I knew I’d enjoy this, as I love Emily Henry books, and I wasn’t wrong. Right from the start, the prologue was brilliant!
Nora and her sister Libby were brought up in New York Ciry, but have very different memories of their childhood. Nora definitely doesn’t believe in happy endings, but will she be proved wrong?

I’ve delayed writing this review for so long because even though this was a super enjoyable read, my feelings are a little mixed on this bookstagram darling.

I loved reading this & didn’t want to put it down. The vibes were good & the enemies-to-lovers banter was great but I also felt like the cheese was dialled way up, probably past my general level of corny romance tolerance.

I’m choosing to believe that Emily Henry deliberately played up the romantic tropes & layered in some extra rom com corniness to really hammer home those tropes for our reading pleasure.

A bit of a rambly review. I think I may need to read this book again. TL;DR: It wasn’t a 5-star read like Beach Read but I found this very enjoyable & fun with lots of banter & a heap of romance tropes, Hallmark vibes & cheesy rom com tributes.

One of the super anticipated books this year is definitely Book Lovers by Emily Henry.
In your opinion, could I pass up the chance to be able to review it!?

The novel tells the story of Nora, a ruthless literary agent and Charlie, an editor with a gift for creating bestsellers and Nora's nemesis.

After several failures romantically, Nora, thanks in part to her sister, decides to change city and spend a month's vacation in Sunshine Falls.
The name already says it all; the town sounds like something out of a romance novel, and her hopes of meeting sexy lumberjacks, handsome doctors, or cute bartenders go up in smoke when all she does is meet up with Charlie.

Book Lovers is a completely different book from what one usually reads.
It is not the classic novel, not the classic story about the heroine of the story or the hero.
Page after page, Nora and Charlie write their own story. Their novel.
And it is true, sincere, heartfelt!

In this novel one can only extol the genius of Emily Henry!
As Colleen Hoover states, I think we all wish we had written Book Lovers.
In a short time I devoured the book, although, I admit that at first I had a little difficulty getting in tune with the author's way of writing.
Once I became familiar, I couldn't tear myself away from the kindle!
I can only recommend Book Lovers, if you get a chance, drop by Sunshine Falls and fall in love with Nora and Charlie's story.

This was my first Emily Henry book. I've heard a lot about her work for the past few months/year so I was curious whether her work would live up to the hype. While I would say that Book Lovers is women's fiction than straight romance, I'm pleased to say it largely did live up to the hype. I loved how it poked fun of some popular romance novel tropes. What I didn't like is how it was advertised as enemies to lovers when clearly the main characters were not. With enemies to lovers I want main characters who hate each other with a burning passion, with Book Lovers I got a couple of misunderstandings and bad first impressions. However, no enemies aside, I did enjoy Book Lovers and would recommend it.

This book had so much buzz, a group of us just had to get together to do a semi-impromptu readalong. And what a fun experience we had.

Book Lovers reminded me of how much I loved Emily Henry’s banters. The banters were what made me like Beach Read, love You and Me on Vacation, and now adore Book Lovers!

Nora was an amazingly successful top literary agent who was often typecasted as the ‘hard cold woman who was only good at her career and nothing else’. Charlie was a greatly talented-but-straight-to-the-point book editor who had no time to waste. They didn’t get along with each other the first time they met. However, when Nora’s sister dragged her along for a ‘change of scenery’ in a small town, she kept bumping into him. Could this chance encounter turn into something more?

This was my type of romance; dreamy, full of quote-worthy dialogues, and… realistic! Plus, mostly set in a book store! Nora was totally the type of heroine I had been waiting for all this time - unapologetically strong, sensible, and successful. Charlie was an amazing leading man to have - intelligent, secure, respectful and able to support his leading lady to grow and to reach her maximum potential.

I don’t usually give out five-star ratings much, especially to a romance book. So the fact that I did means I tremendously loved this book.

