For everyone who cringes at Hallmark movies, for everyone who's said, "I'll Take Manhattan", for everyone who wants a happy ending, but doesn't want to compromise - Nora and Charlie's story is for us. Can we please take a moment to praise Emily Henry for allowing space for women who do not want children? Women who want a career but also want love are not cold, frigid people and Henry works to set the record straight. Book Lovers takes on romance while also being a romance - with the sizzle and spark, but also with the heartfelt love of family, the sweet and tender moments of success, and the work it takes to make dreams come to life.

When book agent Nora, a focused, single woman who puts her sister and career first, feels the instant smack of self-awareness in the manuscript sent to her by one of her authors, she can't let go of the idea that her life isn't what she had hoped. Her mother died when her sister was young, so she stepped in to care for her sister. Now her sister is married with two kids and a third on the way - and Nora feels she still needs to take care of her. But her sister, a very free spirit, wants one last adventure and proposes Nora take a break with her and escape to a small town in North Carolina where her favorite book is set. Small town life is not for Nora, but she is shocked to see Charlie, a publishing rival, in town - one of those curated city guys who look out of place in the flannel-clad country. In such a tiny town, she can't escape him - and he might just be more than a stone-faced nemesis. As Nora and Charlie use their time in the middle of nowhere to collaborate on a project, they reassemble the pieces of each other and discover they want the same things.

This story is magical, hopeful, and perfect for book people. Loved.

Every new Emily Henry book I read, I think to myself “this is her best book yet”. And still, if you asked me to pit them against each other, I would have to say that they are all her best books. Each contains something exquisitely unique from the others, and as a whole something special within the genre of romance itself. It’s hard to explain what I love about her books, but the closest I can come is that while reading them, I can feel her words in my heart. When her characters experience heartbreak, my heart hurts; when they finally give in to their feelings for each other, my eyes well up and I break into a smile.

This review wasn’t really meant to be a love letter to Emily Henry; I guess it just turned out that way. I think especially for her latest, “Book Lovers”, it was the idea of innate connection and just fitting together with someone, no matter the circumstances, that got to me. I also loved that the book was just as much about the relationship between two sisters as it was between two lovers. You get the sense of the messiness of life from the book – there isn’t ever just “one” relationship that is developing or falling apart in your life; whether it be romantic, familial, or platonic. This book showcases the multifaceted nature of life and relationships, and at its core, reminds us that human connection really is what is keeping us alive – that love is really all that matters.

This book was adorable, with such relatable characters and such a charming atmosphere, story, and plot.

The most enjoyable part is indefinitely the fact that the heroine does not quit the job she loves or make compromises for her love interest.

I received an ARC from Netgalley.
This book was such a joy to read right from the first page. There is a fun enemies to lovers plotline, a book loving backdrop, and a heartwarming family relationship. Fans of Emily Henry won't be disappointed with this one!

Absolutely loved Book Lovers by Emily Henry. Loved the strong female protagonist, the normalization of the importance of a career and while a relationship is important, children are not. Loved the cute, fun, clever banter between the characters and the relationship between the sisters.

There are some books that ensnare you so tightly that you cannot possibly put them down.

That was…not this book.

In fact, this book was very put down-able.

I liked Nora a lot. Often, I felt very connected to her. Everyone else though? Everyone else was so so flat. Cardboard flat. Soggy in the rain beside a retail dumpster flat.

I didn’t like Libby at any point. (Sissy? For real?) And Charlie was fine. I really hoped for a driven and snappy editor that accepted Nora for exactly who she was. And that happened? Kinda? But there was this certain disconnect that I couldn’t reckon with throughout the book. In People We Meet on Vacation, the characters felt real and messy. These characters felt like flat literary tropes trying to perform roles outside their characterization. It just…didn’t fit. Maybe others will see the realness. I did not.

The only time this book inspired any great emotion in me was when I felt sheer terror at the idea of Nora moving to Sunshine Falls.

