A shark and salt & Pepper curls

Ok, not that I ever slandered the name of the Romance genre, but I've never been overly inclined to pick up strictly romance books. I need a little spice of fantasy in there to make the plot about saving the world and falling in love. But I read this on my Kindle, absolutely flew through it, and loved every second of it. So yes -- I get the Emily Henry hype now. Will I be reading all of her books and converting to a strict diet of Romance novels? Probably not. But who knows. Anywho, this book, appropriately named Book Lovers, is honestly so full of witty banter and stellar character development that I can overlook some of the inconsistencies and winding rabbit holes of the plot. I think the hallmark of a truly talented author is perfecting dialogue and capturing the way real people talk without sounding cliche. My one brush with Henry's work thus far has shown she's pretty near perfection. I just love Nora and Charlie so dang much because I feel like they're portrayed as a real live couple capable of flirting with each other hardcore. I mean, a book agent and book editor would hopefully be able to flirt well, seeing as rearranging and critiquing words are their professions, but wow. They can flirt. And every single quip and dig about stereotypical romance novel tropes successfully makes the tropes we see in this novel less cliche. At least, I thought so. They're still a little cliche cause, hey, they're inherently tropes. That's what they do. But calling them out and making them little inside jokes between characters that build upon themselves as we meet more characters, get a better sense of the place most of the book takes place in, and see Nora adjust from big New York City life to a slow small town stroll makes the cliches become a bit more classy. I think Libby is also a well developed character. She's realistic in her annoying little sister moments that made me annoyed with her the way I imagine real little sisters annoy real big sisters. The backstory related to the Stephens' mother was more complex than I expected and makes the general reveals of Nora's trauma and certain character flaws more believable and admirable. In short, I think the character developments of nearly every main character are well done and thorough. Real attention to detail is put into the dreams and fears that Nora and Charlie both connect and butt heads over. I think I was dreading a reveal that the third act would have a miscommunication trope, because oh how I loathe such a cop out. We sort of get the trope in another font when Nora and Charlie believe that they can't be together because long distance will destroy the one of a kind connection they have. I was still a bit annoyed a lot of build up was spent on them preparing to say "goodbye, but not really goodbye, because see you later is easier," because the ending kind of subverts the whole problem of the distance in the first place. But I won't complain too much. The stakes needed to be raised enough to the point where a potential break up seemed possible. I give two thumbs up to the ending and the romantic, sappy turn around Nora has. I think there's something beautiful in the growth she experiences because it opens her up to true, meaningful love while also not forcing her to change the parts of her she thought no man could ever wholly love and embrace. The same goes for Charlie -- all his rough and tough edges aren't too harsh or sharp for Nora. I have all the hugs and kisses for Charlie and would like anyone who is or has a man like him to be sent my way, please and thank you. I think I'll end with that -- this was a happy, fun, lighthearted giggle fest that pleasantly surprised me. I'll say it once again: I get the Emily Henry hype now.



Some of my favorite quotes from Book Lovers:

"That's the thing about women. There's no good way to be one. Wear your emotions on your sleeve and you're hysterical. Keep them tucked away where your boyfriend doesn't have to tend to them and you're a heartless bitch."

​"Is there anything worse than a man who thinks he's above the laws of the social contract just because he was born with a decent face and a fat wallet?"

"It's a truth universally acknowledged that cap drivers won't clip people who look like this guy. His outfit says, I am a man with a lawyer. Or possibly just I am a lawyer."

"'I'm a grown man, Nora. I can buy my own Bigfoot erotica, thank you very much.'"

"The only two ways I've ever managed to get out of my head are through reading and rigorous exercise. With either, I can slip out of my mind and drift in this bodiless dark."

"Not every decision a woman makes is some grand indictment on other women's lives." 

"Is there anything better than iced coffee and a bookstore on a sunny day? I mean, aside from hot coffee and a bookstore on a rainy day."

"Many men are too insecure to date a tall woman."

"I burst into laughter against my will, and he's so visibly pleased it gives me a full-body twinge of pride. He wants to make me laugh."

"Charlie kisses like no one I've ever been with. Like someone who takes the time to figure out how things work."

"Another 'universal truth' Austen could've started Pride and Prejudice with: When you tell yourself not to think about something, it will be all that you can think about."

"A wall of books is visible through the cracked-open door. It's a beacon, a lighthouse on a far shore."

"This book has crushed me with its weight and dazzled me with its tiny bright spots. Some books you don't read so much as live, and finishing one of those always makes me think of ascending from a scuba dive. Like if I surface too fast I might get the bends."

"This is what looking at Charlie is like sometimes. Like a gut-punch of a sentence, like a line so sharp you have to set the book aside to catch your breath."

"'You do have me, Nora. I never stood a chance.'"

"'For what it's worth,' he says, 'I doubt I will ever like anyone else in the world as much as I like you.'"

"Even if it hurts, when he shimmers across my mind, it's like remembering a favorite book. One that left you gutted, sure, but also one that changed you forever."

---