Book Lovers by Emily Henry was the perfect read for last weekend. I was dog sitting for a friend so had lots of downtime as someone else's house. The dogs were easy and loved to snuggle on the couch. Henry's book ended up on my Kindle as part of the Kindle challenge to read one of their bestseller's from 2022. As I mentioned above, this wasn't my typical read but I enjoyed it.

It was a fun, very self-aware romance in which the villainous literary agent (who knows she is the villain) ends up in the small town (although it isn't quite as adorable as it might seem) and eventually falls for the guy she thinks is arrogant and cold-hearted (just like her). I laughed out loud and didn't mind the torrid sex scenes. My only complaint is that it seemed to drag towards the end. Since we knew the outcome, it took just a couple chapters too many to get there, and I was a little relieved when I got to the Epilogue. ( )

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶 /4

This was my first Emily Henry read and I'm definitely now a fan.

I feel like there are so many reviews and synopses out there for this one that I'm going to keep mine short. I read this on vacation and loved it. I loved how the author used characters that were within the publishing world to kind of poke fun at tropes and stereotypes while still writing a delightful small town, enemies to lovers rom-com. I don't always focus on the writing itself, I usually just get so caught up in the story, but I definitely noticed it in this one and it really added to my enjoyment of the book overall.

Was it semi-predictable? Yup. Did it give us an HEA? Yup. Did we have a super fun ride getting there? Yes we did. Even though cartoon cover rom-coms are by definition pretty predictable, Emily manages to really draw us in with the depth of character exploration and the relationship building that went into our final HEA. She wrote a female character we usually see as the villain or the one who gets left behind in the traditional Hallmark rom coms, and I loved the different perspective. Sometimes all we want is a good ole rom com and this delivered. Can't wait to dig into her other books. ( )

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶 /4

This was my first Emily Henry read and I'm definitely now a fan.

I feel like there are so many reviews and synopses out there for this one that I'm going to keep mine short. I read this on vacation and loved it. I loved how the author used characters that were within the publishing world to kind of poke fun at tropes and stereotypes while still writing a delightful small town, enemies to lovers rom-com. I don't always focus on the writing itself, I usually just get so caught up in the story, but I definitely noticed it in this one and it really added to my enjoyment of the book overall.

Was it semi-predictable? Yup. Did it give us an HEA? Yup. Did we have a super fun ride getting there? Yes we did. Even though cartoon cover rom-coms are by definition pretty predictable, Emily manages to really draw us in with the depth of character exploration and the relationship building that went into our final HEA. She wrote a female character we usually see as the villain or the one who gets left behind in the traditional Hallmark rom coms, and I loved the different perspective. Sometimes all we want is a good ole rom com and this delivered. Can't wait to dig into her other books. ( )

As long as I have been doing this (which in all fairness, hasn’t been that long), I have never had an issue writing a review. For Book Lovers, the problem isn’t knowing what to say, the problem is trying to figure out where to start because there is just…so…much.

For starters, Book Lovers left me speechless. There are no words to describe this book. I take that back, I don’t even know where to begin when it comes to trying to describe this book. Just adjectives pop into my mind: Riveting, captivating, consuming. Every which way – this book had you guessing and coming up short. Formula be darn, Henry reset the expectations with this novel.

For each beginning, there needs to be an end. For every love lost, there is a love won. All of this sounds great if you are on the winning side of the story, but what happens when your relationship is the one that ends, your love is the one that is lost? Just ask Nora Stephens, as this has become the story of her life! Somehow the road to happily ever after seems to end one exit past her. Fed up of being on the losing end of the small town romance trope, Nora focuses on what matters – being the best literary agent in the business. She may not have her own happily ever after but she makes sure her clients have theirs for their masterpieces. That is until she meets an editor who decides her author’s next book isn’t worth his time or attention. Only minutes after being dumped (again), Nora has to face off with Charlie Lastra. A walking sense of dreariness and foreboding but possessing the touch of gold to any book he edits, he passes on Nora’s author – creating a vindictive/nemesis connection between the two of them. Years pass and her sister Libby has decided Nora, after her latest break up, needs to get away from the city and take the matters of the heart into her own hands. Visiting Sunshine Falls, North Carolina, Libby is determined to get Nora’s focus off the books and onto what the town has to offer. Much to Nora’s dismay, the small town magic has a way of working whether you want it to or not.

There is just so much to walk away with in this book. The concept of reality consistently rolled into the story. As a reader, I felt like Henry constantly kept one foot glued to ground. Sure, Nora was on vacation for a month but she was still working. Yes (without giving anything away), circumstances changed but she wasn’t willing to just cut ties on her life and walk away. She was a “real” person making “real” decisions that a reader could completely relate to.

A quick note – for those who have experienced the loss of a parent or taking on the role of a guardian, this book will speak to you in volumes.

As for the steamy factor, Emily has a way of writing a smoldering scene between characters and making you feel the emotion as well as the seduction. This isn’t just hot, sweaty, wham, bam done kind of writing, this is sensual, emotional, connection type of feeling that makes these scene instrumental to the story.

Book Lovers isn’t just a book, it’s an experience. There isn’t an easy way to write a review without revealing what makes this book phenomenal, spoiling it for those who have yet to enjoy it. It isn’t about the trope, it isn’t about the happily ever after, it is all about the characters, who they are, why they are the way they are, where they are, and where they will go. ( )

Cute ( )