Book Lovers by Emily Henry

In Book Lovers, author Emily Henry takes a particular rom-com plot, the small-town love story, and goes in some different directions. We all know the narrative: big city guy/gal is forced out to the country, leaving behind his/her uptight, all-business love interest, and ultimately falling for a rural sweetheart. Along the way, he/she learns to appreciate country living, becomes less of a jerk, and settles down to run a bed-and-breakfast, raise bees, or become a pastry chef at the small town bakery. 

Heck, there was a whole movie filmed right here in Mentone with this plot: New York strip-mining executive sent south to buy land out from under a family running a camp for kids with disabilities. In it, his stiletto-heels-wearing love interest accompanied him to Alabama and was thus able to watch him fall for the sweet, smart camp supervisor. (If you haven’t seen Southern Heart, the library has a copy of the DVD for check-out.)

The twist in Book Lovers is that the main character and romantic heroine is the cold-hearted, stiletto-heel-wearing literary agent from New York, Nora Stephens, compelled by her beloved younger sister Libby to take an extended trip to a small town in North Carolina. And while she does meet and have one brief date with a handsome architect/engineer building his own home on a ridge outside Asheville, she loses her heart to a fellow New Yorker, Charlie Lastra, an editor and fellow New Yorker, forced home to Sunshine Fall, NC, by family obligations. 

Nora and Charlie are not opposites.In fact, they have so much in common that their previous encounters back in the City had been marked by sneers and scowls. But as they collaborate on an editing job, a different type of spark flies between the two and - you can guess the rest. 

What struck me in Book Lovers was that as fun as the romance is, there are other, even more compelling relationships. First is the bond between Nora and Libby. The two had always been close but their mother’s death when Libby was sixteen meant Nora, her senior by just four years, became more parent than sister to Libby. Even after Libby married and had two daughters of her own, Nora still hovers. 

It’s probably no coincidence that the manuscript Nora and Charlie bond over is called Frigid and features a Nora-esque character. I took this as an homage to Frozen, Disney’s princess film that focused on two sisters. Nora and Libby learn and grow, and in Nora’s case, learn to let go. 

Another aspect I appreciated was Nora’s love affair with New York. It’s her own hometown, a tough place that can be both overwhelming and magical. Restaurants, plays, her Peloton, and the publishing business - what’s not to love? It’s not that she doesn’t appreciate Sunshine Falls, but it’s not her beloved city. 

Reading Book Lovers reminded me of the first time I saw Southern Heart at the Mentone Inn pavilion. It was a beautiful summer evening, with a sweet small-town vibe, popcorn, and stars above us. Then three-quarters of the way through the movie, someone tripped over the extension cord for the DVD player, and the screen went dark. There was a quick debate among the organizers and the audience. With no remote control for the DVD player to skip to the point where we’d lost power, the choices were to start over at the beginning or to just call it done. Then someone said, “Is there anybody who doesn’t know how this is gonna end?” so we all picked up our folding chairs and went home.

Romance novels do have a predictable story arc, but there’s so much here to appreciate that Book Lovers may be Emily Henry’s best novel yet. Book Lovers is available for check out at Moon Lake Library. 

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