Having read Emily Henry's other novels I went into "Book Lovers" with high expectations and I was not at all disappointed. Henry once again has spun a tale that leaves me sighing, wishing there was more at the end. I was enraptured with the plot from the beginning. Who hasn't spent hours watching the feel good Hallmark Christmas Movies with their pat storyline? Not once had I ever considered the person who is left brokenhearted on the other end. I adored that Henry took that idea and created just as beautiful and heartwarming a love story but didn't lose any of the strength you come to love in Nora and Charlie throughout.

I will be recommending this book all summer long.

I HAVE GENUINELY NEVER LOVED A BOOK MORE.

I can't get over this. A love letter to readers and writers, this book is everything I could ask for. I related to Nora on a profound level, and Charlie is top-tier. As an elder sister, this also made me SOB.

Emily Henry does it again! Solid 4.5 star read. This story hurt my heart at times, made me laugh at others and definitely made me swoon more than a few times. Nora and Charlie have the best banter out of any book couple I've read about, they had me grinning from ear to ear with their back and forth. I love the premise of this, the idea that in every small town romance where the trope is someone leaving their partner from the big city for someone in said small town, that partner from the big city has a story of their own as well. A story that we should hear because they may seem like an ice queen, but its never just as simple as that.

The scene with the town hall meeting had me screaming because it's so much like Gilmore Girls, it made my heart happy. I love this book, I can't say that enough time. I love Emily's take on what happens when a parent crosses the boundary of parent/child and starts leaning on their child for emotional support, and how that played out in both sisters.

I cannot recommend this enough. I say this often but I know I mean it now, Charlie has taken the cake for best book boyfriend I've read about to date. He is SO good. He is kind, patient, funny, and an overall good man. I would read 10 more stories about him if I could.

Thank you Netgalley and Berkley for an early read of this book!

Nora is known for being a shark. Always going after what she wants, and never taking a vacation. When her sister Libby begs her to join her for a month away before she gives birth to her third baby, Nora agrees. When they arrive, Libby drops the list. The things Nora needs to complete on their trip including finding a small town man, save a struggling business, go camping, etc. She knows Charlie from New York but suddenly he is everywhere she turns in Sunshine Falls.

Gah…..I just adore Emily Henry’s books! I know I am not alone in that! All her romances just leave me with all the warm fuzzies, and rooting for the love story every step of the way! I think this one might be my favorite of her three. I loved that both Charlie and Nora worked in books, which I think just made me love it even more. I don’t even know what else to say other than read this book! Especially if you loved her first two, you won’t want to miss this gem!

I honestly don’t foresee many people having my same reaction to this book. I think it’s a fine, easy read but absolutely nothing special. Emily Henry’s name attached will make it special to a lot of readers and that’s fine. Sally Thorne is that kind of author for me. I thought it had potential, a lot of it, but it ultimately fell so flat. That disappointment made me the most upset. I gave it 2.5 stars for the “fine” easiness of it, but I didn’t round up because I think it could’ve been more than fine but it wasn’t.

Libby pushed me too far with her not being able to understand that Nora had a job and couldn’t just take three weeks off from work. Nora only worked until 5PM and took O N E phone call and Libby just had to puppy dog eye it. Nora was so self-sacrificial when it came to Libby. Yes I was annoyed at Libby, but goddamn girl take a hint and stop trying to help! She kept *covertly* throwing money at her sister it was weird. She gave up a lot of things and was about to do it again! She got some huge news and was like “but I’m so selfish for even wanting this during Libby’s midlife Hallmark crisis.” And when Nora finally got to lay into Libby, we were interrupted in such an eye roll way. Literally for fuck’s sake. It was my Rocky montage cut short by an untied shoelace and a face-plant into a bunch of stairs.

I thought Charlie was pretty okay until he took a stab on the now communal blade of self-sacrifice. Out of nowhere, and only for the sake of previously non-existent tension, ol Chuck just had to give up his entire life and future for zero reasons. Nobody asked you for this rite of stoically unhappy passage sir. It was too much. This book was supposed to be a bloodthirsty shark and her grunting, broody nemesis. We got a minnow and a dude in a hoodie. She wasn’t really frigid, icy, or unfeeling at all. He wasn’t Roy Kent. He wore black once and I grunted more than he did. They had one semi-bad lunch two years ago that apparently made them rivals (it didn’t).

By trying to subvert so many tropes, this book just reverted back to every other trope. Congratulations ya played yourself. I think parts were definitely meant to be tropey, but I don’t think the book really meant to be so wholly predictable and unsurprising. There was nothing about this book that would make me pick it up again or anything that makes it stand out from the crowd. The relationship was so…blah by the end. Maybe I’m the frigid wench because I felt nothing akin to warm and fuzzy.

