Nora Stephens has always loved books, she spent her childhood living above a bookstore and has spent her adult years as a book agent in New York City. Although she makes a good living, Nora spent many years struggling, especially after her mother died and Nora, in her early twenties, took over caring for her teenage sister, Libby. Libby is now married and pregnant, but Nora still feels mothering, especially when she sees Libby struggling financially. This dynamic has driven a wedge between the sisters.
When Libby asks Nora to go on a sisters only trip to a small town in North Carolina, a town that is the inspiration for one of their favorite books, Nora jumps on the chance to spend time together. Libby is acting odd and Nora fears that her sister might be pregnant and heading for a divorce. Libby does have a secret motive for this trip and it involves getting her sister to fall in love with both the town and perhaps, one of its locals.
Their vacation is thrown into a tizzy, when Nora runs into Charlie, an editor that she had an awkward meeting with in New York. Charlie is from this small town and has returned home to help his aging parents run their independent bookstore. Nora and Charlie quickly realize that they may have more in common than just their love of books.
This is my third Emily Henry novel and I’m a fan. I love her snappy dialogue, wry humor, and quirky characters. Her stories have a sweetness to them that isn’t over wrought or sickly. In the best possible sense, her stories remind me of an episode of Gilmore Girls.
Book Lovers has a fun theme that is a take on the tropes in romance novels or more specifically, Hallmark Christmas movies- although, the story is not set during the holidays. Libby creates a list of all of the things that Nora must experience during their vacation, which includes things like going skinny dipping in the lake and saving a local business. The idea is to use the list to recreate tropes from rom coms, and of course, rarely does anything go according to plan.
Henry excels at creating strong, believable relationships and in Book Lovers, nothing is more powerful than the sister bond between Libby and Nora. This is the primary relationship in Book Lovers, with the budding romance between Charlie and Nora coming in second. Although there are some unsavory characters in the town, there are no true villains and the story is mostly concerned with the dynamics between likable characters.
It’s hard to choose a favorite Henry novel, but I think the theming for Book Lovers will resonate strongly with readers. It’s a cute story with a lot of heart.