Book Lovers by Emily Henry Book Review

“‘Mrs. Freeman made these shelf-talker cards fo run to fill out,’ I explain. ‘Book lovers recommend, they said–that’s what she called us, her little book lovers. So I guess I started to think about books more critically.'”

(pg. 156)

About

Author: Emily Henry

Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance

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Other Books By Emily Henry

Beach Read

The People We Meet on Vacation

Synopsis

One summer. Two rivals. A plot twist they didn’t see coming….

Nora Stephens’ life is books—she’s read them all—and she is not that type of heroine. Not the plucky one, not the laidback dream girl, and especially not the sweetheart. In fact, the only people Nora is a heroine for are her clients, for whom she lands enormous deals as a cutthroat literary agent, and her beloved little sister Libby.

Which is why she agrees to go to Sunshine Falls, North Carolina for the month of August when Libby begs her for a sisters’ trip away—with visions of a small-town transformation for Nora, who she’s convinced needs to become the heroine in her own story. But instead of picnics in meadows, or run-ins with a handsome country doctor or bulging-forearmed bartender, Nora keeps bumping into Charlie Lastra, a bookish brooding editor from back in the city. It would be a meet-cute if not for the fact that they’ve met many times and it’s never been cute.

Review

Spoilers Contained Below

To all the book lovers,

If you read my The People We Meet on Vacation book review, which you should because it is a great time if I do say so myself, I said my favorite Emily Henry book so far was Beach Read.

I would like to retract that statement and say that Book Lovers is my favorite Emily Henry book by far 💙 (granted, I have not read Happy Place yet).

I honest to gosh really liked Book Lovers and that is not the book lover in me that highly related to the main characters who also liked books 😅. I don’t know if it is because Book Lovers is the most recent Emily Henry book I have read, but her writing in Book Lovers was absolutely phenomenal, and has to be her best writing yet. I mean, was her previous books written with the same prose because I feel like I would have remembered her voice more in the other books and really admired it if her writing was. I loved Emily Henry’s prose in Book Lovers because she didn’t just write about a feeling, she made you feel the feeling and connect with the characters experiences. I felt every emotion in my heartstrings to my bones and I also felt like I was right there with Nora, Charlie, and Libby in Sunshine Falls. I also loved loved loved that Book Lovers wasn’t just a romance book 👏🏼! I love when a romance book is more than a romance because sometimes reading the same tropes or romance can get a bit dull, so I thought it was completely refreshing that Emily Henry included a sister romance 💙. As someone who has a sister, I highly appreciated the sister romance. Emily Henry’s books are never just romances though, but something about the sister romance really got to me.

With all this being said, I truly think Emily Henry’s books keep getting better and better, and that’s such a wonderful thing! You know, as a writer, I feel great when I feel like my writing has improved, so if Emily Henry is reading this, which I don’t think she is, but if she is, I just want to say your craft has truly gotten stronger and shows beautifully in Book Lovers 💙 (not that your other books were not strong or great, just Book Lovers just felt like magic).

Anyway, let’s get into reviewing.

Nora described herself as the person who other people would leave for a tropey-romance; the other woman who was back at home while the leading man fell in love with a small town girl or something. I found that kind of funny, sad, but funny. Because as a romance reader, I don’t really think about the other woman back at home that the guy left because most times in books there’s not that other woman. I think Nora was more so referring to a Hallmark movie 😂. But I get what she meant.

Nora had a very vice-like, lethal view of herself. People also saw her as this fearful women that they nicknamed the “Shark” with a smile gleaming with knives—like her smile was out to kill. I felt awful that people thought of her as ruthless with no heart because she was so invested in her work. I mean, she was a literary agent who advocated for her clients. She was just doing her job the best she could because books mattered to her and the stories her clients were trying to tell. So if people thought she was a little cold-hearted or ruthless about her work, that’s on them. Also, I feel like people are so quick to label a hard-working woman as something negative to try to undermine their value or make them feel bad for being good at what they do. It’s kind of like Taylor Swift said that if she were a man, she would a baller and not a bi*** and people would respect her more as a man. Because no way José would anyone call a man a shark if he was stern-cold, but great at his job, but somehow on a women it’s a bad thing? I don’t know.

I mean, there are kind ways to go about things, but everyone has different personalities and Nora’s was confident, firm, strong-willed, and tenacious. Those are such amazing, powerful qualities.

People didn’t view her in the right light, and they made her feel disgusted or repulsive for being good at her job or being passionate about her work.

And you couldn’t say Nora was not a hard-worker, maybe too hard sometimes because you know, that work life balance 😅. But work life balance is difficult for anyone, isn’t it? I struggle.

I digress, but very early on, I felt like there was a reason that Nora worked harder than others—she always had to be the protector and provider.

