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.

Here we have a nicely-balanced romance: light, but not shallow; smart, but not trying too hard to be clever; sensual, but not too naughty.
I was oh-so-happy that protagonist Nora Stephens was allowed what she wanted to be, a hard-driving literary agent who loves New York. Her descriptions of the city brought back fond memories of the wonder I found when I first visited there.
True to romance rules, she and the frosty editor Charlie Lastra don’t like each other when they first meet, but when fate throws them together in a small town in North Carolina, witty repartee over email and text turns to something better and deeper.
And while this book gives out the vibes of a frothy romance, it also goes better and deeper with a heartfelt exploration of the griefs that we carry and the bond of family.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing a review copy of this book.

Book Lovers by Emily Henry: This should come as no surprise, but once again Emily Henry has knocked it out of the park with her latest release. What’s not to love about a book lover reading a book called Book Lover? I swear books about books are just in a category of their own.

I adore that the protagonist is the “villain.” She’s the high-strung career woman who keeps her emotions to herself–aka the woman who gets dumped in the rom-coms because her significant other moved to some quaint village then falls in love with a farmer’s daughter. Off the bat I loved that our main character wasn’t the lovable girl-next-door type that’s so common in romances. Nora may be a tough and rough cookie but she’s also just as lovable as every other heroine. She was the epitome of multi-faceted which made her completely relatable to the reader. The character development throughout the book was flawless and allowed me to connect with her throughout the book. Henry knows just how to get my attention and keep it.

This enemies-to-lovers trope is portrayed with snarky, clever banter that had me smiling while reading. Sometimes banter can come across as bickering, but Henry has mastered the art of keeping the conversations witty and sharp. Libby, Nora’s younger sister, was the perfect yin to Nora’s yang and helped move the plot along at a nice pace. Their relationship really made me think about the sacrifices and lengths we go to keep our loved ones happy.

One of my favorite parts about this book is that it focused on family just as much as the romance, making it equally part women’s fiction book and part rom-com. It may be a beach read but be sure to pack some tissues because it’s a tear-jerker, too. In my opinion this is her best yet.




LINKS TO COME CLOSER TO PUB DATE.

Such an amazing read. Emily Henry has never disappointed! The way Emily writes is so unique and just makes me feel like I am a part of the story every single time.

This is another raw, real story of romance, with family drama intertwined. I laughed, I cried, and I felt just about every emotion while reading Book Lovers! Grief plays a large part in this book, but she does it so well, and it almost provided comfort in those scenes.

I loved and saw myself in the character of Nora Stephens, and Charlie was just, so amazingly sweet, broken, but lovable. All of the other characters were so perfectly written and I connected with each and every one of them.

I can't wait to read this book over and over again, and I absolutely cannot wait for Book Lovers to be released into the world! Thank you so much Berkley Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC of this book!

Book Lovers was one of those books that you did not want to end. Emily Henry does not disappoint!!

The city to small town was so well done and I loved every minute of it! Nora's character was easy to relate to. She wasn't your typical love interest and knew her faults. Her protection over Libby, her younger sister, was so real. And can we talk about Charlie, the love interest, for a second! CAUSE WOW! Amazing, 10/10! You can't help but root for Nora and Charlie the whole time!

It was so enjoyable and has easily become one of my top reads for 2022!

Two book lovers who exchange snarky book-related banter and also end up falling in love over a book? Sold. This is my favorite of Emily Henry’s romances thus far, and I predict it will be my go-to recommendation for anyone looking for a smart, funny, steamy, yet heartwarming read this summer.

5 stars

LIKES:
📝 quick, witty, relatable writing!!
🏡 set in a small NC mountain town! (LOVE!)
✅ a fun bucket/check-list style plot!
📖 + majorly meta bookish vibes
🗽 New Yorker energy
👩🏼‍💼 a sharp, successful, driven literary agent
🧔🏻 + a grumpy, sarcastic book editor
🗣 classic EH witty banter + alll the tension!
❤️‍🩹 forbidden romance (coworkers!!)
🤺 + some enemies to lovers vibes!
🔥 an IMPECCABLE slow burn (3/5 steam level)
👯‍♀️ deeply explores sisterhood
🤰+ themes of motherhood
🖤 themes of grief, betrayal, & loss
🌱 themes of personal growth and change
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DISCLAIMERS:
⚠️ dm me for tw!
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VERDICT: a PERFECT witty yet deep & emotional enemies-to-lovers forbidden coworker romance set in small-town NC + a fun bucket list plot + EH’s signature profound look at family, love, & loss - A MUST READ!

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