Name: Genesis (@whisperingchapters)'s review of Book Lovers by Emily Henry
Item: Book Lovers
Rating: 4
Author: Genesis (@whisperingchapters)

Emily Henry

A by the book literary agent must decide if happily ever after is worth changing her whole life for in this insightful, delightful new novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Beach Read and People We Meet on Vacation. 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.

Book Lovers

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.

Maggie Hotmer

, and I finally understand why Mom could never give it up, why my authors can't give it up, and I'm happy for them, because this 

, it feels good, like a bruise you need to press on, a reminder that there are things in life so valuable that you 

 risk the pain of losing them for the joy of briefly having them. 

Maybe it's possible to belong in a hundred different ways to a hundred different people and places.

How is it possible for two people who belong 

I've spent ten years guiding my life away from these feeling, this terrible want. All it took was three weeks and a fictional woman named Nadine Winters to pull me right back. 

If I don't say it aloud, I think, it doesn't count. Maybe it won't even be true. 

But it is true, and I'm not sure I'd want to stop it, even if I knew how: I'm falling in love with Charlie Lastra.

The ones that speak to me are those whose final pages admit there is no going back. That every good thing must end. That every bad thing does too, that 

That is what I'm looking for every time I flip to the back of a book, compulsively checking for proof that in a life where so many things have gone wrong, there can be beauty too. That there is always hope, no matter what. 

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

"Until you got here," he rasps, "all this place had ever been was a reminder of the ways I was a disappointment, and now you're here, and--I don't know. I feel like I'm okay. So if you're the 'wrong kind of woman,' then I'm the wrong kind of man."

"Of course I fucking do," he says in a low, rough voice. "I can't stop. I'm always aware of where you are, even if I don't look, but it's impossible not to. I want to see your face get stern when you're emailing a client's editor, being a hard-ass, and I want to see your legs when you're so excited about something you just read that you can't stop crossing and uncrossing them. And when someone pisses you off, you get these red splotches." His fingers brush my throat. "Right here."

Life with Mom, life in New York, was like being in a giant bookstore: all these trillions of paths and possibilities drawing dreamers into the city's beating heart, saying, 

I make no promises but I offer many doors. 

I read once that sunflowers always orient themselves to face the sun. That's what being near Charlie Lastra is like for me. There could be a raging wildfire racing toward me from the west and I'd still be straining eastward toward his warmth. 

I don't feel like Nadine Winters when he's this close. I feel like I'm sugar under a blowtorch, like he's caramelizing my blood

Maybe this is why people take trips, for the feeling of your real life liquefying around you, like nothing you do will tug on any other strand of your carefully built world. 

It's a feeling not unlike reading a really good book: all-consuming, worry-obliterating. 

"A good bookstore," Charlie says, "is like an airport where you don't have to take your shoes off."

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. 

"You," he says, "are so much weirder than I thought."

"Well, for what it's worth, before tonight, I assumed you went into a broom closet and entered power saving mode whenever you weren't at work, so I guess we're both surprised."

 being ridiculous," he says, "When I'm not at work, I'm in my coffin in the basement of an old Victorian mansion."

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. 

natalia

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

alexys <3

Or this could all have something to do with the small velvet box he cant stop turning over in his jacket pocket. (There's nothing inside it; she mentioned once that if she ever got married, she'd choose the ring herself) Or that the ice-blond woman leaning against him has known for weeks already what she's going to say. (She made a pro-con list, but only ended up writing his ame under pro and possibly wear a piece of jewelry I didn't pck out for life???? under con.)

"I know," he says. "I can read you like a book."

His eyes go heavy as he smiles. "That," he says, "might be favorite thing. Be my shark, Stephens."

“Already was," I say. "Always have been."

His jaw fexes against my temple. "Of course I love you, Nora. If I loved you any less, Id be trying to convince you that you could be happy here. You have no idea how badly I wish I could be enough."

"A week ago," I say, "I liked you so much I would have wanted to try to make this work." I swallow a jagged, fist-sized lump, but still ny voice has to scrape by to get out. "But now I think I might love you too much for that."

Sometimes, I write to Charlie, the first act is the fun part, and then everything gets too complicated.

Stephens, he replies, for us, it's all the fun part. 

It hurts, but I let the dream go on awhile longer.