Nora and her sister grew up in New York. New York was their home, and it was a place that always felt a little bit like magic on earth. Nora, Libby, and their mom lived in an apartment above Mrs.Freeman’s books, where the mom would bring Nora and Libby to read books and hang out in between acting additions. Nora definitely gets her drive from her mom in the sense that the mom never gave up on her dream of becoming an actress—constantly going to auditions even though things never worked out. Nora definitely grew up admiring her mom for her tenacious hustle, and still admires her mom to this day. I loved how Nora described her childhood because the memories came from a place of love and admiration for their mother. They didn’t grow up with much, but the mom made do for both of them and ensured that life always felt special and adventurous.

Unfortunately, and suddenly, the mom passed away. The details of what happened weren’t revealed until later in the book, but when the mom passed away, Nora was at her boyfriend Daniel’s house and the sister was calling her. The sister needed her, and Nora wasn’t there for what happened—not right away. And in my mind, I know Nora carries a lot of guilt for not being there when her mother passed away and not being there for Libby—the fact that Libby had to endure being alone for a while when everything was going on. Nora largely blames herself for letting a guy distract her from her family when she should have been there with them. Later on, dating becomes hard for Nora because she doesn’t want a guy to ever distract her from her priorities—her family. I understand that and the experiences that Nora had, but also she shouldn’t be so hard on herself to not try find love again because she thinks that what happened was her fault or that something bad is just waiting to happen if she isn’t there.

Also, losing her mom—someone she admired most in the world—really pained Nora more than she would have liked to talk about. Even now, I feel like Nora needed to process her grief with someone because she never really had time to grieve when she instantly had to become the protector and provider of their family. The dad wasn’t in the picture, off with a new family.

I can’t even imagine what that must have felt like for Nora to being a kid having to take care of another kid. Libby became her world because she wanted to make sure Libby was okay. As a sister, that must have GUTTED Nora to see her sister so sorrowful and numb after their mother passed away. Nora saw Libby fall into a dark place where she wasn’t happy, and if I was in Nora’s shoes, I would have done anything and everything too to make sure my sister was okay—or just anyone I loved was okay. But that’s so hard because Nora also deserved the space to be sad; They were both kids and they didn’t have anyone else to support them expect each other. And I think about all the real people who do experience this situation, and I just want to give them the biggest hug in the world because no one should ever have to experience that or to go through it alone. I wish these people all the love and support in the world, truly.

I just have so much respect and admiration for everything Nora did for her sister.

Nora did everything out of love.

She inished school early, and worked multiple jobs to make sure they had food and a roof over their head. She took any job she could get because some money was better than no money. Nora eventually worked her way into the publishing industry and trained as a literary agent because that was a well paying job. At one point, Nora had the opportunity to have a different position. What really broke my heart for Nora was how she interviewed for her dream job of being a literary editor, and she backed out because starting at the bottom of being a literary editor wasn’t going to provide her and Libby a steady enough living. She gave up her dream for her and her sister so they could have the life they lived today. But giving up on your dream 🥺💔? That sucks. That really sucks because here was her opportunity and she couldn’t take it because she had other responsibilities.

“That’s why I put my career first. Not because I have no life, but because I can’t bear to let the one Mom wanted for us slip away. Because I need to know Libby and Brendan and he girls and I will all be okay no matter what, because I want to carve out a piece of the sixty and its magic, just for us. But carving turns you into a knife. Cold, hard, sharp, at least on the outside.”

(pg. 226)

I hated the way Nora viewed herself because people made her feel cold-hearted and void.

I love this moment later in the book where Nora went to Charlie after a shocking revelation, and he made her feel seen and validated. I just loved the way that Charlie took all of Nora’s insecurities and emphasized them as her strengths—that someone who sees your insecurities in such a light is the right person to have in your metaphorical or literal corner.

“I think you love your job,’ he says softly. ‘I think you work that hard because you care ten times more than the average person.’

‘About work,’ I say.

‘About everything.’ His arms tighten around me. ‘Your sister. Your clients. Their books. You don’t do anything you’re not going to do one hundred percent.’

. . . ‘You’re a fighter . . . I’ve never met anyone who cares as much as you do.'”

(pg.228-9)

I loved loved loved that 🥺💙.

Because Nora did pour her passion and love in what she did, and she did fight to be where she is for her sister and her to not end up out on the streets. All Nora’s ever known is this hustler self because that’s who she had to become.

“‘Just because not everyone gets you, doesn’t mean you’re wrong.'”

(pg. 231)

People mistaking that love as being a shark, and that didn’t sit right with me because if only if they knew.

