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angievansprang's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I really enjoyed Beach Read, so I was expecting to like this one too especially because I love books about books. This fell really flat for me. I found a lot of the dialogue and physical intimacy in the main relationship to be super cringey and lack depth. There is surprisingly little plot and the ending didn’t do it for me. This had potential, but unfortunately it will not become my new Emily Henry favorite.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Cancer
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Pregnancy
rylin_marie's review
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Gaslighting, Grief, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, and Pregnancy
nialiversuch's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Abandonment, Alcohol, Grief, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Death of parent, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Cursing, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Mental illness
Minor: Vomit
bi_n_large's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, and Grief
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Death of parent
Minor: Infidelity
wilybooklover's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
2.5
The romance trope and archetype references were really cute, and I loved the romance between Nora and Charlie. I loved how Charlie accepted Nora exactly as she is without trying to change her (unlike her sister) and how similar they were to each other. Sadly the romance was more of a subplot and I hated everything else in the book.
I couldn’t stand Libby. Like, I cannot even accurately convey the depths of my rage whenever she was on-page; she was AWFUL. I hated the plot surrounding her sisterly relationship with Nora and that was the central plot — publishers, authors, PLEASE stop marketing books as romances when the main plot IS NOT THE ROMANCE!! It didn’t even feel like 50/50 women’s fiction/romance; it felt like a book about grief and familial relationships wrapped up in superficial romance packaging. Even when Nora is WITH Charlie on page she is mostly thinking or talking about her sister. I thought romcoms (which, again, this is marketed as!) were supposed to be fun and lighthearted yet this was so heavy, especially from the 50% mark which had a weird tonal shift into angsting about parental trauma. That’s not to say you can’t cover heavy topics in a romcom, but when all I’m thinking about as I’m reading is how much your characters desperately need therapy, the tone is all wrong for the genre. When I pick up a romcom I want something light and fluffy and most of all focused on the romance. This had even less romance in it than Beach Read (in which the central plot was focused on grief, not romance), so I'm not sure why so many reviewers are saying this is her most romance-y book yet. I felt like I barely even got to know Charlie!
Also rivals WHERE? They’re working together, not in competition with each other?? They're not even enemies. And the heroine is not the ice queen she was promised to be; she’s actually quite warm and caring. You can tell me she’s a coldhearted bitch and that everyone refers to her as a shark all you want, but you also have to show me that for me to believe it. I feel like nothing about how this book was marketed (AKA my expectations) is related to what was between the pages. And honestly, I'm just baffled at the choice to make such a big deal over Dusty writing a character based on Nora to then never address it or confront her over it in the book. What was the point of its inclusion?
If this had been a bit lighter and there had been more focus on the romance or maybe dual POV with more of Charlie’s life for balance (and a lot less of the sister) I think I would have really liked this but as it is... meh. This is my favourite of her three ‘romances’ but that really isn’t saying much. I just don’t think Emily Henry works for me, although I’ve said this before and every time I get lured in by the hype.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Toxic relationship, Death, Death of parent, and Sexual content
Moderate: Medical content, Abandonment, Pregnancy, and Chronic illness
Minor: Body shaming, Miscarriage, and Drug use
eligru's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Sexual content
Moderate: Pregnancy, Death of parent, Alcohol, Medical content, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Toxic relationship, Sexual harassment, and Bullying
ekalmusla's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Sexual content
Moderate: Pregnancy and Toxic relationship
Minor: Vomit and Abandonment
literallysam's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I've seen this one alot on bookstagram and was so excited to read it but it turned out to be just an average cliche love story. Even though the title “Book Lovers" suggests that it's romance, Nora and Charlie's sparking romance is not the main plot of the book... honestly all I wanted was a nice brewing love story between two people who are enemies-turned-lovers, but it is mostly about two sisters who have major daddy issues. Wait lemme explain-
The prologue was just so soo good but then after that everything got so boring. After reading the prologue I thought that this book was going to be different from those cliche countryside romance ones but it was exactly that- Nora & her sissy Libby decide to go on a one-month trip to this small village. There Nora runs into Charle, and it turns out that he's from that small town and his mum runs the local bookstore (yes, another cliche). Though Nora & Charlie haven't gotten along, they're working together on a new manuscript and spend a lot of time in close proximity where the sexual tension builds. Things heat up quickly, but then it's interrupted and this "will they do it or not" energy persists and that's an aspect of the novel that seemed a bit of a stretch. Given how in sync & smart they both are, I had a hard time believing they couldn't figure out a way to be together while still supporting their family.
Now let's talk about the main plot.🤡
Nora's concern lies far more with Libby, who seems to be keeping a secret from her and Nora is hurt that Libby won't talk to her and determinedly tries to get Libby to open up. And even I was waiting for her to open up because I hated this super cringe character of her's and just wanted a little more depth. She's a grown ass adult and still acts like a fkn baby. She has like two breakdowns in the story and yet her character was never fleshed out to be even a little bit intresting. She's Nora's sister- that's all I could gather about her.
I loved Nora. She is stony, bitchy and rigid just like me; soulmates? The only character development I saw was Nora's. Charlie on the other hand was a nice guy but honestly I didn't really find him interesting after the prologue. All the sexual tension just fizzled out after that.
So overall, I don't recommend it.🙂
The prologue was just so soo good but then after that everything got so boring. After reading the prologue I thought that this book was going to be different from those cliche countryside romance ones but it was exactly that- Nora & her sissy Libby decide to go on a one-month trip to this small village. There Nora runs into Charle, and it turns out that he's from that small town and his mum runs the local bookstore (yes, another cliche). Though Nora & Charlie haven't gotten along, they're working together on a new manuscript and spend a lot of time in close proximity where the sexual tension builds. Things heat up quickly, but then it's interrupted and this "will they do it or not" energy persists and that's an aspect of the novel that seemed a bit of a stretch. Given how in sync & smart they both are, I had a hard time believing they couldn't figure out a way to be together while still supporting their family.
Now let's talk about the main plot.🤡
Nora's concern lies far more with Libby, who seems to be keeping a secret from her and Nora is hurt that Libby won't talk to her and determinedly tries to get Libby to open up. And even I was waiting for her to open up because I hated this super cringe character of her's and just wanted a little more depth. She's a grown ass adult and still acts like a fkn baby. She has like two breakdowns in the story and yet her character was never fleshed out to be even a little bit intresting. She's Nora's sister- that's all I could gather about her.
I loved Nora. She is stony, bitchy and rigid just like me; soulmates? The only character development I saw was Nora's. Charlie on the other hand was a nice guy but honestly I didn't really find him interesting after the prologue. All the sexual tension just fizzled out after that.
So overall, I don't recommend it.🙂
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy, Death of parent, Sexual content, Alcohol, Misogyny, and Toxic relationship
kefredriksen's review
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Death of parent
Moderate: Pregnancy, Panic attacks/disorders, Death, Abandonment, and Grief
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Cursing, and Alcohol
kyrstin_p1989's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
My favorite of Henry’s books so far. I loved the witty banter between Charlie and Nora. I saw myself and my sister in Nora and Libby’s relationship. The plot is a predictable Hallmark romance but it’s so sweet it doesn’t even matter. I found myself laughing out loud and by the end, crying my eyes out.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, Bullying, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Death of parent, and Grief