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ktdakotareads's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent and Grief
Minor: Medical content
merlesstorys's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
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
5.0
I’m so in love with Emily Henry’s books, she’s so freaking good at writing lovely books.
And these books always inject the tears in me during the last hundred pages, and I love it every time.
Both Nora and Charlie were amazing as themselves, but they felt like two parts of one scissor that belong to each other. And until the very last page I hoped for how this book ends. That they have each other in the way they want.
And I definitely love that Libby was there and his family and all of the weird - in German I would say schrullig - parts of Sunshine Falls.
And then Dusty. Now I want to know what’s up with her, how her life looks like etc (btw I loved the Easter egg of the January Andrews circus book).
Last but not least - the fact that there was no third act breakup, even though there did appear some external conflict that was lovely, in the end.
And these books always inject the tears in me during the last hundred pages, and I love it every time.
Both Nora and Charlie were amazing as themselves, but they felt like two parts of one scissor that belong to each other. And until the very last page I hoped for how this book ends. That they have each other in the way they want.
And I definitely love that Libby was there and his family and all of the weird - in German I would say schrullig - parts of Sunshine Falls.
And then Dusty. Now I want to know what’s up with her, how her life looks like etc (btw I loved the Easter egg of the January Andrews circus book).
Last but not least - the fact that there was no third act breakup, even though there did appear some external conflict that was lovely, in the end.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol, Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent, Medical content, and Sexual content
Minor: Car accident
Just wanted to add, there are some major parent issues in this book, including parentifiying of the FMC.savvyrosereads's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Rating: 5/5 stars
Nora is the antithesis of a conventional romance heroine—she’s a shark of a literary agent who can’t imagine anything worse than living in a small town. But when her sister Libby convinces her to spend a month in Sunshine Falls, North Carolina, she comes face to face with brooding book editor Charlie Lastra, and they realize they may just be romance heroes after all.
I loved this book for so many reasons but Charlie Lastra is the top of that list. He’s the perfect book boyfriend, and just about every word out of his mouth made me laugh or tear up or swoon. His wholehearted acceptance of Nora and all her quirks and flaws and tendencies???? Men written by women are always better and men written by Emily Henry may be best of all.
Besides Charlie, though, I also thought this book was hilarious, and brilliant, and joyous, and fun. The inversion of traditional small town romance tropes was inspired, Nora was a fantastic heroine whether she knows it or not, and the full-throated love letter to books and stories at the core of this book had my heart from the first sentence. You probably don’t need *another* person telling you to hurry up and read this one if you haven’t yet…but I’m going to say it anyway.
CW: Death of parent/grief
Nora is the antithesis of a conventional romance heroine—she’s a shark of a literary agent who can’t imagine anything worse than living in a small town. But when her sister Libby convinces her to spend a month in Sunshine Falls, North Carolina, she comes face to face with brooding book editor Charlie Lastra, and they realize they may just be romance heroes after all.
I loved this book for so many reasons but Charlie Lastra is the top of that list. He’s the perfect book boyfriend, and just about every word out of his mouth made me laugh or tear up or swoon. His wholehearted acceptance of Nora and all her quirks and flaws and tendencies???? Men written by women are always better and men written by Emily Henry may be best of all.
Besides Charlie, though, I also thought this book was hilarious, and brilliant, and joyous, and fun. The inversion of traditional small town romance tropes was inspired, Nora was a fantastic heroine whether she knows it or not, and the full-throated love letter to books and stories at the core of this book had my heart from the first sentence. You probably don’t need *another* person telling you to hurry up and read this one if you haven’t yet…but I’m going to say it anyway.
CW: Death of parent/grief
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy, Death of parent, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, and Medical content
nineinchnails's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
i feel like this one missed that je ne sais quois from the last 2 emily henry books but i think the fact i've been reading a bunch of depressing books back to back may be responsible for that. i don't know if it's just placebo effect but i felt like the characters weren't quite as well developed as her previous mcs. i kept laughing out loud and blinking back tears (as expected) so i know i'm sure i'll love this even more on a reread! the 'beach read' easter eggs were so cute and i loved all the characters (again, as expected) even more than i was prepared for.
the pacing was really good here - i wasn't bored for even a second and ended up reading this is in one 4 hour sitting. it was pretty meta, which i'm not usually a fan of in romance since it ends up coming off juvenile, but it worked for this. the only gripes i have is it feeling a little corny at times (i did just finish 'young mungo' though) and the characters not seeming as fleshed out as her other mcs.
