I have loved every Emily Henry book I have read and this is another to add to the collection of great summer reads. I finished this book in a day and was sad that I read it so quickly. There is romance, steamy encounters..

If you like hallmark romance movies then I recommend you read this book as it is everything you will want in a cheesy romance novel.

What a book, loved this one, best book I’ve read in a while – certainly one I will recommend.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

Book Lovers by Emily Henry is a fun romance, set in New York and Sunshine Falls, North Carolina.

Nora, a book agent, who gets the best for her clients, is off on holiday with her younger sister, for the first time in a long time.  They go to Sunshine Falls, the setting of one of Nora's clients books, and a favourite of her sister's.

Charlie is a book editor, who clashed with Nora about this book as he said he found the setting false, but he has the reputation for making best sellers.

I really enjoyed the summer setting, the reality of a place that you build up in your mind, and seeing it, and the differences between big city and small town life in America!

Book Lovers was published on 12th May 2022, and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

You can follow Emily Henry on Instagram and on her website.

I have also read Beach Read  and You and Me on Vacation by Emily Henry, and loved it!

I was given this book in exchange for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Penguin.

4.5/5

Book Lovers was so much fun to read and Emily Henry is now an auto-buy author for me. Most of the stars I'm sprinkling in this rating are from how much I laughed and enjoyed the BANTER! It was layer upon layer of banter. Laughs and smiles and just wholesome little character and relationship developments (ie. romantic as well as sisterly and self growth). All the right ingredients for a contemporary romance. It was just a truly enjoyable experience.

I especially resonated with the Main character Nora's feelings (love) towards the big city (NYC), as I'd been very homesick for my hometown Melbourne at the time that I was reading the book.

I did love Beach Read more, but mainly because I preferred its pacing and the way its ending came together when compared to Book Lovers.

Thank you to @netgalley
for my digital ARC, in exchange for an honest review. I very quickly purchased a physical copy because I just HAD TO 🤭

It’s been over a month since I read Book Lovers and I’ve tried writing my review quite a few times. I find it really hard to write a review for a book I loved so much! Once I started this book and I just couldn’t put it down and I didn’t want it to end at the same time.

Book Lovers definitely understands us readers. I loved how Nora uses all of the book tropes we know to describe her own love life and how dating can work at times. It makes a bit of fun of those tropes, but that just fit perfectly in this book. Add in two main characters that both work in the bookish world and I was in book heaven.

This story isn’t just a romance, but also two characters figuring themselves out and what they really want in life. Looking back at traumatic experiences and how it’s changed the way you look at life. It’s about family and wanting to take care of them, but also wanting your own life. And even giving up the possibility of an amazing relationship, because you know it’s just not going to work at this time.

Nora and her sister Libby travel to the small town a very popular book takes place at. The town turns out to be nothing like it is in the book, but this small town is still charming in its own way and has an amazing community like all small towns should. I think all of us book lovers can relate to this book in one way or another and I really don’t want to say more about this than I have. Book Lovers is a book you just need to experience on your own.

4/5

"so despite her natural tendency toward spontaneity (read: chaos), she’d made some strides in organization, even pre-motherhood."

An enimies to lovers romance with a sisterly bond at it's core. A trip to a small country town and a knowledge of all the cliche tropes that exists, this book was a delight.

"The only two ways I’ve ever managed to get out of my head are through reading and rigorous exercise. With either, I can slip out of my mind and drift in this bodiless dark."

The romance was hot, the bond between the sisters was perfect, the premise was brilliant. I enjoyed so many things about this book, and better than all the rest is that the main character and the love interest work for a book publishing company which just adds another degree of excitement to this book.

"Is there anything better than iced coffee and a bookstore on a sunny day? I mean, aside from hot coffee and a bookstore on a rainy day."

Some really cosy vibes, some quick witted comedy, some really strange side characters and a great couple twists and turns this book had everything and was a joy to read

"My mouth feels like it’s melting under his, like I’m wax and he’s the burning wick down my center."

Well this had me in absolute pieces at the end. Such a beautiful, well written story that really acknowledges the cliches of romance novels while still being incredibly moving. This is the first Emily Henry novel I've read and I'm SO excited to dig into the rest of them now!

So I actually bought and read this book when it came out, and had such a great time with it, and then unexpectedly was granted a e-copy of it for review from NetGalley. So here I am trying to write a review for it when it's been more than a few weeks and my brain fog is at a general high!