With Nora focused on work so much over the years, that left little time to actually spend with her sister. Her sister was all grown up with a husband named Brendan and they had two cutie little girls and another baby on the way. When Libby proposed to Nora that they go on a vacation–a real vacation–Nora was hesitant but down to go because she felt like she was losing her sister—-that they were not close anymore. Also, Libby could convince Nora of pretty much anything because her little sister had her big sister wrapped around her finger 😅. Not in a bad way, but in a caring way because of what they had been through.

“‘Why Sunshine Falls?’

She stops and thinks. ‘I guess,’ she says, ‘it just seemed like the kind of place that might look one way on the outside, and be something totally different once you got to know it. Like if you had the patience to take the time to understand it, it might be something beautiful.'”

(pg. 257)

I laughed that they were going to Sunshine Falls where Dusty’s “unreadable” book took place. I freaking laughed harder when Nora and Dusty did publish Once in a Lifetime and it became a best-seller. Charlie must have felt like an idiot, or one could hope. I legit had to Google if Sunshine Falls was a real place 😅. I mean, I have never heard of such a peppy-sounding place in my life. It is so cool that Sunshine Falls is a real place, and honestly I would like to visit after this book. I wonder if Emily Henry visited Sunshine Falls before wiring this book. Can I also do a quick mention of Dusty???? I would have liked to actually meet this mysterious Dusty because she’s Nora’s client and a big part of her career, but there was a part of me that felt like she wasn’t real 😂. I don’t know, she felt like this Big Wizard of Oz character behind the curtain or something, and she was there via online video at the end, but I wanted to actually see her in person and her interactions with Nora.

Anyway, the absolute last place Nora expected to find her enemy was the exact reason he turned down editing Dusty’s book.

Charlie was in Sunshine Falls.

Heck, he was born and raised 👏🏼😂!!!

What a kicker, though! Turns down editing a book set in Sunshine Falls because that was his hometown. Who would have thunk? I get it though. When people write about your hometown, there’s this inner-protectiveness about you that doesn’t want other people to know about this special place that feels almost like its yours. You also don’t want someone to not do it justice. But for a guy who wears exclusively black with a stoic face, he sure isn’t the picture of Sunshine Falls 😂.

I loved Charlie and Nora’s sarcastic, witty, and biting humor.

“‘Otherwise I remain unimpressed’ is what they’ll put on your headstone.

. . .’IT’S NOT A BAD BOOK.’ – Nora Stephans, Charlie replies. I think I remember seeing that endorsement on the cover.

(pg. 156)

They just understood each other so well through words they half-meant, which is true love at its finest.

I liked their emails turned texts of them parrying about Bigfoot Erotica and personal jibes. I freaking laughed about the “It’s not a bad book” and how hard I would laugh if I actually saw that quote on the cover of some book. Even when they were not enemies later on, they maintained their humor with each other, which I loved.

But what I loved more than their humor (okay, second best to their humor) was their open conversations. It takes a special person to be vulnerable to and it takes strength to be vulnerable with someone. I liked how somehow the last person she would expect to open up to was the first person she did 💙. In many ways Nora didn’t realize how much Charlie was like her or understood her. He worked just as hard as she did (maybe not as much) to be where he was because he had his own story. I felt like all these other guys Nora dated never interested her or matched her energy because they didn’t get her the way Charlie did.

“A man who craves complete honesty, the realist who doesn’t always understand when eh’s seeing realism. Charlie, who wants to understand the world bu that learned not to trust it.”

(pg. 231)

Charlie grew up in Sunshine Falls and was adopted by his parents. He didn’t find out until later that he was adopted when people at school told him. They would say mean things to him and his sister about how their mom was a wh*** because she was pregnant with Charlie when she married Clint, his stepdad/dad. People treated him like a pariah because of the complex relationship of Charlie’s parents, which wasn’t fair to Charlie, his sister, or his parents, heck his whole family. I don’t blame Charlie for being an angry kid with everyone who made him feel wrong or like his family was wrong. When Charlie was older, he left Sunshine Falls because he didn’t feel happy there or like he belonged. He found himself in New York, where he built more of a life for myself where he found what he loved to do.

I loved Charlie’s backstory of how he got into editing 💙. I loved that when he was younger, his parents were supportive in letting Charlie figure out what he liked or what he wanted to do. They were also very gentle with him in how he wasn’t the best in school, not blaming Charlie or making him feel like a failure or disappointment. Instead, they wanted to help him by figuring out what worked best for him. His dad got him a CD player and Charlie took the player apart, which made the dad figure out that Charlie liked to learn how to put things together. I thought it was so cute that the dad and Charlie bonded over everything cars because mechanics was the first thing the dad thought of when it came his new discovery of how Charlie’s brain worked. I loved how the dad went as far to get him a race car bed because they connected so much over cars. When Charlie was interested in books, I loved how the dad also bought him books, and tried to keep up with Charlie by reading the books he read.

