Stuff Christmas, my new favourite time of the year is when Emily Henry releases a new book!

Nora believes that she is the romatic foil. She is the one who gets dumped in order for her boyfriend to have a whirlwind true love romance in a small town (just like the movies). To turn things on their head, Nora along with her sister go on a holiday to a sleepy middle of nowhere town. But guess whose there, Charlie, Nora's worn nemesis in the publishing world - but the more time they spend together they begin to question the nature of their relationship.

Well Emily Henry did it again! What a book! It made me laugh it and it made me cry. (Abeit not as many tears as Beach Read.) I loved the well rounded characters which developed throughout the book and that were believable. The dialogue was well writen and witty and really felt like they were really people.

The only thing with this book is that I couldn't quite believe that Charlie and Nora were ever nemesis. They seemed to fall quite easily into friendship and then something more.

Overall another wonderful book which may make you cry but you will be left with a heart warming ending. I can't wait to see what Emily Henry writes next.

Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin books for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

BOOK REVIEW: Book Lovers by @emilyhenrywrites

5 SPARKLY SHINING STARS!

I didn't start this book thinking it would be one of the most perfect romance books I have ever read, but that is what it is!

I don't want to give away ANYTHING, so I am not going to talk about the storyline but my goodness, this is the most wonderful story! This book is filled to the brim with excellent quotable lines. The humour is beyond anything I have ever read and I rarely laugh out loud at books and yet I was laughing roughly once a page. The wit and sarcasm and snark is genius! Not only is Book Lovers funny but it is also emotional, filled with depth and intrigue that had me gripped. There is also sexy, smouldering moments along with smut that were so hot my kindle nearly caught fire!

To top it off this book holds two of my new favourite romantic characters.
The lead female Nora is fiery, hilarious, smart, loyal and misunderstood. She is damaged yet utterly perfect and I would love to be friends with her. Her smart words and sharp wit is amazing especially when alongside the lead male's matching humour which made for brilliant banter.
I adored the lead male Charlie. He is sexy, smart and a little mysterious. I adored his vulnerability and his open nature when it came to Nora. He is book boyfriend perfection!
I also loved Nora's sister Libby and their incredible sisterhood. They brought even MORE humour to the table but also heartbreak, emotion and love.

Emily Henry has outdone herself. Her writing, storytelling and humour blew me away.
I am writing this review at 4am as I simply could not put this book down. I am over the moon to not only have another favourite ROMANCE book, but favourite book in general.

You NEED this book. Go preorder it now and support this author as it would be a huge mistake not to!

Please note that I was #gifted this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

You know when you have views sitting in your drafts for books that you read in February but they get bumped yet again to share an amazing book? This is the amazing book!

If you've read anything by Emily Henry you'll most probably be a fan already. If not, where have you been? I absolutely adored her first two books and this was no different! It's full of the humour and sass you come to expect of Emily's writing with added layers of depth and emotion.

I loved the characters and the small-town setting of this book, I also loved that both of the main characters worked in publishing and therefore loved books and book references - imagine a love story in a book shop!

I can't recommend this enough! It's out in May so get pre-ordering!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC of 'Book Lovers' by Emily Henry.

I love Emily Henry's work so much, I would absolutely die for her characters. When I started 'Book Lovers', I immediately fell in love with Emily's story telling. From the first person point of view to the beautiful way Emily uses words to make the characters seem realistic, I was immersed in the story of 'Book Lovers'

I am ever so grateful I received this eARC and I just really adored this piece of literature.

I loved this book! It covers everything I’m interested in…… books, books and more books. The premis is fabulous, the characters are wonderful and the witty repartee is amazing. I very rarely laugh out loud when I’m reading, so got a few funny looks from my husband. This is a book with themes of family, place, responsibility and loss, penned with a light hand and a big heart.

If, like me, you’ve ever wondered what a book editor does (don’t writers just write stories they make up and people either like them or they don’t? – sorry, editors), you’ll be educated and appreciative of their work as you read Book Lovers.

