I can say for certain this is one of my favorite romance novels of all time. I've always wants to write a book and Book Lovers makes me simultaneously never want to try because I'll never write anything as amazing as this AND makes me want to try because I just feel so damn happy and optimistic about life and love and following your dreams. I, also, never knew that I needed the story of the Other Woman so badly. The Other Woman deserves to be heard and this book does her story so much justice.

It's honestly impossible for me to put the sheer pleasure this book has provided me into words...so... read it or don't...just know your life will be worse if you don't.

I wasn't too sure about this book at first but stuck it out, and the payoff was great! Appreciated that the sisterly love story was given just as much attention as the romantic story line. Will definitely recommend and buy extra copies for the rush in Summer 2022!

Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC of Book Lovers by Emily Henry. While Emily Henry is already a beloved author, this was my first and I fell in absolute love. Love for each character, love for the setting, details, every miniscule thing that made up that book., I felt the way Nora and Charlie felt when they finished the last chapter of a book they never wanted to end. It was perfect. I want the characters to be real people living those lives, I want to know that they really exist.

4.5 - Emily Henry is pure magic. The way she writes, the way she describes feelings, emotions, characters, and EVERYTHING, is just fantastic. The way she describes the sisters' relationship, and that with their mother, is so emotional. I do enjoy a bad first meeting that eventually turns into something more. The way that Nora is understood by Charlie is beautiful, and his furrowed brow and smile pout made me basically swoon. Emily Henry has a great way of writing realistically, giving you the happy ending but never sugarcoating it - she really makes you earn it, and I enjoyed every second of it!

MY FAVORITE EMILY HENRY BOOK EVER. like the characters in it? so many backstories with all of them which makes them so much more complex and amazing. ALSO the fact that they’re working on a book throughout! like what. so cool to see kinda like the process that goes on behind the book. and then you can see how they think about books, which sometimes it felt like they were reading my thoughts. i was hooked on this book from the prologue and i couldn’t put it down. ALSO NORA AND CHARLIE🥵🥵 like you’re joking right. overall, read this book. right when it comes out. you will not regret it i promise.

review:

i think the best part of this book was how it covered almost everything i wanted and more. it wasn’t just a romance book, and it had all the emotions that i wanted from it. although it did have me laughing and smiling, it also had me feeling awful, and mad, at the characters all throughout. through talking about different anxiety issues and ptsd (shown in multiple characters) it built them to be actual people, instead of black and white characters. by seeing more into these characters actions and why they did what they did it brought the book to life and made me extremely hooked and needing to continue.

also the characters are just amazing. like the conversations between libby and nora and charlie are so raw at times that it really puts the emotion right out on the pages, making you feel attached to the story even more. their personalities are addicting as well. the grump boy who isn’t actually grumpy, and the sarcasm between charlie and nora was so good that it had me laughing so much. but the way they knew each other so well and knew exactly how to speak to each other really showed how comparable they are, with showing how they knew each other more than just surface level.

ALSO A BOOK ABOUT BOOKS? it cant get better than that. seeing their jobs and how they go about doing everything was so cool. like getting more into the writing and editing process was interesting as a reader. and being able to see how they see the books they are editing. the way books are talked about in this book is just amazing and it made me feel even more related to the characters since we both admire what’s written in them.

i think the ending was just perfect
*SPOILER*
throughout the book nora was all about not happy perfect endings, so i think that if nora got that perfect ending right away it would have seemed superficial and not followed their characters. the suspense to wondering how it was going to end for it and when the characters would let their walls down allowing for their feelings to be out in the open was just perfect timing and i think it made the characters seem more real.
*END OF SPOILER*

overall, please read this book. it had the romance you expect from emily henry, but it also has so much more that you will not be disappointed. you will be jealous of nora and charlie, and you will want to transport yourself to sunshine falls and attend the ball. this isn’t one to leave on the self. speaking for the book lovers they would would definitely recommend book lovers, trust me it’s a goode book. ;)

Nora Stephens is a literary agent who agrees to go on vacation with her younger sister to a small town that is the setting of one of her client's novels. She immediately runs into book editor Charlie Lastra. The reader is pretty sure where everything is headed but the journey is fun. I absolutely loved how aware Nora was about common tropes in rom com/women's fiction. Super meta! A fun read.

It was AMAZING! I adored everything about the smart and witty romance. The characterization is dynamite!

Emily Henry has done it again! I’m in absolute awe of the way she crafts characters and emotions so beautifully. She makes profound feelings seem tangible and settings so real and charming that I miss them when the book is over.

