After having devoured Emily Henry's two other novels, I jumped at the chance to read her latest release. It was only a matter of a few pages in before I knew that this would be another delightful read. Book Lovers follows Nora - a workaholic literary agent who dotes on her sister, Libby, who is her only remaining family. She's had a bit of a lacklustre dating history, having been dumped by previous boyfriends due to her workaholic ways, her exes swiftly moving on and settling down with a succession of pretty small-town girls. Her sister is determined to get her out of this funk with the two of them embarking on one last trip in Sunshine Falls before Libby's baby is born. Enter Charlie Lastra, a cut-throat editor with whom Nora has had some running ins with before, who is also in Sunshine Falls...

As a typical booklover, I love stories about booklovers and publishing. This was such a lovely read and I was addicted from start to finish. It's much more emotional than I expected with a lot of serious themes explored. Of course the romance is excellent as I expect in an Emily Henry novel, with Charlie and Nora's relationship a pleasure to read about. The relationships are incredibly complex and the plotlines multi-layered without bogging down the story. I love that this is not just a romance between lovers but also sisters. Emily Henry has really written a story that feels like a fresh small town romance despite deploying the typical romance tropes you would expect to see. I thoroughly recommend Book Lovers to every book lover.

I liked Book Lovers even if, for me, there are too many lengths.
It's quite ironic by the way when you know that the protagonists work in publishing and give excellent advice to improve the stories of their clients.
Nora passes for a shark, an icy tyrant with everyone, who lives only for her work, however, despite the efforts of the author, we immediately feel that this is not true. Her chaotic emotional past is interesting, her family past captivating, her professional experience enriching. I liked that she was strong and vulnerable at the same time, I liked what was inside her, her deep fears and her love for her sister.
But she never made me feel like a shark.
Her family history is very touching but perhaps takes up a little too much space in the story. I had a hard time at first understanding how her sister could leave her two daughters behind while she went on vacation for a whole month. Of course, we discover the real reasons towards the end but it bothered me during my reading. Over the pages we learn more about our protagonists, drop by drop, in an intelligent way. We understand that Nora has communication problems with her sister, that she has always put her sister before her own needs, first and foremost. We also discover Charlie, our hero, little by little. It is quickly apparent that he adores Nora and that behind his grumpy facet, there is a sensitive man who has his own worries. I loved his family. I loved him, really. On the other hand, was it really necessary for Nora to have a date with another man?
I loved their passion for their work and the parallel with the book they are working on. I loved that for once, the heroes assume they prefer to live in the big city rather than in the countryside. I liked the story itself.
In short, a pleasant novel to read, with beautiful characters, a well orchestrated story, a nice writing, but with some lengths.
Thanks Netgalley for the ARC.

I am a pool of tears on the floor and shall never ever ever recover. Shame on me for having a seedling of doubt because this book quickly declared itself as some of Ms Emily Henry’s best work.

Idk which is best, you can’t make me choose, I’d lose my mind *tears up*

I’ve said this before, but I’m saying it again to put my formal request out to the universe for Emily Henry to write my biography. Nobody else gets me as she does. Lowkey, we’re soulmates and I’m not even kidding.

Let me tell you a little story, one I’m mostly ashamed about but we shan’t dwell on the negatives here. I started this book quite a while ago, but it was during the trenches of my studies so we weren’t vibing. I lost a teeny slither of faith, but I’m sure you sense my tone here as the pages quickly turned. Ha, hope you get my joke here. At least I laughed. Hopefully, Ms Emily would too. Anyways, it just really wasn’t our time and I put this book down for quite a while. I was like 70% in by the way and I forgot a lot but I’ve more or less essentially read this book twice. I needed to be in a very specific mood to get my heart stomped on and my mental health was unstable okay.

Ummm yeah so this book B-R-O-K-E ME!!!!! I already knew this author was a genius, but the way this book came for my neck with how clever it was and I will forever bow down before my Queen. You think I’m being dramatic, which I am, but I don’t care because it’s the truth. I’m so self-absorbed I sometimes think I’m the only person that will ever appreciate this author as much as I do, but she just speaks to me. In YA with people my age, and through this book about a career-driven thirty-year-old girlboss and I’m continuously gutted. My innards are carved out and I’m a hollow person after I read any Emily Henry book. That was gruesome but in a good way, roll with it.
Okay, Imma a get into the gushing now. As I just mentioned, this book is a play on almost every trope in the book and Emily Henry is an expert at everything she does, it all turns to gold. Not only does this turn the small-town romance enemies/rivals to lovers trope on its head, but it also is hyper-aware of all of them, which made me love it even more. Like Goode Books? Loved it. Two disastrous book people falling for each other in slightly unconventional ways? Genius. However, maybe the best one is how Emily Henry used the fictional book to bring almost everything in this story forward and it was like an out-of-body experience reading commentary like that. Each metaphor and representation through this fictional book she was editing absolutely blew my mind. Also, I mean of course, I loved that this book took place in the publishing world. I’m a sl*t for that, it had to be said.

