A review by renee_reads_books
Book Lovers by Emily Henry

2.75

While this book held my attention, this rom-com genre isn’t really my thing. I chose it because I thought it would be an easy read while I was traveling and I was right. That said, most other people who enjoy the genre loved this book.

This is the story of Nora, an Independent City Woman who works on the agent side of publishing, and Charlie, Brooding City Guy who works on the editing side. Definite “enemies-to-lovers” trope.

What I liked was the witty dialogue. The banter was great and engaging. I appreciated that the book had a tongue-in-cheek way of making fun of itself for being like a Hallmark movie. In fact, some of the characters’ goals in the book are explicitly set to make the action more like a Hallmark movie (goals include escaping the city for a small town, dating townies, saving a local business, etc.).

What I didn’t like was when the dialogue shifted from witty banter to Having Feelings. It felt so hokey and cheesy and I couldn’t picture the Charlie character saying most of what he was saying based on what I knew of his character up to that point.

After a while, the “will-they-won’t-they” trope felt so tired to me. It got to a point where I started skimming pages because I lost interest (and I rarely ever skim). It was like “ok, they’re going to get together. Just kidding, some crazy small town problem that only one person can resolve is in their way and they just don’t have time now.”

I’m not saying it was terrible. There were parts I did enjoy and parts I even thought were funny. I just got tired of it by the end. Not my first Emily Henry book. Maybe my last. I haven’t gone crazy for them like others have. But again… not my genre. You read what you like.

2.75/5