What a fun journey! As someone who didn’t have a sister until much, much later in life, I loved Nora’s relationship with Libby and the stories from their childhood. And Charlie!! What a hunk. I will forever read an Emily Henry book.

Nora Stephens is literary agent who works hard and will do anything for her clients. After growing up in New York City and taking care of her sister, Libby, after their mother's death, she is thought of as cutthroat and ruthless. Her sister convinces her to take a vacation to a little town in North Carolina called Sunshine Falls for a month and take a break and grow closer. Pregnant with her third, Libby wants time away before the addition of another and experience all the small town generated cliches before her small home gets even more crowded.

Once they get to Sunshine Falls, they run into a moody book editor from NYC, Charlie, who rejected a manuscript when Nora presented it a few years previously, which went on to be a huge hit. They quickly fall into a witty banter, which leads to something new.

Despite the small town charm, the sisters find themselves at arms-length and Nora realizes Libby is keeping something from her. Charlie has problems of his own that Nora can't decide if she wants to decipher or fall in love with another small-town dreamboat. Nora torn between her work, taking care of her sister, and Charlie being Charlie, works hard to keep it all going.

There were many things about this story I adored, but the sisters relationship growing was probably my favorite. They are so connected and encourage each other in all the right ways. Charlie get Nora to open up and in turn she does the same for him. Their chemistry was perfection and the romance made me swoon. The family tension and romantic tension kept this story going. Emily Henry sprinkled in some lovely book references and heart-warming pieces (like the reviews Libby and Nora would write for the bookstore they grew up living over).

Overall, I super enjoyed this book and it a fantastic new romance to share with others.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC! All thoughts are my own.

This book was absolutely EVERYTHING. This is hands-down one of my favorite books of the year! What is so lovely about this book is that it truly is written for book lovers, pun most definitely intended. The romantic pairing between an uptight literary agent and a guarded editor was perfect, and I adored the Stars Hollow-esque vibes of the book's locale. This is my favorite Emily Henry book by far!

Because I am a reader, not a writer, I cannot adequately express how much I loved this book and how great it is.

Book Lovers is a love letter to all book lovers. It is so knowing and self-referential of all the romance conventions and tropes that occur in the genre. It derides and celebrates them at the same time.

Nora’s life has been impacted negatively by all those small town tropes (there seems to be a lot of Christmas tree farms that need saving) which inspires the best prologue I have ever read. But when she is coerced to visit Sunshine Falls, North Carolina she comes to realize that the tropes are there for a reason; there is some truth to them or they wouldn’t be so enduring.

This is a romance between a literary agent (Nora) and an editor (Charlie) but also a story of two sisters trying to change their dynamic from quasi mother and daughter to just sisters.

Book Lovers has so many brilliant lines and thoughts. This book is sure to be on several Best Books of 2022 lists.

Book Lovers is not out until May but it is a must pre-order for all book lovers, romance fans, and Emily Henry followers. Her best book yet!

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was another hit from Emily Henry! Emily creates characters so loveable and real and has a way of bringing secondary characters to the forefront. Definitely had some similarities in plot to her first big hit "Beach Read' but this town and its people felt brand new. I love her stories and it felt like a great comfort read that I know everyone will enjoy.

I loved this book. I loved how it made fun of the tropes. The dialogue was phenomenal, I laughed aloud so many times. It was the highlight of my long weekend and I almost I hate I got to read it early. What am I supposed to do while she writes more?

Lots of warm fuzzies going on here, plus the love interest has this great Darcy vibe but without all of the social awkwardness and condescension.

I can't believe I was able to hold out as long as I did before starting this one but I wanted some dedicated reading time before I dove in and lord was I thankful I did. I devoured this in one sitting and read WAY past my bedtime just because I couldn't stop turning pages.

I found myself utterly captivated by the characters, the town, the stories, the banter... I just couldn't stop smiling as I turned page after page learning more and more about Nora, Libby, and Charles. It's a sister story and a love story in the bones of it. It's about what we do for family and the sacrifices we make to ensure their happiness. I honestly didn't want this one to end and it's absolutely my new fave from Henry.

I can't wait to put this one on my bookshelf!

Thank you for the early copy.

I love that the book was set in the publishing world, with interesting characters. How often do you have women characters who are not ashamed of their ambitious selves, don’t need children, and have this character stay true to the end? But this was like turning on a hallmark movie, and aren’t there enough of them already? I’m just glad we didn’t have the sappy music. Cute romance but to me it seemed the tried and true romantic formula.

