Emily Henry

Book Lovers By Emily Henry

Book Lovers

Nora Stephens lives for books—she’s read them all—but she’s no storybook heroine. She’s not quirky, carefree, or sweet. She’s sharp, driven, and the best literary agent in the business, always fighting for her clients and her sister, Libby.

So when Libby begs her for a month-long escape to Sunshine Falls, North Carolina, hoping for a small-town transformation, Nora reluctantly agrees. But instead of charming locals and romantic countryside adventures, she keeps running into Charlie Lastra—a brooding, no-nonsense editor she knows all too well.

Their repeated encounters aren’t cute, and neither of them fits the classic love story mold. But as fate keeps pushing them together, they might just have to rewrite the stories they’ve told themselves.

Review

Book Lovers does a lot of things right with subverting Hallmark movies with a cold girlboss protagonist who, instead of changing her ways or mentality, is still appreciated for who she is and what she values, especially by the love interest. I like that being career-oriented, valuing independence, living in the city, and being childless are qualities that aren’t villainized nor expected to change in order to have a happy ending. The banter is fun, and I can see how the MC and love interest pair really well together. What gave the book more depth, though, was its focus on the MC’s own issues and relationship with her sister. This helped round the story to be both a combination of romance and interpersonal/family struggles. Perhaps I just have low standards when it comes to 3rd act conflicts in romance books, but I was impressed with how the author tackled this one. Rather than relying on misunderstandings, the conflicts presented felt more realistic and honest. I was even more surprised that there were not one, but multiple realistic conflicts that made it difficult for the MC to have her happy ending – and I appreciated that, because that’s how life actually works. “There’s no happy ending for a woman who wants it all.

Name: Cindy

Location: Wisconsin

Rating:

Book Details

Berkley
May 3rd, 2022
384
$13.58