Emily Henry kept outdoing herself with every single book. I can’t wait to see what she will come up with next, now that I’m a big fan!

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

‘Five stars aren’t enough’ is what I wrote on Goodreads when I marked Emily Henry’s Book Lovers as ‘read’.

An entertaining plot, witty characters, incisive writing, and the combination thereof, all play their part, and of course no book lover can resist a book about books, but the ability to articulate why I had such a strong reaction to Book Lovers eludes me.

Told with distinctive blend of insight, heart, and wit, Henry had me smiling, laughing, aching and I even shed a tear or two.

I couldn’t read Book Lovers quick enough. I devoured it. Everything about this book was charming, witty and engaging. I especially liked the mix of city living versus country. I rooted for Nora and Charlie all the way through and enjoyed how a persons happiness doesn’t always have to go down the conventional route. Highly recommend

I fell in love with this book about 10 pages in.
Enemies to Lovers my favourite troupe. The chemistry between Nora and Charlie was just perfect. The small town cosy Vibes hit me in the feels and made me want to up and move.

Thank you to Netgalley, Penguin UK and Emily Henry for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Emily Henry has done it again! I adore Nora and Charlie their banter is next level, honestly, the scene with the bigfoot erotica left me in a fit of giggles. But don’t let the bigfoot erotica fool you, Book Lovers does deal with grief and family drama. Henry can balance the fun rom-com vibes with the raw explorations of grief and fear of change effortlessly.

To Nora, work is everything. She is not your typical rom-com heroine. In fact, she is more like the stereotypical "other woman" — the career-driven, ambitious city girl who spends way too much money on shoes and she’s not long-term relationship material. The most important person in Nora’s life is her sister, Libby. Nora only agrees to the month-long holiday in Sunshine Falls, North Carolina because Libby begs her to go. The town is straight out of small-town romance and Libby has a to-do list to match. But, instead of Nora finding a hero befitting of the rom-com setting, she keeps bumping into Charlie, her work nemesis.

I adore Nora. She is a city girl through and through. Work takes up way too much head space and she has a tendency to overthink everything. All of which I find entirely too relatable. Nora is ruled by her need to fix things and to be in control. Uncovering why Nora is fixated on having this control broke my heart. My all-time favourite thing about Book Lovers is that Nora is not punished or forced to change her city-living, career-driven ways. Instead, her ambition and hard work are celebrated. I would love to see more of this, please!

Charlie is a grumpy hero, who we all know is a trope that owns my very heart and soul, and boy, did he make me swoon so many times. He is the perfect combination of sarcastic, blunt, sweet and but brooding. Once he get a look into his own dark history, it all makes sense. There is a reason for his cold, reserved front. He is not being a just dick because he can be. The fact he takes the time to listen to Nora and remembers the little things she says in passing, honestly melted me. Who knew paying attention and listening could be so sexy?

I adore watching Nora and Charlie’s relationship unfold as they keep bumping into each before finally working together on an upcoming manuscript for one of Nora’s clients. It feels natural to see how they open up to each other. The pair realize that there is more to the other person than their first bad impression.

Apart from the romance, Nora’s relationship with Libby is a huge focal point of the story. Libby is the reason for the trip and the mastermind behind the small-town, rom-com to-do list. Up to this point, the sister’s relationship has become strained. Libby is about to have her third child and money is tight. With Nora’s need to control, she tends to jump into fix-it mode, which does not help when all Libby wants is to vent to her sister. It was wonderful to see them work through it and finally communicate!

I love how books and writing are always a major element of Henry’s work. Nora is a literary agent, and Charlie is a fiction editor. I love, love love, how Nora narrates and describes the world and people in terms of romance tropes. It feels very meta, like an ode to the genre.

In true Emily Henry style, Book Lovers is a fun read with a surprising emotional hit. The ending was pure perfection, it gave me all the warm and fuzzies! I am beyond excited for her next release. If you want a funny book, that has fantastic character development and celebrates all things books, then this one is for you.