Genesis (@whisperingchapters)

I was honestly bored of this whole plot most of the time. This took me like a month to listen to on audiobook. Her sister just seems so out of touch with her life which is odd with how close they claim to be. And the romance/ex boyfriend reveal did not seem to align with how heightened Nora’s actions were about relationships. It was hallmark movie in a book, including all of the ick pet names/banter. Not for me. 

Paige Paul

Am i a romance reader now…Emily Henry what are you doing with my slowly aging heart?! 

For stressed times like I am having again at the moment, this was just perfect. I fell in love with all the character, the sister-story, the flowy-ness of it all. 

Will I read another Henry book? Probably yes, and I am not ashamed to admit that after this one

Roxana 

Am i a romance reader now…Emily Henry what are you doing with my slowly aging heart?! 

For stressed times like I am having again at the moment, this was just perfect. I fell in love with all the character, the sister-story, the flowy-ness of it all. 

Will I read another Henry book? Probably yes, and I am not ashamed to admit that after this one

I think this book is brilliant. It’s really feels like reading a full on rom-com and the play on mocking book tropes, in a book, with book editors is honestly just perfect. I love Charlie and Libby and the development in Nora. This book was so good, might be my new comfort book 🥹

Sofie I

I found both of the main characters here to be very annoying. Libby in the beginning and Nora towards the middle/end. The list was a very cheesy way to introduce Nora to the area in hopes for her to love it there. 

Nora. Go to therapy girl.. why are we getting mad at our grown sister (who happens to be married and have a family) for wanting to move out of New York. 

Hadley 

I found both of the main characters here to be very annoying. Libby in the beginning and Nora towards the middle/end. The list was a very cheesy way to introduce Nora to the area in hopes for her to love it there. 

Nora. Go to therapy girl.. why are we getting mad at our grown sister (who happens to be married and have a family) for wanting to move out of New York. 

Belen Silva

This is the equivalent of a romcom you’d actually go to the theaters to see. More depth than most books of this genre, and great writing about familial obligations, complicated feelings of home, etc.. It was a good, relatively fluffy read. I highly enjoyed it. 

Cecilia Bala

sofia mae

i love how at the end i never hated a character and learned to love each and every one of them. i love how it was never one of those “omg i love you, let’s get married right away.” it just clicked they were just it, soulmates. i loved how they let nora achieve her dreams, what she really wanted. AND CHARLIE LOVED HER FOR THAT, HE LOVED EVERY BIT OF HER and ofc her nightmare brain. 

Penelope Sanchez

it made me CRY and that says a lot.

i love how at the end i never hated a character and learned to love each and every one of them. i love how it was never one of those “omg i love you, let’s get married right away.” it just clicked they were just it, soulmates. i loved how they let nora achieve her dreams, what she really wanted. AND CHARLIE LOVED HER FOR THAT, HE LOVED EVERY BIT OF HER and ofc her nightmare brain. 

My fave Emily Henry book is Funny Story, but this one is a close second. 

Chloé Dupèré

A by the book literary agent must decide if happily ever after is worth changing her whole life for in this insightful, delightful new novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Beach Read and People We Meet on Vacation. 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.

such a cute romance book. this book isn't just talking about the couple but it also talks about sisterhood. i don't find a big conflict between the couple instead i just love how the writer writes about them. however, i’m glad i picked this one as my first reading of her work.

I did not like this at all. I actually couldn’t even finish it.

There are two kinds of books: those that are meaningful and teach a life lesson, or those that are well-written and have a few extraordinarily good phrases thrown in to keep your attention. this book has neither. I learned absolutely nothing valuable for my life, and the writing style pains me. No offense to the fans, but I will not be reading anything by this author again. 

Natalia 

I did not like this at all. I actually couldn’t even finish it.

There are two kinds of books: those that are meaningful and teach a life lesson, or those that are well-written and have a few extraordinarily good phrases thrown in to keep your attention. this book has neither. I learned absolutely nothing valuable for my life, and the writing style pains me. No offense to the fans, but I will not be reading anything by this author again. 

my newest favorite book now 😭😭😭 it took me a while to finish reading bc i got caught up on school but nevertheless… wow 🥹 the perfect balance of a love story; the cheesy-book-romance stuff that isn’t supernatural at the same time. what i love the most is how it tackles love in itself — not confined to romantic love, but love for what it is and what it should be. i understand now why emily henry is suuuchh a well-loved author 🥹

julianne 🤍 

think classic rom com tropes but the roles are reversed! we learn about the b*tchy character. the meredith blake from the parent trap who is left behind.

i really enjoyed this book because i genuinely liked the dialogue that the two love interests, nora and charlie shared. to some it was probably super cringe but i found it witty and genuinely funny to the point where i actually chuckled a few times.

i also just die for books like this that are set in new york or about it. it really is one of the most unique cities in the world.

otherwise though it didn't blow me out of the water, just kept me going through this dark and gloomy winter period im feeling here in toronto. 