Nora and Charlie’s first meeting is, to put it mildly, uncomfortable. When Nora goes on an extended holiday with her sister, Libby, to Sunshine Falls, a small town in North Carolina which was the setting of a best seller by one of Nora’s clients, what do you know? – it so happens that Charlie is in town, too. Being a small town, she can’t avoid him for long…

It’s a ‘hate turns to love’ romance, but there’s so much more to the story than that. Nora’s relationship with Libby and their late mother, and Charlie’s relationship with his parents, contribute to making this a story that touches the heart in unexpected ways.

I was unsure what kind of ending we would get – it could have gone one of several ways and I wasn’t taking anything for granted. I’m glad to say I found it perfectly satisfying.

I absolutely adored Beach Read so was really hoping Book Lovers would do one better, and boy did it! I can tell this is going to be the romance of the summer. It's got everything you want in it: witty conversation, beautifully rich characters, the small-town romance vibe, powerful attraction and, above all, a romance that I was rooting for from the very first chapter. I really love how Nora and Libby's familial relationship roots the whole book too, it gave the story that something extra to make it feel so much more real and interesting rather than constantly just focusing on the couple. I *needed* to know where things were going, rather than just picking the book up out of obligation. Nora is so relatable and one of the funniest characters I've read in a long time. Mega impressed, keep up the great work Emily!

Book Lovers was just a joy to read! I feel like it was a book I could’ve easily torn through in a day if I’d had time to do that. Emily Henry is fast becoming one of my favourite authors - I just feel so uplifted every time I finish one of her books, and that’s exactly what I want tbh! She creates characters and stories with so much heart, and I adore that.

The banter and conversation between Nora and Charlie was so impeccably written, I can’t even put into words how much I loved it. They just bounced off each other so well, going from slightly scorned enemies to pesky annoyance to something else entirely. I also liked that there wasn’t any time wasted with them, no “meet cute” per say , just straight into an almost argument, and then constantly running into one and other.

I really enjoyed the character development when it came to Nora. She’s organised and self-sacrificing to the point of self-destruction, and always ready to give up whatever she can for her sister or anyone else she cares about. But she soon learns that this is an unsustainable way to live and has to change her ways somehow. I love the fact that she learns that, despite the fact she's not a typical "heroine", she's still deserving of love and a fulfilling relationship, just like everyone else is.

This would’ve been a five star rating from me, but I recently read You and Me on Vacation, and that just pipped Book Lovers to the post for me. But I still really enjoyed this book!

Firstly thank you so much Penguin and Netgalley for giving me an opportunity to review Book Lovers by Emily Henry.

I want to preface this also by saying contemporary novels are not my cup of tea but after being bullied into reading Beach Read by a friend I fell head over heels for Emily. And this book! THIS BOOOOOOK!

It's a modern day Elizabeth and Darcy. It's everything I wanted from a book. For a long time, I always wondered what the exes of the love interests in romcoms do. Do they cry? Do they care? Well, not our Nora. She doesn't care. Or at least she thinks she doesn't.

As a "pleasure to teach in class" and also the most stubborn and sore loser out there, seeing Nora and Charlie's romance made my heart soar! Coming off watching the second season of Bridgerton I was hooked. I mean, I need this book more than I need air.

All the stars!

There is absolutely nothing. Nothing at all. Zilch. Zip. Nada. Zero. That I did not like about this book. I, 100% loved it.

Book Lovers is one of those books that we will talk about for years using every superlative. It really, really is that good. It’s imminently re-readable. It’s TikTok worthy perfection in a book.

It isn’t just the love/romance between Nora and Charlie. The way they spark against each other made everything in my house melt. The butter, candles, gold, me - all of it turned to mushy mushness. A puddle of mush. But nope, it isn’t just them that did it for me. Nora’s relationship with her sister Libby was the stuff that siblings should dream of. Nora, ever the protective older sister; Libby the younger one, with the sweet, loving heart.

I want to visit Sunshine Falls and make a list of all the things I want to do and see. I want to go into Poppa Squat and Mug + Shot and Goode Books. I want to laugh about Bigfoot porn. I want to read the ending of a book before the beginning and get all cosy watching a Hepburn marathon (Katherine not Audrey). I want to see a mariachi band on the NY subway. I am so in love with this book.

