Book Lovers is a book about book lovers having book related jobs and falling in love while editing books and it's literary bookish heaven.

Pardon my lacking vocabulary, I haven't written coherent reviews in a while, and I doubt it will happen again on a regular basis. However, Book Lovers begged me to talk about it. Nora and Charlie stripped my soul bare, and while the latter is more flayed than House Bolton's sigil, it basked in Sunshine Falls' light and warmth like a starving man. Because that's what Book Lovers is: love and light and warmth I wish I could store in a bottle and carry them with me and inhale them and find comfort on rainy days, when life gets messier than usual.

Emily Henry created two heroes that feel eerily familiar; through banters and capital S Snark and laughter and sisterhood and romance and books, she crafted a story that unhinged me. I don't know whether she has gone through the loss of a parent like Nora, but the depiction of grief, of the devastating truth that it does not go away over time but instead dictates the rest of your life, even subconsiously, was lovingly raw and powerful, desperate and hopeful, because crushing grief means all-encompassing love, and she didn't fail to convey this message again and again. But there is more than grief; she also exposed the fear of losing another loved one, the pressing notion that you carry the wait of the world on your shoulders when you abruptly become the caregiver of your family and amidst your struggles to be the person they need you shut yourself down. It was personal and unsettling.

In addition to Emily Henry's fascinating insight, this loving book filled me with longing for midnight strolls, dusty bookstores, dreamy sunsets and camping under the stars. The small-town setting was endearing, and through Nora and Charlie I was able to grasp a tidbit of the magic that Nora thought was unattainable. Their relationship was so easy; they were enemies that became friends that became lovers, two souls who understood each other, who didn't pressure, didn't demand constant explanations, who talked about their problems, even when their love was presumably doomed. As for their chemistry? I shall keep this PG-rated and won't talk about the massive heat wave and the delicious tension.

Book Lovers is a rainbow of feelings, tears, laugher and sighs meant to caress the hearstrings of book lovers.

I haven't read the previous two books from Emily but they are on my wishlist as I have heard so many great reviews. This was the main reason I wanted to read Book Lovers and I certainly wasn't disappointed.

Nora is an book agent, currently single as she throws herself into her work 100%. She has a sister, Libby, who is married to Brendan and is pregnant with her third child. Since the death of their mum, Nora has always looked out for her sister.

Libby suggests a holiday to Sunshine falls where one of Nora's authors based her book around.

Little does Nora know that this trip might change her life forever when she and her Libby write a bucket list of things to complete while they are on holiday.

Charlie is an editor. Nora recently had a meeting with him which did not go well. Nora was late and it was clear the two of them were not going to get along!

This was beautifully written from Nora's point of view. I can see why Emily's books have been so popular. The way the relationship between Nora and Charlie developed was such a joy to read about. I'm really glad I got the opportunity to read this one.

All other characters were truly believable and I felt really immersed into the whole story.

Thank you so much to Netgalley, the publishers and the author for an ARC. Looking forward to reading the previous two books even more now.

When you discover an author that writes so well that you just have to read all their work.  Emily Henry is one of those authors for sure.

An easy five star read from me.

Book Lovers is a feel-good read, especially if you love books and vibrant characters that make you read just one more chapter. Nora is a successful literary agent who puts her sister's needs first and always looks after her authors. Charlie is an enigma when they first meet, she is wrong-footed from their first encounter, but she can't forget him.

I enjoyed the witty dialogue, the gentle romance full of emotion and the believable family dynamic. The story explores differing perceptions of events, relationships, parenting and love, and it resonates, but laughter and romance are never far away.

The ending is a perfect conclusion to this lovely escapist read.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

That’s it. I’m calling it. Book Lovers by Emily Henry is my favourite read of the year so far. I LOVED this book SO MUCH. Smart, funny, sexy and all about people who love books??! Absolutely wonderful!

I did not want this book to end. Nora is fierce, while also being kind and extremely likeable and Charlie is 🔥 🔥 🔥 There’s a lot of depth to the storyline too, with some razor-sharp dialogue.

If contemporary romance is your thing then get this on your list immediately! With thanks to Viking for gifting me a digital copy to review.

Very cute and easy to get through romcom. It does seem to pitch itself as enemies to lovers even though they aren’t strictly enemies to begin with but still really enjoyed it.

