BOOK REVIEW: Book Lovers by Emily Henry

A perfect, heartwarming Rom-Com for the book lover in all of us.

This is a classic example of why it pays to give an author a second chance when the first book you read by them leaves you disappointed. I read People We Meet on Vacation last summer and was of the unpopular opinion. It just didn’t do it for me; didn’t really do anything for me. I didn’t believe the characters, the relationship and just the all around progression of the story. I’m typically not a fan of friends-to-lovers, so that might have impacted my opinions.

Book Lovers, a Bookstagram-Made-Me-Do-It, was everything PWMOV wasn’t and so, so much more. I absolutely loved this book and found it hard to put down. I loved the characters, the setting… but, I am getting ahead of myself. I do like to elaborate on my thoughts.  :)

Nora Stephens is a cutthroat literary agent in New York City, whose little pregnant sister, Libby, convinces to go on a girls only trip to Sunshine Falls, North Carolina. The setting for Libby’s favorite book, one by an author that Nora works with. On this multi-week vacation, which Libby keeps the true reasons for the trip secret, Nora keeps running into Charlie Lastra, a New York City editor that she has not had the best interactions with. It’s clear that this will be an enemies to lovers situation, and, since that is my favorite rom-com troupe, I’m ok with this!

Can I just mention the prologue for a hot minute? This was the most fun, book allusion filled masterpiece ever. The hilarity of the gentle mocking of all the romance tropes was so fun. It was the perfect use of irony to set up who Nora is, what she does, the type of book this is and ultimately foreshadowing what literary tropes we will see throughout the rest of the book. Needless to say, I was hooked.

The writing style is masterful. I love the continual word play and banter between Charlie and Nora. It really does set the basis for their relationship. But, it was perfect. I found myself chuckling and shaking my head at the wit of these two. But not only that, it really does match both their personalities. There were creative and absurd analogies that were so perfect and reflected every conversation or situation that they found themselves in. This made the ebb and flow between narration and dialogue engaging and light-hearted, even when more serious topics were introduced. 

“A good book is like an airport where you don’t have to take your shoes off.”

Sunshine Falls is as different as you can imagine from New York, and takes Nora completely out of her comfort zone. The descriptions of the little, quaint town are perfectly created to paint the images and support the constant references to the Libby’s desire to make Nora experience the small town, calmer side of life. I love the little bookstore (where we always find Charlie), the pub, the town hall meeting, everything about this town is created to suck the reader in. For this story to work, this step is really critical because of who Nora is.

She’s a shark, made cynical and closed off by her experiences. There is little said directly about grief, trauma and tragedy, but I’d be remiss not to mention it because it is these events in Nora’s life prior to the start of the book that contributed to her closed off, type A personality. She has spent so much time protecting herself and her sister, that she has missed out what is going on around her, her own personal desires and the impact of that mentality on those around her, specifically Libby. She has lost who she truly is. As her character evolves throughout the course of her time in Sunshine Falls, she has realizations and learns that she hasn’t coped with events of her past and that she has to come to terms with them, opening herself to be vulnerable. Completely anti-Nora behavior. Again, I appreciate the fact that this isn’t easy for Nora. It’s not glossed over, but developed and aligned to Nora’s development. And, of course, there is a special place in my heart for those who like to read the last page first. 

Charlie, on first glance, appears to be just like her when they meet in New York City. A type A, no-nonsense, impatient alpha male. However, almost immediately in Sunshine Falls, we see that first impressions aren’t always the best judge of character. And on that fateful first meeting in New York, both Nora and Charlie came in with baggage from a bad day. I love Charlie. I love his backstory and how he is able to help Nora through her moments of self discovery. I love how similar they are, but how they see things a little differently.

“Of course I have a checklist, I’m not an animal!”

I really appreciated Henry’s incorporation of the secondary characters. Libby, Libby’s husband and kids, the people of Sunshine Falls, and Charlie’s family are all well developed and essential to gaining the full understanding of who these characters are, why they are the way they are, and the motivations behind their actions. Libby is hilarious and has her own secret agenda, which shows just how much she understands who Nora is. This is powerful in a secondary character. Libby is a catalyst in the plot, and I love her!

Libby’s checklist of things to do and accomplish on their ‘vacation’ allows for situations to arise that allow the plot to progress and flow naturally and smoothly. The pacing is perfect. There is very little repetition in the interactions with Nora and Charlie which is really nice. Even the wit and banter is different in each interaction.

“Some books you don’t read so much as live, and finishing one of those always makes me think of ascending from a scuba dive. Like if I surface too fast I might get the bends.”

Where does this land on my bookshelf?

It should be obvious, but this one is definitely a top shelfer. I loved the creativity of weaving in the real  literary world into a work of fiction. As a book lover, I love books about books!  The characters are believable and charming, the story is heartwarming with depth that you might be expecting, and the dialogue is fun and creative. Henry proves she is a master at the game of word play. There are so many quotable and memorable passages; I wish I had written them all down. This is a perfect book to read at the beach, by the pool, or wrapped up with a blanket on a raining day. Buy it, Read it, Love it! I am so glad that I didn’t let People We Meet on Vacation dictate my decision to read more by Henry. I may even read Beach Read next! I’ll leave you with this little piece of advice I took away from the book:  If you ever want to begin an engaging and inappropriate conversation, focus on ‘bigfoot erotica.’

Don’t forget to check out my other fun sites!

Brand New Website for book lovers: www.tinyurl.com/desertbookshelf It has links to my podcast Speaking LITerally, book reviews, breaking literary news, games, links to small business and more!

Speaking LITerally podcast! Our monthly misadventures into all things literary. Separated by the Atlantic, Liz and I come together in our love of reading!!! Find us wherever you listen to your other favorite podcasts! Click here to find us on iHeartRadio!

If you are really bored you can read about some of my personal adventures in life raising two teenagers and loving a husband who is fighting Chronic Myeloid Leukemia and all the lesson I learn along the way. Educate This.