Quick Thoughts: Book Lovers by Emily Henry

Book Lovers

by Emily Henry

May 3, 2022

Goodreads Summary:

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.

Review

After finishing Book Lovers, I understand why Emily Henry’s books have captured the hearts of so many romance readers. This book gave me all the tingly fuzzy feels. I loved it and need more!

What I Liked:

- small town setting

- characters that knew what they wanted

- insight into publishing (agenting and editing)

- Nora:

   - strong and independent

   - realistic because of her fears

   - so many of her thoughts resonated with me

- a snarky and smart love interest

- Nora and Charlie:

   - their banter

   - such delicious tension

   - they really understood one another

- family above all else

- complicated but unbreakable sister bond

- the sweetest ending

The Not So Much:

- Shepherd’s existence (kind of an unnecessary drama)

”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.” (p. 6)

“… a reminder that there are things in life so valuable that you must risk the pain of losing them for the joy of briefly having them.” (p. 344)

“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.” (p. 362)