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Book Lovers Hardcover – May 3, 2022

by Emily Henry (Author)

4.4 79,370 ratings

Editors' pick Best Romance

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“One of my favorite authors.”—Colleen Hoover

An insightful, delightful, instant #1 New York Times bestseller from the author of Beach Read and People We Meet on Vacation.

Named a Most Anticipated Book of 2022 by Oprah Daily ∙ Today ∙ Parade ∙ Marie Claire ∙ Bustle ∙ PopSugar ∙ Katie Couric Media ∙ Book Bub ∙ SheReads ∙ Medium ∙ The Washington Post ∙ and more!

One summer. Two rivals. A plot twist they didn't see coming...

Nora Stephens' life is books—she’s read them all—and she is not that type of heroine. Not the plucky one, not the laidback dream girl, and especially not the sweetheart. In fact, the only people Nora is a heroine for are her clients, for whom she lands enormous deals as a cutthroat literary agent, and her beloved little sister Libby.

Which is why she agrees to go to Sunshine Falls, North Carolina for the month of August when Libby begs her for a sisters’ trip away—with visions of a small town transformation for Nora, who she’s convinced needs to become the heroine in her own story. But instead of picnics in meadows, or run-ins with a handsome country doctor or bulging-forearmed bartender, Nora keeps bumping into Charlie Lastra, a bookish brooding editor from back in the city. It would be a meet-cute if not for the fact that they’ve met many times and it’s never been cute.

If Nora knows she’s not an ideal heroine, Charlie knows he’s nobody’s hero, but as they are thrown together again and again—in a series of coincidences no editor worth their salt would allow—what they discover might just unravel the carefully crafted stories they’ve written about themselves.

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384 pages
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English
Publisher

Berkley
Publication date

May 3, 2022
Dimensions

6.21 x 1.28 x 9.26 inches
ISBN-10

0593440870
ISBN-13

978-0593440872
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Popular Highlights in this book

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Maybe it’s possible to belong in a hundred different ways to a hundred different people and places.
Highlighted by 9,962 Kindle readers
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.
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Sometimes, even when you start with the last page and you think you know everything, a book finds a way to surprise you.
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From the Publisher

Editorial Reviews

Review

[Book Lovers] is multilayered and the characters' familial challenges are complex. By both playing to and overtly subverting romance tropes and archetypes like the high-powered big city woman who neglects her family and the life-affirming power of small-town life, this novel delivers an insightful comedic meditation on love, family and going your own way."—NPR

“If Emily Henry makes herself laugh at the character's dialogue in her own books, it's understandable. She is a master at witty repartee….It's a safe bet that viewers would enjoy seeing Henry's characters come to life on screen."—Associated Press

“It is humanly impossible for Emily Henry to write a bad book. Her particular blend of grief and messy relationships is a heady cocktail of intoxicating yearning…Whatever Henry decides to spear, be it literary posturing or vacation rom-com, she subverts her subjects in the most delicious ways."—Entertainment Weekly

“Book Lovers is a treat from start to finish, flipping the conventional small-town love story trope on its head…This enemies-to-lovers novel is a quick and satisfying binge-read.”—USA Today

“One of my favorite authors.”
—Colleen Hoover, #1 New York Times bestselling author

“Book Lovers is a rom-com lover's dream of a book. It is razor-sharp and modern, featuring a fierce heroine who does not apologize for her ambition and heartfelt discussions of grief. Readers know that Emily Henry never fails to deliver great banter and a romance to swoon over but this may just be her best yet. A breath of fresh air.”
—Taylor Jenkins Reid, New York Times bestselling author of Malibu Rising

“I would follow Emily Henry anywhere. A small town, a literary enterprise, a bookstore to rescue, and sex in moonlit streams? Yes, please! Book Lovers is sexy, funny, and smart. Another perfectly satisfying read from the unstoppable Emily Henry.”
—Emma Straub, New York Times bestselling author of All Adults Here

"Emily Henry's books are a gift, the perfect balance between steamy and sweet. The prose is effortless, the characters charming. The only downside is reaching the end."
—V.E. Schwab, New York Times bestselling author The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

"Charming, earnest, and clever, Book Lovers is Schitt's Creek for book nerds. A total delight for anyone who's ever secretly rooted for the career girl in a Hallmark movie. Nobody does it quite like Emily Henry.”
—Casey McQuiston, New York Times bestselling author of One Last Stop