Emily Henry has really cemented herself as a wonderful romance writer - I loved Beach Read, I *adored* People We Meet on Vacation, and now she's ventured back into the book world, but dug a little deeper, with Book Lovers. And it was an awesome experience to read. I love that Henry can write romance that slowly develops over the course of the book, whilst also addressing other things that are going on in the leads' lives. Family issues, grief, loss, worth - all of it is addressed in here. And, because ultimately I want the romance to come to the forefront more often than not, the other issues are delved into, but without introducing huge amounts of angst or relying on things like the miscommunication trope.

Basically, I had a great time reading this, It gave me a lift, and then I immediately lent it to my Mum to read. If you're at all into romance, definitely recommend.

I loved this book so much. I’d never heard of Emily Henry, or read anything by her, but this book had everything I wanted - romance, references to other books, a smart and led heroine… it felt like I’d been written just for me! It tells the story of Nora, a literary agent in her thirties who shields herself from love after most of her partners use her to go onto their happy ever afters.

As always, thanks to NetGalley and the publishers - I’ve bought myself my own copy to keep on the shelf!

Genre: Romance, chic-lit
Age range: 17+
Spice: 2.5

Overall: 4/5
Characters: 5/5
Plot: 5/ 5
Writing and Setting: 5/5

Content warning: *sexual themes, swearing, depictions of grief, parental death (mentioned)*

The gist of my review:

Here we have a romance novel for the romance novel hater.

She’s the snarky, career driven, no-nonsense literary agent they call the shark. He’s the quick-whited, assh*le editor working with her on one of the biggest projects in her career.

As lovers of over achieving, staying up late and check emails after hours, they both have a mutual hatred for the unrealistic nature of the romance novels that pass by their desks daily. They both thrive on the chaos, the bustle and the rat race of NYC.

By the forces of her very pouty sister, she goes on a trip to the sleepy small town of one of the books she’s helped publish, and surprise, surprise, Mr Tall, Dark and Broody is there too. Will this be a happily ever after like the classics, or will their desire for successful lives drive them further apart?

This is the first book that I’ve ever read by Emily Henry and she’s instantly become one of my favourite authors. The way that both humour and really profound emotions were weaved into this book was phenomenal on so many levels. I would 100% recommend this book to anyone looking for a romance book with a little difference.


Characters: 5/5

The main characters, as well as the supporting characters, in this book were expertly written. It’s books like this one that really make you look at your own writing and give yourself a little bit of a self-deprecating laugh. All the characters were easy to connect and relate to, and understand from very early on in the book. They were all diverse from one another, yet family units, such as Nora and Libby, had obvious similarities and quirks which further added to the idea of realism in this book.

On to Nora. Nora isn’t normally seen as the MC in your typical romance novel, and she is very keenly aware of this. She’s cynical, materialistic, strongly spoken and fiercely independent. She can both be seen as ‘the villain’ and the everyday realistic woman. Although this character has a lot of standout qualities that are often seen as off putting, I feel like I related to aspects of Nora’s personality and her reasoning behind a lot of her decisions because she is so realistic in her approach to everything. Adding to this, there’s been a lot of comments from the book community that Nora is very relatable to older sibling populations, and as an older sister with a sister, I can 100% say that this is very accurate. Nora takes on a lot of family responsibility, including going out of her own way to keep the family connected and functioning effectively.


Plot: 5/ 5

The small town romance is, in my opinion, an overused and overhyped trope. This book puts a refreshing spin on the usual plot sequence and I found because of that, I was more intrigued to read and captured by the pages.

Writing and Setting: 5/5

The writing was easy to digest, entertaining, captivating, funny, and in parts, very ‘woke’ to a fair few social issues and themes. I liked that we only have the perspective of Nora throughout the book. We didn’t need to know what Charlie was thinking or how he was feeling because Nora reads the situation and scene well enough for us to know these things. This book is a classic example of how to ‘show and not tell’.

The main setting was both beautifully written but also very average at the same time. The reason for this is because the author wanted to highlight the blandness of the small town to show the difference between real life and the settings within the book mentioned in the story.

My thoughts:

I’ve given this book a 5/5 in every one of my categories, so why didn’t I give the book a top rating…? If I’m being honest, the cynic in me wanted a different ending - she wanted the harsh reality, soul crushing epilogue where the guy didn’t get the girl, the despair of forbidden love ripped your heart out, and there was no happily ever after.

The romantic in me was sadistically pleased that wasn’t the case, but, it wasn’t necessarily an ending that she expected either.

In all honesty, both the cynic and the romantic in me is pleasantly pleased by the book as a whole, but I think I wanted a book that sided with that cynical side of me; that left me a little broken in the end. A book where I’m left sobbing and screaming ‘LIFE ISN’T FAIR!’.

