Book Lovers
Ratings770
Average rating4.1
DNF'd I'm bored right off the bat :(
The jokes feel cringe, the dialogue feels corny. I was 2 hrs in and couldn't force myself to keep trudging through.
I was in a slump.
You know how sometimes you eat something bland and you're like ugh, that wasn't great and then a bit later after it happens again, you suspect you have COVID and just can't taste anything?
Anyone? Just me?
Anyways, that's how my reading was going. I felt absolutely nothing for books I thought I was going to love, and I was starting to think the problem was me.
That all changed with Book Lovers. this is a proper book! Great characters, amazing dialog, genuinely witty and thoughtful. 5 stars.
4.5 stars! This was so sweet & fun at the same time! I loved the dynamics between Nora and Charlie! Straight to the hall of favorite couples!
4.5 stars! This was so sweet & fun at the same time! I loved the dynamics between Nora and Charlie! Straight to the hall of favorite couples!
Emily Henry never disappoints, though this isn’t People We Meet on Vacation. However, I’ll admit that Charlie Lastra has my heart. Did I identify with Nora? Yes, I did. Did I cry at some point? Almost
my fave of Emily Henry’s books yet. The sex scenes were *chef’s kiss* and overall just a great story.
Rating Description:
1.0 - DNF/Despise
1.5 - Almost DNFed and wish I had
2.0 - Almost DNFed but had redeeming qualities/just boring
2.5 - Alright with lots of notes
3.0 - Alright with notes but I'm not raving about it
3.5 - Technically good but I'm not raving about it
4.0 - Technically good, and/or I enjoyed it a lot
4.5 - Loved it, I wanted to highlight lines in the book but still with notes
5.0 - Loved it, I wanted to highlight lines in the book, and notes are very positive
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To be transparent, I compare most contemporary romance/romance-comedy books with ‘Animal Husbandry’ by Laura Zigman. It’s a book I read back in my 20s (in the early 2000s). I may not remember all aspects of that book, and I don’t know if I would still love it as much as I did if I do a re-read now, but I remember how I felt when I first read it. And if I don’t feel that when I read a book of the same genre, then I probably won’t rate it high.
That said, Book Lovers didn’t come close to my experience when I read ‘Animal Husbandry’. So now we all know why I rated this the way I did.
This isn’t a bad read and it also isn’t the kind of book that you would immediately forget after reading. But it wasn’t outstanding either. It’s alright.
The premise was interesting enough. The protagonist, Nora, was positioned as the woman the man leaves when he finally finds the one. Not necessarily a woman scorned but more like the wrong match in a conventional love story.
Given that set-up, one should be rooting for the protagonist but I just could not. I don’t know if it’s because I just felt like she didn’t need to be in a relationship or if it’s because I just didn’t find her love interest, Charlie, very interesting. I mean…he’s a good match for her. He’s good looking and shares Nora’s core values. But other than that, he’s…blah. Actually, both of them were blah. While I am not a fan of over-the-top romance, that does not mean I clamor for…this.
I am not averse to normal people being the subject of romance. But the story should somehow convince the reader that they find each other very interesting. I didn’t get that here. Again, there was no build up. There was just attraction, some sad background, and then bam, they’re in love.
Maybe this is, again, an issue I have with the timeline. The whole thing happened in a month’s time. But I don’t think so. A month is long enough to develop a romance. So, I think it’s because I can’t buy into the scenario that two very much guarded, careful, and professional people would easily shift gears without much awkwardness. There was awkwardness but it doesn’t seem enough and it was very run of the mill. Dare I say it…tropey.
Quite a few folks loved this book because the protagonist remained true to herself and didn’t give up her life for the sake of love. It also had a guy who loved her for who she is and didn’t try to change her. Yeah, yeah. Applause for the protagonist and the dude. Boss Babes rule, and all that. But that whole thing was ruined for me by Nora’s sister.
Libby, who loves and understands Nora the best, undermined her by trying to trick her into doing what she wants. And yes, there’s a lot of issues going on between them that would explain why Libby would go this route. However, I think Libby’s actions infantilized Nora. It’s almost as if Libby saw Nora as a child that you have to play “airplane” with in order for them to eat what’s on the spoon.
Another thing I had an issue with is the title. The title is Book Lovers. While loving books was a big factor in the story, the pivotal plot point here is loving city life. Loving books seems incidental compared to how much loving city living factored into the issues that came up in the story. So yeah, I think there’s a mismatch with the title. But given how the author’s other book was titled ‘Beach Read’ when the story’s setting was by a lake, this issue seems to be part of an on-going pattern.
