Emily Henry is one of my favourite authors. She has a real gift for creating wonderful, relatable characters and fabulously funny stories. Book Lovers is her best novel yet.

Nora is a literary agent often compared to a shark. Charlie is an editor with a publishing house and is Nora's Nemesis after he turned down one of Nora's authors who went on to become a bestseller. The bestselling book in question was a feel-good story set in a small town called Sunshine Falls. For a treat, Nora's sister suggests they take a holiday there but it soon becomes apparent that the Sunshine Falls in real life is not remotely like the one in the book. To make matters worse, everywhere Nora goes she bumps into Charlie. What on earth is HE doing in Sunshine Falls? And is Nora's sister being entirely honest about the reason that they're here too...?

In Book Lovers, Emily Henry takes the popular 'Small Town Romance' trope and pays affectionate homage to it. If you've ever watched one of those Hallmark/Netflix movies where the heroine, a confirmed city girl, ends up in a rural town where she meets a handsome farmer/vet/carpenter, you will have fun spotting the references and enjoying the in-jokes. Book Lovers also has an enemies-to-lovers trope (which I love), so there is lots of fabulously funny dialogue between the lead characters. I adored Nora, who is such a refreshing heroine, much misunderstood by everyone, including her own sister, but I LOVED Charlie, who is a complete sweetheart.

Book Lovers is clever, romantic and brilliantly funny. It would suit fans of modern romantic comedy and authors such as Mhairi McFarlane and Beth O'Leary. One of my favourite reads this year. I absolutely loved it!

Thank you to Emily Henry and Viking (Penguin) for my copy of this book, which I requested via NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily.

This book was so good and I cried so much at the end!

I was a little concerned I wouldn't like it in the beginning but then it just blew me away. Charlie and Nora were so good together and they were both such loveable characters.
Also the ending! So happy it wasn't the typical romance book ending and it's definitely up there with PWMOV of my favorite romances ever!

i LOVED this book so much! I fell in love with the characters and the story and I’ve rushed trough it to get to know everything about it. Definitely my favorite Emily Henry book, it just felt right from start to finish.

~Thanks to NetGalley, Penguin Publishers and the author for giving me this e-arc in exchange for an honest review~
Now, where do I start? Or better, where do I stop? Where do I stop gushing about about a book that surpassed my expectations by light years?????

When I saw that there was new EH book in the works- a love story of two ppl who love books with the title ‘Book Lovers’, I immediately requested an ARC. This is my third EH book and I’ve read all of her releases since 2020. I loved Beach Read, loathed/was let down by PWMOV and so going into this, I only said- I don’t need u to be 5/5 stars, just don’t be a waste of my time. AND IT DIDN’T DISAPPOINT ME.

Throughout the book, my mental rating never went below 4 stars. The story starting from the prologue is damn good- it lays bare the small town romance tropes, it introduces a heroine that’s not the heroine of the tropes we just talked about and a hero who matches the heroine in her reputation of being scary. Their nicknames in publishing industry just made me think that we could’ve named this as The Romance of SharkGirl and StormBoy- in case, you didn’t catch the ref(due to not wasting your time as a kid on shitty movies), I referenced The adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl.

Nora and Charlie have an absolutely electrifying chemistry(a very different kind of chemistry from the one January and Gus had iirc)- That sassy backforth, delicious banter with healthy doses of caring for each other, tenderness, some sweet clichés, etc…so good. Their conversing through emails reminded me of my days using emails to chat with my friends instead of the usual social media(we were just bored lol)- it made me simultaneously nostalgic and regretful at the same time that I didn’t get to banter-flirt like this with hot guy whose energy matches my ‘nightmare brain’(“I love your nightmare brain”- that would’ve been a top tier compliment to me, *sighs*).

EH’s writing is really good. She can WRITE characters. The only other relationship that got a significant pagetime- the relationship of Nora and her sis- was well done too. The rest of the supporting characters weren’t always the best- some leaned too far into their stereotypes- but it didn’t bother that much ‘coz I was so consumed by everything that was MC related. Nora and Charlie were really well-developed protagonists and ones that entered my fav couple lists right when they started bantering with each other.