When Charlie got to college, he realized her liked workshopping people’s books and figuring out all pieces of someone’s work to best help them get to where their story or words are going. I loved that because his mind was so attuned to detail and creating a whole again, which made sense in terms of editing a book to tell this overall story. I think it is just cool to read or hear about (even if it is fictional) how someone finds their passion because there are so many professions, and sometimes I wonder how people find what they want to do or what they feel drawn to. I mean, it is okay to not really know either or to never find one passion that calls you, but something that makes you happy.

Knowing more about Charlie’s past made me understand why he was so “hard-edged.” But his story made me view him as a human being who just never felt like he belonged. Charlie was also more than what people thought of him. He was incredibly sweet, supportive, honest, and funny.

I loved all the moments that built up Nora and Charlie’s relationship and how they worked together.

“I think we might be good together, Stephens.

A very small star lodges itself in my diaphragm. I reply, yes, together we add up to one emotionally competent human, a real accomplishment, then listen for his gruff laugh.”

(pg. 191)

They did work well together because she was a focused attacker of her work, while Charlie could see the fine-detail to support her thoughts; They honestly thought the same way.

I didn’t know whether to laugh or feel awful that Dusty’s new novel was a subtle play on Nora’s “shark-like” personality 😅. In some ways, it was kind of funny because Dusty must have been feeling really bold to be like, “Let me send this book with a main character inspired by my agent to my agent,” or she genuinely had no clue that she described her main character as Nora. I mean, Nadine Winters is not that off from Nora. Also, Winters because she’s cold 😂.

The part of me that felt terrible was how Nora took Nadine personally, which I don’t blame her; the similarities were there. If I was Nora, I would have felt awful if that was the way people viewed me, especially when Libby didn’t argue with the way Nadine was written. When someone you love so much views you in an unflattering light, it hurts more because their opinion of you matters. I could feel how hurt Nora was even if Libby didn’t mean it because it wasn’t like Nora wanted to be this “shark-like” monster who “fired pregnant women.” That was harsh.

My whole sense of self would have been obliterated.

The only reason I felt Charlie was SOOO invested in this Dusty book was because the book was low-key based on Nora 😂. Charlie was a Nora expert and he also probably had the best perspective of Nora to edit a Nora book. Excuse me, I mean he was the best person to edit “Nadine” 😂. When they were editing, there were many moments where I was like, “He’s speaking to her and not Nadine.” I just felt like he knew there was a fierceness to Nadine/Nora, but also a passion or love there and that was the story I felt like he really wanted to tell.

I loved when they were editing the story in the library and they were so in-synch, and the roles reversed where Charlie was mostly being Nora’s hype man while she was editing. I liked how he kind of took a back seat on his job because he could see how much she enjoyed what she was doing. I agreed with Charlie that Nora should be in editing because it was clear that she loved editing and editing gave her this fire. I also loved how they slowly became more human to each other by noticing how the other smiled more, or in Charlie’s case, his “burnt sugar eyes.” The little details really emphasized this new connection they had for each other because they could be so honest and felt safe doing so. I also liked how they fell into a routine of him knowing she would be there at a certain time and then having her coffee there.

The whole kiss outside their cottage was freaking steamy. And Emily Henry knew what she was doing when she made them kiss in the rain haha 😂. I kind of didn’t understand at the time why it was such a big deal that she kissed an editor. I know she was an agent, but she worked at a different company so I didn’t fully understand what was so wrong about kissing a guy from another company—conflicting interests? I don’t know. I did know a large part of her regret was being distracted by Charlie when she should be focused on work and this vacation.

To be quite honest, her vacation wasn’t a vacation, more like work in a different setting. Sis, a vacation is not doing work for more than half the day and then chilling at night.

Part of being in Sunshine Falls with Libby was to bond with her sister and do all things on this list Libby made. I found it comical that most of the things Libby had on her list were things she couldn’t even do because she was pregnant. Now I am a fan of a list in a book because lists open main characters up to doing things outside of their comfort zone, and lists are a fun time. However, I didn’t really feel like the list was the point or the main driving factor of the book because I don’t even think Nora finished the list in full capacity—like she half-a**ed did the list because she wanted to feel connected to her sister that she wasn’t even spending time with 🙃.

