This book turned out to be a total surprise!
This is my first by Emily Henry and I confess that I struggled to get through the opening chapters.
The main character was not likeable or sympathetic and I didn't believe that she worked as a literary agent.
In fact, she was ridiculous, shallow, pompous about romance fiction and egocentric. How many boyfriends had dumped her? Really?
Don't come to this book if you are looking for a page-turning read!
It's not a good sign when I am scrolling pages of detailed text description and dialogue that went on for pages on the same topic told in different ways.
But I stuck with it, and once the action moved to the small town, the dynamic with her sister and the close cast in this community emerged from the dense text, and I could see why the opening set-up and over-the-top self-absorbed angst had been so laborious.
There are also some moments of genuine emotional depth and revelations.
This is an unconventional love story that makes the characters work hard against their limiting beliefs to get to the happy every after that flips the opening premise about relationships on it' s head.

This was perfection. Witty, charming and romantic, this is the story of Nora, a literary agent with a fearsome reputation. Nora is a high flyer, a New York native who never wants to be anywhere else. Her work and her sister are her life, which is a good job, because her romantic life is a bin fire.

Nora is the woman in the romance novels who always gets jilted for the home spun, country loving girl and she's sick of it. To add to her woes, her heavily pregnant sister is behaving weirdly and she is at loggerheads with editor, Charlie Lastra over one of her authors.

Nora likes to tackle her problems head on and when her sister suggests that they take a month away on holiday to reconnect, in a small town made famous by Nora's oldest client, Nora jumps at the chance. There is a holiday bucket list and Nora and Libby start to tick things off until things get complicated when they bump into Charlie again.

This is gorgeous. It makes gentle fun out of the book business and the tropes of romantic fiction whilst all the while remaining true to them and offering us a glorious romance. I loved it.

This is a book I wished i had written. It has so much to say about writing, the quality of text, the content, the flow of the storyline and more.
I realise i know little about editing novels (only academic articles), or the work of an agent, and so cannot verify the accuracy of that element. But it rang true enough, as the author will know this aspect well enough for the vast majority of readers.
It was humorous not rollicking funny in incidents, but the jacket over states this element. What it does do, is to take the trope of the small town USA and tell it closer to what is likely to be the truth.
But bookstores are tricky businesses to run and make a profit in this digital age, and i wouldn't take one on, but they are part of the trope - see the bucket list of activities for further elements.
So, while this author is honest about stories she does manage a, slightly, unexpected ending.

I just adore this book. It just made me feel everything.
I love the Love this book has.
Sister love, romance love, family love. It is just right.
It has perfect amount of everything.
I love that the hero/heroine are smart and funny.

Emily Henry just did it again. I thought that nothing would be better that Beach Read, but I was wrong.

I just loved Nora. Yes, I know that she thinks that she is not the main character in her own life, but she is. And Charlie. How sweet is he?!

This is sooooo good, so good. 5 stars.

Oh, my gosh, I was completely undone by this book! It was so beautiful. I'm so grateful to have had the opportunity to read it.

The setting, the banter, the relationships, the expressions of love for books, everything was just fabulous.

Book Lovers is more like Beach Read so if you enjoyed that you will likely enjoy this one but let me tell you, Book Lovers is better.

Book Lovers takes the smalltown romance trope and flips it for the city people without losing any of the magic. We still get the quirks and jokes that you'd expect from something like Gilmore Girls but also the style and energy of something like Sex and the City (minus the sex talk).

As with Henry's other books, there's a focus on familial relationships and how the pain from our youth influences our decisions as adults. It was an absolute joy to go on this journey with these characters as they overcame their issues without compromising who they intrinsically are.

And the love story? Oh, the love story is one of the most beautiful I have ever read. Probably the most beautiful! I honestly can't think of one I prefer.

I mentioned this above but I just want to say again, the banter in this is fabulous. Reminiscent of Lorelai and Rory in Gilmore Girls.

I think this may be my favourite romance I've ever read. I never wanted it to end, I wanted to live inside it forever.

"Some books you don’t read so much as live, and finishing one of those always makes me think of ascending from a scuba dive. Like if I surface too fast I might get the bends."

This quote is talking about a book within the book but it also absolutely applies to this story for me.

First off the enemies to lovers banter was just delicious, first class, would read pages of it. Second, Nora was so immediately spiky yet loveable, I really enjoyed watching her open up, whilst also never compromising who she was and what she wanted. It's always so refreshing to read romances about child-free career women where they tumble headfirst into love but it doesn't change their ambition. I loved this about Nora.

And finally Charlie, who has my heart forever, who was funny and sweet and sassy and slightly socially awkward, all my top things to love in a fictional hero.