Satisfying ending - 3.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Emily Henry does it again. Book Lovers is delightful in every way - a romance but more, filled with family relationships, personal emotional journeys, what it is to love fiction, and what it means to live out our own stories.

Nora Stephens was a main character who felt incredibly real and visceral to me, and this is because she hit too close to home at points. Her older-sister anxiety, her career stress, her need for control, her constant comparisons between life and fiction, and of course, her reliance on her Peloton, are all things that I relate very closely to, and at times, it felt like Emily Henry must've been sitting in the corner of my room observing me for the last few years. She is yet another of Emily Henry's incredible characters, who feel delightfully realistic; like they may jump right off the page.

And Charlie Lastra, who has to now be one of my favourite romance male leads - from his aggressive support of Nora, to his unrelenting acceptance of who she was and all the little foibles that make her up, to the fact that he is so unfailingly honest and open with his feelings. He is the epitome of loving someone AND their flaws, rather than in spite of them. Their relationship, I'd say, wasn't actually at the forefront of the story all the time - as all Emily Henry books go, there is a considerable focus on their respective other issues, which are worked through with immense care and precision.

There is so much to love about this book. I adored the dreamy small-town setting that is, ironically, straight out of the pages of a romance novel. The puns, the irony, the tropes - everything was written into this book with care and sheer love for the romance genre and literature as a whole. The meta-narrative of how our lives interweave with the stories we love was done brillantly, and it felt clever without being showy, subtle but clear enough for those who know to recognise it. This book really does feel written for book lovers, peppered with conventions, subtle allusions, and both conventional and subverted tropes. It feels incredibly smart but at the same time, retains all the charm of a regular romance novel, which I believe is a very difficult duality to pull off. But, Emily Henry manages it in Book Lovers.

The writing and humour is both beautiful and atmospheric, as well as laugh-out-loud funny. Emily Henry's ability to write dialogue is second to none, and it establishes the characters and relationships in her books astoundingly effectively. There were points where the dialogue between Nora and Charlie legitimately had me giggling on public buses. And on top of that, Emily Henry delivers heartbreakingly beautiful lines so casually you're struck aback. Her writing is perfect for the genres she writes in, and it just adds to the overall enjoyment and (scary) ease of reading her books.

This book is a must for those who've loved Emily Henry's other works. It is clever, funny, emotional, and written with so, so much love for books. This is one not to miss.

Classic rom-com with a bookish twist!

I read a lot of dark books and occasionally I like to chuck a lighter one in there and this one hit the spot!

Nora is a workaholic literary agent who has a less than successful meeting with editor Charlie, so much so that she can't ever see them working together.
Her little sister is desperate to spend some one-on-one time with Nora before her third baby comes along as the once inseperable pair seem to have grown apart recently. A trip to a quaint little town seems just what they need, but when she bumps into a familiar face, it turns into a very different holiday!

This was a funny and heartfelt read with some great characters. The interplay between the two leads was very well done and I highly recommend if you are in the mood for a non-cheesy rom-com, with the added bonus that it is set in the book world!

I absolutely loved the main characters, Nora and Charlie. Fate intervenes, they fight it and you will have to read the book to see if love conquers all. Their chemistry is heightened and it is such a cute romcom. A great summer read.

What a fun jaunt around publishing and small town America! If you’ve read any other Emily Henry romances then you’ll like this - especially as the protagonist of Book Lovers talks about reading a January Andrews book (from Beach Read), giving us a Henry cinematic universe! Book Lovers is very much an enemies-to-lovers tropey novel though, focusing on literary agent Nora and book editor Charlie, and while it was done super well here I’m a little bit over that as a concept.

This is the best Emily Henry book so far - there I said what I said.

Yes, it's a romance book but is also so much more than that. The romance and sisterhood are almost a sub-plot to Nora's character growth and I'm so here for it. Don't get me wrong... the chemistry between Nora & Charlie is palpable since the prologue, but what I truly loved about this book was the fact that Henry shows us how the past affected how Nora is in the present (how she acts and her priorities), and all the ways that throughout the book she works to overcome it. Nora is complex and deep, yet Charlie can read her like a book (hello pun!) - they're both flawed characters, each with their own past traumas, but the way they compliment each other is just so beautiful and heartwarming. Overall, the characters are beautifully written, and the emotions run deep.

This is the epitome of a comfort book! It's the rom-com movie you watch in the middle of a wintry afternoon, while you're bundled up and cozy in the sofa. So clearly, you need to pick this up!

