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entiresunset's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I have to admit I had a much harder time connecting to his book than to Funny Story. I think it took me up until the last fourth to really connect to Nora and her story. But hearing what she went through and what she experienced and how much that changed her touched me. How tense and closed off she always was. How organized. How she always held on to Libby so closely and could not let her go. And how she could not let anyone in. How she completely lived in survival mode all the time. So mabye it was also meant to be so hard to connect to her in the beginning because she was so emotionally unavailable and controlling.
But the moment she started opening up I was sold. I definitely felt for her a lot throughout the last fourth.
As with Funny Story I just love to see how well Emily Henry manages to write such emotionally complex characters and how much she also focuses on all different kinds of relationships. It's always about the growth of the character itself and their relationships not just about "finding love" or "finding the one".
I have to say though I would love to see more therapy representation in Henrys books.Most of the characters she writes went through some form of trauma and are showing at least some PTSD-like symptoms or at least ongoing trauma reactions. I would love for this to be adressed properly and to be shown what therapy can look like for this and how much it can help. Nora could benefit so much from starting therapy to talk through everything she experienced and to really work on her issues. I know it's mentioned briefly in the end but only very briefly.
All in all this book might did not move me as much as Funny Story did for the most part but it still touched me and was wonderfully written and constructed.
Again I loved to see how the heroine didnt just fall in love and this magically cured everything but that she made her own decisions in spite of love and really grew as a person. Still I am of course happy that after everything Nora got her happy ending with Charlie <3
But the moment she started opening up I was sold. I definitely felt for her a lot throughout the last fourth.
As with Funny Story I just love to see how well Emily Henry manages to write such emotionally complex characters and how much she also focuses on all different kinds of relationships. It's always about the growth of the character itself and their relationships not just about "finding love" or "finding the one".
I have to say though I would love to see more therapy representation in Henrys books.
All in all this book might did not move me as much as Funny Story did for the most part but it still touched me and was wonderfully written and constructed.
Again I loved to see how the heroine didnt just fall in love and this magically cured everything but that she made her own decisions in spite of love and really grew as a person.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Pregnancy
Minor: Terminal illness, Medical content, and Alcohol
heather_freshparchment's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
Minor: Vomit
lifeasmrssmith's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Medical content, and Death of parent
_minucelli's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
The book is really wholesome. I love how Emily Henry took the tropes and flipped around in a most caring way. In a way that you feel she cares about the story and the characters. I love the pacing and if we had to do a chemistry test, these characters would most definitely pass with honors.
All the trope-fit-characters have a life and a purpose, so they don’t feel tropie, instead they feel real. They could be real people, and that's a beautiful thing when you're reading a contemporary romance. I love how you can tell who is texting based on the way they write, I love that they have a voice of their own. I love how the romance wasn't insta-love, but it wasn't exactly slow burn either. They build that up with a lot of tension between them. The smut scenes? Well done! None of the nonsense of "his sausage" you know? Just a little bit of awkward conversation that even Nora knew didn't make any sense.
I love how Emily Henry took a (literal) list of tropes and dismembered piece by piece and put it together in a slightly different way, not too far from the trope, not too close that we get bored.
And I can't even start to talk about the sisters' relationship. I'm a sucker for that, and it was so beautiful to watch (actually read) they get back together the way they deserve. Their relationship with their mom was so real, every relationship here felt real, actually.
It's 4+ stars. And I think the only reason it's not 5, it's because I'm not into romance that much.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, and Grief
Moderate: Cancer and Terminal illness
nialiversuch's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Moderate: Cursing, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Vomit
ohsoonhee's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, and Grief
Moderate: Terminal illness
Minor: Alcohol
bessadams's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Terminal illness, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
sophiesmallhands's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Sexism, Terminal illness, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
brittanyweigandt's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Terminal illness, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
kaitisbooknook's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Nora, a literary agent from NYC nicknamed “The Shark” by her peers, finds herself in small-town Sunshine Falls, North Carolina for a month because her younger sister Libby (the one person she never says no to) has insisted they need a vacation. Libby has concocted a checklist for them to complete while in town, heavily inspired by small town romantic comedies. However, the checklist is in danger of being thrown off by none other than Charlie Lastra, a professional rival of Nora’s from the city who also happens to be in the very same small town at the same time.
Book Lovers is a love letter to romantic comedies, specifically You’ve Got Mail from the queen of the rom com herself, Nora Ephron. Emily Henry writes all of the most beloved rom com tropes in a self-aware, almost meta way that is incredibly fresh and charming , giving the reader everything you crave from the genre while also having a light-hearted laugh about it.
What sets Henry apart from other writers is that aside from the romance itself, both the protagonist and love interest have rich inner and outer lives. Nora is career-focused, an involved aunt, a loving sister trying to figure out how to be an older sister to another adult, and is also deeply grieving the loss of her mother and well as a past relationship. Charlie is also dealing with scars from a past partner, caring for a sick parent, trauma from being bullied as a child, and a career that is currently up in the air. Rather than being a blank slate for the protagonist to place her feelings into, he is just as developed and vital to the plot as she is.
If you are a fan of Henry’s previous work or of rom coms from the ‘90s and early 2000’s, this is the perfect summer read. Prepare to feel all the feelings from absolutely giddy joy to running to grab a box of tissues.
Content Warnings
Minor: Terminal illness and Death of parent