The list was funny because the list included very tropey things about small towns like wearing flannel or camping under the stars. Not Nora literally getting distracted by a tall, burly, lumberjack of a man actually named Shepard. I freaking laughed how every time she saw him, she was doing something embracing like falling or throwing up 😂. Honestly, I too would be the one to be caught in an unfortunate moment when someone good-looking walks past. I just imagined a big lumberjack dude with amazing hair trying to give her a tour of Sunshine Falls. I loved loved loved the punniness of Sunshine Falls and Emily Henry’s comical brain 😂. If only people in real life had the humor and audacity to name places with puns because I would for sure laugh my head off and be interested in looking what the heck that place had to offer. I mean, a punny name is interesting and it makes you want to go see what it is. The quaintness of Sunshine Falls was also really nice and how proud they were of their community.

I liked the moment when Libby and Nora went to go see a Once play by the community theater and they could not stop laughing their heads off with how the older man in the story was played by a ten-year old and the older lady was played by his grandma 😂. I would be that annoying person to laugh every second, but I would also laugh at how everyone else was so serious. What was even funnier was how Charlie’s parents were at this play and the dad asked what they thought and the mom was like, don’t ask them that 😂. The mom knew what was up. Then they all went to the Goode’s house to get drunk so they could voice how they felt about the play. I low-key would have felt awful to say the play was hilarious when the little boy was around because maybe he was really into acting, but gosh, I would have laughed the whole time too. I just liked how Libby and Nora had this special sister moment where they were happy.

Because as much as this was their trip to reconnect, they didn’t seem connected.

Libby was always off, mysteriously doing whatever until five o’clock when Nora “got off work.”

I felt kind of bad because Libby had to entertain herself for a while until Nora would spend time with her. Libby was okay with her “me” time, but I also wondered how much of that was true. There was this tension between Libby and Nora where Libby was hiding something from her. Libby would get weird whenever Nora mentioned Brendan or would hint that Libby could talk to her if something was wrong. I mean, it was strange that Libby took a three week vacation from her husband and kids when she was having a baby on the way. It was even more strange that she would dodge her husband’s calls or texts and then act like everything was fine on both ends. Then there was that moment Libby got a call outside the bookstore, and she looked bothered, but said she was just going to the grocery store. Something was up. When they were at Charlie’s mom’s place, Sally gave Nora a divorce attorney’s number for Libby, which raised my flags too.

Was Libby going to get a divorce from her husband?

That was my instant thought. I mean, that would be so painful because she had kids and a baby on the way. But if Libby wasn’t happy in her relationship, then she should do what was right for her. No wonder she was distant from Nora or that Nora noticed how stressed Libby was. Nora mistook Libby’s initial stress going to Sunshine Falls as baby stress, which I understand. Libby was a mother now and she had all these responsibilities with being the protector and care-taker with her husband, but she wasn’t used to being the protecter—figuring it all out—when Nora did that for her growing up. There was a big part of me that wanted to give Libby a hug because of the way she would phrase some things about being a new mom and how hard it was. I get it. With Nora always being the fixer, her initial reaction was to do anything to make Libby happy—-to rectify the situation. I wasn’t too sure about this side deal she had with Charlie about how if she finished everything on Libby’s list, he would give Libby his apartment in New York. I was like, this bro would just give his apartment just like that?!?!?!?!?!? He’s either rich or cocky, or both. So Nora was more determined to finish this list so Libby could have a bigger home for her family and would feel less stressed. Libby didn’t know about the deal, but I felt like it wasn’t Nora’s job to find Libby a bigger house. I know Nora was doing so out of concern and care, but she should have talked to her sister about what was bothering her to figure out the situation together, not just put a band-aid over a wound that she didn’t really see.

I should have seen Libby’s secret coming from a mile away, but I have been off my reader game, soooo 😅. Good one Emily Henry for deceiving me.

Libby and her family were going to move to Sunshine Falls.

This whole trip was Libby’s way of selling all the great things about Sunshine Falls to Nora so Nora would approve of where Libby was going. I think Libby also wanted Nora to see that she would be safe and happy where she was because she loved Nora and wanted her to be part of her life. I understood how difficult it must have felt for Libby to tell Nora that she was moving because she knew how Nora would take the news. Libby wasn’t wrong, but I also understood how Nora felt—betrayed, heart-stuck, flabbergasted. Her sister–her whole life–was moving away and she didn’t even tell her until they were standing in Libby’s soon-to-be-house 😢. That’s hard.

There was just too much fear between the both of them—one of them losing a sister and one of them moving away from one. They were each other’s lives, but they were grown up. I agreed that it was time for Libby to lead her own life if that was what she wanted. And look at her! She was going to live in a beautiful, cozy house in a small town, which would be safe and fun for her kids to grow up in. Brendan was being weird because he knew Libby hadn’t told Nora yet, and Nora avoided him because she didn’t want to tell Nora until the right time. The whole thing with the divorce lawyer was because that lawyer knew good schools in the area for Libby’s kids. Libby was already figuring it out and building a life for her family there, and I think Nora should have been really proud that her sister was growing up. But I get it, it’s hard to see our loved ones growing up because we will always view them with the love and care of a little one. Seeing a loved one grow out or move away is one of the most painful things in feeling like half your heart is being ripped out of your chest. Because that person is no longer there, they’re not close by, they’re living a life somewhere else that you have no idea about. Moving away creates distance in more ways than one, and that’s hard.