I liked this book for a lot of the book, but that was basically all hinged on the assumption that the relationship would go somewhere interesting and I’d be naming him the honorary mayor of my vagina. Once it was clear I wasn’t going to let Charles anywhere near a large pair of ceremonial scissors, the shiny, bright ribbon fell away and I was pissed. All the small annoying things just snowballed into Heat Miser territory and I literally broke into a musical number. So sorry family.

That emotional and romantic payoff ending (and the big “I love you” “prove it” scene) was sacrificed for pages and pages of Libby and her bookstore charity case. The relationship got like the last two pages. Of course, more than a few pages were devoted to their “gut-wrenching” but oh so “righteous” split up. I initially said this was Emily Henry’s most romancey romance but I take it back. It ended up being way more about Nora and Libby than about Nora and Charlie. It is evident in the scope of the ending.


⭐️⭐️.5/5 🌶🌶🌶.25/5

ARC received from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I have no words for how much i just adored this book. I sped read it on the anniversary of my mother's death which was probably, honestly the best time. Because I loved seeing how grief was portrayed in this book, Nora felt like such a real character finally coming to terms with her mother's death and the life she can now lead. I loved her interactions with Libby but the highlight was whenever the two main leads were together. Their chemistry was so strong that it about leapt off the pages. There were also times that made me laugh so hard mixed in to make a good balance between the sadness and love. Also, this book has the two characters talking about their feelings and the future so often which is always a breath of fresh air. While the third act conflict is something that has been done before this one seemed new just because of how often the two characters actually sat down to discuss everything. Honestly, I just really love communication and all of Emily Henry's books have these moments that just bring me joy.

Emily Henry at her best - this book is funny, tender, sharp, and impossible to put down. The writing draws you from the first page, deftly describing every physical setting to every emotional reaction. I loved the premise and the idea that a stereotypical "villainess" could get her happy ending. The bond between Libby and Nora felt genuine while the chemistry between Charlie and Nora was pitch-perfect. As to be expected, the dialogue was perhaps the best part of all. I envy everyone who gets to read this book for the first time in coming months.

From the opening scene alone, I was ready to give this book 5 stars. We are all familiar with the rom com/Hallmark movie trope of the city guy who goes to a small town and suddenly realizes he hasn't been living his life right. Naturally, he uproots his life and dumps his cold hearted city girlfriend for a local woman. This book is not about that guy but rather the cold hearted girlfriend that is left behind and her own small town adventure. This book was a lot of fun to read, which is perfectly in line with everything else Emily Henry has written. The ending didn't disappoint and I can't wait to recommend this book to my patrons!

I enjoyed reading this book and loved the plot. It was a great beach read that I brought on vacation!

Tale as old as time - man leaves high-powered career girlfriend in the city for a stint in a small town, falls in love, leaves girlfriend. And somehow, that girlfriend is ALWAYS Nora Stephens (it has happened no less than four times). Until she has a chance to summer in a small town - will she be the one sucked in by the allure this time? Hardly likely. Until she sees her arch-nemesis chilling in the same small town...

This was cute! There's like a huge enemistry thing and I love that trope. There were also a few golden lines about small towns (I am from one, and folks did band together to save multiple small businesses SO IT IS A THING). I laughed, like, a lot. I read it a week ago, and don't remember it a ton, so it's not the type of book that stuck with me, but it has a ton of heart, it's well written, the characters are all likable or at least understandable and consistent in their motivations, and there's just a lot to love here. I would watch the crap out of this movie with my partner on Netflix, just sayin'. Anyway, I immediately put another book of Henry's on hold, so that really says all you need to know! So cute - strongly recommend to any romance readers (although warning - the sexytimes are light). 4 stars

Emily Henry’s done it again!! Book Lovers is a sweet, funny, emotional romance about two people learning to prioritize themselves after years of self-sacrifice.

Nora, an intense, no-nonsense literary agent from NYC, finds herself in a sleepy small town in North Carolina with her beloved (and very pregnant) sister for a sibling getaway. While in the town’s sole coffee shop, she runs into Charlie, a successful, stern editor who left a lackluster impression on her back in the big city. Thrown together over her client’s latest manuscript, the two begin to thaw each other’s emotional walls as they discuss duty, grief, regret, belonging, and loneliness.

I genuinely laughed out loud multiple times throughout this; Emily Henry has a way of writing snappy dialogue that feels authentic rather than contrived, and the characters’ inside jokes include the reader, drawing us into their world right alongside them. The scene of place is also very strong, with the odes to New York particularly poignant. And the core romance is both simple and complicated, a testament to the realistic ties that bind and break us.

