Member Reviews
Book Lovers follows Nora Stephens as she leaves her beloved New York City for a three week trip with her sister Libby to the small town of Sunshine Falls, NC. Libby comes up with a small town checklist for the two of them to complete during their trip, but Nora suspects something is wrong with her sister and that there are darker reasons behind her sister wanting to go on this trip. Add in Nora's work nemesis and fellow New York City lover Charlie Lastra, and this trip will be anything but relaxing.
Nora goes on a difficult journey through this novel, and while I struggled with her as a character at first, I think that's kind of the point. She is closed off, and she doesn't want others to know her, including the reader, at first. The other characters that make up this novel, Charlie, Libby, the townspeople of Sunshine Falls, are also well written and have remarkable depth. The romance between Charlie and Nora develops organically over time and never feels rushed or untrue to their characters. A truly heartwarming read.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC.
Emily Henry strikes gold again! Book Lovers has my whole heart. Just when I thought I was getting tired of the "enemies-to-lovers" trope, Henry shocked me back to life. Nora (named after Nora Ephron) and Charlie are amazing characters on their own, but together? Perfection. The themes of family, work/life balance, and finding yourself are blended perfectly. You'll laugh, you'll cry, and you'll jump for joy by then end of this one, folks.
This one had me itching to take a small town vacation with my own romcom checklist in hand. Well done, Emily!
This is simply one of those books that are just super realistic to the point where you're able to dream and relate at the same time. It has all the rom-com aspects and fulfills every trope (considering the characters are bookworms themselves and are just like the Reader!). If you're a bookworm, that's also a hopeless romantic- this book's for you.
Everything about Nora Stephens was so admirable. Her loyalty and love for her little sister- Libby, for whom she travels all the way to Sunshine falls with, despite her hectic Literary agenting career. Her unwillingness to open up to just anyone was one of my favorite things, there's a significant lack of female characters that aren't always sunshine and rainbows. When I initially read the synopsis I was afraid she was going to be one of those 'different' book girls that are essentially just pick-me's, but Nora is the exact opposite. This is why Nora is such a unique character, she's reserved but never mean. Throughout the book, her 'cold' demeanor is something she struggles with and I loved the way she proved she wasn’t cold- just selective and careful, simply learning from her past mistakes. Too often, the damsel in distress trope is thrown in where the MC repeatedly makes the same mistakes but Nora is careful, always weighing in the pros and cons of all her decisions with organized lists-Just like Charlie Lastra. He was such an exceptional book boyfriend! He's into books, he's emotionally intelligent AND dependable enough to compete with Nora and all her lists. I personally loved the way the rivalry was portrayed and nothing was forced. The plot had me tearing up and laughing along in so many instances, it felt just like a movie.
Just a perfect book: I ended up texting my bookish friends about it as soon as I finished reading it. The enemies-to-lovers plot was spun in a novel way, leaving the reader very interested in the lives of all the characters. The description of place was rich as well. I worried about the ending because I wanted things to end perfectly for everyone... and the ending did not disappoint. Highly recommend!
This is a typical Emily Henry romance...it's self-aware chicklit in that the main character knows she's not the heroine of your typical romcom. Rather, she's the rigid New Yorker workaholic ex girlfriend that is dumped for the small town girl. Of course, she ends up in a small town where she runs into her New York publishing nemesis and they fall in love. However, the obstacle keeping them apart really isn't a big reveal or a very interesting secret. And her sister's "big secret" isn't that big of a deal either. Some clever writing but nothing terribly exciting here.
Book lovers by Emily Henry releasing may 2022. Book lovers would not be up there on my recommendation. The characters were too hard to care about. I would not want to meet them let alone be their friend. I’d say pass on this book
I cannot put into words how much I loved this. I cannot wait for this book to be out so I can buy a copy and hold it in my hands and tell everybody I know to buy and read it too. I didn't think I could love any characters as much as Poppy and Alex, but I think I love Nora and Charlie more?? It's different enough from Beach Read and PWMOV that it's hard to compare them, but with writing and characters that are just as great, if not better. This book made me so so so happy, then sad, then happy again. I loved it so much. I, like Libby, love a good small-town romance, but like Nora, love New York too much to ever leave, so this was perfect for me (and I think it will be for a lot of others, too). This is a beautiful story about grief and love and family (and books!!!) thank you so much NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for providing me with the eARC!
I've never fully understood the Emily Henry hype, as I've tried her previous two bestsellers and didn't read past the first few chapters. I thought I should try this one because it's set in publishing and had a small-town-romance trope subversion, and I adore small-town-romance plots, for whatever reason. However, I think her approach just isn't for me. I found her main character really grating, and while I realize this is intentional (and explicitly embraced by the character herself), I just don't love romance novels (or really almost any novels) where the MC is a gunner like that. As for the love interest, I'm realizing I don't like grumpy/abrasive dudes in my romance either, at least most of the time, and this was no exception. I'm sure this book will blow up like her previous two, so I'll be in the vast minority here.