Overall, it was such a fun book to read(I binge read it), there were some heavier moments sprinkled through but they didn’t weigh the og rom-com plot down by much. This is definitely one of my favourite books that I read this year. Looking forward to reading more books by EH <3

🚨OUT TODAY 🚨⁣
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A book about BOOK LOVERS… Sign me up 🙌🏻 This one has been on my most anticipated 2022 reads list, because ofc Emily Henry is an auto buy author for me 🤩⁣
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A book about sisters (one is a literary agent) with a bucket list, and small town love 💕 BOOK LOVERS takes us on a fun ride, but also perfectly interweaves some important topics such as grief and PTSD without being *too* heavy. Pick up ASAP if you love:⁣
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📚 Bookish characters ⁣
😂 Fun and witty⁣
👯‍♀️ Friendship⁣
🛣 Self discovery⁣
💘 Romance (Enemies to lovers trope)

The opening prologue of this book is a snapshot into the as-yet-unexplored forgotten woman: the city girl who gets dumped for a country girl when the romantic lead male has his Hallmark-movie epiphany. And that was all it took to hook me.

Full disclosure: I did NOT like Beach Read. Like, honest to god verging on hate. So, my hopes were a little low when I picked up this one and it meant I could be joyously surprised when I started reading.

This is the kind of book that you just get completely lost in. It follows sisters Nora (named for Nora Ephron) and Libby, the former being a workaholic with an iPhone attached to her hand and never seen without a pair of heels. She gets dragged on a vacation to a tiny town in North Carolina, only to meet her nemesis there. And, obviously, they fall in love. Not since Kate and Anthony has enemies to lovers really been 'dammit they're already in love, just kiss already'.

I loved this book. Like, loved it so much I couldn't wait to pick it back up again so I could read about Nora and Charlie and listen to all their incredible back-and-forths. Also the steamy scenes were written so brilliantly - they're not the most explicit explicit (we're not talking Sylvia Day explicit), but they conjure up a super erotic vibe that'll make you hot under the collar.

Above all, it's sweet, charming, occasionally heartbreaking and the perfect read to bring a little brightness to darker days. Also - we're adapting this into a movie, right? Right, Emily? RIGHT?

This book had me up giggling at 3am. I shouldn't have expected any less from a story where both protagonists are book lovers but the banter was UNMATCHED. The banter in this book was not only impeccable between our two love interests but in most familial relationships, I absolutely adored Nora and Libby as sisters.

Perhaps Charlie was able to melt Nora's ice heart a little fast for my preference but what else is a romance book supposed to do other than immerse you in a world full of swoon, something that Emily Henry nails right on the head. As a new Emily Henry fan I'll be off to purchase the rest of her books.

Emily Henry did it again. Book Lovers is everything I could have expected from her, and more. We have the brooding yet undeniably talented editor, and the workaholic, cutthroat literary agent. Their banter is spot on, it’s snarky, easy, sarcastic and everything I want to have.

AND IT JUST WORKS. Yes, it’s predictable at times, but in a way that doesn’t matter. I was constantly trying to hold in my excitement from the moment I read the first sentence. Henry knows how to craft characters you feel for, people you can relate to and ultimately scream and cry about. I will read everything this woman ever writes.

What I love about her writing is that while it centres around romance, there are other elements to the story. The characters have depth, the female characters aren’t just women who have no other personality than being pretty. I detest romance novels with shallow, fabricated characters who only find each other attractive, but Nora and Charlie are so much more than that. You can feel their attraction, you can see how similar they are, and you understand why they fit perfectly together.

Nora Stephens is neurotic, a control-freak who loves lists and order, but she is both feared and adored by her clients, because she’s great at her job. Having control means safety, even if it labels her as unlikable and boring. As for Charlie, you would think that he’s just a misunderstood Holden Caulfield, but of course not, he’s perfect. I’m obsessed.

Did this book make me scream from despair due to the fact that I’ll never find something like this? Yes. Was it worth it? Absolutely. You already know I will be rereading it when my physical copy comes.

This book was SO good. But what else would you except if the book was called Book Lovers and it was written by Emily Henry. ❤ I devoured the book in two nights (because unfortunately I had to work during the days) and laughed out loud so many times!

The dialogue was top-notch and hilarious. There were lots of wonderful book and movie references. The book was both touching and sweet and gave me all the feels. It was a love story, about books, family, New York City, small towns and finding your place in the world. I laughed, and I cried, and I loved every single page.

