Book Lovers by Emily Henry Review
To no one's surprise, Emily Henry has done it again. This was a lovely book with an intricate and intriguing plot, depthful and emotional characters, and a captivating writing style that lures you to keep turning the pages. The characters had absolutely undeniable chemistry, yet their relationship went down a painfully realistic winding path.
Book Synopsis
Nora Stephens’ life is books—she’s read them all—and she is not that type of heroine. Not the spirited 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.
This 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.
Nora Stephens was a character I knew I would like from the first page. She is an ambitious, intelligent, frankly badass woman who puts nothing before her sister, her nieces, and occasionally herself. She's extremely complex, deep, funny, and relatable. I absolutely loved reading about her! I also saw a lot of myself in her, which made her so much fun. I found myself giggling and agreeing with her thoughts and emotions. It was a grand time, and I can honestly say that Nora Stephens is my spirit animal.
It’s like remembering a favorite book. One that left you gutted, sure, but also one that changed you forever.
Charlie Lastra, the love interest, is quite literally my dream man. He is also one of the single-handedly best-written book men, dare I say, EVER. He is jaded, and cold on the outside (like Nora!!!), but has a deeply difficult past and is a big sweetie below all of that. He’s so considerate, and gentle, plus he reads. Whenever Nora and he were reading together, commenting on the books, and discussing them, my heart melted a bit (...or a lot). They are everything I want.
There’s just tall women,” he says, “and the men too insecure to date them.”
Libby, Nora’s sister, was frankly my least favorite character. She was endearing and sweet at some points, but it honestly just felt like she was truly selfish, naive, and mean. Nora has done everything for her, and protected her, and she was extremely ungrateful. She also calls Nora “cold” and yells at her for answering a work call after five because she's dedicated to her work. Girl…
Let us take a second to talk about the romance, because oh my gosh it was so good. Nora and Charlie fit together like puzzle pieces. They understand each other so well, and can read each other like a book (pun intended). Charlie will do anything to make Nora laugh and see her smile, while Nora will do anything to comfort him and make sure he knows how much he is loved. They are quite literally like human magnets, being lured to each other's sides no matter where they are, what they’re doing, or anything. They both have a love for work, busy schedules, and chaotic city life, but also both have an overwhelming love and commitment to their family. Charlie understands Nora needs to be in the city to be happy, and Nora understands Charlie had to stay in Sunshine Falls because of his family. I love them!!!
I feel like I’m sugar under a blowtorch, like he’s caramelizing my blood.
Emily Henry’s writing just made the romance so much better. She is absolutely fantastic, and even though I have only read 2 of her books (People We Meet on Vacation & this one), I will happily argue that this is her best. The way she crafts stories is just beautiful, and her words are even more so. Everything she writes makes it hit straight into my heart. This story cut its way into my heart, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I read once that sunflowers always orient themselves to face the sun. That’s what being near Charlie Lastra is like for me.
Something to also talk about is the fact that this isn’t just a romance. It has an amazing feminist aspect and wonderful commentary on the treatment of ambitious and motivated women. As a busy and overachieving woman myself, I highly appreciated this and loved Emily Henry’s take on it. This book begged the question “so what if she enjoys being busy, career-oriented, and living in the bustling city?” and I couldn’t help but scream in agreement, figuratively of course. This story also comments on family relationships, and the complicity of them, which was extremely refreshing. I haven’t read many books like that, and I highly enjoyed that aspect of the book.
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.
I also loved the way Emily Henry did the third-act conflict. It didn’t feel forced, unrealistic, or just plain stupid like in some books. It made sense and felt natural. It also seemed to quietly build throughout the story, and both characters were aware of it coming but neglected it. Honestly, there was technically more than one conflict that got Nora to her happy ending but it never felt like too much, y’know?
Of course, I love you, Nora. If I loved you any less, I’d be trying to convince you that you could be happy here. You have no idea how badly I wish I could be enough.
And boy oh boy was that ending sweet. It had my heart picking itself up and running around the block. It was so indescribably perfect, but I’m gonna try and describe it anyways. It was honestly unexpected and felt perfect for all the characters. Emily Henry didn’t try to force an ending to fit an agenda or stereotype, and it was beautiful!
But this, I realize, is what they mean, all those thousands of writers who’ve tried to describe the sensation of following the trail of your life for years, only to smack into something that changes it forever. The way the sensation jars through you, from the center out. How you feel it in your mouth and toes all at once, a dozen tiny explosions.
Well, there you have it. All my thoughts on Book Lovers by Emily Henry! I quite enjoyed it, and it will definitely be added to my favorites list because I adored it. Thank you so much for reading and I’ll see you in the next post!
Xoxo,
Opal
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