Nora is a workaholic Literary Agent in New York who has a record of failed relationships. Her sister Libby is happily married with two young children plus one on the way. Nora has always been very protective of her, especially after their mother died, so when Libby says that she wants to spend a few weeks away in a small town Nora agrees to go with her, even though she isn't a fan of small towns.
An interesting twist on the normal Hallmark type trope of someone visiting a small town for business, falling in love with the town and also one of the locals, leaving their partner behind. In this case Nora is the one left behind, so she is really a fish out of water. There is the love interest, naturally, in this case a grumpy book editor that Nora had crossed swords with before. I must admit that I felt more in tune with Libby, I'd struggle with a workaholic, City loving type like Nora. It was an enjoyable book, spicy in places, and I'd definitely read more by this author.
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley, however this did not influence my review of the book.

This was a typical rom com book but will they get their happy ending? Nora is the workaholic sister of Libby, married mum of two. Both girls are still haunted by the death of their mum and both overcompensate in their relationship with each other. Charlie is the typical gorgeous, hot man who has moved, he hopes temporarily, back to his hometown, a true “Hallmark Christmas Movie small town” to help his ageing parents with their home and business. Nora and Charlie try, and semi succeed, fighting the obvious attraction between them. The story that follows is one of sisterly love and secrets, failed first dates, bad food in the local diner, sarcastic and charged conversations all running with the undercurrent of desire. This is I all a funny and uplifting read that should make you smile and maybe even cry a little.

Emily Henry really does no wrong 😂 a bold statement friends, but Book Lovers was such a treat! 😍

The prologue of this book, might just be one of my favourite book openings ever written 😂

Is a book about books a trope? Because I swear it's becoming one of my favourite plot lines!

In true Emily Henry fashion, book lovers is filled with swoon worthy romance and characters who stay with you long after you've turned the last page of the book!

I will admit, Nora was a bit much at times 😅 and I found the fact that libby left her kids for 3 weeks very strange 😬

But other than that, this was a truly delightful read!!!

Thanks so much @penguinukbooks for giving me an eARC of Book Lovers by Emily Henry to review! Out in the UK on the 12th of May!

Review:
The opening of Book Lovers has become one of my favourite book intros ever! I loved how everything was laid out in tropes we romance readers all know and the spin on this that told us exactly who the female main character Nora saw herself as.

Nora is relatable and the love she has for her younger sister is powerful. Their not a bucket list brought a lot of fun into the mix! While there is plenty of romance here the most important love story, in my opinion, was the sisterly love between Nora and Libby with Nora learning to stop being the parental figure.

Fear not though, our romantic lead Charlie is most definitely swoon worthy! The banter between Charlie and Nora was off the charts, their verbal sparring was my favourite element of the book.

Just when I thought I knew where things were going at around 80% I read on and was surprised by the secret which made me really happy because this doesn’t happen often.

Nora was struggling with her mental health and other than a quick line about booking to see a therapist there wasn’t much growth specifically focused on that and calling it what it was. I think this could have been explored more.

For me this was a 4/5🌟 read. The pacing was excellent, Nora stayed true to herself but also had lovely character development, Charlie was a dreamy love interest, and the sibling relationship between Nora and Libby was precious.

Read for:
• New York to Small Town setting 🗽🏡

• Book loving main characters 📖

• Enemies to coworkers to lovers ❤️

• Sisterly love 💕

• A restaurant with an unfortunate name and a worse ‘salad’

• Other businesses with punny names

• Not bucket lists 📝

• Gilmore Girls style town hall meeting

Rating: 4/5🌟
Steam level: 2/5🔥
TW: Greif, previous loss of a parent

I love Emily Henry and her ability to write such lovable but also complex characters. I really appreciated that Nora was a career driven woman who also cared about her family and grew to care about her romantic relationships too. I liked that the sisterly bond played a major role in the story as the focus is usually the mother-daughter bond, so this was refreshing. The pace of the romance was good and I appreciated the touch of spice! The perfect book for summer reading!

Thanks to Netgalley and publishers for an E-arc, in exchange for an honest review.

Admittedly, contemporary romance, ‘chick-lit’ and romance books are not my usual cup of tea (i have read a few here and there) they just don’t inspire me. However, I jumped at the chance to read this book because of rave reviews of Emily Henry’s previous books and even the other pre-publication reviews of Book Lovers.