"You KNOW I love a book—and a writer—when I bust out my trusty ballpoint and absolutely maul the pages...and that's exactly what I just did to the divine Emily Henry. I could not devour Book Lovers fast enough. Emily Henry is pure delight. I’m utterly enchanted by her wry, self-aware sense of humor, the relish that she brings to every cleverly crafted sentence, and her irrepressible love for love.”
—Katherine Center, New York Times bestselling author of Things You Save in a Fire and How to Walk Away

“Emily Henry writes romantic comedy with such sass and humour, she has that gift for making you laugh and cry within the space of a few sentences. Not to mention the sizzling chemistry! Her characters fizz like good champagne, they leap off the page and into your heart."
—Josie Silver, New York Times bestselling author of One Night on the Island

“Magical, delightful, and utterly one of a kind: Emily Henry's writing is a gift to the world. I've loved every single one of her books more than the previous, to the point that I cannot wait to see what her next title will do to me!"
—Ali Hazelwood, New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis

“Book Lovers is the perfect title for this utterly romantic read featuring two book industry insiders with crackling chemistry. Heartfelt, funny, and full of joy, Emily Henry’s latest is packed with surprising twists and turns that keep you rooting for Nora and Charlie, every step of the way. (Also, three cheers for Nora’s super-relatable bangs journey!)”
—Tia Williams, New York Times bestselling author of Seven Days in June

“When I read an Emily Henry novel I always feel a particularly undignified kind of jealousy, because I wish I'd written it. Book Lovers is no different: I loved every page, every line. It's so smart, so funny and so sexy. Nora and Charlie have sizzling chemistry—they even make discussing a contract hot. Readers are going to fall head over heels for these two.”
— Beth O’Leary, International bestselling author of The No-Show

"[P]erfect-for-summer rom com."—Parade

“Brimming with swoon-worthy moments, hilarious banter, and lovable characters…”—Women's World

“[A] fun and flirty romance”—Cosmo

“Book Lovers uses classic romance tropes with purpose and intention, offering readers a satisfying romance unto itself, while also reflecting on why romance novels are so enticing to begin with…a smart, charming and dazzling book.”—Shelf Awareness

About the Author

Emily Henry is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of People We Meet on Vacation and Beach Read. She studied creative writing at Hope College, and now spends most of her time in Cincinnati, Ohio, and the part of Kentucky just beneath it. Find her on Instagram @emilyhenrywrites.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

PROLOGUE

When books are your life—or in my case, your job— you get pretty good at guessing where a story is going. The tropes, the archetypes, the common plot twists all start to organize themselves into a catalogue inside your brain, divided by category and genre.

The husband is the killer.

The nerd gets a makeover, and without her glasses, she’s smoking hot.

The guy gets the girl—or the other girl does.

Someone explains a complicated scientific concept, and someone else says, “Um, in English, please?”

The details may change from book to book, but there’s nothing truly new under the sun.

Take, for example, the small-town love story.

The kind where a cynical hotshot from New York or Los Angeles gets shipped off to Smalltown, USA—to, like, run a family-owned Christmas tree farm out of business to make room for a soulless corporation.

But while said City Person is in town, things don’t go to plan. Because, of course, the Christmas tree farm—or bakery, or whatever the hero’s been sent to destroy—is owned and operated by someone ridiculously attractive and suitably available for wooing.

Back in the city, the lead has a romantic partner. Someone ruthless who encourages him to do what he’s set out to do and ruin some lives in exchange for that big promotion. He fields calls from her, during which she interrupts him, barking heartless advice from the seat of her Peloton bike.

You can tell she’s evil because her hair is an unnatural blond, slicked back à la Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct, and also, she hates Christmas decorations.

As the hero spends more time with the charming baker/seamstress/tree farm . . . person, things change for him. He learns the true meaning of life!

He returns home, transformed by the love of a good woman. There he asks his ice-queen girlfriend to take a walk with him. She gapes, says something like, In these Manolos?

It will be fun, he tells her. On the walk, he might ask her to look up at the stars.

She snaps, You know I can’t look up right now! I just got Botox!

And then he realizes: he can’t go back to his old life. He doesn’t want to! He ends his cold, unsatisfying relationship and proposes to his new sweetheart. (Who needs dating?)

