Notes from the Shelf

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This post contains spoilers.

Book Summary

In Book Lovers by Emily Henry, Nora Stephens is a sharp, successful literary agent who knows she’s not the romantic lead in anyone’s story—not the quirky girl-next-door nor the charming sweetheart.

When her sister Libby convinces her to take a month-long trip to the small town of Sunshine Falls, North Carolina, Nora braces for forced relaxation and clichéd small-town charm. Instead, she keeps running into Charlie Lastra, a grumpy editor from the city she’s clashed with more than once.

As the two find themselves thrown together in increasingly unexpected ways, Nora begins to question the carefully constructed narrative of who she is—and who she could be. Witty, heartfelt, and full of bookish banter, Book Lovers is a love letter to ambitious women, complicated families, and unexpected plot twists.

My Thoughts

Overall, I really liked it. Nora felt more realistic to me than other characters in Emily Henry’s past books, except for one part where she was sitting through that awful date! I found that to be really unrealistic for Nora, a high-powered career woman, to put up with it. I think she would’ve just immediately been like “this isn’t working for me, have a nice night” and left.

There were just two small annoyances I found. One was that Libby calls Nora Sissy all the time, which I understand since they’re sisters, but it just grated on me. I don’t think she once said Nora or even Nor or another nickname. Also, Nora is 32 and Libby is like 28, so it didn’t seem like a nickname that would still be used at that age.

The other small thing that annoyed me was that they didn’t get the name Poppa Squat for the main restaurant in town. Like they’re from the city, sure, fine they don’t get it, but then Charlie grew up there and Nora asks him what it means and he also doesn’t know? It means sit down, pop a squat! But they were like “who’s Poppa Squat and what’s his deal?” I don’t know why, but I found it so annoying.

I was happy with the ending of Charlie being able to live back in NYC with Nora since her sister Libby took over the bookstore. I thought that was very realistic to happen naturally, but I wish I knew what happened to his rent-controlled apartment. I imagined them living there together, but Nora loves her place, too, and it seemed like Charlie had to sell the apartment to continue living at home instead. Since he moved back like a year later it seems, I doubt he kept the apartment, so I just wonder what happened to it.

One of the most moving parts of Book Lovers by Emily Henry was the emotional depth of the sister relationship. While the romance between Nora and Charlie is slow-burn perfection, it was the heartfelt conversations between Nora and her sister Libby that really got me. I actually cried during their scene about growing apart—how life changes, people move, and yet that deep bond still stays. It’s such a beautiful portrayal of how love can evolve without fading, even when everything else is shifting.

Final Thoughts

Book Lovers delivers exactly what I hoped for from an Emily Henry novel: smart banter, layered relationships, and a satisfying ending. While a few character quirks didn’t fully land for me, the emotional core—especially between the sisters—was beautifully done. If you love contemporary romance with depth, this one’s worth adding to your shelf.

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Book Review: Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry

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