“Dear god,” I thought, “anything but that.”

She didn’t. Praise be. But the ending was still, much like the rest of the book, just fine. It felt extremely rushed and I don’t know why Libby taking over the bookstore would have come as a surprise to literally anyone. But it was fine.

I just can’t help but feel disappointed that the character that was AMAZING at her job (and knew it!) still had to want a different job to be happy. Sure, it’s still in New York and a respected position, but just once I want to see a character recognize that they like exactly where they are. I thought this could potentially be that book. Unfortunately, it was not.

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

People We Meet on Vacation was my favorite book of 2021 and this is one of my most anticipated books of the year! I did really like this one! I read this in 24 hours, but it lacked that completely unputdownable feeling I thought I would have! Here are some things that worked really well for me:

- I loved that the protagonist is the “villain.” She is the high-strung career woman who gets dumped in the rom coms because her partner moves to a small town and falls in love with the farmer's daughter.
-I loved seeing Nora's development throughout the story and peel away her layers to why she was how she was.-Strong focus on family - looking deeper at Libby and Nora's sister relationship and Charlie's relationship with his parents. This also made me think about the sacrifices we make to make our loved ones happy.
-The dialogue and banter between all characters. It was fast-paced, fitting for the scene, and witty. Nora and Libby's dynamics, and Nora and Charlie's banter had me smile. This wasn't the best banter I've seen from an EH book, but I did enjoy Nora and Charlie's email exchanges and relationship develop.
-The small town of Sunshine Falls. It was such a sweet town with all the stereotypical small town vibes, people, town landmarks, and the town loves a good pun.
- The vacation bucket list.

Many thanks to Berkley Publishing and Netgalley for this e-ARC copy! This is my third Emily Henry novel and while I’ve loved the previous the two so much, this one has now cemented itself as my new favorite! Her writing is absolutely superb in every way. The writing is poetic, her dialogue between characters and the witty banter had me actually laughing out loud. Her characters, both main and supporting, are so well written and enjoyable, and this story was just perfection!! Charlie is definitely my favorite newest book boyfriend as he is the epitome of support. Libby was such a wonderfully written supportive best friend/character. And Nora, is one of my favorite female characters to date. She’s self assured, successful, multidimensional and so fiercely protective and loving. There were many fun anti-trope tropes and the town gave me Schitt’s Creek vibes completely! This was such a beautifully-written, well rounded, delightfully humorous and emotionally layered romance! This one gets all the stars from me! I couldn’t recommend enough!

Nora is a tough, hardworking book agent in New York City who agrees to take a long vacation with her beloved sister in small town North Carolina, the setting of one of her author's bestsellers. There, she runs into Charlie, a fellow New York publishing colleague. Nora and Charlie are both guarded but attracted to each other, and their relationship is filled with a lot of banter. Meanwhile, Nora is also struggling with the responsibilities she feels for her sister and the grief of losing their beloved mother several years earlier. Overall, I enjoyed "Book Lovers" for its humor, romance, and celebration of books and reading. The book is sort of a romantic comedy, but Nora is also dealing with heavy issues, and I'm not sure the author was successful in working that into the story. The tone sometimes felt off to me, but for the most part, this is another good page turner by Emily Henry.

Another winner from Emily Henry! This is her most chaotic and fun book yet! Nora and Charlie have sizzling chemistry, lots of heart, and plenty of laugh out loud moments.

4.5 Stars - The thing that took this book from 4 to 4.5 for me was the BANTER. The banter between Nora and Charles was just delicious, and as soon as they were emailing about Big Foot erotica, I was totally in the tank for this book. This one had such smart things to say about how we narrative our own lives based on what pop culture we consume, and the family dynamics were wonderful. And the cherry on top is just how swoony Charlie is. Really really enjoyed this one

Holy Shooty Balls! Smart, fun and a captivating page turner!