This is a love story between two New Yorkers, but it mostly takes place in a small town. Nora Stephens is an extremely hardworking literary agent who loves her job and gets things done. She is straight-to-the-point and determined to find immediate solutions when any problems arise, which is an attitude that helped her survive a lot of loss and heartbreak in her life. This makes it difficult to let people all the way in, but somehow she finds herself opening up to the least expected person.

Charlie Lastra is a ‘no bs’ book editor who Nora first meets while discussing one of her client’s books. The pair do NOT hit it off. Now imagine Nora’s surprise when a getaway trip with her sister leads to a piece of the city tucked away in little ole’ Sunshine Falls. Lo and behold, it is Charlie himself.

Rivalry turns into a mutual understanding of each other's creative passions, and they can’t help but want to know more about one another. Nora and Charlie do more than understand each other. They really see each other like no one else does, and it feels like a breath of fresh air for them. These two characters have a home with each other, and they are clearly soulmates. I mean, they even wear the same cologne.

Nora never had to change herself for the plot, and Charlie loved her even more for all of her ‘sharp edges.’ It was a beautiful story, and these characters hold a special place in my heart. I also can’t write this review without commenting on how witty her writing is. It’s funny in a way that catches you off guard. For example, I never expected to read the words “Bigfoot erotica” in this book, but there I was, laughing out loud at banter regarding said “Bigfoot erotica.”


Side note: I really liked how this book took common tropes and twisted them all up. I love getting the perspective of the woman who is on the other side of the story about a guy falling in love with a small town girl and leaving her- ‘the other woman’- behind. How is that fair?

Reviews will be posted on Instagram, Goodreads, and Tiktok all @ farrahsbooks

Did I stay up till 2 AM to finish? Yes, yes, I did.

This book had me laughing out loud five pages in. While the style of writing and humor was what drew me in, I stayed for the characters. Emily does a fantastic job not only developing her main characters, but giving every single side character a purpose and a backstory. The characters carried the plot from the very beginning to the end.

This story had a lot of themes going for it: sisterhood, dealing with anxiety, trauma, but also love! And if you think you know a lot about Rom-Coms and all the tropes that come with that, think again as you read this story. The message that life is never predictable (but it's okay if you want it that way) works it's way throughout the plot beautifully.

I'm so glad I was able to read this book and fall in love with its characters. Would definitely recommend as your next Rom-Com! Besides...the name of the book is Book Lovers and what's not to love about that?

Book Lovers deserves ALLLLLL the stars! I loved everything about this book. It gave me all the emotions. I thought I had the ending figured out but definitely did not. I will forever read anything and everything Emily Henry writes.

This is my third Emily Henry book. I've read them in the order they've been published, and each one just gets better and better. I loved that this book took a well-known trope and turned it on its head. I also really enjoyed how unapologetic both of the main characters were about themselves -- neither had to *change* to make things work. I will say, at first I found Nora's relationship with Libby distracting (it took 5-ish chapters to get the main male character back in the story), but I quickly realized how lovely having their sisterly relationship portrayed was. And of course, any romance taking place in the world of books and bookstores is like catnip to me. A literary agent AND a book editor? swoon!

Book Lovers by Emily Henry 5 ⭐️

This is my favorite Emily Henry book to date. As much as I would love to call this a rom com/modern romance I’d lean this a little closer to Contemporary Fiction. The focus on family, specifically sibling and parents, stood out more than the relationship of Nora and Charlie.
But holy crap, Nora and Charlie. Nora felt like someone I wanted as a best friend, I want life advice from Nora. As a fellow tall girl her dating experiences brought back so many memories and the years I didn’t wear high heels. Charlie is amazing, he fits in so well with all the Henry men but stands out as the most supportive and Romantic, imho.
So, if you like family relationships, crying, cute relationships with layers, and BOOKS(!!!!) This is a must read.

Thanks @netgalley and @berkleypub for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

BOOK LOVERS by Emily Henry was excellent. I related a lot to the main character and loved every single character in the book for all their amazing qualities and their faults. The book is pretty emotional and I got choked up a few times but I wouldn't want it any other way. This book is a romance but I think its also about doing what's best for you and realizing that the people who love you don't want you to sacrifice your happiness for them. Romance is more sensual than spicy.

After finishing Emily Henry’s previous novels in the span of one week, I had high expectations for Book Lovers. And boy did this book deliver. I admire Henry and her ability to create such relatable characters in her books. I think that many people can especially relate to Nora and Charlie in Book Lovers. They both have their own flaws, but that’s what makes them human. Henry did a flawless job of creating a unique plot that kept me hooked all of the way through. I fell in love with these characters and their relationships, and I think that Henry’s fans will too. I already can’t wait for what she writes next. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book!