At this point, you find yourself screaming at the book, You don’t even know her! What’s her middle name, bitch? From across the room, your sister, Libby, hushes you, throws popcorn at your head without lifting her gaze from her own crinkly-covered library book.

And that’s why I’m running late to this lunch meeting.

Because that’s my life. The trope that governs my days. The archetype over which my details are superimposed.

I’m the city person. Not the one who meets the hot farmer. The other one.

The uptight, manicured literary agent, reading manuscripts from atop her Peloton while a serene beach scene screen saver drifts, unnoticed, across her computer screen.

I’m the one who gets dumped.

I’ve read this story, and lived it, enough to know it’s happening again right now, as I’m weaving through late-afternoon foot traffic in Midtown, my phone clutched to my ear.

He hasn’t said it yet, but the hairs on the back of my neck are rising, the pit opening in my stomach as he maneuvers the conversation toward a cartoon-style drop off a cliff.

Grant was only supposed to be in Texas for two weeks, just long enough to help close a deal between his company and the boutique hotel they were trying to acquire outside San Antonio. Having already experienced two post–work trip breakups, I reacted to the news of his trip as if he’d announced he’d joined the navy and was shipping out in the morning.

Libby tried to convince me I was overreacting, but I wasn’t surprised when Grant missed our nightly phone call three times in a row, or when he cut two others short. I knew how this ended.

And then, three days ago, hours before his return flight, it happened.

A force majeure intervened to keep him in San Antonio longer than planned. His appendix burst.

Theoretically, I could’ve booked a flight right then, met him at the hospital. But I was in the middle of a huge sale and needed to be glued to my phone with stable Wi-Fi access. My client was counting on me. This was a life-changing chance for her. And besides, Grant pointed out that an appendectomy was a routine procedure. His exact words were “no big deal.”

So I stayed, and deep down, I knew I was releasing Grant to the small-town-romance-novel gods to do with what they do best.

Now, three days later, as I’m practically sprinting to lunch in my Good Luck heels, my knuckles white against my phone, the reverberation of the nail in my relationship’s coffin rattles through me in the form of Grant’s voice.

“Say that again.” I mean to say it as a question. It comes out as an order.

Grant sighs. “I’m not coming back, Nora. Things have changed for me this past week.” He chuckles. “I’ve changed.”

A thud goes through my cold, city-person heart. “Is she a baker?” I ask.

He’s silent for a beat. “What?”

“Is she a baker?” I say, like that’s a perfectly reasonable first question to ask when your boyfriend dumps you over the phone. “The woman you’re leaving me for.”

After a brief silence, he gives in: “She’s the daughter of the couple who own the hotel. They’ve decided not to sell. I’m going to stay on, help them run it.”

I can’t help it: I laugh. That’s always been my reaction to bad news. It’s probably how I won the role of Evil Villainess in my own life, but what else am I supposed to do? Melt into a crying puddle on this packed sidewalk? What good would that do?

I stop outside the restaurant and gently knead at my eyes. “So, to be clear,” I say, “you’re giving up your amazing job, your amazing apartment, and me, and you’re moving to Texas. To be with someone whose career can best be described as the daughter of the couple who own the hotel?”

“There’s more important things in life than money and a fancy career, Nora,” he spits.

I laugh again. “I can’t tell if you think you’re being serious.”

Grant is the son of a billionaire hotel mogul. “Raised with a silver spoon” doesn’t even begin to cover it. He probably had gold-leaf toilet paper.

For Grant, college was a formality. Internships were a formality. Hell, wearing pants was a formality! He got his job through sheer nepotism.

Which is precisely what makes his last comment so rich, both figuratively and literally.

I must say this last part aloud, because he demands, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

I peer through the window of the restaurant, then check the time on my phone. I’m late—I’m never late. Not the first impression I was aiming for.

“Grant, you’re a thirty-four-year-old heir. For most of us, our jobs are tied directly to our ability to eat.”

“See?” he says. “This is the kind of worldview I’m done with. You can be so cold sometimes, Nora. Chastity and I want to—”

It’s not intentional—I’m not trying to be cutting—when I cackle out her name. It’s just that, when hilariously bad things happen, I leave my body. I watch them happen from outside myself and think, Really? This is what the universe has chosen to do? A bit on the nose, isn’t it?

