Emily Henry has been around for a while now and just like my long-awaited venture into Ali Hazelwood’s works, I have finally picked up one of Emily Henry’s masterpieces. Book Lovers had the familiar literary agent character I was willing to follow into the countryside, but what I got from this read was more than I anticipated.

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. If Nora knows she’s not an ideal heroine, Charlie knows he’s nobody’s hero, but as they are thrown together again and again in a series of coincidences no editor worth their salt would allow, what they discover might just unravel the carefully crafted stories they’ve written about themselves.

The characters are quite fun and layered, for example Nora who goes from the literary agent on the hunt for a book deal to the caring sister who wants the best for her family. There is undoubtedly a soft side with Nora and Libby brings that out in here, but that’s not the only thing Libby does. Libby is just as layered and far more mysterious, seemingly hiding a dark secret behind her bucket list of cute and fantastical ideas (all inspired by books, of course). Charlie, our editor with a chip on his shoulder, turns out to be the guy we knew he would be, but I didn’t expect his revelation to be so sad and emotional.

The settings are complete 180s from each other. Starting in New York City where it’s a concrete jungle and lifestyle is fast-paced, constantly moving, and always requiring the next move be made before this one is finished. It is a world where Nora thrives, her cutthroat personality getting the job done. Then we move to small-town Sunshine Falls where time is abundant and the day is open to anything and everything – if you can find it. This environment shift feels like a completely different world, making the stripping back of emotion and personas feel intuitive and easy. It makes Libby’s secrets stand out and the tension coming from that part of the novel feel all the more pressing. It works really well, almost like you’re seeing the dark shadow edging closer to the scenic view of this quaint small town.

As for plot, there really isn’t much going on, but that doesn’t make it a bad read. The fact that there isn’t much to do in Sunshine Falls besides attempt this bucket list and interact with Charlie at every twist and turn means the real kicker sneaks up on you. Ideas come up and distractions try to tear attention from these thoughts, and when the reveal comes it feels like a splash of cold water and you see what it all meant. It worked really well as a hidden plot and I commend Emily Henry for being able to keep the wool over the reader’s eyes for so long. I am more of a action-driven plot reader over a character-driven plot, but this feels like a decent character-driven plot with fun and laughter and some moments of serious thought and reflection.

I will be adding more Emily Henry reads to my 2025 tbr and hopefully I will find another read I enjoyed among her books. If you haven’t gotten round to reading Book Lovers yet I encourage you to do so. It is a fun breath of fresh air with a heartfelt ending and I enjoyed it a lot.