5 ⭐️

For a little background, I LOVED Beach Read and then PWMOV was not for me. I wasn’t sure what to expect going into Book Lovers, but was so pleasantly surprised.

Our main character is Nora, a literary agent living in NYC. She has a younger sister Libby (who she is best friends with). If you are an older sister, I think this book will truly speak to you. I am an older sister and in so many ways I saw myself in Nora, which is part of the reason I loved the book so much. The sister relationship between Libby and Nora probably takes up like 70% of the book, and the romance is closer to 30%. I loved it, but if you’re looking for strictly romance and less womens contemporary fiction, just keep that in mind.

THINGS I LOVED

⁃ Nora is JUST LIKE OTHER GIRLS!!! I absolutely hate the “not like other girls” characterization that seems to be so popular for some reason, but Nora is the opposite. She cares about her career, she’s a great sister, she’s self aware, she wears high heels.. she’s so incredibly likable.
⁃ THE BOOK REFERENCES! Emily Henry name dropped about a million different books/authors throughout the novel, and I ate that ish up!! It’s so fun to feel like the book was written for you because you get the references. Some included A Man Called Ove, A Little Life, Octavia Butler, Rebekah Weatherspoon, Alyssa Cole, Narnia, Pride and Prejudice, and more.
⁃ THE BANTERRR!!! Charlie and Nora have the most natural banter and I found myself laughing out loud at their stubbornness. They are SO SIMILAR to each other and that makes for some really fun texting/irl conversation scenes.
⁃ CHARLIE IS A MAN!! You know the saying “weaponized incompetence?” Charlie is the exact opposite - intentionally competent?? Nora can feel safe with him because he is more than capable of figuring out her needs and I loved it. Also he always knows the right thing to say - and is great at communication.
⁃ I CRIED. A LOT. The last 30% of the book was simply me bawling my eyes out. It was a combination of the romance and the sister relationship/life changes. Emily Henry made everything feel so REAL. You know when you finish a romance and you’re like “Oh yea that was good but it would never happen in real life?” This was not that, and it’s why I loved it so much. No conflict was unnecessary or over dramatic, and the characters (not just charlie and nora, but libby too!) were so real and it added so much depth to the reading experience.


THINGS TO NOTE

⁃ I would categorize this a little closer to contemporary fiction than I would romance. This is not a bad thing, but I do think people should have realistic expectations in order to not be disappointed. It is not spicy, and the sister relationship / career take a front seat in my opinion.
⁃ This is probably my favorite Emily Henry book i’ve read. If you are an older sister, a rich auntie without kids, a book lover, or a career focused city girl … THIS IS FOR U BESTIE.

Simply the best!

Ok, I'll be honest. This is the first Emily Henry book I have read but it won't be the last. I'd heard great things but just had never cracked the cover. So glad BOOK LOVERS was my entry into the world of Henry.

A bit of a slow burn, readers are thrust into the world of editing and publishing with a bit of New York sass thrown in. Nora agrees to go to the East Coast to reconnect with her sister in a sleepy town. Little does she know, her "bit of an arch nemesis" is there and guess what, that's where HE lives. So Nora has to deal with an emotional sister trying to reconnect with their youth, her job falling apart, and this super hot guy she "doesn't like" owning the local bookstore.

It's a trope we've read before sure, but let's face it, it's one we can read, and read, and read. Emily handles the emotional points with care and slow burns the development of the characters. A little hanky panky, but this is much more than a sexy book, it's a character driven novel about change and accepting ourselves. Cute, with some definite laugh out loud moments, I immediately bought Emily Henry's backlog of books and will be going through them ASAP!

Emily Henry is a superstar. This book had me crying just thinking about sibling relationships but the romance was AMAZING. My top romance read of 2021.

Loved how this turns romance on its head and embraces it all at the same time! Could not put down, even though I knew exactly where it was headed... like any great romance!

Emily Henry has a knack for taking the Rom-Com genre up a notch. In this story, she delves into the complicated expectations of family and the paths we take to make our parents' proud. Nora and Charles are a realistically adorable couple in a sweet meet-cute that takes the reader on a delightful journey. The fact that the book centers on the publishing world makes it all the sweeter for this librarian.

SO GOOD!! i finished it in one day, wasn’t even a super fast read i just couldn’t put it down. this book was a realists hallmark movie come to life. as always, the love interest was to die for and made my standards for men even higher than they already are. i was crying through the last 20% but that is always a good thing in my opinion. this book is definitely fighting for a spot of my favorite books of the year (and ive read over 125 of them this year if that’s saying anything) would definitely recommend (4.5)