What a treat this latest read from Henry is. I adore Henry's style of setting her book around a traditionally used book concept. This one is just as enjoyable and rewarding. Yes it is all a bit cliche and mushy but there is nothing wrong with that every now and then and let's face it, it leaves you feeling happy.
Henry's characters are once again very strong. Nora and Libby are two fantastic characters, I enjoyed the bond they share together and seeing them as individuals. They grow and change a lot during this book and that was also great to see. Charlie is another strong character and I liked his character's development.
'Book Lovers' is a very enjoyable read that will leave you feeling warm and fuzzy, what more could you ask for.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin UK for an advance copy.

Literary agent Nora is one of the best in the business. She is incredibly successful in work, but not so much in love. Nora’s sister is determined to fix this and has persuaded her to take a month off work and have a holiday in Sunshine Falls, which is a small town straight out for romance novel. But instead of meeting the Hallmark love of her life she keeps running into Charlie her work nemesis.

Emily Henry creates such beautiful worlds that you just want to be a part of and this is no exception.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very slow burn romance, with a badass, hardworking female heroine that I liked, because she is successful and doesn't apologize for it. I also liked that in this book ambition is not a negative thing, we love to see empowered women. And I loved both of the heroine’s character development throughout the book.
Oh, and I was really here for the banter between the heroines, its unfortunate we get less and less as the story moved forward.

Now the downside: For me personally there was too much family drama and so the story lost its light hearted side unfortunately, also could be a few pages shorter…
The plot was dragging a bit too, because the two main character get together too soon in the story, and at least I would have expected more chemistry, more spicy scenes or sexier interaction, instead we get more memories back from family sadness. Also I was anticipating a bit more “bookish” talk and phrases, I feel like it could have been more.

With all that said, I am usually picky with contemporary romance books, but I liked this and it is a perfect summer read.

Is there anything better than one of your most expected releases to blow your mind? Henry came back with this book and surpassed any expectations I had. I loved all the themes treated, from a sister's bond to losing a parent. The love between the characters, the banter and the ongoing gripping tension, it was perfect!

This book was amazing! I loved every second of reading this amazing and loving story. Emily Henry keeps getting better and better all the time. This will be one of my top reads this year without a doubt.

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It’s hardly been a moment since I posted my review of Beth O’Leary’s The No Show, so I’m coming in unexpectedly hard here with the romance novels. On a practical level it’s just that all my favourite authors of this genre have really been leaning into the Spring and Summer months with new releases but, on a more emotional note, I think these are great reads for pure escapism. They’re fun, flirty and you know the author is going to try to make everything feel right by the end. Sometimes we just need that. Just like how other times I might turn to a hard-hitting memoir or a traumatic family saga for catharsis.

Book Lovers is everything I’d hope for from an Emily Henry novel. She immediately became a go-to writer for me right from her first adult novel Beach Read and I’ve enjoyed her two follow ups immensely. While they’re all definitely romance books first and foremost, they’re also beautifully plotted, each with a great premise and the dialogue is always crackling with wit and humour. Book Lovers felt like a bit of a return (after You and Me on Vacation) to Henry’s now trademark meta-bookishness within each novel. In Book Lovers the lead protagonists are a literary agent (Nora) and editor (Charlie) who, after an initial bad business meeting about an author, later meet in the rural village where the now hit novel is set. From Nora comparing the trajectory of her life to that of the romance novels she works on and the punnish names of each village shop, there are many nods to the business of writing and publishing novels throughout.

Though the will-they-won’t-they nature of Nora and Charlie’s romance is at the heart of the book, both characters have well-fleshed out backstories as do the peripheral characters, in particular Nora’s sister Libby. The bond between the sisters is essential to the storyline and, although I found it all pretty predictable, it’s also so full of warmth and heart that I never stopped wanting to read on. Due to how richly Henry drew the village and its inhabitants (as well as the sisters’ childhood experiences of New York), it felt to me that the novel had much more in the way of interesting scenarios, potential alternative relationships and familial commitments than other romance novels I’ve read. I genuinely cared about the bind Charlie found himself in having to choose between his own desires and looking after his family plus I also could feel how interdependent Nora and Libby were due to their childhood.