I’m lazy so I didn’t take notes as I read the physical book but as always, THE WRITING!!!! Emily Henry often hits feelings I didn’t know I had right on the nose and it’s quite a scary feeling tbh. We’ll get into that in a sec because I do just need to gush about the dialogue!!!!!!! I was OBSESSED with this book when we got a snippet of chapter 1 and the witty banter NEVER. STOPPED. I laughed aloud so so so many times to count and it was honestly a joy to read.

Speaking of, the flirting in this book was just OFF THE FREAKING CHARTS AND THROUGH THE ROOF. It too had me by the neck and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Their chemistry was there from the very first page and I am obsessed. Charlie Lastra was just something else and hands down one of Ms Henry’s best characters. He was layered and complex but charming and lovable and we all instantly fell for him. As well as ridiculously funny and I am obsessed for eternity. The backstory also just broke my heart and pieced me back together. Ugh SO GOOD! Also, Emily Henry has some typa biting fetish throughout this book and I wasn’t mad about it.

You can probably tell that I adored Nora to absolute bits. What a main character that I didn’t expect to relate to so much, but Ms Henry is at it again writing my life story. Definitely not exactly the same, of course, but I’ve felt something very similar as an eldest sister and it TORE ME APART. Plus, whenever this author talks about grief, I instantly start bawling. Which I did. Nora deserves the entire world and I was prepared to give it to her. Who wouldn’t love a shark? But I also wish to take all her pain away and it was A LOT A LOT A LOT. Can you tell we’re the same person? If you ever wondered who I was, read this book.

I know I’m sly with the promo *wink wink*

Libby was actually quite a difficult character for me, not in her personality because I loved her, but I so deeply connected and closely related to how Nora was struggling with her, that I found it difficult not to either. Ugh, damn Emily Henry for getting me so well. No I take it back. I loved them but family dynamics are hard, more so in this situation and I love this book more for that. It was literally me and I won’t ever be okay ever again.

I shall stop beating around the bush and talk about the freaking romance in this book because!!!!! To be honest, I wasn’t quite connecting at first, I guess because I didn’t know what it would be as it’s less slow burn than normal so I feared something was going to happen?? But once I got it, Nora and Charlie had me in their vicious grips and didn’t want to let go. The way these two just slot together like puzzle pieces was beautiful and satisfying and heartwarming to watch and I adored them. The flirting indeed was *CHEFS KISS EVERYTHING* and that’s an understatement. THEY ARE SO PERFECT WTF I WANT TO BE THEM. I am absolutely obsessed with essentially every word out of both their mouths and I shall not apologise for it. UGHHH SCREAMING FOR ETERNITY LIKE A PTERODACTYL *cries*

And yes, this ending broke me. I was crying and my heart was being crushed and it was a lot and we have a love/hate relationship. Not even kidding, I listened to sad music right after I finished at 1 am in the morning because I was EMPTY inside. Emily Henry knows how to write and wrap up a beautifully tragic story of self-development and I AM NOT GOING TO RECOVER!!!!! And then she had the audacity to compare it to the feeling of finishing a good book. I’ve never felt more hurt and seen at the same time SEND HELP I’M NOT OKAY.

I don’t know what to do with myself.

I’m not okay.

I love Charlie and Nora.

Give me peace.

ahhhhhhhh

I really have no more words so I think I’m going to stop here. If you couldn’t already tell, this book blew everything out of the park and then continued to detonate me. This book is absolutely perfect if you need something to stab you in the gut but also have soothing words whispered to you and that’s the only way I know how to describe it. It’s a mixture of pain and happiness and sadness and delight and its perfection. Please read to cry happy tears with me, and ya know rivals to lovers that get each other like nobody else does, writing to stomp on your heart and banter to make milk come out of your nose from laughing so hard <3<3<3<3<3<3

*still crying*

Apparently, we have fake dating next and Ms Emily Henry recently teased something about writing a trope that is typically funny and making it incredibly sad so you are hereby invited in advance to my funeral which is whatever date that book comes out.

I really liked this one.. not as much as previous books but I had a fun time. I love the relationship between siblings and the fact that is a book about books!

I kept imagining Charles from Younger as the male protagonist... am I the only one?

It's a perfect book for a Sunday afternoon beach read!