In this case, it’s chosen to guide my boyfriend into the arms of a woman named after the ability to keep a hymen intact. I mean, it is funny.

He huffs on the other end of the line. “These people are good people, Nora. They’re salt of the earth. That’s the kind of person I want to be. Look, Nora, don’t act upset—”

“Who’s acting?”

“You’ve never needed me—”

“Of course I don’t!” I’ve worked hard to build a life that’s my own, that no one else could pull a plug on to send me swirling down a cosmic drain.

“You’ve never even stayed over at my place—” he says.

“My mattress is objectively better!” I researched it for nine and a half months before buying it. Of course, that’s also pretty much how I date, and still, I end up here.

“—so don’t pretend you’re heartbroken,” Grant says. “I’m not sure you’re even capable of being heartbroken.”

Again, I have to laugh.

Because on this, he’s wrong. It’s just that once you’ve had your heart truly shattered, a phone call like this is nothing. A heart-twinge, maybe a murmur. Certainly not a break.

Grant’s on a roll now: “I’ve never even seen you cry.”

You’re welcome, I consider saying. How many times had Mom told us, laughing through her tears, that her latest beau had told her she was too emotional?

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.

“I’ve got to go, Grant,” I say.

“Of course you do,” he replies.

Apparently my following through with prior commitments is just more proof that I am a frigid, evil robot who sleeps in a bed of hundred-dollar bills and raw diamonds. (If only.)

I hang up without a goodbye and tuck myself beneath the restaurant’s awning. As I take a steadying breath, I wait to see if the tears will come. They don’t. They never do. I’m okay with that.

I have a job to do, and unlike Grant, I’m going to do it, for myself and everyone else at Nguyen Literary Agency.

I smooth my hair, square my shoulders, and head inside, the blast of air-conditioning scrubbing goose bumps over my arms.

It’s late in the day for lunch, so the crowd is thin, and I spot Charlie Lastra near the back, dressed in all black like publishing’s own metropolitan vampire.

We’ve never met in person, but I double-checked the Publishers Weekly announcement about his promotion to executive editor at Wharton House Books and committed his photograph to memory: the stern, dark brows; the light brown eyes; the slight crease in his chin beneath his full lips. He has the kind of dark mole on one cheek that, if he were a woman, would definitely be considered a beauty mark.

He can’t be much past his midthirties, with the kind of face you might describe as boyish, if not for how tired he looks and the gray that thoroughly peppers his black hair.

Also, he’s scowling. Or pouting. His mouth is pouting. His forehead is scowling. Powling.

He glances at his watch.

Not a good sign. Right before I left the office, my boss, Amy, warned me Charlie is famously testy, but I wasn’t worried. I’m always punctual.

Except when I’m getting dumped over the phone. Then I’m six and a half minutes late, apparently.

“Hi!” I stick out my hand to shake his as I approach. “Nora Stephens. So nice to meet you in person, finally.”

He stands, his chair scraping over the floor. His black clothes, dark features, and general demeanor have the approximate effect on the room of a black hole, sucking all the light out of it and swallowing it entirely.

Most people wear black as a form of lazy professionalism, but he makes it look like a capital-c Choice, the pairing of his relaxed merino sweater, trousers, and brogues giving him the air of a celebrity caught on the street by a paparazzo. I catch myself calculating how many American dollars he’s wearing. Libby calls it my “disturbing middle-class party trick,” but really it’s just that I love pretty things and often online window-shop to self-soothe after a stressful day.

I’d put Charlie’s outfit at somewhere between eight hundred and a thousand. Right in the range of mine, frankly, though everything I’m wearing except my shoes was purchased secondhand.

He examines my outstretched hand for two long seconds before shaking it. “You’re late.” He sits without bothering to meet my gaze.

Is there anything worse than a man who thinks he’s above the laws of the social contract just because he was born with a decent face and a fat wallet? Grant has burned through my daily tolerance for self-important asshats. Still, I have to play this game, for my authors’ sakes.

“I know,” I say, beaming apologetically but not actually apologizing. “Thank you for waiting for me. My train got stopped on the tracks. You know how it is.”

His eyes lift to mine. They look darker now, so dark I’m not sure there are irises around those pupils. His expression says he does not know how it is, re: trains stopping on the tracks for reasons both grisly and mundane.

Probably, he doesn’t take the subway.

