Book Lovers

By: Emily Henry

Narrated by: Julia Whelan

Length: 11 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

“One of my favorite authors.”—Colleen Hoover

An insightful, delightful, instant #1 New York Times bestseller from the author of Beach Read and People We Meet on Vacation.

Named a Most Anticipated Book of 2022 by Oprah Daily ∙ Today ∙ Parade ∙ Marie Claire ∙ Bustle ∙ PopSugar ∙ Katie Couric Media ∙ Book Bub ∙ SheReads ∙ Medium ∙ The Washington Post ∙ and more!

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.

©2022 Emily Henry (P)2022 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“One of my favorite authors.”—Colleen Hoover, #1 New York Times bestselling author

“Book Lovers is a rom-com lover's dream of a book. It is razor-sharp and modern, featuring a fierce heroine who does not apologize for her ambition and heartfelt discussions of grief. Readers know that Emily Henry never fails to deliver great banter and a romance to swoon over but this may just be her best yet. A breath of fresh air.” —Taylor Jenkins Reid, New York Times bestselling author of Malibu Rising

“I would follow Emily Henry anywhere. A small town, a literary enterprise, a bookstore to rescue, and sex in moonlit streams? Yes, please! Book Lovers is sexy, funny, and smart. Another perfectly satisfying read from the unstoppable Emily Henry.” —Emma Straub, New York Times bestselling author of All Adults Here

So much yes!!

So much yes! Emily Henry has done it again. I'm a sniffling mess in the last few chapters. Her latest book gave me goosebumps, had me laughing out loud and crying tears of joy and sadness. Like a sunflower to follows the sun these two belong to each other. Thank you again for such a wonderful book and HEA. Now, if I can figure out the author at the end with the coke bottle glasses. Must be Frigid's author.

Perfect For Road Trips and Beach Sitting

A new take on the typical Hallmark movie. Narration is excellent, Whelan does an amazing job capturing the emotion in the dialogue.

A Love Letter to Readers

Alright, so y'all might be onto something here. I'd been avoiding Emily Henry solely because I didn't want to be let down by all the hype. I can honestly say that the hype is valid.

This story was such a sweet almost reverse small town romance. It gave a voice to a different type of leading lady, one who enjoys work but isn't typecast as a workaholic and someone who doesn't want kids but also cherishes her nieces. I loved how the author effortlessly blended character traits that are normally associated as negative traits for women and made them valued and accepted. The romance was prominent but I wouldn't say the entire story revolved around it. The FMC has more going on and the romance was almost secondary while also providing humor and love when the FMC needed it most. This book is a love letter to readers and the book industry. It cherishes family bonds and the importance of finding your people in the world.

The reason I'm rating this 4/5 stars is because I felt like I wanted more from the romance. Maybe I'm just stuck up but I think having a dual POV would've made me fall so much more in love the MMC. I found myself wishing I knew what he was thinking or what was happening behind closed doors to him. But I tend to struggle with single POVs anyways. It's just my preference! 🙃

Overall
Story ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice 🌶️.5
Audio 🎧🎧🎧🎧 (Julia Whalen is a brilliant audio performer...)

My Favorite Yet

I’m such a fan of both Emily Henry and Julia Whelan, and this experience was no different. The story is phenomenal, the characters have my heart, and the performance of it was stellar as always. I’ll be thinking about Charlie and Nora for a long time. 💕

My first

I guess this is a romance novel. Not sure I would read another but I liked the banter between the characters. Enjoyed the two sisters. Just maybe I would try another one by Emily Henry

Perfecto

Es el tercer libro de Emily Henry que tengo el placer de leer y es el que más me gustó. Lo amé, y voy a tener que conseguirlo en papel porque tiene tantas frases que quiero tener siempre a mano… Es mucho más de lo que esperaba, tiene un nivel de profundidad, humor, romance, drama increíble y tan bien balanceado, y la actuación aportó mucho también. Lo volvería a escuchar cien veces.

Feel good happiness!

Love this narrator!!! I enjoy Emily’s books so much. Sometimes you need light hearted books to get you through tough days. Keep them coming!

Laughed, cried, while smiling the whole time

This is my third Emily Henry book and I must say, it’s my new fav! I really enjoyed “People we meet on vacation” but this hit me differently. This book will hit every emotion at some point. It’s a bit of an emotional rollercoaster but one that doesn’t leave you dizzy. It’s a controlled rollercoaster (if that’s possible). I highly recommend.

So cute! Loved it

Oh you know Julia Whelan, knocks it out of the park every time.
I loved the main character. She’s my new hero.

Love this book!

Everything about this book gave me joy! The characters, story and the writing and the narrator.