EMILY HENRY has done it again here with another fabulous read! BOOK LOVERS is a great, steamy, emotional, and heartwarming rom-com that absolutely stole my heart. Right from the very beginning I found myself fully immersed in this book and couldn’t put it down. And if I did happen to not be able to read it for a day or two I was able to get right back into the story when I did. A lot of times I lose interest in the romance or the story loses momentum but that definitely wasn’t the case here. These book lovers definitely kept me rooting for them right to the very end of the book.

I absolutely loved the snarky banter and the romance between Charlie and Nora. I loved it so much that I was laughing out loud numerous times and had a permanent amused smile on my face during their scenes.

I absolutely loved all the characters in this book and easily felt a connection with all of them. I really enjoyed Nora and Libby’s storyline as well.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Berkley Publishing, and Emily Henry for my digital review copy. I absolutely adored it and I highly recommend it!

Beautiful book. I loved Nora and Charlie. I loved their families. The bookstore as well as all the quirky places in small town North Carolina were outstanding. The love of books places front and center, as it should and gave me such pleasure. New York City is special to me, I was born there, but its really special to both Nora and Charlie who seem to belong there. I absolutely loved this story. I cried and I laughed and that is why I read.

I'm feeling a little torn about my star count. Is it a 3? A 3.5? A 4 star read? At times it is all three. One thing is certain, Book Lovers does have the single most perfect prologue ever written. In fact, I give the prologue 5 stars.

I definitely enjoyed Book Lovers and would recommend it to anyone looking for a fun, easy read. I don't know if I'm misremembering Emily Henry's other books, but this one did feel a little more "romancy" than the others (and possibly more explicit). It has been awhile since I read the others, so I'm not totally sure about that. I liked it and I would pick up another Emily Henry book in a second.

This book was really quite sweet. A lighter read but kept me hooked on the story. Nora, Type A and probably a Capricorn, is our main girl. A true city person, working as a literary agent. Has a lunch meeting a surly (and clearly smoking hot) editor, Charlie, and thinks kick off from there. It’s not all a love story though, the author is also quite devoted to leaving space for exploring the relationship dynamics between her and her sister, Libby. I’ve never read anything else by this author but after reading this one (c/o NetGalley) I’m ready to check out her other writings.

Notting Hill vibes, sans celebs, and make it Appalachian.

It’s taken me a while to write this review because I have a bad habit of becoming emotionally attached to books that aren’t good. It’s been enough time now to guarantee that this book is not that. Book Lovers is SO. GOOD.

A brief history of my love affair with Emily Henry’s books: Passionate, day-long fling on the beach with Beach Lovers and an on-again-off-again, regrettable hot mess with People We Meet on Vacation (note: did not meet this book on vacation). We’ve moved on to a sweet, comforting, quiet-kind-of-love with Book Lovers.

This book is what Hallmark movies wish they could be. Perfect for anyone bookish (so basically anyone here) who loves romances that are probably (definitely) not realistic, but damn, don’t we wish they could be?

5 Stars. 10/10 would recommend. Henry’s back and better than ever.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for the ARC of Book Lovers by Emily Henry. This was my first Henry novel, and it did not disappoint. The banter between characters in this story led the plot. It was so clever and at times hilarious, and definitely added to the chemistry between Nora and Charlie. The beginning of the book was a tad slow (character building, after all) but as the book moved along I became invested in their lives. Great book!

This is my favorite by far of all of Emily Henry's books. Her writing is beautiful; the best way I can describe it is dreamy - similar to the vibes of a fantasy novel, even though this book is a contemporary romance. Nora is a wonderful MC to get to know; a total BA girl boss with a heart of gold. Charlie is an amazing love interest; I was kicking my feet every time they interacted with one another. This book is easily a current contemporary romance favorite for me!

I loved the publishing aspects of the story. If you are a rom-com reader, you will enjoy the romance.

I thought this is one, if not the, best Emily Henry book. Her characters were realistic and likeable while addressing familiar tropes in romance stories.