Probably, he goes everywhere in a shiny black limo, or a Gothic carriage pulled by a team of Clydesdales.

I shuck off my blazer (herringbone, Isabel Marant) and take the seat across from him. “Have you ordered?”

“No,” he says. Nothing else.

My hopes sink lower.

We’d scheduled this get-to-know-you lunch weeks ago. But last Friday, I’d sent him a new manuscript from one of my oldest clients, Dusty Fielding. Now I’m second-guessing whether I could subject one of my authors to this man.

I pick up my menu. “They have a goat cheese salad that’s phenomenal.”

Charlie closes his menu and regards me. “Before we go any further,” he says, thick black brows furrowing, his voice low and innately hoarse, “I should just tell you, I found Fielding’s new book unreadable.”

My jaw drops. I’m not sure what to say. For one thing, I hadn’t planned on bringing the book up. If Charlie wanted to reject it, he could’ve just done so in an email. And without using the word unreadable.

But even aside from that, any decent person would at least wait until there was some bread on the table before throwing out insults.

I close my own menu and fold my hands on the table. “I think it’s her best yet.”

Dusty’s already published three others, each of them fantastic, though none sold well. Her last publisher wasn’t willing to take another chance on her, so she’s back in the water, looking for a new home for her next novel.

And okay, maybe it’s not my favorite of hers, but it has immense commercial appeal. With the right editor, I know what this book can be.

Charlie sits back, the heavy, discerning quality of his gaze sending a shock wave through me. It feels like he’s looking right through me, past the shiny politeness to the jagged edges underneath. His look says, Wipe that frozen smile off your face. You’re not that nice.

He turns his water glass in place. “Her best is The Glory of Small Things,” he says, like three seconds of eye contact was enough to read my innermost thoughts and he knows he’s speaking for both of us.

Frankly, Glory was one of my favorite books in the last decade, but that doesn’t make this one chopped liver.

I say, “This book is every bit as good. It’s just different—less subdued, maybe, but that gives it a cinematic edge.”

“Less subdued?” Charlie squints. At least the golden brown has seeped back into his eyes so I feel less like they’re going to burn holes in me. “That’s like saying Charles Manson was a lifestyle guru. It might be true, but it’s hardly the point. This book feels like someone watched that Sarah McLachlan commercial for animal cruelty prevention and thought, But what if all the puppies died on camera?”

An irritable laugh lurches out of me. “Fine. It’s not your cup of tea. But maybe it would be helpful,” I fume, “if you told me what you liked about the book. Then I know what to send you in the future.”

Liar, my brain says. You’re not sending him more books.

Liar, Charlie’s unsettling, owlish eyes say. You’re not sending him more books.

This lunch—this potential working relationship—is dead in the water.

Charlie doesn’t want to work with me, and I don’t want to work with him, but I guess he hasn’t entirely abandoned the social contract, because he considers my question.

“It’s overly sentimental for my taste,” he says eventually. “And the cast is caricatured—”

“Quirky,” I disagree. “We could scale them back, but it’s a large cast—their quirks help distinguish them.”

“And the setting—”

“What’s wrong with the setting?” The setting in Once in a Lifetime sells the whole book. “Sunshine Falls is charming.”

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Berkley (May 3, 2022)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 384 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0593440870
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0593440872
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.24 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.21 x 1.28 x 9.26 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #14,504 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #818 in Contemporary Women Fiction
- #1,409 in Romantic Comedy (Books)
- #6,101 in Contemporary Romance (Books)

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4.4 79,370 ratings

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Emily Henry

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Emily Henry is the #1 New York Times and #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of Happy Place, Book Lovers, People We Meet on Vacation, and Beach Read. She studied creative writing at Hope College, and now spends most of her time in Cincinnati, Ohio, and the part of Kentucky just beneath it. Find her on Instagram @EmilyHenryWrites.

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SB Mama

A Five-Star Delight for Book Lovers

Reviewed in the United States on July 19, 2023

Verified Purchase

Book Lovers by Emily Henry is an absolute gem that beautifully encapsulates the pure joy and magic of falling in love with books. As a self-proclaimed bookworm, I found myself swept away by this heartfelt and enchanting tale from start to finish. This novel deserves nothing less than a resounding five-star review.

