book.

TW: discussion of parental death

I absolutely fell in love with this book. The connection Nora and Libby have really made an impact on me. Out of every book I have read from Emily Henry, this one is by far the best. I love the direction she went with this book and I loved how she ended her story. Nora’s character overall was well written and her story line was amazing.

What a great book I just read!
Honestly, I can already imagine all the hype this book is going to create, it's so freaking good!
The dialogue, OMG the dialogue, Emily nailed it with the banter; the story is so clever, so well crafted.
Nora is a great character, and I could relate to her so much, that I even cried once or twice, not because the book is sad, but Emily's writing will do that to you.
But I am at a loss for words; I really enjoyed this book, and I would gladly sell a fragment of my soul to read it for the first time again.

I felt so connected to Nora that I cried a few times, not because the book is sad, but because Emily's writing does that to you. And Charlie was an excellent MC, one of the best I have read in quite a while.
There is no other way to describe it - it's a fantastic contemporary romance that I can't recommend enough. Most of my bookish friends will surely enjoy it, and I can't wait to discuss it with them.

You all need to read it!
Book Lovers will likely become one of my favorite comfort reads, and I look forward to returning to it many times.

Can I still say that this isn't my usual fare when this is the second Emily Henry book in less than a year that has captivated me? Well, I'm still going to say it. While STILL not my usual fare, this book is exactly what one looks for when they want something sweet and easily digestible, with a side of poignancy.

Henry knows how to craft a romcom, chick-lit, women's lit, romance novel, whatever you want to call it. Because this book is about people in the book industry (another reason why I was so drawn to it, probably) it talks about tropes. It feels a bit tongue in cheek because Henry then goes on to hit every single one of those tropes in the book. But she hits them in ways that feel newer and less tired, less... tropey. From the moment this book starts, you know where its going, at least in the broad strokes. I suppose there's something comforting in that, though, at least in this case. I don't always love when the path is clearly set before me, but Henry offers enough nuance that the obvious still feels rewarded.

Set in a small town in South Carolina, Nora Stephens is the hard working woman trope basically to a T. Even on vacation she cannot (or will not) put her work aside, not even for her sister, whom she repeatedly says she feels a distance with. I have no problem with the portrayal of Nora as "a shark" though we're really never given a glimpse at that side of her, and I don't really count the allusions to her editorial work or her generous use of red pen or note giving. The closest we get to seeing "the shark" comes from a third party and its only a small glimpse, and its more of a caricature of her personality than the real thing.

Henry spends a bit too much time dwelling on the issues Nora perceives to have with her sister, Libby, without actually addressing them until the end of the story. When the "confrontation" happens is a natural conclusion, but I could have done without the multiple references to the distance and how Nora believes her sister is hiding things from her, which always dovetailed back into memories of their childhood and, for me, interrupted the flow of the narrative one too many time. We get it, Nora gave up everything to raise her sister, enough already!

The conclusion of this book was sweet. Henry manages to fulfill her tropes while also providing all characters with the conclusions that they need. I felt teary as this came to an end and fully satisfied that my happy ending was earned, not simply dropped into my lap.

Perhaps "these books" aren't my usual fare, but perhaps Emily Henry is.

This is one of those authors that are just natural-born storytellers. This book was captivating.. Characters are Complex and inviting. I really loved this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

Cw: death of a parent (past), grief, sick parent (stroke), pregnancy induced anemia (side character), anxiety, panic attacks

I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)

-m/f rivals to lovers
-small town setting
-amazing banter
-a love for books
-workplace yet also vacation romance
-this is just a hookup

Emily Henry is wildly talented. We're all thinking it, it deserves to be said. Book Lovers is a women's fiction with a beautiful story about sisters, learning to live for yourself, and a soft romance story.

I adored Nora. Brusk, driven, needing control. She sees herself as the opposite of what people expect herself to be and leans into that. Obsessed with books in the best way, loving them, appreciating them, needing them a part of her life. The book stayed true to her love of city living and it was so refreshing to see a book where people wanted to live in the city.

Charlie was a soft cinnamon roll, coming off as gruff at first. I enjoyed how alike Nora and Charlie were, their excellent banter. Bonding over books, family obligations, and appreciating in the other things that people had made them feel about. They loved each other enough to want the best for each other even if that meant they couldn't be together (SPOILER they're a HEA don't worry).

But the relationship that was the primary focus and stood out the most to me was Nora's relationship with her sister Libby. Opposites on the outside, they both felt so loyal to each other. This book spoke so much to being an older sibling, wanting to take care of your younger sibling. My heart ache for the two of them, the grief, the shared experiences, how much they loved each other. Libby's list to get Nora to break out and have some fun, her meddling and trying to set her sister up not so subtly. I adored these sisters and what this book says about family in its many forms.

Steam: 3 (one brief open door scene)

Emily Henry has done it again! This book is an ode to book lovers and a peek inside the world of book editing and publishing as the main characters navigate their feelings for each other and their obligations to careers and family. It was charming, flirty and fun.

This is the third of Emily Henry's books that I have read. This was also my favorite of the three! I really enjoyed reading a character who is not your "typical" leading lady. Nora is severe, organized, and extremely career-driven. These are characteristics that a "likable" main character doesn't usually have, yet we learn enough about her to discover what makes her the way she is. I loved the story that unfolded with Nora and her sister. Of course, the relationship between Nora and Charlie was great. The writing was wonderful, and I will continue to read whatever books Emily Henry writes!

This book was an ARC provided by Net Galley for an honest review.