If I had any complaints whatsoever it would probably be that it felt like Henry kept trying to present Charlie and Nora as instant enemies who fight against their desires for one another. In truth though, there wasn’t much build up before their on-and-off again romance began. They have one unpleasant meeting for sure but even before they meet again in person they begin emailing each other and there are flirtatious undertones pretty much immediately. I don’t mind this at all, I actually really enjoyed the timeline of their romance finding it messy but often realistic, but it did feel that the enemies-to-lovers trope kept trying to be shoehorned in a bit.

Book Lovers is the kind of book I imagine I’ll keep on hand for future rainy and/or sick days. Though it’s fairly easygoing reading there’s also plenty of layers to sift through and discover a new little detail each re-read. If you’re a fan of snappy dialogue, enforced bookishness and lots of family backstories absolutely give this gal a read.

This book decided to rip me open so everyone could have a good look at my insides. I felt warm and mushy but also a bit raw at the edges when I finished this book. Just like any Emily Henry, it packs an emotional punch. The way I could relate to Nora Stephens in so many different ways and how I saw myself reflected in these pages gave me hope that things will turn out okay at the end of my story.

I couldn’t help but annotate this book because there were just so many moments I wanted to burn into my memory and never forget. The book is so full of humour, emotion and charm. Nora is a complex character and with each chapter we get to peel back another onion layer. I loved seeing her relationship with her sister change as she accepts parts of herself she has previously locked away.

CHARLIE LASTRA. HOW DARE YOU BE THIS PERFECT???? He was giving funny, flirtatious banter, Logan Lerman’s salt & pepper hair and he smells like books???? What more can a reader ask for? He grounds Nora, brings her out of her intrusive thoughts and holds her as she cries. His own personal struggles are not overshadowed by Nora either. They both get their moments of vulnerability and growth.

This book is an ode to books and the ones who dedicate their lives to loving them. This book is truly for the book lovers.

I LOVE Emily Henry! I was a huge fan of both Beach Read and People We Meet on Vacation but I think Book Lovers is my favourite. Enemies to lovers is always a difficult trope to do well, but Henry does this with aplomb. Sexy, tense, funny and full of surprises with a fanciable male character it was a page turner. I also loved the unapologetic nod to Hallmark movies and that Henry embrace them in all of their glory. A perfect summer read.

Nora is a literary agent, she gets her clients enormous deals and is her author's biggest advocate.
Charlie is a book editor, brooding, headstrong and he knows what he wants.
The pair have met loads of times but have never hit it off. Until Libby, Nora's sister gets her to agree to a holiday in Sunshine Falls.
I was disappointed with this book. It took me a few chapters to get into it and by the end I was just glad it was over.
I couldn't relate to the characters and Charlie's character was not well developed and I really did not know who he was by the end of this book. I hated how Nora was a bit of a Klutz but loved that she was a strong person and a total
shark when it came to her job.
The rival to lovers troupe was weak and a bit meh.
The only thing I truly loved was the banter between Nora and Charlie.

based on two book lovers? Who could ever ask for more!
The book does exactly what you hope it will, with all the joy of a small town romance and a book theme to boot.
I loved Nora and Charlie’s connection and how the knots of the plot untangled (I won’t give any spoilers away here!).
It’s a perfect romance and I would (and already have) recommended it to friends who also gobbled it up over a weekend and loved it too. If you’re a romance fan don’t hesitate to grab this read. And if not, give it a try anyway, it’s really a thoroughly enjoyable and uplifting read - I chuckled and swooned throughout.
Huge thanks to the author, Emily Henry, and publisher, Penguin, for this advance review copy. Views my own. 5*