It’s everything about this book that makes it special.

Oh, Emily Henry, you have outdone yourself here!
Having read Henry's first two releases and thoroughly enjoyed them, I was sure I would like Book Lovers, but I didn't.
I LOVED it!
Let's face it, we're all book lovers over here, and just the title gave me goosebumps. But the whole concept of taking a common trope within the romance genre and having a sceptical literary agent actually living the whole thing out (fictionally, of course!) was sheer brilliance!
So, we have Nora, a hard-working NYC Literary agent with a heap of responsibility on her shoulders, yet she can never find that someone special.
Then there's Charlie, the hotshot editor with a chip on his shoulder and a dislike for a manuscript Nora is presenting to him.
And a best selling book.
Set in a sleepy town,
We also have Libby, Nora's pregnant younger sister, yearning for a little sisterly adventure.
So Nora finds herself in a sleepy little backwater, Sunshine Falls, which also happens to be where the aforementioned best seller is set, with her sister, and a checklist of things to achieve before their month-long vacation is up.
Of course, the checklist involves a little romance and plenty of other things that you might encounter in small-town romances, such as skinny dipping and saving a local business from going under...
Then enter Charlie. Again.
Right. Where do I start?
I was hooked from the off, that's for sure. And when Emily Henry wants to write a little sizzle, boy does she turn up the heat! Subtle but scorching!
All the relationships were written in a way that had me invested in them, from the off, from Nora and Libby to their bond with their mother, and absolutely the chemistry between Nora and Charlie was a slowly simmering pot of emotions that came to a boil in a fantastic manner!
I honestly didn't want it to end!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin for an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion,

As expected I remain an Emily Henry superfan. This was a really great read that balanced fun and seriousness really well. The chemistry between Charlie and Nora was brilliant and I absolutely loved Nora's use of tropes to categorise real life. I don't want to give too much away because I really think it's a brilliant read especially when you only know what's in the copy going into it.

Emily Henry remains in my joint top 3 romcom authors and I can't wait to read whatever she puts out next.

5 stars.
Holy sunshine falls! To say Emily Henry can write is an understatement. This is my first book by her and I was blown away. This book ticked every box- funny, emotional, family orientated, quirky characters and settings and romance.

Nora has priorities in life; Her work and her family and she’ll do anything for them. When she finds herself in a small town far from her beloved NYC and face to face with one of her least favourite colleagues, she discovers a lot about her life and herself, may not be as simple as it seems.

Whilst reading this, it dawned on me why I have to patiently explain the importance of metaphors and similies to my 10 year old, as hers were so original and gut punching. From the simple-
“Charlie, hitting my brain like an Alka-Seltzer tab, dispersing in every direction.”
to
“If I were normal, I might’ve cried. Instead I’d sit there, clutching the vase, and just fucking shake. Like there were emotions deep in me, but too many layers of ash lay over them, deadening them to nothing but a tectonic murmur.”
I believe that’s what elevates Henry’s writing from the masses.
Nothing about this seemed predictable to me and I was totally invested in all of its emotional diversity. It made my gut curl up in sadness and laugh out loud in the next sentence.
This was as much a self-discovery novel as one about romance and I loved that about it.
And the banter….Wow. It was up there with Darcy and Elizabeth, Garrett and Hannah, Josh and Lucy…
I can’t wait to read more from Emily Henry.
Many thanks for the advanced reading copy from Penguin and the Author in exchange for an honest review.

