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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: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Chronic illness, Medical content, Pregnancy, and Abandonment
Minor: Body shaming, Drug use, and Miscarriage
taylorleilani's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
btwnprintedpgs's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Minor: Drug use and Death of parent
mariposa517's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Sexual content, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Medical content, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Minor: Drug use, Misogyny, Sexism, Excrement, and Vomit
kaziaroo's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
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
I think this book suffers from its own marketing. The blurb calls Charlie Nora's "work nemesis" but in reality their "rivalry" consisted of him saying he didn't like her client's book which later did well, and her muttering "I told you so" at his office door for three years.
The interesting part of the book was how the author took on the admirable task of exposing the misogyny inherent in the "city-slick ex-girlfriend" trope in small-town romance stories and exploring that character trope in its fullness. Unfortunately, the actual romance in Book Lovers was dull in its inevitability. Despite their so-called rivalry, Charlie and Nora get on like a house on fire every time they talk (even at that disastrous first lunch) and there was no "will they–won't they" so much as "when will they" the whole way through. I'm not even sure why Nora's colleagues even call her "the Shark" – she seems lovely to everyone (apart from Charlie) the whole way through, which kind of breaks that trope apart.
The last hundred pages were much more interesting as the real meat of the characters' troubles came to light, and we finally escaped the endless banter and descriptions of Nora's body reacting every time Charlie opens his mouth to speak. This book isn't really a romance; the story's main focus is Nora's relationship with her sister (whom I sadly found very annoying as a character, so it was hard to care about this relationship) and Nora's grief for her mother. Overall, it was an easy and relaxing read, and if you have the patience to get through the first half the second half is quite good.
If you can understand the US-centric culture references used to describe everything and want to read about two according-to-the-cover rivals sharing banter while the author bludgeons you with the sexual tension in case you missed it, this might be the book for you. Just, don't go in expecting a rivals-to-lovers romance and be prepared for family drama and grief.
The interesting part of the book was how the author took on the admirable task of exposing the misogyny inherent in the "city-slick ex-girlfriend" trope in small-town romance stories and exploring that character trope in its fullness. Unfortunately, the actual romance in Book Lovers was dull in its inevitability. Despite their so-called rivalry, Charlie and Nora get on like a house on fire every time they talk (even at that disastrous first lunch) and there was no "will they–won't they" so much as "when will they" the whole way through. I'm not even sure why Nora's colleagues even call her "the Shark" – she seems lovely to everyone (apart from Charlie) the whole way through, which kind of breaks that trope apart.
The last hundred pages were much more interesting as the real meat of the characters' troubles came to light, and we finally escaped the endless banter and descriptions of Nora's body reacting every time Charlie opens his mouth to speak. This book isn't really a romance; the story's main focus is Nora's relationship with her sister (whom I sadly found very annoying as a character, so it was hard to care about this relationship) and Nora's grief for her mother. Overall, it was an easy and relaxing read, and if you have the patience to get through the first half the second half is quite good.
If you can understand the US-centric culture references used to describe everything and want to read about two according-to-the-cover rivals sharing banter while the author bludgeons you with the sexual tension in case you missed it, this might be the book for you. Just, don't go in expecting a rivals-to-lovers romance and be prepared for family drama and grief.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Cursing, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
Minor: Drug use, Miscarriage, and Vomit
alina5556's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Bullying and Abandonment
Minor: Drug use, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, and Medical content
tiredtori's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, and Pregnancy
Minor: Body shaming, Drug use, Vomit, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
bedtimesandbooks's review against another edition
hopeful
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Medical content, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
Moderate: Drug use
Minor: Abandonment
readwithkel's review
emotional
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
5.0
I loved every page of this book. The character development felt so organic and true throughout.
(And it was just as good on the reread)
I am SO glad that this book took a twist on the small town romance trope. I loved that Nora’s ending felt so true to who she was. I can’t wait to reread this.
(And it was just as good on the reread)
I am SO glad that this book took a twist on the small town romance trope. I loved that Nora’s ending felt so true to who she was. I can’t wait to reread this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy
Minor: Drug use and Alcohol
kb_sherman's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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
Moderate: Cursing, Sexual content, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
Minor: Drug use and Vomit