Nora Stephens is a hard-working literary agent and she knows all about books and tropes. She also knows that in her own story she is not the sweet heroine but the distant, workaholic city dweller the hero always dumps when he falls in love with a small town girl. However, when her sister Libby asks her to go on a sisters' trip to the small town of Sunshine Falls, North Carolina, Nora agrees to go, because her little sister means more to her than anything. While in North Carolina she also agrees to work on editing a book with Charlie Lastra, a dark, annoying and brooding book editor who she keeps bumping into. A few weeks in North Carolina and then she and Libby will go back home, where they belong. She's got this, like she always does.

I have already posted reviews on Instagram and Goodreads, and I just had to buy the paperback copy as soon I was able to here in Finland. If ever there was a five-star read then this novel surely is one!

Nora's sure she's never meant to be the main character in her story. She's the woman men date before they meet the loves of their lives, in quaint romantic little towns, somewhere Nora, who is a city girl at heart, would never fit in. When her sister begs her to take some time off work and visit Sunshine Falls, the small town one of Nora's authors set her last book in, the last thing she expects is to run into Charlie, an editor who didn't make the best first impression on her, but no matter where she goes in the town she can't seem to escape him. Nora's not sure of anything, her feelings for Charlie, or the weird way her sister has been behaving, but she knows one thing. It's way past time she become the main character in her own story, and she will do whatever it takes to get her happy ending.

A romance book about two people in publishing falling in the tropiest of love... you can be absolutely sure that I adored this book, and one big reason for that was the characters. Nora is the Ice Queen, the workaholic, the person who never has time for a social life. At least that's what people assume, but deep down Nora is just afraid, afraid of giving too much of herself up, afraid of having her heart broken again, afraid of loosing those closest to her. She goes on one hell of an emotional journey throughout this book and, as much as I loved the romance arc ( and boy did I love it), I also loved how the author allowed Nora to have a personality and story line separate to that. She is someone dealing with immense trauma that has never had the chance to really talk it, out or express how she feels and I LOVED seeing how her relationship with Charlie, their similarities, meant that she could finally open up to someone about how she felt.

As well as a fab MC, Book Lovers has a standout cast of side characters, my favourites being Libby, Nora's little sister, and Charlie the love interest. Libby and Nora's relationship was hilarious, heartwarming, but also incredibly emotional. Filled with resentment neither were really aware of, and a lot of un-dealt with trauma from their childhood. Seeing their relationship change throughout the story was special, and I loved that the author allowed this to develop alongside the romance, without the romance completely taking over. Charlie was another special character, and not only because he wasn't just the 'love interest' he had issues of his own that Henry allowed to take up space in the story, and used to show the similarities between himself and Nora, how their pasts could help them be together in the present. They are both incredibly family oriented, both willing to give up the things they love for their families, and I loved seeing them being able to put themselves first for once in their lives,

The romance was spicy in all the best ways, filled with tension and completely trope filled, but with Henry making this about publishing professionals it added a kind of humorous edge to the story. Nora openly talks about tropes throughout the story, how they relate to her and her romantic life and I had to giggle at some of her thoughts. But as well as being tension filled, it was also an incredibly emotional read, something I wasn't quite expecting going in but it added a depth to the story, and as much as I enjoyed the carefree and fun parts of the romance, I also enjoyed seeing the characters get to open up to each other, share their insecurities and the parts about themselves they don't like, seeing them come to realise that those are the parts that make them special, worthy.

If I had one issue with this book it would be the pacing, it was long for a romance, which is fine because, like I said, we got the extra character development as well as the chance to focus on things other than the romance. But I did feel there were parts that dragged on a little too much, and some parts that were overly repetitive. As a whole tough, I adored this book. Book Lovers is the perfect book for... well, Book Lovers. It's fun, flirty, steamy but also manages to pack an emotional punch and I will definitely be checking out Henry's other works.

I read this in one sitting. I loved it. This has everything you could want in an adult contemporary romance. I cried, I laughed, I basically had all the feels. I did think the beginning was a bit rushed and that the pacing was weird for almost a third of the book. Also, the way Nora and Charlie went from animosity to friendship was too quick for their personalities, but since this is a romance and they were so cute together, I can easily forgive that. Apart from the romance, which was very sweet, Libby and Nora’s relationship was one of my favorite things in this book and I loved how much impact and importance it had in the plot. Overall, this was a great book. Fast-paced and fun, and meaningful in all the best ways.

I want to shove everyone aside, climb up the stage, snatch the mic, and make everyone thank Emily Henry for writing this masterpiece.

