Book Lovers: The Sunday Times bestselling enemies to lovers, laugh-out-loud rom com about two publishing rivals

And yes, “the romance gods” would be proud!!! 5 stars for a wonderful romantic story where once again the “Opposing magnets are the ones that draw together.” and make for the most interesting stories when written well. And this one certainly delivered. I confess to feeling disappointed in the first 100 pages wondering what all the fuss and hype was about. Then the book moved up several gears in just a few pages, and I found myself another one of those ‘Book Lovers’ that loved the ‘Book Lovers’. I will go as far as to say this is probably my favourite RomCom novel this year. Here are the reasons why 1. We had some serious themes without being too heavy, which gave the book depth and purpose. The themes blended perfectly with the storyline and the characters. Sister relationships, parentification, loss, grief, ambition with broken and strained relationship at the heart of the story. 2. A solid romance that builds slowly as two people get to know each other, coming from being arch-rivals. Same old troupe? It did not feel like it. The story brought the perfect blend of love, sexual tension, and the theatre without any of it overplayed or sentimental 3. The characterisation was excellent with all characters likeable but imperfect but not with the same old flawed characteristics we read about too often. They felt real and believable 4. The build-up in the story inspired a hungry turn of pages and I found myself captivated and absorbed in storyline. Nothing felt rushed not even the two lovers getting between the sheets which all added to the intrigue. A brief summary of the plot. There are many shades to Charlie, the arch nemesis of Nora. Small town boy who seeks a better life in the big city. The book starts with Charlie this once quiet, unfocused boy, precocious, and resentful boy returning as the sharp-edged man trying to fit back into his childhood home and environment. A place he never belonged to begin with. Now take Nora who returns to North Carolina with her pregnant sister Libby, who appears to be having relationship problems of her own. The relationship building between the two sisters was a bonus side line to the story that could easily have been just about Charlie and Nora. Adding more detail to the storyline would only spoil the surprise, needless to say Charlie's and Nora's paths cross, clash and unite as we see the future unravelling for true soulmates. A final thought. “The tropes, the archetypes, the common plot twists all start to organize themselves into a catalogue inside your brain, divided by category and genre”, until a story comes along like Book Lovers, that adds more meaning and depth with real themes that accompanied that all important feel good factor. Positives that compensated for the very neat and convenient ending where everything slots perfectly into place. Thoroughly enjoyable, perfectly written and highly recommended, to keep the romance God's proud!!!

This is the first of Emily Henry's books I've read and it didn't disappoint! I loved Charlie and Nora so much, they are so perfectly matched, even though they are basically the same underneath, just looking for love and understanding in a world that seemed to be very lacking for them in that respect and they found it in each other. Charlie was such a sweetheart, nothing like the brash and cold person he let the world think he was in the beginning. And Nora wasn't a cold person either, just one who had buried her grief from losing her mother and her first relationship as deep as she could, so she could get on in life and look after her sister. Feeling those feeling would have meant her world came crashing down and she just couldn't do that, Libby was still a child and someone needed to hold it all together and get them out of trouble, and naturally that fell to Nora who somehow managed to just take it in her stride. But Charlie, he somehow found a way of showing her she could feel it and that its okay for her to just be herself cause he would be there to catch her if she fell and similarly she showed him, he wasn't the wrong person he had always felt like he was to everyone around him, like he didn't fit in or belong, she showed him he was the perfect person, for her ❤️ Throughly enjoyed and I'm looking for to reading more from this author.

I absolutely love the concept that this book about book lovers is read and enjoyed by people like my myself who love books. What could be more perfect!! Once I got passed the first few chapters there was nothing I didn’t love about this story. As soon as Nora and Libby went on their travels, I found myself hooked and not wanting to put my kindle down. The characters, the settings, the storyline and all the different emotions that this story brought out in me are fabulous. I enjoyed it so much that I’ve already messaged some friends to grab this book and read it for themselves. To me, I felt that this book followed two separate but interconnecting storylines. The first being the relationship between Nora and her sister Libby. The other being Nora’s role in the literary world which also relates to Charlie. Both I absolutely loved. In many ways I envy the relationship that Nora and Libby share. Although they have experienced much heartache together, I loved how they are there for each other through the good times and the bad. Nora tries her very best to be everything to Libby. However, even with the best of intentions mistakes are made and there are errors of judgement, so for me the message about honesty and communication throughout this story was loud and clear. I adore their friendship. They made me laugh out loud so many times throughout this narrative, and they made me cry once or twice too. Nora and Charlie’s interactions are a highlight of this story. I laughed, smiled and swooned constantly throughout this narrative. They truly are perfect for each other. I loved how easily they trusted and fell in love with each other. Their scenes together are incredible, and I’m certain you will feel the same way too. I highly recommend Book Lovers to you to read. This story is filled with banter, humour and fun scenes - which I loved. There are also some more serious aspects to this story that I found to be emotional and thought-provoking. I award Book Lovers 5 stars. I can’t sing this story’s praises enough.

3.5* I wanted this to be everything the hype says it is but it didn’t quite hit the spot for me unfortunately - I liked parts of it, but no where near as much as I hoped. Maybe my expectations were too high? But I knew I mustn’t be feeling it as much as I thought when I was picking up other books to read instead of this one. I enjoyed some of the literary banter between the two main characters (and some steamy bits 👀) and some cleverly written lines made me smile, but I found there wasn’t enough depth for me within this typical enemies to lovers romance. I mean for me, they weren’t really ever enemies to begin with! I also enjoyed the ending and found the overall setting charming - it reminded me of Stars Hollow in Gilmore Girls. Some characters had potential and there were backstories, but for some reason they just felt forced and fake? I don’t mind a bit of predictable cliche cheese, but this one just kept missing the mark for me. I may try another Emily Henry at some point but if I feel the same way, then it’s likely she’s just not for me! I’ll stick to Rosie Walsh, Beth O’Leary or Cecelia Ahern for my romance fixes!