4.5/5 docked a little because I really hate when the main character's bff (or in this case sister) hides things for the majority of the story. However!!! This was very cute and I did actually tear up a little at the end and I did resonate with Nora's big sister/mom vibes. And the banter!!! Idk that anyone does it better than Emily Henry.
tänkte ge kärleksböcker en chans. har craveat lite pirr i magen. och jag var verkligen hooked första halvan som jag läste på en dag. spänning, lite enemies to lovers, lust. men sen blev den alldeles för cheesy. de hade liksom känt varandra en månad?
slutade iaf hyfsat även om jag skummade igenom den lite. ville nog bara ha lite smut men brydde mig inte så jättemycket om storyn eller karaktärerna.
Anyone who reads romance and isn't living under a rock has heard of Emily Henry, but it wasn't until I read this article (https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/27/books/emily-henry-funny-story-tiktok.html) that I picked this up from my local indie bookstore. Well of course people love her! She writes great banter, does a nice job with family relationships, as well, and this felt transporting and pleasantly realistic. Will read more.
30/06 - I'm not sobbing, you are
01/07 - I'm actually a sucker for the HEA and although this one did give me an almost hallmark HEA, the build up to it was not fun. There was ANGST, there was MISCOMMUNICATION and most importantly there was a hot cousin who just wants to treat you right and make sure you don't trip and mess up your heels (yes Shepard, I might have a tiny crush on you too)
Firstly, I enjoyed the fact that it was the ‘girl who gets left behind' that became our main character. Did she end up going to a small town and finding romance? OK, yes, BUT she still girl bossed and didn't let romance throw her entire life as she knew it out of a box tied with a neat ribbon like the movies (and all her exes apparently).
It's almost refreshing to have a character similar to my own age, so I can relate to them better on some things, such as an unspoken need to protect loved ones and ensure that you can do by them the best you can. But unlike Nora-at-the-beginning-and-most-of-the-middle, I understand you can't protect them forever, and they need to learn how to fight their own battles. Seeing Nora open up to this is a massive growth step, and it left me very happy.
Charlie, oh wow. 5'11, broody with a rent-stabilized apartment? Those last three words had me gunning for him as soon as I read the words. Even better, he didn't make Nora choose between her dream job or him, but actually communicated and worked something with her.
This book made me feel all sorts, and I'm looking forward to my next Emily Henry read.
Goodreads Choice Award for Romance (2022), Swoon Award for Contemporary Romance (2022)!
A great read! A bit long (7 days to read), Great characters, Happy times/Sad times, Best Ending!
David N.
I went into reading this book expecting it to be loaded with the stereotypical romantic tropes and clichés. I just wanted a light read, where I could turn my mind off for a few hours. Just harmless stuff. I've heard people talk about Emily Henry's writing (and how somewhat overhyped her books are), so I thought of giving this one a shot since the premise appealed to me more than her other books. But I ended up becoming a lot more invested in the story, far more than I anticipated. I rated this a lot higher than most books I've read that are more my type solely because I really enjoyed reading this book.
Sure, there were some clichés here and there (which the book is so self-aware of, I might add), and it was predictable sometimes. Still, I couldn't put the book down.
The Banter between Nora (the protagonist) and Charlie is adorable and funny. They've already grown on me as a couple, just 3 chapters in. They have a lot of chemistry that isn't also cringey.
But I love Nora and Libby's sisterly bond more, and the book explores that a lot as well, not just the romance. I liked reading the many nuances and flaws each character has; they're not just filler, one-dimensional characters. I could actually empathise with each and root for them.
Some tropes I found in the book are enemies to lovers (pretty lowkey), found family, and it's a book about books.
Overall it was a sweet story, but I just couldn’t connect with any of the characters. I did enjoy the plot even if it was cheesy because that was the point, but at a certain point in the book I felt like dropping it. It completely lost my interest and the only reason I finished it was because I had already read about 65%.
Emily Henry hits the nail on the head when it comes to writing heart-breakingly impossible scenarios that force you to keep reading through your teary eyes just to see if everything somehow works in the end.
I loved the dynamics happening across characters, timelines, plot points, etc., but got a bit hung up on the sister's frequent judgement of Nora (& didn't feel like that was actually ever resolved). Thus, this wasn't my favorite from Henry, but I really enjoyed it nonetheless.
4.3/5
This was an enjoyable and heartwarming read, and having only read Happy Place, this book is much better in my opinion.
One aspect I found intriguing was the sense that Emily Henry's books, though easy to read on the surface, seem to require an unhurried pace to fully appreciate. Not sure why this is, but there's something about her writing style that demands you take your time and savor it gradually. Whether this leisurely reading experience is a good or bad thing is hard to say, it's simply a quality I've noticed.
At times, Book Lovers embraced the cheesiness reminiscent of a Hallmark movie, something Emily Henry herself seems to acknowledge. The scenes between Nora and Charlie were filled with quirky dialogue and their constant banter made me smile and chuckle at times.
However, it was in the last third of the book that I became truly invested, as I started to deeply relate to the emotional journeys of Nora and the other characters. Their feelings and struggles began resonating with me on a personal level, making their stories feel like extensions of my own experiences.
Recommended for romance lovers out there! Emily Henry never fails and her books will be an auto-buy for me.