Book Lovers is unlike anything else and whether you’re a true book lover or not, this book is exactly what you need.

Nora Stephens is not your typical heroine. In a romance novel she would be assigned the role of the ice cold, career focused city girl. The one that’s not one of the guys, not laid back, nor swooning the hero over to change their life and to finally settle down. When her sister takes Nora up to a trip, she keeps running into Charlie Lastra, who is not at all the typical local lumberjack/hot doctor/sexy bar tender, as one might expect from all the romance novels. So, which trope do we apply on them?

Charlie and Nora’s chemistry, wit, and banter is out of the world. It was so snarky and hilarious, I laughed the whole time. At one point I laughed so hard, tears streamed down my face, and the lady sitting next to me asked which book I was reading so she could read it too (true story!)

I loved how Book Lovers was set up. How it took all the typical romance tropes, shook them up, adjusted them, and made them even better. It was an original, bold approach, well executed, and just everything we didn’t know we needed. How come no one ever thought of doing this before?

Anyhow, I particularly loved the first half of the book, which was lighthearted, hilarious, and fun. The latter half was remarkable for diving more into the characters, and heavier topics such as grieve and sense of belonging. It gave the novel some wonderful depth, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Book Lovers gets a top spot in all the end-of-year-rankings.

Nora Stephens is a city slicker through and through. She's someone who feels the weight of her responsibilities, and needs to be in control. She's a fixer: she does a lot of client hand holding, and just goes beyond to make sure everything goes smoothly.
Unable to refuse anything to her sister Libby, Nora accepts to go on a month-long trip away from the city. She does not expect to find Charlie Lastra in Sunshine Falls, the editor she once had a disastrous professional meeting with, but who made an impression ofc.
Charlie is utterly adorable. He's so much like Nora that he's probably the only person that absolutely understands her. I couldn't get enough of every interaction between Nora and Charlie. They were quick-witted and absolutely fantastic (Emily Henry writes A++++ smart, quick banter). I don't know how to explain it, but Henry writes these longing feelings between her characters that feel so warm and gooey and just pinch your heart. I love it!
As Nora explains in the book, a really good novel just makes you forget the whole outside world. That's what Book Lovers did to me, and I LOATHED having to leave Nora and Charlie to go socialise with non-fictional people.
Emily Henry does not write simple stories, she gives her readers an ✨experience✨. Her writing does things to me. I found myself sometimes clutching my chest, sometimes with my hands on my cheeks from how utterly adorable I find Charlie Lastra and Nora Stephens, and how into this story I was. I was smiling so much through a good chunk of it that people must have wondered what I was smiling about.
Hands down one of my favorite reads of 2022.
Thank you to Penguin Random House and the author for an advanced copy of Book Lovers through Netgally UK. All opinions are my own.

Book Lovers was one of my most anticipated releases of 2022, and I’m glad to say that I was not disappointed. This book is a breath of fresh air in terms of contemporaries. It takes all of the well-known romance tropes and reintroduces them as something completely new.

In a traditional contemporary Nora would be the villain’s girlfriend, as she even says at the beginning of the book. However, as we all know being ambitious and hardworking doesn’t make you an ice queen, and Nora proves this over and over again. I had literal tears in my eyes when I was reading about how much she cares about her younger sister, Libby. Though I have to admit that Libby irritated me at times with her disregard for Nora’s feelings. Charlie was an unusual love interest, and I have to admit that he grew on me. At first, I wasn’t convinced I liked him, but as the book progressed I found myself rooting for him. I really enjoyed how neither Nora nor Charlie was interested in moving to the countryside, even though the book definitely made me want to live in a small town in the United States.

I absolutely loved the banter in this book and on more than one occasion it had me crying while laughing. The comic situations were literally perfect, such as a certain first date.

The only thing I didn’t like was the epilogue, but I usually hate epilogue anyways. Of course, there were some small aspects that I didn’t like, but they didn’t influence my feelings about this book.

"You are in books. Of course you don't have a life...There is alawys something too good to read"

"Sometimes, even when you start with the last page and you think you know everything, a book finds a way to surprise you."

I loved this book as much as I like reading and I like books. I love the connections were made during this wonderful reading. I also laugh at some scenes. The chapters were long but I loved anyway. Publishing and editing world seems quite difficult but if you enjoy it, it must brings you many sattisfactions. In these book was all about love, love for books and love for family. A vacation escape turn to something more, discovering new possibilities and so much more. I loved this book so much.