Charlie and Nora were just a wonderful pair to spend time with. The way each loose end was tied up into their perfect happy ending was just so lovely and satisfying. Absolutely dreamy.

I LOVED this. I think People You Meet On Vacation was technically better, but this one is emotional and it cuts deep and the love story is just so good. It’s the opposite of opposites attract—sames attract! Sames who have always been left for their opposites. Big “I like you just the way you are” energy. Nora is a big time literary agent and she finds herself vacationing in a small town with her sister Libby (same small town where her client’s last romantic bestseller took place), and she runs into the hot editor, Charlie, who had once turned down her client’s book. When he and Nora end up teaming up together to help her client with her new book, they realize that they are perfect for each other. Family heartaches present trouble for their romance, but Nora stumbles through a new phase in her close relationship with her sister while Charlie tries to be there for his family in a town that’s always made him feel like an outsider. Of COURSE there’s an HEA, even when it feels like there might not be!

THIS BOOK IS EVERYTHING. How does Emily Henry do it? Her characters jump off the pages -- I want to read 10 more books about these characters and I usually only want standalones. The romance arc is literal perfection. The pacing is perfect and the love/hate of it all is exactly what I wanted. And the banter, THE BANTER! I LOL'd throughout the entire book, and I don't usually laugh out loud while reading. Charlie and Nora are OTP, and the last page of the book gave me shivers. Now excuse me while I go back to page one so I can reread this masterpiece.

Wow. Emily Henry never disappoints! This book was so amazing. I automatically fell in love with Nora and Charlie. I absolutely loved the banter and flirting between the characters. The whole time I was reading this book I was stuck between wanting to finish it, because it was so good, and wanting to take my time, so it would never end. I wasn't ready to say bye to Nora and Charlie! I ended up finishing it in 24 hours! I would highly recommend this book and anything else written by Emily Henry! She is an amazing author. 10/10!

I think the one thing I hated about this book was finishing it and having nothing more to look forward to. Seriously, I saw the word epilogue and almost cried because I realized I moved too quick and didn't get to make this last as long as I wanted it to.

Emily Henry's books are just a balm that soothes every part of my existence somehow. I read her books and I am just incredibly happy and calm but also hysterical... in a calm way.

I refuse to talk about what this book was about because I think that everyone should just enjoy a romance book without knowing anything about it every once in a while. I loved having absolutely NO clue what to expect and who to expect it from. I didn't get past the book title and cover before I was adding this to my TBR and requesting the ARC.

I think this definitely was closer to Beach Read territory as far as where this would lie between her previous two books but honestly, all of her books have been knockouts and I will love and cherish and protect them all. There were parts of Nora that I connected with on such a deep level that I wanted things for her just as much as I want them for me. Nora has been taking care of her world but who in her world is taking care of her? I just wanted her to be wrapped up in a heated, weighted blanket with someone she loves and away from anything that could hurt her.

CHARLIEEEEE!!! Charlie was so prickly for like thirty seconds and then he becomes the softest, most comforting presence in a book that I have ever had the pleasure of reading. Seriously, he was perfect. I wouldn't change anything about him. I think Emily Henry finds the perfect balance in her couples that they just fall together so gracefully. Like they float into their intended place. I wouldn't change a thing.

Libby and Nora's relationship felt like it was equally in the spotlight as Nora and Charlie's budding relationship. Libby and Nora are each other's soulmates, no matter what. So the sister story in this felt really special but also held such value to Nora's character as her own, individual person. Nora had truly been taking care of people her entire life, so watching this relationship in front of our very eyes really put the responsibility she took on into perspective. Libby seems clueless the whole time but she really wasn't. I'll be honest, I definitely saw parts of the ending coming but I still would not change a thing. I just let my mind jump ahead by accident.

I would recommend this book to everyone and anyone just because I think Emily deserves it but also because this book deserves it. The writing was beautiful as it usually is - I never wanted to put it down! Henry writes with such ease it feels like, there never feels like there was an ounce of struggle of getting the words out onto the page. I am so happy that I stumbled across Beach Read and that launched me into a direct love of Emily's work. I will never stray.

Take a drink every time Charlie says, "fucking".

