Book Lovers by Emily Henry

Narrated by Julia Whelan

Standalone Romance

Book Lovers by Emily Henry has almost a unanimous 5-star rating from romance book bloggers and authors who I trust very much. I pick up any rom-com about the book world I can find, so this was naturally right up my alley. But I’ll be honest, while I really enjoyed Emily Henry’s other books, they weren’t 5-star gems for me, so I hoped this one would live up to everyone else’s rating for me.

But nope. Book Lovers was a solid, well-written book. It had a ton of great moments and quotes. But I just never got that WOW feeling that everyone else seems to have gotten. Maybe it’s because I’m the youngest of 3 sisters instead of the older sister. Maybe because I am light and happy and want to be liked, and these characters are nothing of the sort.

“I think you’re one of the least disappointing people I’ve ever met.”

I enjoyed how Nora and Charlie went from rivals to friends to more, but the story was as much, if not more, about Nora and her sister, Libby. And this was my problem with the book. Libby felt very 1-dimensional. She was such a big part of the story, but I feel like I know nothing about her besides that she likes to breed and read romance.

Romance novels that take place in the book world are my kryptonite (this book inspired THIS LIST of books about the book world). Book Lovers was my most anticipated read of the summer. But while I really enjoyed the book, there was nothing about it that made me want to scream about it from the rooftops (or my stories) and recommend it wholeheartedly to anyone who will listen.

Likes:

So well-written.
Takes place in the book world.
A professional woman that takes no shit.
The sister-love.
Little reminders of Beach Read.

Dislikes:

Never wowed me.
Got a little bored in the middle.
I felt like I never really got to know the third main character, Libby.

The Narration:

I tend to like Julia Whelan for older characters. She did a great job, but I again think that perhaps Emily Henry’s books need to be read instead of listened to, and perhaps that’s why I’m always not as wowed as everyone else. Julia Whelan narrated all three.

The Down & Dirty:

I really enjoyed Book Lovers by Emily Henry. But there was nothing about it that made it stand out as a 5-star favorite for me. Part of me wonders if maybe I zoned out more than usual and missed something important, but if I did, I would have been sucked back in if I really loved it. I wanted to love it; I so hoped that it lived up to the hype. But for me, it just didn’t, just like her other two books, Beach Read and People We Meet on Vacation (both of which I really enjoyed but weren’t 5 stars). I think part of the reason is that I listen instead of read, and her writing may work better in print instead of audio. Almost everyone I know who read Book Lovers by Emily Henry said it was a 5-star favorite, so it’s one I certainly recommend you check out for yourself. Come back and let me know how you felt!