"If anyone could be enough" I say, " I think i might be you"


"I love you"

"I love you too"

"I know... I can read you like a book"

Thank you Phrinteenational, Penguin international and Nwtgalley for the arcs

From the very first page, this book had me in hysterics. The prologue reminded me exactly why I love Emily Henry so much: she’s goddamn hilarious.

This book is so clever. It basically calls out the predictability and ridiculousness of small town romance books while also being a small town romance book itself. I don’t know how Emily makes it charming but she does - creative genius.

Nora really reminded me of myself at times; particularly when speaking/thinking about her self esteem and worthiness (which I’m sure we can all relate to at times). Unlike Nora, I don’t have a Charlie who will act as my own personal cheerleader. The way he spoke to Nora and tried to boost her self-esteem was so beautiful.

Charlie and Nora were made for each other. They kept pushing each other away and I just wanted to scream at them “you shouldn’t waste that kind of a connection!”.

I don’t know if I was overly emotional but I just couldn’t stop crying the whole way through. It was mainly happy tears because the sad parts were rare, but that didn’t stop my tear ducts.

I felt really protective of all the characters so perhaps that’s why. Or maybe it’s just Emily’s incredible writing.

The sisterly bond between Nora and Libby is also something I can relate to (starting to wonder whether Nora is actually me in another life…?). It felt like the focus of the book was more on the sisters and their determination to get back to the way they used to be, rather than the romance. It didn’t bother me, and I actually enjoyed it more because of this.

This book was so amazing and wonderful that I nearly didn’t study for any of my exams. I also think this book is a lucky charm, because after reading it, I found out I passed two tests and I was sure I failed. I was also reading this while watching my school's musical Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I would like to confirm that they contrasted beautifully(this has minimal relevance but ill state it anyway).

This book was one of the most enjoyable and gorgeous things I've read this year. I loved the never ending book name drops.

Charlie is my darling boy that I really want to squeeze into a tight hug.
Both Charlie and Nora deserve better from everyone and everything because the world was playing games with them for way too long.

5 stars all up and I want to cry a small laugh and I don't know where to start.
I was invited to read a free e-ARC of Book Lovers by Emily Henry through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine.

I genuinely can't pinpoint a single thing I disliked about this book. This is my first book of Henry's (regrettably) but my love for this has filled me with a desire to read everything else she's written. The Hallmark inspiration is unmissable, and in part is what really solidified my love for this story and the characters who found a home within it. Hallmark movies are some of my favourite romcoms to watch, and this took things you expect right off the screen and put them on page amongst some of the best writing I've read in a long time. The character development, their chemistry and most importantly, the relationships with family and friends outside of the relationship really did so much for me. I said that if this wasn't a review copy I wouldn't want to finish it just so I never had to watch it end, a sentiment shared within the novel, and I stand by it. This was the kind of book you just can't put down, that has you sobbing from joy as you witnessed the ending these characters deserved, and one that simply demands to be reread again and again, to experience the love and family and beauty of it all.

I have just finished 'Book Lovers' and I want to read it again from the very beginning!.
Great characters, sharp wit, tongue in cheek and a sizzling romance.
Read it, you will not be disappointed.

Thank you for the opportunity to review this book.

It’s funny that I got approved to review it, as my impatience for a new Emily Henry book knows no bounds and I had already purchased it before my netgalley email came through. And let me tell you. I have zero regrets. This was hands down my favourite Emily Henry book so far, and possibly my favourite book of 2022 so far.

Things I loved:
- Both leads were such snarky, sassy grumps and I loved them. It is really refreshing when you have leads that aren’t all sickly sweet!
- Emily Henry took the sharp dialogue and banter between the leads to a whole other level. Better than PWMOV. I legit snorted my cup of tea up my nose laughing.
- Usually I get frustrated with lots of push-pull/will-they-won’t-they, but I found the tension in this book simply delicious.
- And in amongst all the entertainment, there was so much emotion and love. What it means to care for family. What you’re willing to give and give up. I cried some messy tears at 1.30am (yes I read it in one sitting between 9pm-1.30am - I will never learn not to start books after 9…)

The only thing that I had reservations about was the time frame- it felt very fast for two people to fall so deeply, but I’m willing to look past it because I enjoyed it so much.

There isn’t really much else to say. Go and buy Book Lovers and get lost in some Nora/Charlie snark! So so good.