Okay I think I'm officially crowning Emily Henry as my favourite rom-com writer? She writes books with personality, books where the romances feel real and the friendships aren't an afterthought and people behave normally (an underappreciated, but crucial, point for a romance novelist). Yes, her use of metaphors and general descriptions veers between mediocre and pure cringe and yes, there are the usual eye-rolly moments where people have to overcome some inner issue, but her books are so incredibly immersive and addictive, and the romances are always absolutely on point. The chemistry! The chat! The way the relationship builds slowly! I love it. And it really doesn't hinder my obsession that her books so far have catered entirely to my own hopes and dreams: being a writer (Beach Read), love of travel (You and Me on Vacation), working in publishing (Book Lovers – although I think editorial is the least interesting department so I would like other publishing rep pls and thank u)

This is not an actual review, more just a list of the vibes I enjoyed, but I don't think I need to explain the plot of Book Lovers too much: it's about Nora, cutthroat agent, and Charlie, hotshot editor, and what happens when they meet by chance in a small town in North Carolina. I've seen it described as enemies-to-lovers which I really think is stretching the brief: they have one meeting where Nora thinks he's a bit rude, but they're entirely amicable (read: flirty) when they meet again and it's obvious they fancy each other from the beginning. Enemies-to-lovers? I don't really think so. But anyway: their chemistry is amazing, their conversations are so quippy and fun, and I absolutely adored them as a couple. I loved the affectionate skewering of small-town romances (as a city gal I am 100% on Nora's side), the excellent dialogue, and the strong Nora Ephron vibes from the New York scenes (v v keen for Emily to write a full New York rom-com now). Plus, all the editorial back-and-forth made me desperate to have a published novel – even though the novel Nora and Charlie are editing sounds absolutely dire, just like January's book in Beach Read.

Book Lovers was never going to have my full heart, firstly because You and Me on Vacation is unbeatable for me; secondly because, the prose did feel a little weak; and thirdly, because no matter how self-aware a book is, it's unlikely that a commercial novel set in a small town is ever going to be a favourite of mine. But I loved Nora and Charlie, I did not want to put this down, and I already know I'll be rereading this at some point.

This was a lovely but slow to read. About two sisters and the burden the older one felt after their mother died. I learnt about how editors work. It was set in America.and but sadly did not set me on fire. It had a love element and lovely book shop..

Sometimes is hard to review a book because you barely have anything to say about it. This review isn't one of those. This is the one where I try to fit all my thoughts and feelings in a review that doesn't end up being as long as the book I talk about.

I think it's fair to say that "Book lovers" caught me by surprise. I expected a cute little romance to read in between all the other huge books I always have on my TBR. And it was that, sure. But then it was also a lot more.

Any genre is full of tropes. We like some and hate others, but they are always there. Romance tends to look like a genre that has more because it is a part of most genres. You can have romance elements in a fantasy book or a comedy, for example. Also, we tend to see them in movies as well, which makes them so present in the media we consume, that it's hard to avoid. Therefore, trying to play around with those tropes sounded like a great premise for this book.
At the beginning of it, we get the explanation that this isn't the book about the man or woman who goes to a small town and meets their perfect match and leaves everything behind...including their partner. We normally see this as good, because we root for the couple, and forget about the people those characters were in a relationship with. Often, the authors demonize those partners so we don't feel so bad about it. And this is the story of one of those horrible cold career-obsessed female characters that are left behind when their boyfriends meet the perfect woman.

This little strategy allowed us to see a different side of certain characters, which I appreciated in general. But what I loved the most was the character of Nora. Finally, in a romance book, there was someone like me. Minus the being dumped by dudes because they met a cute baker in a small town.
The way Nora was portrayed as just a human being was so beautiful to read to me. So many other women who maybe share personality traits with this type of character will also appreciate certain themes mentioned in this book so much. I don't normally highlight phrases when I read on my kindle, but this time I couldn't stop myself. I'll have a blast when I reread the physical copy and get to tab almost every page.

Romance has been seen for a long time as a very specific type of genre. Often criticized for the message it might send to the readers. For that, authors have tried (not always successfully) to add more feminist messages or they have "made the effort" of including different ages, races or sexual orientations in their books. But it often feels forced and at the end of the book, we realize it still is the same story we've read before. With this book, I love that the messaging was just included through the experiences the characters went through, And even the moments that could feel more like "preaching" still didn't because it sounded like something that would be said at that moment. Or at least it did to me. And the care put to mention certain topics that affect me more was one of the reasons why I felt that way.
So many books try to talk about the career centred woman that doesn't want kids and so many fail to do it respectfully. What Nora expressed in this novel is how I feel. It's how many friends of mine feel. It wasn't a message with any hatred on it, it was just exposed as another option.
She also gets told she doesn't have feelings, but then Charlie hits the nail on the head saying that it isn't that she doesn't care, it is that she cares too much. And I 100% relate to that. That scene brought me to tears because if anyone says that's not realistic, I'll have to invite them to live my life for a couple of days. It's very real.