My sister moved away recently, and it hurt to see her actually leave knowing how, yea, we’re all grown up—the world gets a little bit bigger.

But sometimes maybe where we are from is not the best place for us.

The difference in how Libby and Nora viewed their childhood was so interesting. Nora looked at their childhood in New York as this snow globe moment with nothing but wonder, beauty, and happiness. However, Libby saw New York as a place of hardship, struggle, and pain; she mostly remembers her mom working so hard and her family struggling. It’s hard to feel like you can grow in an environment that reminds you of something so sad.

“‘People like to remember childhood as all magic and no responsibilities, but that’s not really how it is. You have absolutely no control over your environment. It all comes down to the adults in your life, and . . . I don’t know.”

(pg.266)

I felt this.

As a kid, you live with the choices and experiences of the environment around you, and it’s hard when you feel like you don’t have a say when you are a kid because no one listens to how something affects you. There’s this weird dichotomy of being a kid—how it is the most free-feeling time of your life, but also the most controlled. Almost like a bird who can only go so far.

There was also the fact that Nora wasn’t upset at Libby for wanting to move, she was just more fearful of being alone 🥺. With Libby in Sunshine Falls and Charlie, she wouldn’t have anyone she loved back in New York, which was her home. She wasn’t just going to move to Sunshine Falls to be with Libby and everyone–as much as she would have liked—because the small-town life wasn’t for her. I liked how she was at least honest with herself that she wasn’t going to stay because we all knew New York was her home—her career was there, her apartment, the noise, the hustle, and memories. I just really felt for Nora.

And on top of all that, she got offered an editing job from Loggia 🥺💔!

I was soooo excited for Nora because this was her second chance at her dream and I was like, “No way in heck is she going to pass up her dream again.” I loved loved loved how Emily Henry wrote the shock that Nora felt as a “this is how people must feel when their water breaks,” (pg. 275) moment, because what a feeling. But I was rooting for Nora to take the job!!!!!! But can we also just talk about how Nora being offered the job also sucked because the new position was Charlie’s job because he was going to stay back in Sunshine Falls for his dad?

And we called this man awful!!!!???!?!?! 🤧

He was willing to stay in a place that didn’t really make him happy or where he didn’t quite fit in, give up his job, give up the chance to be with a woman he really loved, just so he could support his dad 😭💙!!!! What a gem!!!!! Now that’s called love. I also loved how Charlie was so reassuring to Nora that she would be okay in New York even if Libby and him weren’t going to be there—that somehow she would have it all. I just loved that he was always there to say the right thing, even if part of him didn’t feel right with letting her go 🥺.

“‘So if you’re the ‘wrong kind of woman,’ then I’m the wrong kind of man.'”

(pg. 232)

Honestly, the chokehold this quote has on me 🤧!!!! Unmatched.

If I’m the wrong kind of woman, I don’t want to be right 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼!!!!!!!

The moment Nora lashed out at Libby and said, “I gave up my dream of being an editor for you,” I was like this fault line is breaking 👏🏼! When Libby fainted, I was like, “OOOOOOOH NOOO.” We had to make Libby faint!?!?!??!?!?!?

My gosh. I was genuinely worried.

She was having a baby-child.

But you know, sometimes you have to have a break to let the light in—and to let the tension simmer out.

I loved every sister interaction and moment that followed each others’ breaking points 💙

Libby fainted because she was anemic in not having enough protein during her pregnancy. For a second, I thought this story was going to take a very dark turn that I wasn’t going to recover from. I freaking laughed with how Libby and Nora fell back into being sisters with joking around about how Libby wasn’t actually a vegetarian because she loves to eat Whoppers 😂. I love how Libby admitted how she even researched where the nearest Burger King was because she was craving a Whopper.

Book Lovers unofficial sponsor: Burger King for their Whoppers 😂.

I also really loved how they had a heart-to-heart that felt so tender and needed.

“‘You’re not my dad,’ she says.

‘Since when has that been on the table?’

She huffs again, grabbing my hands. ‘She treated you like her partner, Nora. She treated you like you were—like it was your job to take care of me. And I let you, after she died, but you’re still doing it. And it’s too much. For both of us.”

. . .’I wanted to help,’ I say. ‘I wanted to take care of you.’

‘I know . . . But I don’t want you to be Mom–and I definitely don’t want you to be my dad. When I tell you something’s going on, sometimes I just want you to be my sister and say, That sucks. Instead of trying to fix it.'”