4.5/5: Another strong romance by Emily Henry with compelling characters, great writing, and an honest heart.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to Berkley Pub for a gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

This book is very appropriately named - it is definitely for book lovers! It's also everything you would want in a romance novel. I loved all the literary references and found myself saying yep, read that one and nope need to add to my TBR. Besides romance, this book is very focused on family, grief, and sisterhood. The bond between Nora and Libby made me tear up multiple times. Charlie Lastra proved to be a steady and sweet hero and his unwavering support for Nora made my heart swell. Emily Henry is an amazing writer and her description of all the things about NYC made me want to hop on the train to visit right now!

The ending to this story was perfect and I can't wait to read her next novel!

Nora is everything. The character I have been waiting for. Somehow Emily Henry always knows how to speak directly to me (and hopefully all of you too). A career driven woman who doesn’t lessen herself or compromise for ideals that don’t appeal to her the way they may other women. Give me all the characters who crave work and not children and present them in the brilliantly human and selfless way that Henry did in this book.

Additionally, the chemistry was off the charts. Let’s not sleep on Charlie’s character either. He was wonderfully brought to life. Great in his own right but also perfectly matched for Nora. They mirrored each other in the best ways. I couldn’t get enough.

There’s is a lot I could talk about, especially with the other relationship in the book, Nora’s sister. But much of the mystique of the plot rests with her so I’ll refrain from spoilers. I’ll just end with the humor and heart was fantastic from all the various character interactions. And all the book loving references and setups were a love letter to the reader. It’s a must read.

This book perfectly exemplifies everything a reader could ever want in a romance.
Book Lovers follows Nora, a literary agent living in New York City. She’s a workaholic that other in the industry refer to as “the shark”. Her younger sister Libby convinces Nora to join her on an extended vacation to the small town of Sunshine Falls, North Carolina for some sisterly bonding and relaxation. Complete with a checklist to become the ultimate romance novel heroine, Nora sets out to both appease her sister and figure out what she’s hiding. Along the way, she keeps running into her editor rival from the city, Charlie. As hard as Nora tries to avoid him, she just can’t seem to stay away.
This was such a fun, entertaining and spirited romance that is super aware of itself. It was filled with tropes but it totally took full ownership of them with its own spin. Obviously I loved all of the literary references and getting a closer look at the process that goes into writing, editing and publishing a book.
The romance was done so well! Nora and Charlie’s relationship was built up over time in such a satisfying way. Their banter was so good and the tension made it impossible to put the book down.
It was frequently discussed that Nora is tall and I so appreciate that there was a tall female lead in this romance. Being on the taller side myself, it feels a little discouraging to always read about heroines in romance novels who are petite and small. It wasn’t a super important detail but it was a part that I was really able to connect with.
It’s a romance but it also had so much to do with self-love. Nora takes such a journey in this book from being the acting parent figure to her younger sister to finally doing what’s best and right for her. I loved the exploration of the sister relationship. They had such a close bond and it was so sweet seeing them constantly looking out for one another.
I also loved the small town setting! It had me craving the ease and levity of summer. Sign me up for my own small town romance immediately please.
Emotional, funny, heartwarming and genuine, the author created the perfect mix of humor and depth. This is a book properly titled, about book lovers and for book lovers.
Thank you so much to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I was so excited about reading this book, and of course, Emily Henry did not disappoint once again. The way she writes is so relatable and honest. Her characters are funny and charming. I loved every second of this book. I literally spent all night reading it and let me tell you I regret nothing!

Nora Stephens loves her job as an agent in the publishing world. She works hard for her clients and is always in their corner when they need her. While Nora is happy in her professional career, she feels like the bond between her sister is not as strong as it used to be. With two little children and a third on the way, Nora's sister Libby decides that they need some alone time together before the newest baby arrives. Libby suggest a month (!) away and Nora isn't quite sure she can be away from work for so long. But in the end she decides to take the time off to get some girl time in with her younger sister. They decide to journey out to Sunshine Falls - an idyllic small town that one of Nora's authors centered a previous book on.

Libby has a list of items she wants them to do together. A few including Nora going on a date with someone in the small town and helping to reform a failing business. Nora isn't quite sure of all the things on the list, but she goes along with it anyway. This is where Nora runs into Charlie Lastra. The editor whom Nora met once and turned down a book because he didn't think it was good enough. Every checklist that Nora tries to complete ends up with Charlie running into her. Soon they find themselves working together on a book. The more time they spend together the stronger their feelings grow. Will they be able to stay away from one another? With both of them not looking for a relationship, their convictions start to waver the longer they are in each others orbit.

