Reviews with content warning for Body shaming - Book Lovers

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Book Lovers by Emily Henry

13 reviews

juliareste's review against another edition

funny 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

4.0

I have only read two other Emily Henry books so I only have those to compare with this one in terms of her writing. I liked this far better than Beach Read and a bit worse than People We Meet On Vacation. There were loadsssss of unrealistic things that happened that really snapped me out of the book, and I definitely think it struggled with pacing for a portion of it (definitely the end of the first act moving into the second). I appreciated the sister relationship and the romance was really sweet. The ending was super rushed, but then again aren't they all for romance books? Ironically, I feel like this could've gone through a couple more rounds of editing to become a five-star read.

4/5 stars

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now_booking's review against another edition

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emotional funny 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? Yes

5.0

The truth is that I knew from the prologue this was going to be a 5-star read. The way the premise of the cold-hearted city villain partner from the small town romance trope is so perfectly described in Nora and that first meeting with Charlie… that prologue like the entire novel had me kicking my feet and squealing, snickering on my commute, laughing out loud at home. This has banter, emotional depth, a boatload of humour and wonderful love story of familial and romantic love and grief and healing. I can’t share enough superlatives about this book.

Nora and Charlie are the unapologetic antithesis to small town romance protagonists even though most of this book and the development of their relationship happens in a small town. The character development was stellar of both main and supporting characters, the plot was well-paced with minimal/palatable holes, the dialogue was smart and snappy and the sort to make you smile foolishly as you read. I loved how the main characters loved each other and their families in a way that was inconveniently supportive and in a way that truly wanted the best for the other person. The message hear wasn’t necessarily that love heals or that love sacrifices but that love wants the other person to thrive. This was an absolute delight to read- I kept reaching for it and even though it dealt with a few heavy themes around grief, trauma and mental health, these were all handled responsibly and with a momentum that was real but also wasn’t triggering as it kind of replicated the coping mechanisms many people have for dealing with grief and trauma when they have real life responsibilities. I highly recommend checking this out- I’ve read 3 books so far from this author and they have all been stellar!

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nineinchnails's review against another edition

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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.

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tsodeur's review against another edition

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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? It's complicated

4.75

“That's life. You're always making decisions, taking paths that lead you away from the rest before you can see where they end. Maybe That's why we as a species love stories so much. All those chances for do-overs, opportunities to live the lives we'll never have. “

Another lovely escapist novel by Emily Henry. I’ll never not read her stories. The laughs, the tears, the witty and flirty banter between characters. It is everything I want and need from novels.

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justovereherereading's review against another edition

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emotional 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? Yes

4.25

A cute read! I wanted to love it more than I did but I think that’s more me than the book!! 😆
If you’re looking for a quick fun romance story, you can’t get better than this…Hallmark movie in book form!

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wilybooklover's review against another edition

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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.

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