Book Lovers by Emily Henry is the perfect book to read this summer. It is full of humour, romantic moments and even some moments that will make you feel emotional. I’ve adored all of Emily Henry’s books but this one is easily my favourite of hers for so many reasons.

Nora is a literary agent whose whole life is books. Charlie is an editor who has a gift for crafting bestsellers. Nora and Charlie are work enemies. Nora has just gone through yet another break-up which is why her sister has persuaded her to swap her desk for a month’s holiday in Sunshine Falls, North Caroline. It is an adorable small town straight out of romance novels. Nora expects to bump into someone straight out of a romance novel but instead, she bumps into Charlie.

Emily Henry always creates interesting characters. I loved Nora and Charlie throughout this book. Both of them have been shaped by quite similar experiences from their pasts but deal with them in different ways. They both feel like they need to take care of other people in their lives and it takes its toll on them both. We get to see them both grow from these past experiences and learn more about one another as time goes on. I loved watching the pair of them slowly fall in love. They are one of my favourite book couples and they definitely belong together.

Book Lovers is definitely a heavier read than Emily Henry’s previous books. It deals quite heavily with grief, anxiety and a couple of other things. This doesn’t take away from the hilarious and romantic moments of the book. It brings an emotional and vulnerable side to the story though. It is through the discussions grief that we get to see the relationship between Nora and her sister Libby. They lost their mother a while ago and since then Nora has taken on the responsibility to ensure Libby is always doing well. The sisterly relationship between them was beautifully written and one I will always remember.

Emily Henry is definitely an author who I can rely on for an excellent read. She writes hilarious books with hilarious characters. Her stories are bound to captivate you right away. Also, she writes chemistry between characters amazingly. She is definitely an author whose books I will always read.

Overall, Book Lovers is a hilarious, heart-warming and at times emotional book that I would highly recommend. It is the perfect book to read in the summer or if you need a pick my up during the winter months. You need to pick this one up soon!

Thankyou for giving me the chance to read this in advance. Another brilliant read from the author Emily. Definitely does not disappoint! In fact I’d read it again!

HOW DID I NOT POST MY REVIEW HERE!!

The vibes in Book Lovers are absolutely immaculate! I loved the pacing of the story, and felt completely charmed by both Nora and Charlie. From the 'I can buy my own Bigfoot erotica' scenes, to the incredible sense of place created by Henry, I loved this book and the people it portrayed. Book Lovers is Emily Henry's best yet, and I cannot wait to read what she writes next.

*Rating is 4.5*

At this stage, I would pay to read Emily Henry’s shopping list. She is for sure my favourite romance author to date, and I’m already counting down the days till her next release.

That being said, this was my least favourite of her books so far - but this is an incredibly high bar as the other two are some of my favourite books of all time! I don’t tend to gravitate towards books with a small-town-country vibe, and so the fact she managed to make me like it so much that this was a 4.5 star read for me is really saying something!! Also, although this is firmly a romance it does have more women’s fiction elements than Henry’s previous books which is normally a turn off for me, but in this case she does manage to make it work.

As always, the characters were engaging and had real depth, and the pacing was absolutely perfect. The chemistry between Nora and Charlie was great and I loved how it all tied together at the end. A great comfort read.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for letting me read an e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

Witty, fun, bookish. Loved that the romance was a large part of it but not just the main plot. Characters had depth to them while it still was a classic small town romance story.

I’ve dwelled (okay procrastinated) on this review for far too long. It’s now been three and a half months since reading it) and I just loved it. I don’t know how to say it any better than just like that. I enjoyed everything about it, the characters, the plot, even the bookish cliches! I have read all three of Emily Henry’s books, each when they released, and can categorically say that her writing has improved with each new offering. I cannot wait to see what she releases next.

My only criticism is regarding the book cover. I don’t remember a single scene where they were in boats reading. So not sure what that is all about. But it does match nicely with Henry’s previous releases, even though the stories are not related.

SKSJSJXMKSNSKSJK

I have so many things highlighted✏️ I don't know what quotes to choose and where to start.

"Nora.” He just barely smiles. “You’re in books. Of course you don’t have a life. None of us do. There’s always something too good to read."

Reading this book I was screaming, laughing, kicking my legs, giggling like a little girl. It was soo good🤌🤌🤌

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

THIS BOOK IS
grumpy x grumpy ✅
small town romance ✅
they're both book lovers (duh🙄)✅
city girl comes to small cute town✅
adventure ✅
mystery ✅

"That’s the thing about women. There’s no good way to be one. Wear your emotions on your sleeve and you’re hysterical. Keep them tucked away where your boyfriend doesn’t have to tend to them and you’re a heartless bitch."