(pg. 288-9)

When I think about the way Nora did care for Libby, she did act like a parent because she kind of had to become one—not in a negative way, but also not the fairest. It wasn’t fair of their Mom in making Nora feel like she had to fill this space where the Dad wasn’t there. I could relate to Nora in my own way in feeling like I had to fill the shoes of a partner in my family when things turned hard, and that always made me feel like I put everyone else’s happiness above my own because I knew I was ensuring that they were okay first. It wasn’t until recently that I started putting myself first because of all the years I put others above me, but it is difficult to go from being one way to figuring out how to be another.

From Libby’s perspective, I felt anger at her parents for making Nora feel the way she did, a little bit of anger at herself, but mostly anger at their situation. She was never mad at Nora, but yea, sometimes you just need someone to listen and say “this sucks” because it does suck, and not feel like they are trying to solve your problem for you. My brother and I got closer this past year, and I remember venting to him about a sucky day at work, and the waterworks show was on full display. After venting, he said something along the lines of , “I don’t know what you want me to say, you keep feeling this way and you can do this or that.” He was basically telling me that I had the same problem and that I could do these things to fix it. Granted, the reason I was crying wasn’t the same problem, it was just feeling a lot on a certain day and I just needed to get out how I was feeling. I didn’t need him to fix anything or give me a solution, I just wanted someone to listen and validate how I felt. And I told him more or less of that, and he said, “As your brother, sometimes when you talk to me, I feel like I have to give you ways to fix whatever is bothering you. But if you just need someone to talk to and listen, you have to tell me so I know how to respond.” In my head, I was like, “you’re right.” Because as a brother, he wants to protect me and make things better, but that’s not what I wanted or needed. So sometimes, you have to tell people what you are needing from them because how are they going to know how to support you if they don’t know what you are asking?

So I really loved how Libby voiced how she didn’t want a mother or father, she just wanted her sister—someone she could vent to and say, “MAN, THAT SUCKS.” Someone who could comfort her than protect her.

Later they have another heart-to-heart moment that made me SOB; when they started crying, I started crying 😭. Just the power of their sister-ship was so beautiful because the love they had was so real.

“‘Somehow, it never occurred to me that this was an option: that two people, in the same hug, could both be allowed to fall apart. That maybe it’s neither of our jobs to keep a steel spine.'”

(pg. 336)

Yea, I have a liquid spine over here—-liquid spine of my TEARS 😭.

This sucks 🙃. I loved how they had a “this sucks” sister moment.

Oh, oh, oh, don’t even get me started on how happy Libby was for Nora and how much she wanted Nora to take the editing job—to go after her dream. Nora voiced how nervous she was about the job and the possibility of not getting it, and I loved loved loved how Libby reassured Nora that she could get the job and that if she didn’t, she would take care of Nora like Nora did for her all those years ago 🤧. We love! Also, can I get a tissue for when Libby just looked at Nora and was like, “Thank you”??????? And then Nora was like, “For what?” And Libby was just like, “Thank you.”

Thank you for everything 😭.

Thank you for making my tears a torrential downpour.

“Libby and I had been caught in a slow boil of change for a long time, one path splitting into two. There’s no less room in my heart for her than the day she first came screaming into the world.

But there is less time. Less space in our daily lives. Other people Other priorities. We’re a Venn diagram now, instead of a circle. I might’ve made all my decisions for her, but now that I’m here, I love my life.'”

(pg. 336)

I loved loved loved the metaphor of their lives being like a Venn diagram 💙💙💙.

I think of me and my sister and how she moved this past summer. She had been leading her own life with other people, other priorities, so much sometimes I don’t feel like I know my sister as much as I would like. Our lives are Venn diagrams where we have more differences than we do similarities, but we still have a deep connection that will never break. I like to think that was what Nora and Libby were feeling in that moment—a deep connection that would never break.

When Libby finally left New York—packed up all her things and left– for Sunshine Falls, my eyes were a category four storm. I loved the emotive way Emily Henry made me feel the love and the loss of both sisters. I felt like I was right there crying with Nora on the street. I loved that moment when that New Yorker gave Nora a tissue and Nora felt like a true New Yorker for feeling her emotions so freely.

You know that moment in Suite Life on Deck during the finale where Mr. Mosby tells London to call if she ever has a problem. Then when she turned around she called him and said, “I have a problem. I am going to miss you.”

Libby calling Nora right after the moving truck left, gave me the same vibes 🥲.

I loved how in that moment, Nora soaked up New York around her—her home–and how even though every sense was heightened, she just said New York was the same. I loved that because life was changing around her and everything could seem more bleak, but Nora still had the magic and love of the city from the strength of the love from the people she knew were never really gone.

