The Tulipped Girl

I know, I know this couldn’t have come at a better time with “People We Meet on Vacation” out on Netflix but I have to argue “Book Lovers” is Emily Henry’s best yet, let me tell you why:

The city of New York is historically home to some of the most creative people the world has ever seen: art, literature, music, cinema, New York has brought it all. And there are players in the background that help to make it all happen like our main character Nora, a book agent and city slicker who couldn’t imagine giving up her life in New York for anything or anyone. I mean who could blame her? It isn’t all sunshine and rainbows but it is the greatest city in the world (yes, that was for my ‘Hamilton’ lovers).

So, when Nora ends up in Sunshine Falls, North Carolina for the month of August the slogan “New York or Nowhere” seems to have a little leeway. Which is reserved for one person only, her soft spot, younger sister Libby. Who has dragged her to participate in a small-town transformation in the town straight out of a novel-literally, in fact Nora was the “cut-throat” agent landing a deal for the book. But, back when she was presenting the manuscript of the novel she met, at a salad bar, her match, Charlie Lastra, a book editor and late might I add completely embarrassed her only comfort was that she would never in the big city ever have to see him again. 

Two years have passed and unfortunately Charlie Lastra bumps himself right back into Nora’s life in that oddly whimsical small town. For the chronic romance book readers it’s a meet cute but for Nora and Charlie it’s anything but considering they’ve met before and the last time they saw each other it was not very cute.

Their story develops so beautifully and the banter we get along the way makes the book. I was genuinely laughing and smiling throughout the book during many of their interactions. Charlie’s demeanor and how he slowly softens himself when around Nora makes for the perfect ‘she fell first but he fell harder’ trope. The book perfectly balances romance and comedy while still remaining very real where I even cried for the push and pull of their love. I was rooting for them and at times shaking my head mad at them like I knew them and thanks to Libby you also get a how-to: fall in love in a small town for any of you who might be looking lol!