 | |
| Author | Emily Henry |
|---|---|
| Genre | Romance novel |
| Publisher | Berkley Books |
Publication date | May 3, 2022 |
| Awards | Goodreads Choice Award for Romance (2022) |
| ISBN | 9780593334836 |
Book Lovers is a 2022 romance novel by Emily Henry.
On March 28, 2023, Tango Entertainment bought the rights to create a film adaptation, with Sarah Heyward attached to write the script.
 | This article needs a plot summary.(August 2024) |
New York literary agent Nora Stephens is convinced to take a vacation at Sunshine Falls, North Carolina, for the entire month of August by her younger sister, Libby. Nora and Libby were raised by a single mother, who passed away when Libby was in high school. Throughout her adult life, Nora has given up everything in order to support Libby.
She discovers that Charlie Lastra, a book editor she is not on good terms with, is from Sunshine Falls and also happens to be in town. He's also running the local bookstore, which his parents own, in order to help them out.
While they're there, Nora and Charlie collaborate to edit a book that one of Nora's clients, Dusty Fielding, wrote. Charlie assists Nora to obtain an editorial position—the publishing career that Nora first aspired to—while they collaborate. Charlie and Nora fall in love, but as it turns out, Charlie wants to stay in Sunshine Falls to support his family since his father is not doing well. A long-distance romance seems too difficult for Nora.
In the meantime, Libby tells Nora that she genuinely wants to move to Sunshine Falls, and the original purpose of the trip was to persuade Nora to do the same. However, Libby ends up encouraging Nora to pursue her dreams of being a book editor in New York instead, not wanting Nora to make any more sacrifices for her.
After the trip, Nora goes back to New York. Charlie does, however, disclose a few months later that his father is doing better and that Libby has offered to take over as manager of the bookstore. The novel closes with him getting ready to pop the question to Nora after moving to New York.
Book Lovers was well received by critics, including starred reviews from Booklist , [1] Kirkus Reviews . [2]
Kirkus called the novel "a heartfelt and hilarious read about books, sisters, and writing your own love story," [2] whereas Publishers Weekly referred to it as "a moving examination of love, belonging, and family." [3]
Shelf Awareness's Kerry McHugh highlighted how "Book Lovers uses classic romance tropes with purpose and intention, offering readers a satisfying romance unto itself, while also reflecting on why romance novels are so enticing to begin with. Henry draws in themes of family and mental health, holding and taking space for self and loved ones, and the power of books to heal, soothe and reveal." McHugh concluded that Book Lovers is "a smart, charming and dazzling book unto itself". [4]
Carole V. Bell, writing for NPR, also commented on the ways the novel both utilizes and subverts class romance tropes: "The story is multilayered and the characters' familial challenges are complex. By both playing to and overtly subverting romance tropes and archetypes like the high-powered big city woman who neglects her family and the life-affirming power of small-town life, this novel delivers an insightful comedic meditation on love, family and going your own way." [5]
Similarly, the Associated Press's Alicia Rancilio noted, "While Book Lovers has that scenario," where a big-city person falls in love in the small town, the book "also deconstructs it." [6]
On behalf of Paste, Natalie Zutter discussed how Book Lovers "continues a growing trend in contemporary romance that I hope is here to stay, wherein the love affair isn’t the only heartstring being tugged ... The trickiest part of romance is sticking the landing. If readers expect an HEA [happily ever after] but your whole book is predicated on life not always ending on a happy note, how do you reconcile the two? There’s a part of me that wonders, if Book Lovers had been written to lean more into the literary fiction side of things, if it might have turned out differently. That said, Henry pulls off an ending that both fulfills the genre tropes while still surprising this teary-eyed reader." [7]
Multiple reviewers discussed the novel's characters. Booklist's Keira Soleore described Nora as "scary, precise, and organized" and Charlie as having "a reputation for brusqueness, broodiness, and acerbic editorial comments", though "they are both true big-city workaholics who appreciate each other’s ethics and brilliance, but both struggle with insecurities and the sense that they will always be watching life from the outside." [1] Publishers Weekly praised Henry's skill for "creating empathetic characters [that engage] the reader." [3] Kirkus noted that "while the romance between Nora and Charlie is swoonworthy and steam-filled, it’s Nora’s relationship with Libby that really brings the tears." [2]
Reviewers also discussed the book's comedic elements. Alicia Rancilio writing for the Associated Press, called Book Lovers "a romance fueled by quick banter," and remarked, "If Emily Henry makes herself laugh at the character’s dialogue in her own books, it’s understandable. She is a master at witty repartee." [6] Kirkus also called it "hilarious." [2]
The audiobook, narrated by Julia Whelan, also received a starred review from Booklist, whose Candace Smith noted that "Whelan is a pro voicing Charlie’s low, raspy voice and Nora’s sarcasm. Interchanges are brisk, and Whelan makes the whole experience a joyful, sexy romp." [8]
Book Lovers was an IndieBound bestseller, [2] as well as the second bestselling audiobook on Libro.fm in 2022. [9]
Kirkus Reviews named Book Lovers one of the best romance novels of 2022. [2]
It won the 2022 Goodreads Choice Award for Best Romance, [10] and the Reference and User Services Association included the audiobook on their 2022 Listen List. [11]
On March 28, 2023, Tango Entertainment bought the rights to create a film adaptation, with Sarah Heyward attached to write the script. [12]
Bloody Jack: Being An Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary “Jacky” Faber, Ship's Boy is a historical novel by L.A. Meyer, published by Harcourt Children's Books in September 2002. It is centered on an orphaned girl in London in the early 19th century.
