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crunchycrystals's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Grief
Moderate: Death of parent and Pregnancy
Minor: Sexual harassment
zoecrepp'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
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Sexual harassment
toofondofbooks_'s review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This book has had mixed reviews among my friends for months, and so I've been *worried* to pick this up and really excited to pick it up at the same time. The complaints that I kept hearing were that this wasn't really a romance even though it was marketed as such, that it was more about the sisters. People came to this book for a romance and got familial trauma and a complicated sibling dynamic.
I get why they didn't like it, I don't think that this book is for everyone, but I think because I knew going in that this was more about sisterhood than romance, I wasn't disappointed. Like its predecessor, "Beach Read," Book Lovers is heavy on the family dynamics and familial trauma, and is often flat out sad. There is still a romance IN it and its prevalent, but this is very much a story about the growth in the relationship of Nora and Libby (whether or not I liked Libby as a character is a completely different post altogether). While a lot of people hated this aspect, I think it made the book more memorable for me. It reminded me of a Hallmark movie but with more depth.
It was refreshing to see a female character from Emily Henry who is so starkly different from her other heroines, Poppy Wright (my beloved) and January Andrews (my other beloved). It was even refreshing to me for there to be a character in an Emily Henry book that I didn't like. I didn't know that was even possible, and instead of it making me rate the book down a star, it just made me more entertained.
People We Meet On Vacation is still my favorite Emily Henry book but, like Beach Read, this also captured me. Interesting characters and a great atmosphere from my newest auto-buy author.
This is the section where I'm going to share a critique - I know, wild that I'm adding a very specific critique to a 5 star book, but I feel like I'd be doing people who genuinely trust my opinions a disservice if I pretended this book was perfect.
Anyway, there is a line in the book that gave me pause. My best friend and I both raised our eyebrows at this line from Nora:
"Straight men have it too easy. A heterosexual woman can see a very normal looking, nonsexual appendage, and biology's like, Step aside, last four thousand years of evolution, it's time to contribute to the continuation of the human race."
My issue here isn't that Nora is straight and experiencing attraction, but the use of the word heterosexual specifically feels not only unnecessary, but unintentionally exclusionary. It seems to me that while writing this part, Henry - in order to not seem like she was lumping all women together (after all, not all women or afab people experience attraction to men and some don't experience sexual attraction at all, and furthermore, sexuality is obviously a spectrum and many women are attracted to men, women, and those who do not conform to the gender binary), she overcorrected and got too specific, which felt kind of alienating to read as a member of the lgbt+ community. It isn't a *big* thing, but it's still a thing that's been on my mind. I don't think that EH was trying to be exclusionary or homophobic here, but I think that line could've been taken out or edited a certain way so as to not come off strangely.
I get why they didn't like it, I don't think that this book is for everyone, but I think because I knew going in that this was more about sisterhood than romance, I wasn't disappointed. Like its predecessor, "Beach Read," Book Lovers is heavy on the family dynamics and familial trauma, and is often flat out sad. There is still a romance IN it and its prevalent, but this is very much a story about the growth in the relationship of Nora and Libby (whether or not I liked Libby as a character is a completely different post altogether). While a lot of people hated this aspect, I think it made the book more memorable for me. It reminded me of a Hallmark movie but with more depth.
It was refreshing to see a female character from Emily Henry who is so starkly different from her other heroines, Poppy Wright (my beloved) and January Andrews (my other beloved). It was even refreshing to me for there to be a character in an Emily Henry book that I didn't like. I didn't know that was even possible, and instead of it making me rate the book down a star, it just made me more entertained.
People We Meet On Vacation is still my favorite Emily Henry book but, like Beach Read, this also captured me. Interesting characters and a great atmosphere from my newest auto-buy author.
This is the section where I'm going to share a critique - I know, wild that I'm adding a very specific critique to a 5 star book, but I feel like I'd be doing people who genuinely trust my opinions a disservice if I pretended this book was perfect.
Anyway, there is a line in the book that gave me pause. My best friend and I both raised our eyebrows at this line from Nora:
"Straight men have it too easy. A heterosexual woman can see a very normal looking, nonsexual appendage, and biology's like, Step aside, last four thousand years of evolution, it's time to contribute to the continuation of the human race."