Moving on a little bit from all the more personal reasons why I adore this book and now have it as part of my top 5 books ever read, I want to mention the trope it follows: enemies to lovers.
This is a well-loved trope, for a reason. But very hit or miss for me. I cannot imagine myself falling for someone I truly hated. People love the angst, but I feel like it's too much sometimes. In this case, it was just two people who thought they disliked each other. That I can appreciate. For sure.

And finally, let's mention the ending. As I said before, we see a lot of romance books trying new things, pretending to be more modern or progressive (whatever buzzword you enjoy using more), but then end up doing the same as every other book. I feared that could happen with this book and I'm happy to report it didn't.
As always, the ending won't be perfect for everyone but it was literally what I wanted to see happening when I was at about the 60% mark. So when I read the final pages and realized it was what I wanted, I could not be happier. Perfect ending for an almost perfect book.

Saying that I recommend this book is a bit of an understatement. So rather than saying that, I'll go check the rest of this author's books. I have a feeling I won't be disappointed by those.

This was a book that really grew on me as I read, falling in love with the characters at every page turn. A really beautiful story. Highly recommended.

Nora is a cutthroat literary agent who lives for three things: her little sister, work, and New York City, though not necessarily in that order.

Charlie is an editor who has an eye for the next best seller. He also happens to be Nora's work nemesis with very attractive eyebrows.

Nora's sister, Libby manages to convince Nora to trade in her work heels, desk, and blood lust for a good contract to escape to Sunshine Falls, North Carolina - a small town straight out of a romance novel. But Nora keeps bumping into Charlie - and he is really getting under Nora's skin.

This book was a fun little escape, perfect to read for a holiday or during a rainy afternoon. There was just the right amount of spice and I enjoyed that there was more going on with Nora than just being a jilted ex-girlfriend whose main commitment is to her work. Charlie is a great male lead and I also enjoyed his motivations and what made him tick.

Henry is a champion at fast paced, witty dialogue and I really enjoyed the tete-a-tete between the two main characters. All of the secondary characters were fleshed out as well. This is a romance novel with some substance so I do recommend it!

The insight into the world of publishing is the least obvious thing in this novel. It is cute, but so full of stereotypes that half would have been enough. I think that the author was aware of this, because she was the first to mention them, but although at the beginning it was fun, in the long run boredom took over. Besides that, Charlie and Nora have a good chemistry, but they are so overwhelmed by little problems that they don't realize they are exaggerating on the "insurmountable difficulties" side of living together in the city.

Lo spaccato sul mondo dell'editoria é la cosa meno ovvia di questo romanzetto. Caruccio per caritá, ma cosí pieno di stereotipi che la metá sarebbe bastata. Non a caso credo che l'autrice ne fosse proprio consapevole, perché era la prima a citarli, ma nonostante all'inizio fosse anche divertente, sulla lunga distanza la noia ha un po' preso il sopravvento. A parte questo Charlie e Nora hanno anche una buona chimica per caritá, ma sono cosí sommersi da piccoli problemi che non si rendono conto di stare esagerando sul versante: "difficoltá insormontabili" per vivere assieme a NY.

Emily Henry is an auto buy author for me, and Book Lovers is no exception to that rule. This book is a delight from start to finish - Nora is a cut throat literary agent who never lets anyone get close to her. Charlie’s an editor who’s best described as frosty. And despite their differences they are hot for each other. There’s just the small problem of Nora’s sister Libby, and the issues she won’t talk about, and the fact that Charlie’s stuck in the small town he grew up in. Nora belongs in the city, Charlie can’t go back there. So there’s no real point in their romance even starting. Is there?

This book hits all the key moments of a good romance trope, just with a tinge of subversion. I loved it.