From the very first page, Henry's masterful storytelling immediately drew me in. The characters are incredibly relatable, and I found myself easily connecting with both the protagonist, January, and her love interest, Gus. Their witty banter and undeniable chemistry make for a delightful and swoon-worthy romance that had me eagerly turning the pages.

Henry's love and deep understanding of literature shine through her writing, making every single book reference and allusion a pure delight. As a fellow book lover, it felt as if the author was speaking directly to my heart, sharing my passion and excitement for all things literary. It was a joy to embark on this literary journey alongside January, whose love for books becomes palpable as the story progresses.

One of the standout aspects of Book Lovers is the vivid and picturesque settings that Henry paints. Whether it's a charming bookstore tucked away in a small town or the breathtaking landscapes of a seaside cottage, the imagery is so vivid that I could almost smell the pages of an old book or feel the ocean breeze on my skin. Henry's ability to transport readers to these magical places is truly remarkable.

Another noteworthy element is the well-executed blend of romance, self-discovery, and personal growth. This novel not only celebrates the power of literature but also explores the themes of friendship, family, and the resilience of the human spirit. It expertly combines a heartwarming love story with profound moments of reflection and personal transformation that left me feeling inspired and hopeful.

Book Lovers is an absolute must-read for anyone who has ever found solace, companionship, or pure delight within the pages of a book. It will tug at your heartstrings, make you laugh out loud, and leave you with a renewed appreciation for the magic of storytelling. Emily Henry has crafted a masterpiece that not only celebrates the joy of being a book lover but also reminds us that sometimes, the most extraordinary stories are the ones that unfold within our own lives.

In conclusion, I cannot recommend Book Lovers enough. It is a five-star treasure that will captivate readers with its heartfelt romance, captivating story, and its unyielding love for the written word. Emily Henry has crafted a love letter to bookworms everywhere, and it is an absolute pleasure to read.

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K. Bird Lincoln

when the snobby ex sophisticated girlfriend becomes the small town romance heroine

Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2024

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4.5 stars, actually.

This was on some bestsellers list and I totally see why. Oh, this was lovely. An ode to family obligations and how they twist your life path, to beautiful books and the joy of being a consumer of writing, not just being a writer, and two lovely cranky, New York sophisticated, jaded literary professionals who go to a small town--- and discover not apple-cheeked, flannel wearing country soulmates--but each other.

Nora Stephens is the snobby ex-girlfriend of all those romance heroes who realize they want a slower paced life in on vacations to the country. She is only going to upstate New York because her beloved pregnant little sister is so, so tired and Nora can't say no to a little vacation, she misses her childhood closeness with her sister and this is the way to get it back.

What she doesn't expect is that literary snob/Editor Charles Lastra, who rejected her favorite client's break out book, would end up in the same small town. Or that their fun and knowing banter would continue.

Or that her sister is hiding something but meanwhile is going to force her to complete a checklist of "heroines of small town romance novels" such as saving a local business, dating a guy in flannel, etc.

Charles and Nora are super sweet. Both are struggling with family obligations, and both are rooting for each other. This was lovely. Also lovely? A hero and Heroine who actually want to *return* to the big city for their lattes, art, noise, etc.

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Sowmya

Perfection just like expected!

Reviewed in the United States on May 23, 2022

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"Maybe love shouldn't be built on a foundation of compromises, but maybe it can't exist without them either.Not the kind that forces two people into shapes they don't fit in, but the kind that loosens their grips, always leaves room to grow.Compromises that say, there will be a you-shaped space in my heart, and if your shape changes, I will adapt
No matter where we go, our love will stretch out to hold us, and that makes me feel like...like everything will be okay"

I don't even know where to start with this book! but let me just say two things-
1)I bow to the queen of witty and captivating contemporary romance books, I will read your grocery list, your 3yr old to-do list or a detailed recipe on how to broil Asparagus to perfection.I will read anything and everything you shall write.
2)Emily Henry's books are truly soul food, they penetrate deep inside your skin and settle down in your soul

ALL THE STARS IN THE SKY!
_________________________________

Book Lovers is one of my most anticipated releases this year, after being moved by Beach Read and how PWMOV spoke to me, I thought I am ready for her new book, ehh naah I wasn’t prepared for the onslaught-she blew it out of the park once again with this charming blue book which is filled with larger than life emotions. Emily Henry has the knack to cater a book for a wide set of audience but somehow can make it personal to each and everyone of her readers, I believe everyone has something or the other within themselves that they can relate to her books with.

