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The Official Blurb
“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.”
Book Lovers by Emily Henry: Small-Town Tropes, Big-City Women and a Slow Burn
The Basics
Title: Book Lovers
Author: Emily Henry
Published: 2022
Genre: Contemporary romance, romantic comedy, enemies to lovers, slow burn
Emily Henry is a No. 1 New York Times bestselling author who’s also written Beach Read, Funny Story, Happy Place, People We Meet on Vacation and — most recently — Great, Big Beautiful Life. She has written YA novels as well but, let’s be honest, her adult romance era is thriving.
People We Meet on Vacation is now a Netflix film. Beach Read is getting a 20th Century Studios adaptation. Book Lovers is being adapted by Tango Entertainment. Happy Place is becoming a Netflix series and Henry is writing the screenplay for the film adaptation of Funny Story herself.
In short, she’s everywhere. And deservedly so.
Cocktails I’d Pair With This Book
If you’re reading Book Lovers, here’s what I recommend pouring:
- Cherry Bounce
- Cheerwine
- Manhattans, because Nora and Charlie drink them in the book
- Coors Light, because yes, that makes an appearance
- Or better yet, upgrade to a solid craft option from Highland Brewing Company in Asheville, North Carolina, like Daycation Gold or Gaelic Ale
If we’re going small-town North Carolina vibes, we might as well commit.
The Premise
Nora Stephens (thank you, Emily Henry, for using the correct spelling of Stephens) is a literary agent in New York. She once dreamed of becoming an editor but life shifted and she found her place advocating for authors instead. She’s ambitious, sharp and unapologetically career-driven.
She’s also, unfortunately, the woman men leave behind.
Her first serious relationship collapsed when her mother died and her boyfriend couldn’t handle the emotional weight. Since then, Nora’s endured three (or four?) more failed relationships that would be funny if they weren’t so brutal. She’s the big-city girlfriend or fiancée who gets dumped when a man visits a charming small town and discovers “what really matters.”
Enter Charlie Lastra, an editor in New York who meets Nora over a business lunch involving Manhattans and blunt opinions. He doesn’t like the manuscript she’s pitching. He’s not particularly gentle about that fact. In fact, he’s kind of a douche about it. They part ways less than warmly.
The manuscript, of course, becomes wildly successful.
The story then shifts to Sunshine Falls, North Carolina, a fictional small town with serious Boone and Asheville energy, though arguably less cool. Nora’s pregnant sister Libby convinces her to take a sisters’ getaway before baby No. 3 arrives. The goal is bonding, bucket lists and reconnection.
Naturally, Charlie is also there.
Turns out he’s from Sunshine Falls and is helping run his family’s bookstore while working remotely. Nora and Charlie are forced into collaboration … but this time the tension simmers longer and deeper.
The Spice Level
On our Spicy Scoville Scale, Book Lovers lands firmly at jalapeño. Three peppers.
There are steamy moments, including skinny dipping. The intimacy builds gradually. Nothing feels gratuitous or overindulgent. It’s absolutely a slow burn (which podcast fans know I’m not a fan of) but when it heats up, it earns it.
If you prefer a faster, higher-heat romance, this may feel restrained. If you appreciate tension that simmers before it ignites (like my co-host Meghan), you’ll enjoy the pacing.
What I Loved
The dialogue is exceptional.
The banter between Nora and Charlie is sharp, intelligent and genuinely funny. Their sarcasm feels earned. Their wit feels natural. I especially appreciated Charlie’s deadpan snark. He’s not physically my type but he’s absolutely my personality type. I would happily sit across from him at a bar and chat it up with him.
The heated moments in the second half of the book are well placed and satisfying.
The storyline, for the most part, feels plausible. That always matters to me. I can suspend disbelief but I prefer not to feel manipulated.
And then there’s this quote:
“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.”
That line alone encapsulates why Nora works as a protagonist. She’s not a Hallmark villain. She’s a complex woman trying to navigate ambition, grief and love without shrinking.
The Challenges
1. The Reading Experience
I started the physical book on my birthday. I was into it. Then the holidays hit. Life happened. Every time I picked it back up, I felt stalled.
So I switched to the audiobook.
That was not the solution I’d hoped for.
It’s a solo narration and I’ve learned something about myself this year: I strongly prefer dual and duet narration in romance. When a female narrator performs male voice inflections, especially in a slow-paced delivery, it grates on me. It was affecting my perception of Charlie.
Even speeding it up did not fix the pacing. It’s a longer book and, yes, it’s wordy. My husband Bob listened to large portions with me and agreed on that front. I even had Meghan listen to some clips and she also agreed the pacing seemed slow.
A small cul-de-sac focus group (okay, it’s the ladies in my neighborhood) confirmed many romance listeners also prefer separate male and female voices. I’m learning my audiobook boundaries. So we’ll just chalk this up to personal growth.
2. Libby
Nora’s sister Libby annoyed me, particularly toward the end. The repeated “sissy” references were not my favorite. Some of her communication choices felt immature and frustrating.
To be fair, the audiobook performance may have amplified my irritation.
3. The Final Conflict
I struggled with how the final conflict and resolution were initially handled. Certain characters felt obtuse. Some seemed unwilling to push hard enough for the people they loved.
I have strong feelings about what love requires, even when you’ve been hurt before. I also have strong feelings about family loyalty. That said, those are my personal convictions. Every reader will bring their own lens.
I also tend to get overly invested in my fictional couples. It’s a strength and a flaw.
Final Thoughts
Emily Henry is a bestselling author for a reason. She writes compelling dialogue. She understands emotional nuance. She creates characters who feel contemporary and flawed in believable ways.
If you love enemies to lovers, slow burn tension and moderately spicy romance, I recommend Book Lovers.
If you’re craving something faster or significantly hotter, you may want to look elsewhere. (And I’d probably stick to e-books or print copies for this one depending on your audiobook preferences.)
But if you appreciate wit, ambition and the quiet intimacy of shared scent and shared stubbornness, pour a Manhattan and settle in. Or drink a Cherry Bounce like I did.
Want More?
If you want to hear more of my thoughts on the book, you can listen to the podcast episode on your favorite podcast streaming service. Or click here for our in-house podcast player. You can also find out if I won the episode Boobie Prize. Want to read the book for yourself? You can get it here:
To learn more about New York Times bestselling author Emily Henry, click here.
Have you read Book Lovers? Let me know your thoughts on this book in the comments!
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