But in all seriousness, this is Emily Henry's best book yet. I loved the verbal back and forth between Charlie and Nora, they played very well off of one another and the chemistry was palpable all throughout. I also love that this book is so self aware in that it plays up the tropes of typical love stories, but it WORKS like a go-to recipe, a tale as old as time: going from the large city to the small town, the complications that come with family, trauma and its nasty aftermath, and trying to find what's truly important, compromise between partners, and being true to ones self. A standing ovation from me, I cannot wait to get my hands on a hardcopy so it can sit beside its siblings on my shelf.

***Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***
Emily Henry does it again! She creates the most likeable characters with the wittiest banter. The romance is sizzling and the storyline moves at a quick pace.

As the title suggests, this is a novel truly meant for book lovers. Nora's love of libraries, bookstores, reading, writing, and anything to do with words and stories will speak to bookworms everywhere. Henry's characters are relatable, lovable, and clever. Her ability to both poke fun at literary tropes while also weaving an expert story that employs many of those same tropes is phenomenal. In this novel, Nora writes that some books you don't so much read as much as you live them--active rather than passive. This book was certainly one that I lived. I cannot recommend Henry's writings enough, and Book Lovers may be her best one yet.

Book Lovers solidified Emily Henry as one of my favorite authors. I didn't think it would be possible to overshadow Beach Read, and yet here we are. There's so much to love about this book - the humor, the realism, the chemistry, the many brilliantly placed literary, pop culture, and NYC references... and omg The Banter. I found myself cackling at times, tearing up at others, and swooning non-stop. This is a love letter to tropes, small towns, large cities, family, grief, romance books, trauma, and finding our place in the world. The importance of choosing one's self. Emily Henry always nails realistic dilemmas. They never feel contrived. Book Lovers is no exception.

Long story short, this is a top read of the year for me, and I can't wait for it's release so I can force every one of my book-loving friends to pick up a copy. Thank you, Emily Henry and your nightmare brain.

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this early :)

This was my favorite book by Emily Henry so far. I feel that each of her books is better than her last, and I’m so excited to see what she does next. I really loved Nora and Libby as characters and I was really compelled by their journeys, and loved their backstories as well. I especially loved the literary references dropped throughout the book and actually wish there were more. Overall, this was a really enjoyable read and I think any fan of Henry’s books will love it!

I think it's hard for me to imagine picking up an Emily Henry book and not enjoying it. I find her romances so comforting. Something I have always appreciated is her ability to blend in serious elements into her story. As someone who has gone through a lot of loss and been a caretaker for a long time, it really helps me feel like the stories she writes could be my stories, too. Sort of an alternate universe where the things I wish had happened for me could be possible and true for other people. I guess that's what any good book/escapism can capture.

With Book Lovers, Henry goes back to her bibliophile roots--much like where she started with Beach Read--and gives a story full of people who whose love for literature and stories are infused in every page. Which, of course, if you're a reader, you'll love. Nora is a book agent who has always seen herself as the trope of the frigid, work-obsessed ex who the main character leaves in every romance for the small-town heroine. I was nervous at first that this would turn into a "what is the right kind of woman" narrative but I think the commentary Emily draws out through Nora was a good one, and didn't pit women against each other. Rather, highlights how cishet gender norms and expectations impact you no matter what kind of archetype of "woman" you are, and I never felt like Nora disparaged other women. I appreciated a narrative that discussed how pursuing your passion doesn't mean negating love, etc. I think it could have gone further, but I was happy with what I got.

Where this book really shone for me was the chemistry between the two main characters. Their banter was so funny and sweet and I was often laughing out loud or grinning. I could FEEL the chemistry between these two. I could really tell that they saw each other and understood each other-- and really just enjoyed being around each other. I also think there was some really good communication in this book. I know that a common frustrating trope in cishet romances is miscommunication, and while I feel like that's unavoidable in the narrative structure/tropes of the romance genre, this one wasn't too major and I thought it was handled pretty well. I don't think I'll be over the line "Please don't apologize for letting me know you."

I think this is another hit from Henry, and I would expect nothing less. It has all the blend of charm, wit, and sincerity that I've come to expect from her. Overall, a comfort and a joy to read.

The only thing that really sticks out to me, and this is entirely from personal experience, is being someone who cares for someone who has been through a severe stroke... I don't think Clint would be so good at language if he had a stroke that put him in a coma for 6 days. I also think he would have more major permanent physical disabilities. I know this isn't true for everyone and people can recover to different levels, but based on my personal experience that is a lot of brain damage and I think that could have been portrayed more accurately. I know that this is not a MAIN facet of the story per se, but based on my personal experience I can't help but notice and be critical of that.