Julia May Whelan is an American actress, narrator and author. As an actress, she is best known for her role as Grace Manning on the television family drama series Once and Again (1999–2002), and her co-starring role in the 2002 Lifetime movie The Secret Life of Zoey. A noted child actor, Whelan first appeared on screen at the age of 11 and continued to take television roles until her matriculation into Middlebury College in 2004; Whelan graduated magna cum laude from Middlebury in 2008 after spending the 2006–2007 academic year as a visiting student at Lincoln College, Oxford. Whelan returned to film acting in November 2008 with a role in the fantasy thriller Fading of the Cries. In the 2010s, Whelan stepped away from her acting career to become an audiobook narrator. As of July 2022, she has narrated over 400 audiobooks. In 2018, she published her debut novel My Oxford Year.
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe is a coming-of-age young adult novel by American author Benjamin Alire Sáenz which was first published February 21, 2012. Set in El Paso, Texas in 1987, the novel follows two Mexican-American teenagers, Aristotle "Ari" Mendoza and Dante Quintana, their friendship, and their struggles with racial and ethnic identity, sexuality, and family relationships. Since its publication, the novel has received widespread critical acclaim and numerous accolades.
Kwame Alexander is an American writer of poetry and children's fiction.
Angie Thomas is an American young adult author, best known for writing The Hate U Give (2017). Her second young adult novel, On the Come Up, was released on February 25, 2019.
On the Come Up, published on February 5, 2019, by Balzer + Bray, is a young adult novel by Angie Thomas. It tells the story of Bri, a sixteen-year old rapper hoping to fill the shoes of her father and "make it" as an underground hip-hop legend. Overnight, Bri becomes an internet sensation after posting a rap hit which sparks controversy. As Bri defeats the odds to "make it" she battles controversy to achieve her dreams. It is set in the same universe as Thomas' first book The Hate U Give.
Nightcrawling is a 2022 novel by Leila Mottley. Along with other honors, the novel was longlisted for the 2022 Booker Prize, making Mottley the youngest author to have been nominated for the award.
The Great Believers is a historical fiction novel by Rebecca Makkai, published June 4, 2018 by Penguin Books.
Clap When You Land, written by Elizabeth Acevedo, is a young adult novel published by HarperTeen on May 5, 2020. The audiobook, produced by Harper Audio and narrated by Melania-Luisa Marte and Elizabeth Acevedo, was released on the same date.
The Last Thing He Told Me is a mystery-thriller novel written by Laura Dave, published May 4, 2021 by Simon & Schuster. The book became an instant #1 New York Times Bestseller and spent 82 weeks on The New York Times Best Seller list.
People We Meet on Vacation is a romance novel by Emily Henry, published May 11, 2021 by Berkley Books. The book is a New York Times best seller.
Firekeeper's Daughter is a young adult novel by Angeline Boulley, published March 16, 2021, by Henry Holt and Co. The book is a New York Times best seller and won the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Young Adult Novel in 2022. The sequel, Warrior Girl Unearthed, was published in 2023.
Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World is a New York Times best selling young adult novel by Benjamin Alire Sáenz, published October 12, 2021 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. It is the sequel to Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe.
Nora Webster is a historical novel by Colm Tóibín, published October 7, 2014 by Scribner. The story is set in Enniscorthy, County Wexford, Ireland, and in Brooklyn, New York in the middle of the 20th century.
The Sun Is Also a Star is a young adult novel by American author Nicola Yoon, published November 1, 2016, by Delacorte Press. The book follows two characters, one of whom is about to be deported, and explores “the ways in which we are all connected and the ways in which people across all walks of life have much more in common than they think they do.”
Emily Henry is an American author who is best known for her New York Times bestselling romance novels Beach Read, People We Meet on Vacation, Book Lovers, Happy Place, and Funny Story.
The Turnout is a mystery novel by Megan Abbott published August 3, 2021 by G. P. Putnam's Sons. That year, it won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Mystery/Thriller.
The Bone Houses is a 2019 young adult horror fantasy novel by Emily Lloyd-Jones, following Ryn, a female gravedigger, and Ellis, an apprentice mapmaker, as they try to stop "bone houses" from roaming their world and affecting Ryn's family business. The book received mixed reviews from critics, and was also praised for its disability representation, owing to the character Ellis having chronic pain in the story. The audiobook was read by Moira Quirk.
The Maid: A Novel is a 2022 murder mystery debut novel by Canadian author Nita Prose.
Lucha of the Night Forest is a 2023 young adult fantasy novel by Tehlor Kay Mejia.