the pacing was really good here - i wasn't bored for even a second and ended up reading this is in one 4 hour sitting. it was pretty meta, which i'm not usually a fan of in romance since it ends up coming off juvenile, but it worked for this. the only gripes i have is it feeling a little corny at times (i did just finish 'young mungo' though) and the characters not seeming as fleshed out as her other mcs.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Sexual content
Moderate: Abandonment, Pregnancy, and Medical content
Minor: Death of parent and Body shaming
andie_1504's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
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
Minor: Medical content, Pregnancy, Death of parent, Alcohol, Car accident, Vomit, Bullying, and Cursing
edietz22's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
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? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Abandonment, Death of parent, Grief, Alcohol, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Panic attacks/disorders, and Medical content
bek_p87's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-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? It's complicated
5.0
I fell in love with Nora and Charlie from the very beginning. This was everything I want from a romance - two people perfect for each other, who are realistic about their lives and their ambitions, and uncompromising when it comes to the big things, with insane chemistry built on similar interests and personalities. I love love loved this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Death of parent
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Medical content
sestout's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-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? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent, Death, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Medical content
Minor: Abandonment
strawb3rrysugar's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
4.0
Although I've heard of Emily Henry all over the internet (BookTok, BookTube, etc etc), I borrowed this from the library because I had an upsetting day and needed something lighthearted to take my mind off my worries.
I didn't expect to like this book as much as I did. I don't typically like books only described by loosely-strung tropes and insert-template-here characters. However, beneath a story described as an enemies-to-lovers romance about a cold-hearted literary agent is an earnest, humorous, and emotional story about how grief and fear shapes a person, and learning to accept change and challenges as they come.
The characters of the book were the highlight for me. They felt fleshed out, real, and I could resonate with their desires and understand their actions. I actually liked Charlie! Usually, "dark and brooding" translates into most books as "abusive, boring jerk with no personality," but Charlie is a genuinely solid character with wishes and conflicts of his own, and god I appreciated that. I'm also very biased towards emotional storylines about sisterhood, and Nora and Libby's arc throughout the book made me laugh and pulled a few heartstrings.
My only cons are as follows:
1) I do not understand the trope of signing someone up for a dating app and setting them up on a date without their prior knowledge. It will always be an ick of mine, as it just kind of seems irresponsible and rude. (I guess it's the modern equivalent of a blind date? Maybe.)
2), there's a subplot of Nora having to read one of her client's books that's basically based off her, and she describes it like her client has written Infinite Jest. I found those passages to be very uninteresting and bland, but they were thankfully brief.
And 2.5) because it wasn't that big of an issue, but seriously Nora? Getting hot and heavy with a coworker in an office? That felt like such a "right in my salad?" moment, but that's very much a nitpick.
Do I think Emily Henry is reinventing the wheel of romantic literature? Not really. Is it cheesy and kind of corny sometimes? Very much so. But it's well written, with characters I could root for, and it's not afraid to just be a romance novel. It goes by quickly for almost 400 pages. If you're a big fan of romance novels, this would be a nice addition.
I didn't expect to like this book as much as I did. I don't typically like books only described by loosely-strung tropes and insert-template-here characters. However, beneath a story described as an enemies-to-lovers romance about a cold-hearted literary agent is an earnest, humorous, and emotional story about how grief and fear shapes a person, and learning to accept change and challenges as they come.
The characters of the book were the highlight for me. They felt fleshed out, real, and I could resonate with their desires and understand their actions. I actually liked Charlie! Usually, "dark and brooding" translates into most books as "abusive, boring jerk with no personality," but Charlie is a genuinely solid character with wishes and conflicts of his own, and god I appreciated that. I'm also very biased towards emotional storylines about sisterhood, and Nora and Libby's arc throughout the book made me laugh and pulled a few heartstrings.
My only cons are as follows:
1) I do not understand the trope of signing someone up for a dating app and setting them up on a date without their prior knowledge. It will always be an ick of mine, as it just kind of seems irresponsible and rude. (I guess it's the modern equivalent of a blind date? Maybe.)
2), there's a subplot of Nora having to read one of her client's books that's basically based off her, and she describes it like her client has written Infinite Jest. I found those passages to be very uninteresting and bland, but they were thankfully brief.
And 2.5) because it wasn't that big of an issue, but seriously Nora? Getting hot and heavy with a coworker in an office? That felt like such a "right in my salad?" moment, but that's very much a nitpick.
Do I think Emily Henry is reinventing the wheel of romantic literature? Not really. Is it cheesy and kind of corny sometimes? Very much so. But it's well written, with characters I could root for, and it's not afraid to just be a romance novel. It goes by quickly for almost 400 pages. If you're a big fan of romance novels, this would be a nice addition.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Medical content and Vomit
There's a brief scene where Nora throws up during a run after a night of drinking.transcendent's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I am an Emily Henry lover first and a reader second ☝️
no but fr following Nora and Libby to Sunshine Falls to sort out their own sibling relationship (amongst other things), coincidentally finding Nora's editorial rivalMr. Big Dick himself Charlie, and seeing the romance be the subplot of the whole story for a book this genre was so refreshing that I feel like it hit better the second time.
I do however wish the last chapter (not epilogue) was expanded on with one more inbetween chapter just for the sake of the pacing.
no but fr following Nora and Libby to Sunshine Falls to sort out their own sibling relationship (amongst other things), coincidentally finding Nora's editorial rival
I do however wish the last chapter (not epilogue) was expanded on with one more inbetween chapter just for the sake of the pacing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Death of parent
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, and Medical trauma