Book Lovers by Emily Henry
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book kept popping up in my Instagram feed and who wouldn’t like a book about the book world? I mean the book is peppered with literary characters, plots, and Big Foot Erotica (kidding, not kidding). It started off slow with all the Hallmark Romance trope references but once the main characters meet for a business lunch that tanks you want to keep reading. At first, the Hero, Charlie, is no-nonsense but as the Heroine, Nora, learns more about him and his vulnerabilities, he becomes approachable, even a little likable. In so many romance stories the men are strong, physically and mentally, brawn with maybe(big maybe) an Achilles heel. Emily Henry created a character that isn’t perfect but respectful and understanding of the Heroine’s struggle, just as she is with him. Both of the main characters struggle with their wants and the desire to be there for their families. In the end, I teared up because I felt the struggle of the Heroine being an older sister, and having to learn that no matter how much you want to protect and soften your younger sibling’s life, you can’t. They have to make their own choices and you get sidelined as a step-in mother. Becoming the cheerleader is a hard transition.
I inhaled this book one cloudy afternoon because it was sweet and real. Relationships aren’t easy but if you are on the same page as your person, it’s everything.
Whitney Buckley 