Book Lovers is a story about love, family, the bonds of sisterhood and grief. I will admit that this book started off slowly for me. I wasn't quite sure what the point of going to Sunshine Falls was and how the relationship between Nora and Libby felt so off. But the more I read the book the more I realized, that's the way I was supposed to feel. Because when you love someone and they hide things from you - it feels stilted and you feel that hurt deep.

I loved loved loved Charlie Lastra so much! He was funny (so funny), sarcastic, a little bit jaded - but always so sweet. The chemistry between him and Nora was always so evident from the very first time they met and I was always looking forward to when these two were on the page together. I loved Charlie's background and what made him him. In a lot of ways his grief was also similar to Nora's and they shared the same love for publishing and big city living in New York. While their families tried to push them to the charming small town life - deep down these two knew that they'd never be happy living a life just to make their families happy.

Emily Henry has a way with words and there's no denying that she did it again in Book Lovers. I have so many passages highlighted that either made me laugh or brought tears to my eyes. While Book Lovers started off slowly for me it picked up momentum and I couldn't stop reading the book when I got more invested in the characters. Overall I'd give Book Lovers 4.5, but round to 5 stars because these characters will stay with me for a long time to come.

Another home run for Emily Henry! I laughed, I cried, I gasped, and cried some more. This story will have you falling in love right along with the main characters. This is a fast and fun read that will leave you smiling and satisfied.

Oh my god Emily Henry does it again! I devoured this book in under 24 hours. I love that it’s single POV so the reader really gets a sense for the main character and her struggles and fears. This book was a perfect blend of romance but also inward growth for the main character. It was funny, sad, and poignant. Best romance I’ve read all year!

Do you love books, romance, & all things bookish? Then you need to read this! This is like the ultimate romance read for all book lovers. I was instantly hooked and laughing from the very beginning. Emily’s style of writing is so unique & very poetic. The way that the words flow made it very easy for me to binge read in one sitting. There is a lot of depth to this read, & not only did it make me laugh, but it also made me cry. I loved all of the characters including the side characters. Side characters are usually just that, but in Book Lovers, even the side characters had a lot of depth & complimented the storyline very well.

Nora (who is named after Nora Ephron), loves all things bookish and works as a literary agent. She lives a fast paced life in the city, and is not your typical heroine. Her sister Libby gets her to agree to taking a break, & take a trip with her to Sunshine Falls, a small town in NC. With the small town being your typical Hallmark movie setting, Nora is decided to be the heroine she always reads about. Yet, instead of having some type of meet cute with a small town hero, she keeps running into her work rival, Charlie. Their run-ins are nothing cute, but the tension between them & the banter is just *chef’s kiss*. I loved seeing how an unexpected romance bloomed, with a perfect slow burn. I also loved the chemistry & build up between them. There is also a big focus on Libby & Nora’s relationship as sisters & you get quite a nice insight on Libby’s life. With that being said, all of the characters were very relatable, & I felt a connection with each of them. This was such an unforgettable amazing read, & I absolutely recommend it!

You can expect:

* Enemies to Lovers Vibes
* Sisterhood Relationship
* Witty Banter/ Sexual Tension
* Based in NYC & North Carolina
* Family Dynamics/Drama
* Laugh Out Loud Romcom
* Lots of Bookish References
* Unexpected/Forbidden Love Between Coworkers
* Small Town Vibes Romance

I'm sorry to anyone who has to wait to read this book, but I promise you it's going to be so, so worth the wait.

From the jump, "Book Lovers" acknowledges the tropes in contemporary fiction, and while they play a part in the characters' motivations, it doesn't shape itself around them. Yes, there's a small town and yes there is love IN that small town, but there is so much more to this novel.

Nora and Charlie start off as two people from two separate stories. Yet somehow, the slow burn of their relationship turns them into something else. It's your typical grumpy guy meets cynical, hardworking woman. While I normally don't gravitate towards romance novels, I found myself wanting to read this book whenever I could. And while some of it is predictable, there are a lot of moments that aren't. For me, it was those bits and pieces that really drove the story forward and made me want to find out what happens.

I also loved that the characters felt real. They had real hurt and struggles; the family dynamics felt natural. What Emily Henry did is create not characters in a book, but honest people. Because of her ability to do so, you can't help but fall in love with them, and cry with them -- of which I did a lot.

So that is my warning to you. If you get weepy reading books, have some tissues ready. I was not prepared to sob for the last half-hour of reading I did.

Overall, I thought this book was truly beautiful. I laughed, I scowled, I cried. And I will recommend it to anyone who loves a mildly spicy and extremely charming, heartwarming romance novel.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for providing me this arc for an honest review.