Overall I adored this, and I know I'll come back to it time and time again.

Okay, apologies in advance to anyone who dislikes gushy reviews, but I am not going to be able to control myself with my review of Book Lovers. I actually don’t even want to try! It’s just the perfect read for anyone who loves the enemies to lovers or small town romance tropes.

I would argue, it’s also perfect for anyone with a love of books. You get bookish locations, bookish banter,literary references, insights into the background of publishing, a charming book shop, and flaming hot spicy scenes in a library.

Once again, Emily Henry has created a masterpiece in sassy banter, delicious anticipation and tension and super hot spice between her characters. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough and yet, I didn’t want to finish the book and it be over. So good was the writing, that I even wanted to read the fictional book they were working on. I also really appreciated the authentic, palpable portrayal of anxiety too.

I loved this book, full volume. As Charlie might say, Book Lovers gave me last page ache. I am sad to leave Nora and Charlie’s world behind, but oh so glad I read it. Emily Henry is now a “no brainer” author for me - I don’t even need a blurb, I will read anything she writes.

Thanks to Emily Henry, Penguin Viking and NetGalley for the opportunity to review an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

This book had me gripped from the start. It is charismatic, hilarious and a perfect feel-good summer read. I couldn’t put it down. The “enemies to lovers” is a classic trope that fuelled the feel-good element, however it wasn’t clear why she “hated” him - their banter and flirting was pretty much from the beginning so it didn’t stand to reason why she had negative feelings after the later explored aversion to work romance. It is filled to the brim with tropes and that’s what makes it fun - it is lighthearted, well balanced and filled me with utter joy. I felt at home with Nora. There were layers that I really enjoyed - the start of a book beginning the actual book and the closing of the book with the end of the actual story. It wove together so beautifully at the end, and there were some unexpected tears from me!

📚 r e v i e w 📚

It is a truth universally acknowledged that emily henry is a gift to the romance genre. I am in love with this book. This is it guys, i finally settling down. I am going to marry this book and raise a family of little books. Emily henry has my whole heart.

I love a book that doesnt take itself too seriously and by god i feel seen by all the calling out of typical romance tropes and more than that, I love a romance with substance. Booklovers is a story about books, love, families, sacrifice, at its heart it is a romance but it is so much more than that. Charlie and Nora might just be the best couple I’ve read about for ages.

The banter was a work of art i long for someone i can banter with ala charlie and nora like seriously, keep your small town romances give me someone who can answer back.

Also, how was it so steamy even before the actual steam?! Genius.

#bookworm #bookblogging #bookblogger #fiction #readerlife #readersofinstagram #bibliophile #bibliophilelife #bookstagram #reading #bookstagrammer #booklover #booksbooksbooks #bookreview

Literary agent Nora knows what’s important to her: her job, her sister, and books. Her New York life is perfectly ordered, until her sister takes inspiration from a book written by one of Nora’s authors, and whisks them off for a month of small-town living, complete with Hallmark-style challenges to complete. And when New York meets small town, there are some very unexpected results.

I loved this. Any book about books captures my attention, and this one takes a knowing yet affectionate look at the various tropes that appear in small-town romances. Nora as narrator is nuanced, snarky, clear-eyed about herself, and the dialogue - oh, my, the dialogue. The interplay between Nora and Libby is sisterly joy, and between Nora and Charlie it’s utter enemies-to-lovers perfection. I absolutely inhaled this book, and will be thinking about it for far longer than it took me to read it. Five book-loving stars and I’d give it more if I could.

I read this book in less that a day - I literally could not put it down. Emily Henry has cemented herself as potentially my favourite author, and Books Lovers might be my favourite book of hers (it is already my favourite read of 2022 so far, and will be tough to beat). This made me laugh, sob, scream and giggle out loud. It might be Henry's best.
I adore Nora and Charlie, I adore this book and I adore Emily - I could not recommend this more!

A beautifully written book. Really enjoyed reading this. Thanks to publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read

4.5 rounded up

Literary agent Nora Stevens is dumped over the phone by Grant, an heir to a vast fortune so he can live in Texas with Chastity! The call makes her late to meet editor Charlie Lastra and it’s yin and yang, East and West, light and dark, Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader! However, you know what they say about opposites. Two years on Nora‘s beloved sister Libby, pregnant with her third child, is feeling a tad frayed around the edges and she persuades Nora to take a months break at Sunshine Falls in North Carolina. Libby sees an opportunity to step outside their comfort zone and Nora just sees it as not New York City. She steps into a coffee shop for a much needed caffeine pick me up and wait! What! Is that Charlie in the coffee shop? No way! Yes way!

