Ask a Bookseller: 'Book Lovers'

Angela Kircher of River Lights Bookstore in Dubuque, Iowa, loved immersing herself in the New York book industry world in Emily Henry's latest romance, "Book Lovers."

It's a plot that sounds like a Hallmark movie, but the narrator handles it with a knowing wink and a nod, both celebrating and challenges the tropes of romance.

Blue book cover with people sitting on words
"Book Lovers" by Emily Henry.
Penguin Random House

When they first meet in New York, editor Charlie and literary agent Nora hate each other, but two years later, their lives cross again while in a small town for the summer. They end up working together to help an author get a book published, and, yes, to revitalize a small town that is built around a fictional place in the author's book.

Kircher appreciates the clever voice of the novel and the fact that Charlie and Nora have real life cares and problems. She recommends "Book Lovers" as a great “romance for people who may want a little bit more realism."

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