Nora - I immediately liked her and kind of related to her. She's "Ice Queen"❄️👑 and city girl🌉. Because of her sister, she goes to small town🏘️ for a month.

"So if you’re the ‘wrong kind of woman,’ then I’m the wrong kind of man."

CHARLIE MF LASTRA OMGGG

"If I had to pick one person to be in my corner, it’d be you. Every time."

I didn't really vibe with Beach Read and People we meet in vacation, because they were too long and I wasn't invested, until last 100 pages. Both were 4⭐ to me tho. But Book Lovers is so much better. 5/5⭐

Thank you NetGalley for providing digital advanced copy in exchange for honest review.

Emily Henry is 100% now an auto buy author for me!!

This one was so incredibly good!!

Great characters, great story! And this was such a fun summer read!!

Special thanks to Netgalley/publisher/author for a copy of this!

This book was a little predictable for me and followed the same trope as Emily’s other books. It had a mixture of banter, sexual tension and some serious elements, but it felt a little flat. Overall, I didn’t love it, but I enjoyed the reading experience of this book as a holiday read.

I read this book in April and have been putting off writing my review for this book. I loved this book, just like I love every one of Emily Henry's books, but when I read this book, I was ill and feel like that affected my overall experience of reading this book. Whilst I did love this book, I don't remember much of what actually happened apart from the beginning and the epilogue of this book. But I do remember that I loved Nora and Charlie and their relationship. I loved the small town aspect and I loved the sister relationship between Nora and Libby.
Once again Emily Henry's writing is one of my favourite things about this book. The way she writes always keeps me invested in the story and makes me easily fall in love with the characters and the relationships.
I definitely want to reread this book, as I remember so little of it. I am planning on rereading all three of Emily Henry's romance novels soon and I cannot wait to fall in love with all of her characters again.

This is my first Emily Henry book, and it certainly won't be my last. I loved the main characters and the dialog between them is funny and smart. I'd highly recommend this to anyone looking for a good holiday read.

Book Lovers is Henry’s best book to date! I absolutely loved Beach Read and You and Me on Vacation, and Boom Lovers did not disappoint!

I absolutely loved so many parts of this book, from Nora and Charlie’s romance, to the focus on family and the love and friendship between sisters. I especially loved how strong of a character Nora was - she made for the perfect main character!

Book Lovers is destined to be the rom-com of the summer. It's so engaging and, well, nothing short of joyful really. If you love Hallmark movies, cozy small-town settings, books about books, almost all good vibes and a gentle, romantic plot, then this book is perfect for you.

We're presented with a common rom-com plot here: City Person in a Small Town. Only this time we're not talking about what happens when Boyfriend falls for Small-Town Sweetheart and leaves the ambitious, city-based Ice Queen. We follow the Ice Queen. Nora is an ambitious literary agent, whose greatest love affair to date has been with New York City, and her favourite accessory is her phone. After a string of breakups, she accompanies her sister on a month-long trip to Sunshine Falls, North Carolina; a small town straight out of a romance novel (literally). She's expecting sexy lumberjacks and instead meets Charlie, an editor, fellow book lover and - it just so happens - her nemesis.

What I Loved:

The sister relationship, the small-town vibe, and the all-out escapist, feel-good story.

Complaints:

Very few. I thoroughly enjoyed this. There was the faintest, slightest whiff of cheese (expected and enjoyable) and I would have liked to meet more characters from Sunshine Falls for context.

Chemistry, banter, sentiment and sunshine, and a great female protagonist. Two thumbs up from me.

This is the first Emily Henry book that I’ve read, and let me tell you - her books live up to the hype!

I absolutely loved this book, I started out reading this book on the train on my way to work and then decided after cackling out loud that I had to dedicate the whole night at home to reading it.

I have never related to a female main character as much as I do with Nora. Her sense of humour is amazing and it’s so refreshing to read about a strong woman.

Definitely worth a read if you’re looking for a fun rom com!

If you're looking for a summer read that's equal parts charming and thought-provoking, look no further than Book Lovers by Emily Henry. Told from the alternating perspectives of Nora and Charlie, a successful literary agent and a talented editor, both with a complicated history, this novel follows the pair as they're forced to work together in a small town in North Carolina. As they get to know one another better, they begin to question the stories they've been telling themselves about love and happiness, and what it truly means to be a hero or heroine. With its witty banter, complex characters, and a page-turning plot, Book Lovers is a must-read for fans of contemporary fiction.

Emily Henry is without a doubt one of my all-time favourite authors. Her characters are lively and exciting, her choice of location is always a great escape, and the romance never fails to bring an edge of wonder into my life. I can't wait to see what she does next.