“Maybe love shouldn’t be built on a foundation of compromises, but maybe it can’t exist without them either.

Not the kind that forces two people into shapes they don’t fit in, but the kind that loosens their grips, always leaves room to grow. Compromises that say, there will be a you-shaped space in my heart, and if your shape changes, I will adapt.

No matter where we go, our love will stretch out to hold us, and that makes me feel like . . . like everything will be okay.”

(pg. 362)

I loved that 💙.

Sometimes loving someone or something is about leaving room for that love to grow to always fit that love in Nour heart.

Nora also had to say goodbye to Charlie. They had an extremely mature and reasonable break-up that felt almost too-easy, aka too painful.

The vibe that I got was if-you-love-them-set-them-free. Their relationship couldn’t work for them because they were going to be in two different places and the last time either of them did long distance with a different partner, that distance caused a lot of worries and stress. Even if they did long distance, finding balance and time with each other with going back and forth would be draining and that could create stress on what they had. I understood their reasoning, but gosh, I will always root for love. I wanted Nora to have it all with her dream job, dream city, and dream man because she was finally at a place where I felt she was confident and happy as she was.

Nora in the city felt like Nora living at “half-volume” (pg. 355) or with the lights off. She just didn’t seem happy 😢. I mean, she was an editor now, which WOOOOO HOOO for her, but adjusting to her new life without the man she loved and missed like a second skin must have sucked.

“But this, I realize, is what they mean all this thousands of writers who’ve tried to describe the sensation of following the trail of your life for years, only to smack into something that changes it forever.

The ay the sensation jars through you, from the center out. How you feel it in your mouth and toes all at once, a dozen tiny explosions.

And then an unfurling of warmth from your collarbone to your ribs, to thighs, to palms, like just seeing him as triggered some kind of chrysalis.”

(pg. 366)

I typed all of that because that is what I meant by phenomenal writing 👏🏼💙!!!

“Seeing him triggered some kind of chrysalis??????” Full-body shivers.

Honestly, I loved loved loved how Libby surprised Nora with gifting her Charlie for their Mom’s birthday. I loved how Nora and Charlie’s parents went to Charlie with a whole a** PowerPoint to convince him that they would be okay and that he should go be with the woman he loves!!!! I loved that they made a PowerPoint 😂.

In all seriousness, I loved how they wanted him to be happy. We love that Charlie is the kind of guy who would sacrifice anything for his family, but I was so happy that he was going to be with Nora—that she could have it all. I also loved when Libby said she was going to run Goode books because Charlie’s mom hoped that she would be family one day 😉 (Sally only wanted family to run Goode books).

The epilogue was written succinctly with many beautiful details. I loved how the epilogue was also written in the third person to showcase the joy of everyone being there to celebrate Nora’s success. I don’t know if the ending hinted that she became an author because of the new story she was introducing or if she was just introducing a story she edited. Either way, I was truly happy for Nora.

Overall, Book Lovers surprised me in being a book I loved—-would Book Lovers Recommend as Mrs. Freeman would say. If there’s one thing I will takeaway from Book Lovers is how everyone has a different story that sometimes overlaps, stretches, or breaks, but if something or someone was meant for you, you will find that piece again that fills in the rest of your story. I think about how people can perceive you in many ways, but they never truly know who you are. The best person who knows who you are is yourself. If someone makes you feel bad about who you are, then those are not the people who really love you. If someone loves you, they will see you and love you for your complicated and your uncomplicated. Loving you wouldn’t be hard for them to do, and if it is, that’s not love. There will be people who give their love so freely and easily to you because they see so much more.

Anyway, what was your favorite part of the book? Least favorite part? What did you think of the book? 

What is a book you recommend to someone who is delving into the reading world?

I would go with a light-hearted or fun recommendations from Sarah Dessen, Stephanie Perkins, Jenny Han, Tessa Bailey, Casey McQuisten, Less Kay Adams, or Christina Lauren. Something to ease them into reading.

Let me know below in the comments as I love hearing from you all 💕

I hope you have a beautiful day whenever and wherever you might be reading this 😊.

And as always, with love,

Rating

4.89 Full Bloom Flowers

Characters: Nora wasn’t as bad as she made herself out to be, I quite liked her. I also loved Charlie once you got to know him and his witty humor.

Plot: People who love books, small-town romance, witty humor, and a powerful sister relationship? What was not to love?

Writing: Emily Henry at her finest 💙. Book Lovers truly was a joy and beauty to read. Every sentence made me feel Nora’s emotions and experiences so powerfully and personally.

Romance: I liked Nora and Charlie’s dynamic as well as they saw the best in each other. But I loved Libby and Nora’s relationship more 💙