“Nora.” He just barely smiles. “You’re in books. Of course you don’t have a life. None of us do. There’s always something too good to read.” Emily Henry’s “Book Lovers”

Book Lovers is an incredible story. Unlike most authors, Emily Henry has a knack for creating something unexpected and new. Most of the time, you will see a variation of the same story over an over again when reading the same genre, and Rom-Com’s are no exception, but Book Lovers is unlike any other. This book gives readers an inside look into the publishing industry and introduces taboo topics without making the book seem to heavy.

Nora’s life is books, and she knows that she is not the plucky heroine, not the laid-back dream girl, and especially not the sweetheart. The only people Nora is a heroine for are her clients-whom she lands enormous deals for as a cutthroat literary agent-and her beloved little sister Libby. Which is why Nora agrees to go to Sunshine Falls, North Carolina for the month of August when Libby begs her for a sisters’ trip. Libby has 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

When “Bookselling This Week“, asked Emily Henry what inspired her to write Book Lovers, she said, “Book Lovers started with the character of Nora. I’d been watching a lot of made-for-TV Christmas movies, and became fascinated with one of the common side characters that popped up. In the movies about a big-city hot-shot being sent to small-town America (where he inevitably falls in love with a local and gives up his big-city ways), there was often a Girlfriend Back in the City. She was used as a kind of stand-in to remind the main character of not only his corporate goal (e.g. run a local Christmas tree farm out of business, or mass-fire the staff of the toy factory his company has just acquired) but also as a representation of everything that makes his life back in the city unfulfilling. The City Girlfriend is shallow, materialistic, and doesn’t understand why her boyfriend won’t just finish the one job he’s been sent to middle America to do. It’s rare for this character to get her own happy ending — which makes sense, because you barely see her except for in scenes where she’s on her treadmill, barking into the phone at the main character. I wanted to explore what would make this kind of character, her origin story in a way, and I also wanted to know what her version of a happy ending would look like. Everything else about Book Lovers was the direct result of that curiosity.”

I read this book in a day and let me tell you, it was amazing! This story took me for a ride I was more than willing to go on. Nora and Charlie went through a journey filled with hardships and grief that made me laugh, cry, and scream in the span of five minutes. I can’t emphasize how inspiring this journey was as well. Nora and Charlie both worked to achieve their dreams and it’s so inspiring to see these two characters who are imperfect, just like us, make their dreams come true. 5 stars for sure!

Book Lovers also includes many fun quotes including, but not limited to-

 “Sometimes, even when you start with the last page and you think you know everything, a book finds a way to surprise you.” (Nora, Page 267)

 “If I had to pick one person to be in my corner, it’d be you. Every time.” (Charlie, Page 282)

“I know,” he says. “I can read you like a book.” (Charlie, Page 370)