It took me two attempts to get into Book Lovers, the first time I gave up as it didn’t grab me, but I kept reading glowing reviews so thought I’d give it another go. I am so glad I did. Nora is a successful literary agent and a bit of a workaholic; Charlie is an editor with a reputation for discovering bestsellers. Their first meeting is not a success. Nora wants Charlie to work on the new book by her client, Dusty Fielding, which is set in the small town of Sunshine Falls, N Carolina. He turns her down. Two years later, ‘Once in a Lifetime’ is a bestseller, and Nora’s sister Libby persuades her to go away for a few weeks for a break before her third child is born. Unbeknown to Nora, their destination is Sunshine Falls. What follows could be the script of a rom-com – I could almost see it playing in my head – as Nora and Charlie get to know each other and fall in love. There are obviously obstacles in their way, but no spoilers so you’ll just have to read it for yourself. The story is told entirely from Nora’s point of view so we know what she’s thinking and how her views change as the story unfolds. The characters are well written and believable, there is a lot of humour at the expense of small-town life where everyone knows your business, and we get fascinating glimpses into the world of books and bookshops. The outstanding feature of Book Lovers is the relationship between Nora and Charlie. The witty banter, amusing emails, and the fact that there is enough interaction between them for their romance to be believable make this one of the best romance novels I have read in a long time. The narrative strand about Nora trying to sort out all her sister’s problems did become a bit repetitive after a while, but I thought the ending worked really well, and am looking forward to reading Emily Henry’s next book.

From this book lover to Book Lovers: to me, you are perfect. It is full of feeling and side splitting humour. It has loveable characters and a cosy small town vibe; all the better to get emotionally attached to. With every chapter flowing flawlessly into the next, and no shortage of themes, Book Lovers was exceptionally difficult to put down. Henry writes beautifully about how life changes, never to be the same again; accepting the pain of that and embracing the hope of new memories and exciting adventures. At the heart of it all, is the bonds of family and what makes home, home. Furthermore, the characterisation of Nora was impeccable. She’s a workaholic, struggles to become emotionally attached (in all of her ex-boyfriends opinions) and cares more for pragmatism instead of whimsical romance. Henry takes character traits typically reserved for a villain in the romance genre, and gives them the limelight in a very refreshing and satisfying spin. As for the romance… Charlie and Nora’s chemistry sizzled off the page. They illustrated a very believable portrayal of an initial liking filled with banter and flirtation, into kindred spirits and love. They intellectually challenged each other and emotionally unravelled and supported the other, all of which provided fluffy feels, so many laughs and made me smile like the Cheshire Cat lord knows how many times. You know a romance delivers everything it ought to when the reader is left thinking: where’s MY Charlie Lastra???? All in all, Book Lovers delivers a perfect contemporary romance. It’s a humorous and emotional warm hug of a book. I thoroughly loved it.

I finished this book last week and when I tell you it’s occupied an obscene amount of my thoughts since, I’m not joking. This book was EVERYTHING. The way it had me SOBBING my heart out was, in fact, a bit concerning. And the way it made me feel so SEEN? I immediately fell in love with Nora, she may be one of the most relatable characters I’ve ever read about. She appears as the cold, calculated woman at first but the more you learn about her, and the more she learns about herself with Charlie’s help, you see she’s just someone who loves with her whole heart and wants the best for her people, even if that means giving up the best for her. Watching her unbreak her heart and learn how to put herself first was honestly so beautiful. Also, Charlie “I can buy my own big foot erotica” Lastra!!!!!! I can’t coherently explain my love for this man so I won’t even try but the way he thought he wasn’t deserving of Nora and good things, and he wasn’t the guy to make someone happy truly ruined me. The romance in this book definitely feels like a side plot, but it was incredible. I loved the banter between Charlie and Nora, the way not many people understood them but when they were with each other things were just so easy? God, it was beautiful. They’re relationship felt so real and the chokehold they have on my isn’t even funny. I love Charlie and Nora with my whole heart. I loved that this book included the narrative that “this is how romance works books so this is what I should do” and then just threw that all away because life isn’t a book, it’s real and things don’t always work out. What works for some people doesn’t work for everyone and with the good times comes bad times. I really though we weren’t going to get that HEA and I could feel my heart breaking - thankfully only to be put back together in the best way. Idk what it is about EH’s writing, but reading it makes me feel smart. She m really feels like the bridge between the classics and the contemporary and I’m obsessed.

I really enjoyed the whole concept of this book. Nora and Charlie gives the reader a chance to get more of an insight into the publishing world and it was great to read. Nora even takes a trip to a small town where one of her client’s authors books are set! How many of us would love to be able to do just that? I have to say being tall, it was so refreshing to have a leading lady the same height as me in a book! High five to the author! Obviously it made me relate to Nora even more on that score. There is a real bond between Nora and her sister which was endearing to read. I don’t have a sister but it made me wish I had one with how close these two are. Both sisters are very different in terms of what they want out of life and there are some ups and downs on their trip. Charlie makes a great love interest and boy, do things get more than a bit hot under the collar! The sparks between the two were leaping from the pages! Book Lovers was a fun, charming and heartfelt read that had me wholly engaged. It’s light-hearted with some meaningful parts as well as plenty of zest. The title couldn’t be anymore suited as book lovers of this genre will adore the whole storyline. Can’t believe that this is my first book by the author and will definitely be checking out her others.