Book Lovers felt like a witty, heartfelt love letter to life filled with hard to talk about emotions, day to day relationship struggles, familial bonds and deeply rooted anxiety that can stem out of loss and grief. There were moments I laughed so much that my insides were in stitches and then there were endearing moments that made me heart ache with joy, this once again is a very quotable book like her other books.

It follows Nora, a literary agent who is a city girl through and through and holds life by it reigns trying to have everything under control. Nora's character is a personification of a strong woman who wants everything and has the capability to take it,but what lies under that brave facade goes deeper than she could ever anticipate, her life revolves around her younger sister Libby to whom she is more of a mother than a sister. Nora's fear of losing makes her overprotective at times so when Libby and Nora feel like they are drifting apart, they decide to go on a vacation to spend time together, a lot of things boils to the surface during their time in a small quaint town in North Carolina, which Nora will have to tackle head on. Nora's character will be quite relatable to people who have hard time sorting their emotions and talking about them, I absolutely adored her character growth

Nora and Libby's struggles and sibling rivalry is true to real life and complex because of the way they grew up and varying perspectives they have on life, I love how their relationship wasn't turned into something hurtful or ugly. It was authentic and refreshing how their characters develop and how their love for each other changes them into better people, if you have a sister yourself I dare you not to cry while you read their beautiful relationship

The unexpected twist Nora's doesn't anticipate while going on this "trip of a lifetime" is having to see the ever charming albeit snarky Charlie Lastra, her work nemesis which later ensues a fiery banter and sizzling chemistry between these two true enemies.Nora and Charlie's banter is a chef's kiss, they have so many witty word volley's that will make you guffaw and make you forget that you are reading, my heart is so full while I read the precious moments between them.I also had to say this is probably the "spiciest" of all Emily Henry books could go on spice level with few open door scenes. Here is one of my favorite quote-

"Be my shark Stephens". "Already was",I say. "Always have been".
"I love you", he says again.
"I love you too". I don't have to force it past a knot or through the vise of a tight throat.Its simply the truth, and it breathes out of me, a wisp of smoke, a sigh, another floating blossom on a current carrying billions of them.
"I know",he says. "I can read you like a book".

What to expect
-Heartfelt belly laughs as a result of witty/hilarious writing
-A story of two siblings that tugs at your heart strings
-A strong woman's love letter to life in NYC
- Endearing moments that will make your soul content
-A beautiful love story between two characters who can be easily misunderstood
- Deep discussions on big foot erotica ;)

Do yourself a favor and get lost in this book!

PS- That epilogue tho…

TW- Anxiety, Death of a parent, grief

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Gabriela Graciosa Guedes

will she ever write a book that isn't absolutely amazing?

Reviewed in Brazil on September 6, 2022

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5 ⭐️ | 📖 book lovers

if she were in a Hallmark movie, Nora would be the ex left behind while the lead goes to a small town and falls in love with a local. she knows that. it has literally happened to her. more than once.

when her sister, Libby, decides that they too deserve to have their own small-town-life-altering experience, Nora finds herself spending a whole month in the city that inspired a bestselling book from the author that skyrocketed her career as an agent.

what she didn’t expect was to find her nemesis, editor Charlie Lastra, running the local bookshop. while she tries to keep her distance, she realizes this might not be as easy in a small town as it’d be in NY.

I went into this book not knowing much. and I thought, I truly thought, maybe I wouldn’t love it as much as Emily’s previous books. I don’t have much in common with Nora. I didn’t think I’d be able to relate to her. I went as far as to convince myself that it’d be okay if I didn’t love it.

well, I should’ve known better. even if I had hated Nora, which I obviously didn’t, I’d still have loved the book. simply because of Emily’s writing. what she does with words… it feels like magic. the kind of magic people hunt grimoires down to try to replicate, but it just never comes out the same. there’s a secret recipe that belongs only to her.

she has the ability to put feelings into words, and I know this sounds like a basic skill a writer should have, but that’s not what I mean. I just can’t quite explain it. like, in pwmov, when she gave the best definition of “saudade” I’ve ever come across, and she doesn’t even speak Portuguese.

i’m gonna leave her own words here, because it’s the best way I can explain how reading her books feel:

“This book has crushed me with its weight and dazzled me with its tiny bright spots. 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.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️❤️
🌶🌶

2 people found this helpful

jessica sierra

Enretenido y sorprendenemente sentimental

Reviewed in Mexico on August 5, 2022

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Book Lovers
Emily Henry

Nora Stephens es la clásica mujer de negocios neoyorquina "fría, calculadora y escalofriante" que generalmente suele ser la villana en las típicas historias de romance quien convencida por su hermana viaja a un pueblo pequeño a buscar su propia aventura.

