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A review by abooknomad
Book Lovers by Emily Henry
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
- 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
I might need a few business days to get over this book.
Lately, my relationship with contemporary romances has been hard. The butterflies, swoons and that sweet chest pain coming with the delivery of a romantic line have been for the most part absent, so colour me surprised when Book Lovers had me go through all these emotions and then some (even unexpected angst). My cold heart has melted but now I only want to read romances like this.
Granted, the explanation for this (over)reaction of feelings lies in how attached I grew to the characters, the many bits of myself I saw in them, and the hope their individual and mutual story sparked in me. But the feelings (and tears) were also coaxed out of me by Emily Henry’s wonderful storytelling (this is the first book I've read of hers).
More than just a romance between two uptight, ambitious workaholics, this is a story about family, fitting in, and belonging. I loved how Emily Henry explored Nora and her sister, Libby, relationship, the contrast between a small town and city life, and the careers of our main characters (Charlie is an editor, Nora is a literary agent).
Most of all, I loved how she took these two individuals, who are misunderstood and misread by the world around them due to their cold and unavailable demeanor, and made them find understanding and that feeling of being seen in one another. Nora especially feels the weight of people’s judgment, but try as she might, she can’t help but be anything but herself… and neither does Charlie. Perhaps this is what made me cry my eyes out during those last chapters: the possibility that you might just be enough for yourself and, if you’re lucky, for somebody else.
And oh man, the chemistry between these two was off the charts. Nora and Charlie have the type of undeniable chemistry where even in an alternate universe, you can't imagine them not finding each other because they're just *it*.
The fact that books are such a big part of the story, just made this book feel more special to me. And this quote,
Lately, my relationship with contemporary romances has been hard. The butterflies, swoons and that sweet chest pain coming with the delivery of a romantic line have been for the most part absent, so colour me surprised when Book Lovers had me go through all these emotions and then some (even unexpected angst). My cold heart has melted but now I only want to read romances like this.
Granted, the explanation for this (over)reaction of feelings lies in how attached I grew to the characters, the many bits of myself I saw in them, and the hope their individual and mutual story sparked in me. But the feelings (and tears) were also coaxed out of me by Emily Henry’s wonderful storytelling (this is the first book I've read of hers).
More than just a romance between two uptight, ambitious workaholics, this is a story about family, fitting in, and belonging. I loved how Emily Henry explored Nora and her sister, Libby, relationship, the contrast between a small town and city life, and the careers of our main characters (Charlie is an editor, Nora is a literary agent).
Most of all, I loved how she took these two individuals, who are misunderstood and misread by the world around them due to their cold and unavailable demeanor, and made them find understanding and that feeling of being seen in one another. Nora especially feels the weight of people’s judgment, but try as she might, she can’t help but be anything but herself… and neither does Charlie. Perhaps this is what made me cry my eyes out during those last chapters: the possibility that you might just be enough for yourself and, if you’re lucky, for somebody else.
And oh man, the chemistry between these two was off the charts. Nora and Charlie have the type of undeniable chemistry where even in an alternate universe, you can't imagine them not finding each other because they're just *it*.
The fact that books are such a big part of the story, just made this book feel more special to me. And this quote,
“The last-page ache. The deep breath in after you’ve set the book aside.”
perfectly summarizes my state when I ran out of pages and I was forced to close this book.