My issue here isn't that Nora is straight and experiencing attraction, but the use of the word heterosexual specifically feels not only unnecessary, but unintentionally exclusionary. It seems to me that while writing this part, Henry - in order to not seem like she was lumping all women together (after all, not all women or afab people experience attraction to men and some don't experience sexual attraction at all, and furthermore, sexuality is obviously a spectrum and many women are attracted to men, women, and those who do not conform to the gender binary), she overcorrected and got too specific, which felt kind of alienating to read as a member of the lgbt+ community. It isn't a *big* thing, but it's still a thing that's been on my mind. I don't think that EH was trying to be exclusionary or homophobic here, but I think that line could've been taken out or edited a certain way so as to not come off strangely.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Medical content and Alcohol
Minor: Violence, Abortion, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
erynlasbelin's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Grief, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, and Alcohol
Minor: Chronic illness, Vomit, Car accident, and Sexual harassment
caseythereader's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
slow-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
Thanks to Libro FM for the free copy of this book.
- BOOK LOVERS was my first Emily Henry book and y'all did not lead me astray! This book was a joy. I loved Nora and Charlie, both a big grumpy, both big hearted, both working through their stuff together and separately.
- I did think it dragged a bit in the middle, but the chemistry between Nora and Charlie was enough to keep it going for me.
- The real highlight of this book was Nora and Libby's sisterly relationship. I loved that it was of equal importance to the plot with Charlie, and Libby wasn't just a plot device in the background. Their relationship felt real, and their love for each other was just as central to their lives as their romantic loves.
- BOOK LOVERS was my first Emily Henry book and y'all did not lead me astray! This book was a joy. I loved Nora and Charlie, both a big grumpy, both big hearted, both working through their stuff together and separately.
- I did think it dragged a bit in the middle, but the chemistry between Nora and Charlie was enough to keep it going for me.
- The real highlight of this book was Nora and Libby's sisterly relationship. I loved that it was of equal importance to the plot with Charlie, and Libby wasn't just a plot device in the background. Their relationship felt real, and their love for each other was just as central to their lives as their romantic loves.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
Moderate: Sexual harassment
rd77's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
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? Yes
4.75
I really loved the first 2/3 of the book and the last couple of chapters. The other part near the end, however, seemed to drag on a bit. The banter and the tension in the beginning was phenomenal and Emily Henry does such a good job of making you feel like the characters get together in a natural way. I thought the first chapter was also amazing and a super unique premise which gets you excited for the book.
However, after Charlie and Nora are together for a fling and are basically just waiting for Nora to leave to break up, it gets a bit boring. The author obviously wanted to make it more angsty and come up with a reason why it wouldn’t work, but it didn’t feel strong enough to talk about it for as long as she did. Based on the genre, we all knew where it was going, and that the breakup wouldn’t last (which is why I’m not a fan of these late breakups with a reconnection as the ending).
I also thought Libby could be pretty annoying, but not something that makes the book unreadable.
Besides that, the last chapter or two was good, and I loved the way Charlie surprised Nora in New York and what he said to her.
However, after Charlie and Nora are together for a fling and are basically just waiting for Nora to leave to break up, it gets a bit boring. The author obviously wanted to make it more angsty and come up with a reason why it wouldn’t work, but it didn’t feel strong enough to talk about it for as long as she did. Based on the genre, we all knew where it was going, and that the breakup wouldn’t last (which is why I’m not a fan of these late breakups with a reconnection as the ending).
I also thought Libby could be pretty annoying, but not something that makes the book unreadable.
Besides that, the last chapter or two was good, and I loved the way Charlie surprised Nora in New York and what he said to her.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
earlgreyandhoney's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Sexual harassment
mspecht's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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
5.0
CHARLIE! FUCKIN! LASTRA!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Death of parent
Moderate: Sexual content and Medical content
Minor: Sexual harassment
amccarthy's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
The banter in this book is everything to me. We need more romances about driven women like this! The one issue I have is I wish this book had more diversity in it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
Minor: Bullying, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail