This book title sums it up , it’s a will they won’t they about people who work with books. Absolutely perfect, great characters , large and small, great setting, great storyline and sub plots.
The perfect “summer” read or if you like books the perfect anytime read.
Thank you Netgalley for letting me read this book.

I was immediately hooked from page one. Henry sets the scene by explaining that Nora is the city bitch men leave for the wholesome small town darling you see in hallmark films. This is a POV that is rarely, if ever, explored and I got excited.

Nora is a career driven city woman through and through. Because of this, her sister plans a trip to a small town with a checklist filled with rom-com type tropes.

CHARLIE. Her career nemesis. Very hot, infuriating, and adorable. It seems he has also left the city for a small town getaway the same time as Nora. She can’t believe he is there and she can’t help but find out why.

Charlie and Nora are impossible to turn away from and their scenes definitely made me squeal! The banter and pining is *chef kiss*. There is also focus on Nora and her sister, Libby, that I found endearing. Especially since I have 3 younger sisters myself!

Just want to quickly mention that Nora and Charlie work in the publishing world which I found extra fascinating as a bookseller/bookstagrammer. If you are in the book community (which I assume you are if you are seeing this!) then you will enjoy all the literary and publishing references!

(3.5/5) I've previously read two of Emily Henry's books (Beach Read and People We Meet On Vacation) and enjoyed them both, so Book Lovers was a highly anticipated 2022 release for me.

I enjoyed the story overall, especially the ending and how everything came together. I like books that are set within the publishing industry, and I thought it was cool how real books/authors were mentioned!

However, I wanted *more* from the romance. It felt like a secondary plot, and the main focus was on Nora's relationship with her sister Libby. While I usually like books that explore complex sibling dynamics, I struggled to warm up to Libby. It's a shame because I think there was potential for me to really love Charlie but he was barely present in the beginning!

Not my favourite Emily Henry book but I'd still recommend it, especially if you've enjoyed the author's previous books.

I loved Henry’s previous two books and this didn’t disappoint, with an added sprinkling of publishing drama. Books and a dreamy rural setting, what’s not to like? Thanks NetGalley!

You know when you read a book & it's spot on your sense of humour. I listened to this book & was genuinely laughing out loud in the shops, smirking away at the way Charlie & Nora bantered back & forth across email, text and when they were thrown together.

From big foot porn through town meetings to potential heartbreak this book was fantastic & funny. I can't wait for more from Emily Henry

Emily Henry is one of the best romance writers there is. End of.

She has an incredible ability to write romance novels that actually make you want to squeal. There were moments in this book where the chemistry between the characters was so intense that I held my breath. I ACTUALLY HAD TO RELEASE A BREATH I DIDN'T KNOW I WAS HOLDING. Literally breathtaking. What more can I say? She just gets people. She understands how to write characters that leaps off the page and stays with you forever.

Nora is the perfect main character. She is intelligent, feisty and sassy with a big heart. She might feel like the villain in other people's stories but she is every bit the epic leading lady in her own story.

Listen, I need to take a whole moment to talk about THE BANTER. The back and forward between Charlie and Nora is quick, witty and so urghhhhhh I can't even find the word! They are so perfect. And the steamy scenes? Get out of here. The build up, the tension... again, releasing more breaths I didn't know I was holding. THE HOLD THESE SCENES HAD ON ME. So sexy but they also make your heart feel warm and fuzzy. There's a feeling of real and genuine connection between these two people and it's an absolute pleasure to read. The moments of intimacy are so palpable and they made my heart flip flop. She is too good at writing these scenes.

Reading this book, I felt like a walking cliche. I was smirking, blushing and I won't lie to you, I was one step away from audibly sqealing. Maybe I actually did... I was so engrossed in the story I'm not sure I'd have realised. It's a good job I squirrel myself away to read.

Side note: This is my official application to add Charlie Lastra to my book boyfriends list.

There is some really heavy stuff in this book too like the death of a parent and immense grief, panic attacks, anxiety but they're all subjects that are handled delicately and portrayed accurately.

If you're the eldest daughter, this book will feel like a personal attack. It'll hit you right in the feels that's for sure - it fully got me.

I always feel so overwhelmed with love for Emily Henry's books. This book is an absolute treasure that I cannot recommend enough. I eagerly await her next book.

This book is a love story between two grumpy, career-obsessed, book people falling in love and there’s not really more that I could ask for a romance. It’s freaking adorable and I loved reading it. Another great one, Emily Henry.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.
I truly loved this book. It is the perfect book for anyone who loves books. I loved the characters, the complexity in their personality and their relationships. This book demonstrated how to stay true to yourself and that you are perfect just as you are.
The plot twist and the ending were so unexpected, I loved it!
I will definitely recommend this book to all my bookish friends.

A gorgeous story filled with romance, humour and some really poignant moments. I love the way the book turns effortlessly between sensitive depictions of grief and sharp, funny observations. Enemies-to-lovers and will-they-won't-they are two of my favourite romance tropes and this book fully delivers them with a fresh twist. Modern romance done right - I loved it.