‘Book Lovers’ by Emily Henry, follows book obsessed (who isn’t) Nora Stephen’s who is a New York literary agent, who goes on holiday with her (pregnant) sister, Libby to a small town in North Carolina, where Nora’s self-proclaimed “professional enemy” happens to be from, ‘Book Lovers’, therefore is a quintessential enemy to lovers story.

Whilst ‘Book Lovers’ was an undeniably enjoyable book, relatively easy to read and well written, it wasn’t a book for me. I think because I’m not a massive fan of romance novels and the often overused tropes, it wasn’t the best book I’ve ever read and in places (mainly the middle third) I hit a reading lull, clearly this book was not for me and that is okay, not every book this. My opinion (personally how I found it) should not detract from the fact it will be an excellent book for those who do enjoy trope-heavy, romance novels (nothing bad about those, just not my cup of tea) and no doubt will be a good seller in terms of contemporary romance and chick lit and is a definitive summer read!

overall, 3.5 rounded to 4.

Emily Henry has easily become one of my favourite romance authors, definitely an auto-buy for me. At this point, I will read everything she writes.
Simply put, I loved Book Lovers. This is the story of city girl and literary agent Nora who gets convinced by her pregnant little sister Libby to go on a sisters getaway to a small town. That's where she bumps into ruthless editor Charlie who didn't make a great first impression when she previously met him. They are thrown to work together on a new book and they soon begin to see they are not so different after all.
The banter between Nora and Charlie made me chuckle and laugh so many times. I also appreciated the sister relationship between Nora and Libby and the explorarion of grief, regret, chasing your dreams.
Such a wonderful story, just made me smile!
So grateful to have received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

'Book Lovers' by Emily Henry brought such a smile to my face. I love that way that Henry tackles romance tropes in a slyly knowing way, meeting them head on and using/ subverting them in a cleverly woven love story. Workaholic agent Nora (yup, named after Nora Ephron...) is persuaded to take a small town holiday by her pregnant sister, some family time before the baby is born. Many a boyfriend in the past has found love in a small town, Nora forever the career go-getting ice woman they leave back in the city for the homely, small town soulmate. She is used to the rejection.

Enter Charlie, an equally cutthroat workaholic editor, a man she has only encountered once at a slightly unpleasant work dinner. In a shocking twist, he is actually a small town guy, present in the tiny vacation town of Sunshine Falls, so much more than the big city slicker he appeared to be. Plus, Nora is breaking all the rules by flirting (and much more) with this man. Would she really move away from New York for Charlie? You will have to read to find out!

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel (as much as Beach Read). The chemistry between the leads was fabulous and there were some laugh out loud moments (I loved the high school production of the book based in Sunshine Falls!), some swoon worthy scenes and a heartfelt exploration of the nature of grief and what it means to be loyal to family. I loved reading this - 5 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher who provided an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Loved this Amazing Book.I’ve read a few by Emily Henry and this is her 3 adult book I loved. The characters had amazing chemistry and the writing style was beautiful written. The story is a epic read you love.
A perfect beach read you love.

thank you a million times to netgalley, penguin general UK and Emily Henry for the arc in exchange for a review!

first of all, just quickly: EMILY FUCKING HENRY!!!!!!!!!!!

thank you.

now onto the review!

very unsurprisingly, I loved it. adored it. devoured it. Emily Henry writes books that fit me like a glove, she's just so insanely fantastic. I loved Nora, I felt like Nora and I could have a three day discussion about being older sisters. I loved how she cared for libby first and foremost and would do whatever it took to see her happy, including going on a random holiday to the middle of nowhere, despite being a city girl through and through. it was lovely to see someone who's seen as a cutthroat shark and the best at what she does, be soft and considerate and kind. often time career women are seen as cold and sad, so it was just so lovely to see her be more 3d, more fleshed out. I also enjoyed the small town trope but then turned on its head by falling for another city boy.

talking of the city boy, my oh my Charlie lastra, you might just take my number one Emily Henry man spot. possibly because I imagined Logan Lerman with that grey streak, just maybe..... anyway, he was sublime, what a man. he genuinely made me tear up near the end and I am just so so so so so so happy he got his happy end.

Emily Henry, I love you. I loved this book. I loved that I completely unsuspectingly got this book through netgalley (I think I wished for it and no wish has ever been granted for me so yeah thanks). and I will love it more when I buy it, reread it and put it on my shelf. (less)