Book Review: Book Lovers by Emily Henry (20 Books of Summer 2022 #2)

Hello everyone,

Today’s review is on Book Lovers by Emily Henry.

About the Book:

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.

My Thoughts:

I will admit that the prologue did not necessarily pull me in. In fact, it made me want to read something else. However, once I read the first chapter, I was hooked. I loved the small town setting, and how it didn’t quite live up to Nora’s expectations, but yet she still settles in.

I loved the banter between Nora and Charlie. It is so dry and cynical, yet also humorous. I literally laughed out loud at some of their dialogue, which almost never happens to me when I read a book. I also enjoyed the romance, and that there wasn’t some huge conflict between them. I appreciated how they both had to grow in different ways, and even helped each other to do so.

I did enjoy the setting of Sunny Falls, however, I do wish we could have gotten to know a few more of the townspeople, but that’s probably just my personal preference.

The one character I did not like was Libby. I felt like she was not a great sister to Nora most of the time, and was inconsiderate too. She just seemed somewhat immature for someone who has two kids and a third on the way. I get her reasoning, but she still rubbed me the wrong way.

Overall, I really enjoyed Book Lovers, in a lot of ways I liked it more than Beach Read. I loved the humor and the romance, but I also liked some of the more serious aspects as well. I highly recommend picking it up this summer! 5/5 Stars.

Happy Reading,

Janelle L. C.