Henry has done it again! Depth, emotional growth, unique characters-- definitely teared up towards the end. I suppose it is an enemies-to-lovers trope, which usually I don't do, but Henry handles it so well, I wasn't turned off. Nora and Charlie's moment of hate was made understandable, and the more they actually got to know each other, their attraction was natural and real. There were some wonderful lines about relationships (both platonic and romantic), but I think this was my favorite: "Love isn't enough to change the details of a person's life or-- or their needs. It doesn't make everything fall into place." The understanding that love does *not* conquer all made the ending so much sweeter.
Love what this book does with tropes, with the classic hallmark storyline and everything else. The bookstore the small town, the city characters, all mixed with some really fun romance and slight enemies to lovers ideas. This was a great read and another home run for emily henry as far as I am concerned.
this might be one of my favourite romcoms to date... there's so much to say about it but I think what stood out to me the most was how funny this book was. the dialogue was so witty and well-executed which just goes to show how talented of a writer emily henry is. AND THAT ENDING!!
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4483641889?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1
Thank you so much to Berkley for this ARC!
"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. Life if I surface too fast I might get the bends."
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I don't think it's fair to compare an author's book with their previous novels, however, I loved [book:People We Meet on Vacation|54985743] SO much, I couldn't really help the subconscious comparison I continuously made between that novel and Book Lovers. Don't get me wrong - Book Lovers is GOOD, full of that classic Henry banter and wit that I have come to love after reading her books for the past 5 years - but PWMOV is one of my favorite romances ever, and I think that fact alone gave me really high expectations for Book Lovers.
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As previously mentioned, the banter in this book is what makes it worth reading. Henry as a knack for lol wit and charm that I've come to look forward to in reading her books. Book Lovers is also chalk full of emotional moments, life realizations, and learning lessons about the importance of doing what YOU love and not living for anyone else.
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There are some parts that, in my opinion, dragged. I didn't love the main character's sister, Libby, and really felt like I wanted to skip over the scenes with her in them. However, the chemistry between Nora and Charlie is on point and there are a lot of Gilmore Girl Stars Hollow vibes that I really loved. I also think a New Yorker would truly enjoy the ode to the city that feels repeated on many of the pages.
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Overall, I really enjoyed this one - don't skip it!
This is one of the best romances I’ve read in awhile. I love the banter between the main couple. All of the character relationships seem real and poignant. Readers will love this book!
Book Lovers by Emily Henry is the third adult romance I’ve read from Emily, but overall fourth book I’ve read from her. This romcom explores sister love, small town life, and taking risks.I l enjoyed this one. The author addresses heavy subjects in the story: death of a parent, grief, pregnancy, and panic attacks/disorders to name a few. I love that Emily’s writing style is pretty consistent in all her books. In Book Lovers, I found it surprising that the story is told only through Nora’s perspective which works well. All the characters are fleshed out and have such great chemistry with one another. Each of the main characters have their flaws, but I love that we get to see main characters’ chemistry heighten, the slow build of their relationship, and the witty banter works so well. The only character annoyed me at the beginning was Nora’s sister, Libby, but I understand why she was written the way she was and liked how we got to see her character grow. Highly recommend picking h toys up if you’re a romance reader and/or if you’re a fan of Emily Henry.
This is absolutely my favourite Emily Henry book to date. While all of them are hard to put down this one was nearly impossible. I'm sold pretty easily on an good enemies to lovers storyline, but the chemistry Henry created between Nora and Charlie was something else. I also loved the dynamic between Nora and Libby and the way she wrote that relationship to exist as the real heart and soul of the book. I've recommended this to all my friends and can't wait to for her next book.
Book Lovers by Emily Henry charms and delights readers with witty banter, interesting and complicated characters, and so many swoon-worthy moments. Like all of Henry’s novels, Book Lovers gives readers everything they could possibly want from a romance novel—heart and soul. Once a reader starts Nora and Charlie’s story—it is almost impossible to put down.
EMILY HENRY HAS DONE IT AGAIN. vibes = immaculate! I think this book would've been my favorite if it was not for the annoying sister. She drove me crazy. The romance itself though? SO good! I love a good Southern lumberjack reference, and this book had SO many. Overall just a phenomenal concept in a gorgeous and unique setting.
Book Lovers is such a refreshing read, to me. I was absorbed from the beginning; I love the acknowledgment of ridiculous romance tropes (but that we all still love) and I especially love that this book didn't follow any of the traditional tropes. The chemistry, bantering, and emotional vulnerability of the characters in the books really keep you involved in the outcome of the story. I also love that even though the perspective of the novel is only from Nora's POV, you still feel that emotional vulnerability from the other characters. In short, I loved it.
A book about book people! If you loved Emily Henry’s first two books then you will LOVE this one! Great mix of romance and characters you really care about. Will definitely be recommending this one!
Great twist on a well-tread/known plot! Loved the characters in this and couldn't stop picturing the plot playing out in my head. Loved the sister storyline.