Emily Henry has gifted us with this beautiful ode to book lovers everywhere! A fun rom-com, with an exceptional level of banter between our MC Nora and her rival/love interest Charlie, as well as calling out many tried and true rom-com tropes in the process - as they should, with our characters being a highly regarded literary agent and book editor respectively!
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, and will continue to read anything Henry writes!
The only negative I could say would be that I found Nora to get extremely emotional toward the end of the book, which was quite a change from her determined, controleld 'shark' character from earlier in the book, and didn't seem to quite fit. 4/5 stars!

Sweet baby Jesus, has Emily Henry written the perfect romcom? Yes. Yes she has.
I will read anything Emily Henry writes forevermore.
As a fan of the cheesy romcom formula – person moves from big city to charming town, meets a quirky love interest, helps them save a bakery/family farm/etc. – I was frothing with excitement to hear that Ms Henry was writing from the POV of the City Slicker Girlfriend. And she did not disappoint.
If you can believe it’s possible, the wit and banter in Book Lovers is even better than in her first two books. I cackled nonstop, except when I was swooning.
Do yourself a favour and read this book. Now.

Book lovers, arguably one of the most hyped May releases of the year. I’m so happy that I got an ARC for this one. I just love Emily Henry’s writing style. Its unique and really captured my interest throughout. And the dash of humor is just up my alley. The banter between Nora, Libby and Charlie is just so much fun.

It’s a light read even tough some difficult subjects are weaved in. Nora and Libby lost their mother, way to early and that lead to struggles that the sisters are still dealing with. Nightmares, insomnia etc. But Nora’s still so fierce and does not apologize for being ambitious.

At the same time Nora and Charlie really care for each other, he selflessly putts her first even if it’s not the best choice for him personally. And the ending is spot on in my opinion. It may be a little cheesy but it’s a romcom after all.

Emily Henry, I love you. Please never stop writing.

I could end my review there because I have no words to accurately convey how much I loved this book. So here's me being baffled by the perfection that is this book:

I have a soft spot for books about books. I absolutely adored Beach Read and People We Meet on Vacation and could relate to both of them in different ways. But Book Lovers might be it. I feel like this book was written for me.

I don't understand how when you think she's written the perfect book and can't possibly write anything better, she comes out with another one and they somehow just keep getting better. I feel like my favorite Emily Henry romance will always be the last one I've read because they're all that good. And now I just want to reread all of them.

When you read a romance novel, you already know it's gong to end, but somehow Emily Henry manages to always make the plot seem refreshing, the characters unique yet extremely relatable. Everything has the depth it needs, nothing ever falls flat and I'm just in love.

This book is a love letter to authors, to literary agents, to editors. It's a love letter to New York and to small towns. It's a love letter to sisters, to moms and to women who'd rather focus on their career than have kids.

It's a story not about a city person who drops everything and moves to a small town to marry whomever it is they met in their 3 week stay that turned their world upside down, but about the other city person, the one that is dumped when that happens for being too much of a city person.

A million stars.

This book was so much fun to read, I loved the chemistry between the two characters. The ending was quite predictable but nonetheless enjoyable and I'll definitely be continuing to pick up whatever Emily Henry brings out next.

The blurb and the title jumped out at me. But the characters were adorable. Even when you knew how the book would end!
I laughed and I cried and I didn't want this book to end. Possibly my favourite book this year!
Boy meets girl. They don't like each other. (We already know how this ends!) But it was done with a lot of love and warmth. An excellent read.

“How do you do that?”
“Do what?”
“Say the right thing.”
“No one thinks that.”
“I do.”
His lashes splay across his cheeks as his gaze drops. “Maybe I just say the right thing for you.”

WOW!!! 5 Fabulous Stars! And just like that, we hit the Emily Henry jackpot once again! We’ve adored every book we’ve read by this author, and with Book Lovers, she’s left us positively giddy, we love every fabulous minute!

In Book Lovers, Emily Henry has perfectly blended the seriousness of grief whilst enveloping it in warmth, peppering it with humour, and wrapping it up in a swoony romance with a small-town atmosphere. Gosh, we loved this book. It gave us those warm and fuzzy ‘book love’ feelings.

‘That’s life. You’re always making decisions, taking paths that lead you away from the rest before you can see where they end. Maybe that’s we, as a species, love stories so much. All those chances for do-overs, opportunities to live the lives we’ll never have.’

Now this is a big call, but… we think Charlie Lastra might be our favourite Emily Henry hero, and that’s saying something, considering how much we loved Gus in Beach Read and Alex in People We Meet on Vacation! Both those heroes were to die for, but Charlie…there’s just something about him – his vulnerability, his protective nature, and his directedness with Nora. It all boiled down to one fabulous hero!

“I’ve got you, Nora,” he promises quietly. “I’ve got you, okay?”