Ashna Nirula

think classic rom com tropes but the roles are reversed! we learn about the b*tchy character. the meredith blake from the parent trap who is left behind.

i really enjoyed this book because i genuinely liked the dialogue that the two love interests, nora and charlie shared. to some it was probably super cringe but i found it witty and genuinely funny to the point where i actually chuckled a few times.

i also just die for books like this that are set in new york or about it. it really is one of the most unique cities in the world.

otherwise though it didn't blow me out of the water, just kept me going through this dark and gloomy winter period im feeling here in toronto. 

4.5 bc i didn’t get to see charlie and nora’s wedding. that’s all. i love emily henry. 

Read this mostly on a beach while on summer holiday. Honestly, just what I needed. Like a Hallmark Christmas movie without the Christmas part and a slightly less cheesy ending. 

Jovana Gjekanovikj 

Nora is a cut-throat literary agent at the top of her game. Her whole life is books. 
Charlie is an editor with a gift for creating bestsellers. And he's Nora's nemesis. 

Nora has been through enough break-ups to know she's the one men date before finding their happily-ever-after. To prevent another dating dud, Nora's sister persuades her to swap her city desk for a month's holiday in Sunshine Falls. It's a small town straight out of a romance novel, but instead of meeting sexy lumberjacks, handsome doctors or cute bartenders, Nora keeps bumping into...Charlie.

Since I read beach read and book lovers back to back, I'm kind of bound to compare them with each other. Book lovers definitely spoke more to me, as an eldest sister and as someone who feels like they have to solve everyone's problems for them. 

When Libby told Nora that she needs her sometimes to just be her sister and say 'that sucks' instead of thinking of solutions to help her, that part was really powerful.

  I'm starting to think banter is Emily Henry's specialty, I loved the banter in book lovers as much as I did in beach read, if not more! There was so much to love about this book: the eldest daughter rep, the sisterhood, Nora's complex character, ... The execution of this book is perfect. Charlie was definitely an interesting love interest, it was fun reading along as Nora tried to figure out the pieces to his mosaic. Overall, a nice read!

blue

Since I read beach read and book lovers back to back, I'm kind of bound to compare them with each other. Book lovers definitely spoke more to me, as an eldest sister and as someone who feels like they have to solve everyone's problems for them. 

When Libby told Nora that she needs her sometimes to just be her sister and say 'that sucks' instead of thinking of solutions to help her, that part was really powerful.

  I'm starting to think banter is Emily Henry's specialty, I loved the banter in book lovers as much as I did in beach read, if not more! There was so much to love about this book: the eldest daughter rep, the sisterhood, Nora's complex character, ... The execution of this book is perfect. Charlie was definitely an interesting love interest, it was fun reading along as Nora tried to figure out the pieces to his mosaic. Overall, a nice read!

late review! i finished this around 2? days ago i think but better late than never ^_^

put off reading this for months and it was the last emily henry book on my tbr (i read happy place & funny story before it lol) because i’m not the biggest black cat x black cat enjoyer.. but i’m glad i finally picked it up cause it was so good. :( i liked seeing the sibling dynamic between libby and nora, reading how sisters ACTUALLY fight and how people raised under the same roof grow up and perceive things differently… wow! also i loved the progression between charlie and nora. :3 big big big fan. not too slowburn but just the right amount and i love their dialogues!!!! 

emily henry never disappoints and im always so happy by the time i finish her books :3 hehehe

late review! i finished this around 2? days ago i think but better late than never ^_^

put off reading this for months and it was the last emily henry book on my tbr (i read happy place & funny story before it lol) because i’m not the biggest black cat x black cat enjoyer.. but i’m glad i finally picked it up cause it was so good. :( i liked seeing the sibling dynamic between libby and nora, reading how sisters ACTUALLY fight and how people raised under the same roof grow up and perceive things differently… wow! also i loved the progression between charlie and nora. :3 big big big fan. not too slowburn but just the right amount and i love their dialogues!!!! 