I given an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book, and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

I don’t often read romance, but this author has somehow slipped into my regular reads over the past couple of years. She can be relied on to leave me with a warm, fuzzy feeling – and sometimes that’s just what I need.

And yes, they can be a little cheesy in places, but you just need to embrace it – and the author does that really well herself with this latest offering. It’s a modern, fresh take on the classic rom-com tropes, which isn’t afraid to make fun of itself just a little.

Meet Nora. She works in publishing, and she knows all typical story cliches. The husband is the killer in the murder mystery. The nerd gets a makeover and becomes beautiful in the high school drama. And in the small-town romance, the cynical city type will end up alone, while the beautiful small-town girl wins the guy’s heart.

Nora feels like she’s living an endless cycle of the small-town romance, except in reverse. She’s the fierce, confident city executive who gets left behind for the nice girl. But maybe her luck is about to change when her sister decides the two of them need to go on their own small-town adventure.

There are parts of this book that are just pure escapism, but it isn’t just a romance, it’s also a story of family, sisters and discovery. And, at its heart, there’s the books. This author always weaves her love of literature into her stories, and I’m here for it.

In this one, our protagonists Nora and Charlie both work in publishing, and as part of their story they work on editing a book together. The story is littered with references any book lover will enjoy – even a reference to the author protagonist from her previous novel!

If you’re familiar with this author, you can expect all her usual good vibes. And if you’re not, this is a wonderful place to start – maybe her best yet.

4.5/5.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this highly anticipated (I will read anything Emily Henry writes) book - it only took me so long to read because I have seriously fallen out with reading on a screen

Nora was probably my favourite character of Emily Henry’s so far - I adored the cynical and hard way she viewed the world and how she developed into someone much softer and willing to open up. She couldn’t have been any more perfectly matched with Charlie, in my opinion

I felt there was a real humour running through this which again, I loved. I thought the setting was perfect and I absolutely shed happy tears at the ending

4 very solid stars!!

Oh man. I loved this book. I both savoured and devoured its pages, tabbing more than I think I ever have. Emily Henry is an instant buy author for me, I will read anything she writes. Book lovers is a stellar edition to her contemporary romance titles and may be my new favourite of hers. Beautifully written and expertly drawn characters, swoon worthy romance and such personal and human musings on self worth and family.

I absolutely adored Beach Read so when I got the ARC for this one I was excited to read it and I wish I could say that I loved it but I didn't.

Don't get me wrong the premise of the story is good and the characters are likeable it just didn't grip me as much as I wanted it too which is why it took me longer to read.

Nora, a literary agent, has been persuaded by her sister Libby to take a month's holiday to the small town of Sunshine Falls with her. Nora is hoping for somewhere peaceful where she can rekindle her close bond with her sister and not the last person she would want to see, Charlie.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin books for the ARC.

1. BOOK LOVERS by Emily Henry - I’ve never read EH’s 1st book, I wasn’t interested in the story but I loved so so much her 2nd so I had such high hopes for this one and well…I didn’t love it, not at all really. It was fine, like that would be my honest review. It bored me mostly and I felt so unconnected to the characters and it all felt so rushed from the middle to the end. I also felt like it had been written by a completely different author to her 2nd book, her style was so different, maybe that’s what she does, I have no idea but it didn’t feel like that writing that I loved so much from book 2, it felt kinda awkward and maybe a little cheesy for me (and I love cheesy romance so…) This was just fine but dull but also fine, you know?

Book Lovers is a great read for summer. Has everything you want in a summer read and is a book that will delight those who to love read.

A funny, fiesty novel that will keep you reading. Two sisters, one small town and a tick list.

I thoroughly enjoyed the relationship between the characters and trying to guess where the plot was heading. A great summer read which will keep yput turning the pages.

The fact the book cited its "trope" and led us through it was a new twist and whilst it meant some parts were predictable, it was in a good and familair way where the reader felt part of the secret, could look out for the next step and was pleased with any cliche all be it in a new a refreshing way.

Its just perfect. Everything one book lover wants in a book. Great setting, relatable characters, amazing banter. I laughed, I cried...I wanted more.

So I have a weird relationship with Emily Henry’s books in that I want to, desire to and hope to lover her books but unfortunately there’s something there stopping me and I have no idea what it is. I just don’t. I think it’s a me thing as I have friends who adore her books, characters and writing.

I couldn’t get into this book at all and didn’t even complete it. I feel ashamed of this as the author deserves better. I bet she’s a lovely person and puts so much into these books and her writing. Forgive me for being an utterly useless reader.

Thank you NetGalley and Emily Henry for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!
I really wanted to like this book but unfortunately I have even abandoned it at about 80%.
I found it really boring..
Maybe I'll try to read the paper version again in the future