There was so much to Book Lovers – the wonderfully swoony romance, the ode to New York (which had us wanting to jet off there immediately!), the importance of family, the pain of grief, and of course the wonderfully quirky characters, all moulded together with the relationship between Nora and her younger sister Libby being the icing on the book cake. The sister’s relationship was so beautifully crafted, and how can we not mention the witty banter, cheeky one-liners, heart-warming moments, and intense chemistry that is synonymous with an Emily Henry read! We ADORED this book!

‘That is what I’m looking for every time I flip to the back of a book, compulsively checking for proof that in a life where so many things have gone wrong, there can be beauty too. That there is always hope, no matter what.’

Nora Stephens has always cared for and nurtured her younger sister Libby before and since their Mum’s passing some ten years ago. Both sisters have unresolved grief that is explored so poignantly throughout Book Lovers. To appease her sister Libby, Nora agrees to spend a month with her to tick off some ‘bucket list’ items Libby feels the workaholic and unlucky in love Nora desperately needs to experience. Libby doesn’t normally reach out to Nora in this way and considering it will mean a month away from her husband and two daughters, she figures the pregnant Libby needs a break.

Libby is obsessed with a small-town romance series, of which the author is one of agent Nora’s clients. Libby wants Nora to experience small-town living – in a way, to bring a small-town romance to life, but New York loving Nora agrees with some hesitancy – being away from New York and her work is frightening. Not to mention she is handholding her client through the new breakaway book, Frenzy.

But Libby’s needs win out. So, it’s off to Sunshine Falls for the sisters. And so, the journey begins! What Nora didn’t expect was to run into her New York nemesis, Editor Charles Lastra. The chemistry between them has always sizzled, but their sharp barbs and intense last meeting are seared in Nora’s brain.

Why is he here in Sunshine Falls and how can she avoid him? Does she even want to? What is Libby’s real reason for wanting some alone time? The overthinking Nora deduces all manner of scenarios, and we witness all the crazy, sad, and painful monologues Nora delivers.

“I think you’re one of the least disappointing people I’ve ever met.”

This book really hit the spot. Nora was such a unique heroine – very direct, no-nonsense, and the more we came to know how she ticked the more in love with her we fell. Book Lovers is a book for all of us book lovers. Emily Henry really hits the spot with all that we crave in this genre. She gets us, and we LOVE IT!

Absolutely perfect! Wonderful, witty, charming and funny protagonist. Great love interest. Incredibly well-written.

I knew when I picked this book that it had the potential to be a slightly predictable romcom, but I underestimated just how predictable it would be. Literary agent, Norah Stephens is ushered away by Libby, her younger sister to a remote town for a month's R&R. Before going away, Norah has an uncomfortable encounter with Editor Charlie Lastra, and they appear to hate each other from the get go. But when Norah unexpectedly bumps into Charlie whilst on holiday, the ridiculous will they won't they scenario begins. I didn't like any of the main characters, and the ones who I thought I might have liked were just not present enough to make a difference. Back to psycho thrillers for me then!

⭐ Book Lovers by Emily Henry ⭐

This book. THIS book! How does one describe perfection?

I had high expectations for Emily Henry's new book after reading and loving everything she writes, and this book, THIS book, completely smashed them!

Make this a movie ASAP!

What did I love?
💚 Everything about main character, Nora.
💚 Everything about our leading man, Charlie.
💚 The tropes! Enemies to lovers, big city girl in a small town. And the talking about tropes throughout this book, utterly fabulous!
💚 The quick wit, hilarious!
💚 The connection between Nora and her sister, Libby and the loss they have shared.
💚 The steam 🥵 the perfect amount ❤
💚 A book that talks about books, the making of books, comparing people with classic book characters. AH! It's so good!

What didn't I love?
💔 The book ending. I was sad when I reached the 80% mark, knowing it was coming to an end, and then Nora quotes "The last-page ache. The deep breath in after you've set the book aside" and I could have cried.

Seriously, you guys... This is likely to be my book of the year. Utter perfection in my eyes. This book was written for us, the book lovers, and it is PERFECT!

All the freaking stars!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Now leave me be as I sob into my pillow, now that it's all over...😩😩

If you’re looking for a fun and easy romcom than you should definitely check out Book Lovers by Emily Henry. It’s hilarious (there was more than a few laugh-out-loud moments on my part) with sometimes almost absurd and silly descriptions which somehow makes total sense in the setting. The characters are fascinating and I could really relate to Nora (the female MC), especially in some situations.

While it’s mostly a fun romcom, Book Lovers bring up some heavier emotions and thoughts as well but in a kind of lighthearted way so as not to feel too dark. Since it’s a romcom, I feel obliged to mention that the book contains just enough romance and steamy scenes in my opinion. I’m not against some smut or so but I don’t like it when it completely overtakes the storyline or becomes to explicit and detailed. Also, the sexual tension is excellent ;)

All in all, Book Lovers is probably one of the more well-written romcoms I’ve read and I highly recommend it! I’ll definitely check out more of Emily Henry’s books in the future.

***Thank you to Penguin General UK for providing me with an eARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!***