emily henry never disappoints and im always so happy by the time i finish her books :3 hehehe

after 3 months, i finally finished reading this!!!! :3 slightly predictable ending, but i loved it nonetheless. as someone who also has a sister, the conflict resolution between libby and nora was so realistic to me!!!! and it was just sooo good to see the perspective of the black cat persona.. i will put together real thoughts later 

i love how realistic the conflict resolve. typical romcom somehow berbasis sama love conquer all or everything will be fine because we love each other or as long as i’m with you i’m content (gak peduli gue harus ngelepasin mimpi gue) tapi yang ini tuh enggak. they love each other so much that’s why they let them be happy with their choices. mereka gak saling memaksakan kehendak.

thank you emily henry you are curing the evil that colleen hoover set upon this world.

loved this! mayhaps not my faveee henry romance but boy oh boy was i invested. obsessed with her ability to always end in a satisfying way and add in little twists

camille paradis

thank you emily henry you are curing the evil that colleen hoover set upon this world.

loved this! mayhaps not my faveee henry romance but boy oh boy was i invested. obsessed with her ability to always end in a satisfying way and add in little twists

Estelle Fernandez 

Reading Emily Henry is a true delight. These characters are so well crafted and the banter between the leads is sexy and hilarious. Highly recommend if you love romcoms! 

Leigh Pattison 

Emily henry is such a talented author, and honestly, I feel like I didn't give this book the best shot only because I was reading this at the beach, and was quite distracted, however it was still so good. Their romance is so believeable, it doesn't feel too forced because the tension between them was so strong. I love Charlie and I love Nora because they both give the same black cat energy, which they do mention in the book, it's so cute that this book is surrounded around book editors because they talk of book tropes and stuff soo much. I love this book but I didn't feel it was my favourite only because it just didn't feel the best, but it was very very enjoyable. The pacing and plot is great, and the continous shadow of Nora's trauma made everything perfect. Can't wait to continue reading Emily Henry's books.

surtified™

Maureen

"Maybe I just say the right thing for you."

***

That's it. I'm calling Book Lovers as the BEST contemporary romance novel I've ever come across. My fave bookstagrammer, @ellereadsomebooks, wasn't kidding when she said this was her all-time favorite too. Not once have her reviews disappointed me and it's primarily why I was so ecstatic to read Emily Henry's latest novel in the first place.

For YA, my all-time would have to be Rowell's Fangirl. So I'm glad I finally found a fave book for this genre.

I've always been a hopeless romantic, and this book, I think, is perfect for readers like me lol. I really love the way Henry characterizes her leads. 

First, Nora. Truly, a strong and independent woman—something that isn't an uncommon archetype nowadays given our increasingly socially aware society. But what sets Nora Stephens apart is that she doesn't fold. Not for her lover, not for anyone— that is, except for her sister. Now this is a breath of fresh air! As someone who has a tight-knit relationship with her older sister, I really think Henry did an accurate job of portraying what it feels like to view your sister as your literal 'other half.' And I love her so much for it. 

Next, Charlie. Boy, is he the perfect male lead to me. Having also read Emily Henry's other novel, Beach Read, this novel just reinforced my love for the way she writes her male characters, i.e, their masculinity never feels forced (unlike in other books). Sometimes, I feel readers tend to overlook seemingly red flags from the male lead just because, overall, "he's a great guy." But Henry's male leads never overstep the boundary—you get the sense they're true men without them ever resorting to the need to trample on the women (even if in a joking way) just to prove how "manly" they are. Essentially, I love how her men don't settle for the bare minimum. Because isn't this what all women deserve in a relationship?

As always, I live for the top-tier banter in her novels. Similar to Beach Read, the back and forth exchange between Nora and Charlie doesn't disappoint. The best I've come across in writing! So witty yet perfectly natural that, in effect, the buildup of their relationship comes off as plausible. Charlie and Nora's chemistry. That's it.

Emily Henry's Book Lovers is definitely another meet-cute story—except it's packed with so so much more. Looking forward to reading her future works!

Linking my fave bookstagrammer's review on this book bc she explains things a thousand times better than I ever could. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cda0xbivV...

Book Lovers is a wonderful book! I loved the small-town setting in Sunshine Falls. (My brain can't formulate a full review since I'm sick, but I'll share my full thoughts soon!)

Genesis (@whisperingchapters) &
Book Lovers by Emily Henry

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Genesis (@whisperingchapters) &Book Lovers by Emily Henry

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Genesis (@whisperingchapters) &
Book Lovers by Emily Henry