This is a love it from page one read for me. The characters are really good, possibly the best that Emily Henry has created . They’re so easy to visualise, they’re relatable and likeable even when they’re being grumpy! That dialogue is amazing. It’s so funny, very witty and clever, always entertaining and I like the variation from the downright sarky to a bit saucy! How could book lovers like us not love a story about book editing, featuring an author and a dusty yet eager to be rejuvenated bookshop?!

Each central character has a good backstory some of it is quite emotional and an added bonus is some very good dynamics especially the bond between Libby and Nora. That resonates as my sister is everything to me too. For some reason the character of Shepherd makes me think of McDreamy (any excuse eh!).

I love the setting of Nowheresville which despite the unprepossessing start is a place with a charming vibe and a heart.

Emily Henry nails it with this fantastic read it with a smile and the odd teardrop.

With thanks to NetGalley and Penguin General UK for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

This was EVERYTHING. I mean, I adore Emily's writing anyway, but I swear she is getting better and better with each book??

I loved the characters. Emily is brilliant at writing characters that have such a deep connection with one another - not only Nora and Charlie, but Nora and her sister Libby. I cared about them so much.

This was funny, spicy but also had real serious depth to it, dealing with issues such as grief, and was just very, very SMART. The small town romance trope is always a winner in my eyes, as well.

If you liked Beach Read and You and Me on Vacation then you'll love this.

Thanks so much for the ARC!

I loved the setting of sunshine falls- small community, crazy diner (don't order salad) and great characters. I also thoroughly enjoyed the relationship between Nora and Libby (and Libbys oft maligned husband).
The clever use of the romance tropes to allow Nora to categorise and pigeon hole her friends, relatives and work colleagues/rivals is also very funny not to mention true.
I love the will they wont they Charlie/Nora relationship, the tension is well drawn out and the question is always there.
I was a bit disappointed with the ending- I do like mine all tied up and explained away so the deliberately vague ending frustrated me somewhat but did not take away from the pure joy that the book is.

I started Book Lovers as my flight was taking off and then suddenly it was four hours later and I was feverishly trying to finish the last few pages before landing, safe to say this book swept me up and had me engrossed from the first page.

Book Lovers introduces you to Nora, a literary agent who has spent her life obsessed with books and whose love life (up to this point) has seen many a trope fuelled break up. On a trip to the location of her client's latest best seller she bumps in to an old acquaintance and things take a turn for the romantic.

I had a few niggles with Nora's behaviours / internal monologue but this did not detract from my overall enjoyment of Book Lovers.

After reading People We Meet On Vacation, I knew I would love this and it didn’t disappoint. It’s the kind of book that makes you want to go and read everything ever written by this author.

It also made me want to visit a small town and check off the list that Libby made 😂

If you’re looking for a romcom filled with witty banter and a beautiful romance, look no further!

Honestly? I think Book Lovers might be my favourite book from Emily Henry yet. Beach Read was one of my top 10 books of 2020, and I enjoyed People We Meet on Vacation in 2021, but Book Lovers is even better. I loved it all: the central characters Nora and Charlie; the wider cast of family, friends, and locals; the setting in Sunshine Falls; and of course, the enemies-to-lovers meets city-girl-in-small-town plot. I’ve been a rom-com reader since my teens, and I think I can safely say now that Emily Henry is a must-read rom-com author for me!

Book Lovers is a third thoughtful, captivating romance from Emily Henry. I found the dynamics to be compelling, although there were details I wish had been fleshed out a little more. The clever engagement with romance tropes and interaction with and (feminist) subversion of traditional narrative arcs in romance novels was very well done.

I was provided a proof of this novel by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review.

Book lovers has Nora a literary agent who runs her life to a set of stringent rules in her work and personal life. On meeting Charlie Lastra, an editor, to discuss a new book of one of her clients they get off to a bad start, very much one disagreeing with the other.
Fast forward two years and Nora at her sister Libby’s insistence are staying in a small country town for Nora to have a break from her work (not that she wants one) and Libby pregnant with her third child having a break before the birth. Libby has a bucket list Nora must follow to get her to loosen up and stop letting her work be her whole life.
Re enter Charlie who lives in the town at present where his parents also live. They obviously bump into each other, their meetings are initially as sparky as their first meeting, with sparkling witty dialogue they begin to get to know each other. As the relationship develops they realise they need to change their priorities for the relationship to continue.
I did enjoy this book and it had great characters and depth but I didn’t find that it was hilarious as advertised and the plot reveal didn’t really shock me.
My thanks to netgalley and publisher for the opportunity to review this book honestly.