Sinceramente, después de no haber podido terminar Beach Read no esperaba absolutamente nada de este libro y pues me sorprendió!

Si bien no es el libro perfecto, si lo considero muy bueno, soy una persona completamente diferente a Nora y aún así me identifique por completo con ella, con su perdida, su dolor y con el peso que que conlleva ser la hermana mayor, la responsable, la fuerte, la que carga con todo y todos y hace lo posible por que estén bien dejando sus sentimientos, sueños y necesidades de lado para hacer felices a los demás.

Para mi esa es la parte más fuerte del libro, Nora y su conflicto interno entre buscar su felicidad o la de su hermana.

En cuanto a Charlie, el interés romántico, es un hombre bueno pero no muy interesante, no brilla mucho por si mismo 😮‍💨 si tiene muy buena química con Nora y se complementan bien el uno al otro pero no hay nada memorable en el, no hubo ningún momento en el que el personaje me hiciera sentir no se... maripositas o algo jeje!

Supuestamente es un Enemies to Lovers pero la verdad yo no lo vi así, Nora y Charlie tienen un ligero choque al inicio del libro pero no los llamaría enemigos 🤔 incluso, si me pongo muy quisquillosa podría decir que el romance en este libro está en segundo plano opacado por la relación y conflictos entre Nora y su hermana Libby.

Si buscas romance, Enemies to Lovers y un protagonista masculino que te haga hacer 😍🥰🤤😏 este no es el libro para ti 😅 pero igual dale la oportunidad! Es bastante divertido y sentimental si logras conectar con los personajes.

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Shelley

A wonderful read! I loved every minute of it!

Reviewed in Canada on June 21, 2022

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Yes! This was just the book that I needed in my life. Believe all the hype. This book is clever, witty, emotional, romantic, and a book lover’s delight. There was just so much to love about it.

Nora Stephens is a literary agent who works hard for her clients. She’s career-minded, hardworking, a true lover of books, and a big fan of her younger sister Libby. Nora may have success in her professional life, but romantically, she’s been dumped too many times by men who have left her for a sweet, small-town woman, in other words, the complete opposite of Nora.

When Libby convinces Nora to leave her beloved New York City and take a month-long trip with her to a small community in North Carolina, Nora agrees. She would do just about anything to make her sister happy. Libby has even made a list of things for them to do, to crack Nora out of her shell. Bring on the romance tropes!

While Libby wanted Nora to meet a local and, maybe fall in love, Nora just kept running into Charlie Lastra, the ambitious, standoffish, brooding editor from New York City. Oh, they were already familiar with each other, but their previous encounters never went too smoothly or screamed of anything resembling a romantic connection.

I loved, loved, loved the chemistry and banter between Nora and Charlie. It was exceptional! They were two peas in a pod when it came to ambition and their love of books, and they could spar against each other like it was their calling.

This was a wonderful slow-burning romance. As someone who wants the anticipation in novels, this one gave me everything that I was looking for. It never felt rushed, the author took her time to make it just right.

I loved how Emily Henry entwined popular romance tropes with her own story. This was just such a clever story.

I could go on and on and continue to gush about Book Lovers, but I won’t put anyone through that. Do yourself a favor and read this novel. It was just such a well-rounded reading experience. It was filled with everything that a book lover craves.

One person found this helpful

Inga B.

When you know, you know

Reviewed in Germany on February 20, 2024

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As charming and witty written as other books by the same author. If you like her style, you’ll like this book. Read it in 2 days :D

Elizabeth

Bra bok

Reviewed in Sweden on January 26, 2024

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Det var en bra bok och jag skulle rekommendera den till andra. En gullig rom-com som är mysig att läsa. Jag gillar Emily Henry som författare men anledningen till varför jag gav den 3/5 var på grund av att jag helt enkelt har läst mycket bättre.

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