Book Lovers

One summer. Two rivals. A plot twist they didn’t see coming…

Nora Stephens’ life is books—she’s read them all—and she is not that type of heroine. Not the plucky one, not the laidback dream girl, and especially not the sweetheart. In fact, the only people Nora is a heroine for are her clients, for whom she lands enormous deals as a cutthroat literary agent, and her beloved little sister Libby.

Which is why she agrees to go to Sunshine Falls, North Carolina for the month of August when Libby begs her for a sisters’ trip away—with visions of a small town transformation for Nora, who she’s convinced needs to become the heroine in her own story. But instead of picnics in meadows, or run-ins with a handsome country doctor or bulging-forearmed bartender, Nora keeps bumping into Charlie Lastra, a bookish brooding editor from back in the city. It would be a meet-cute if not for the fact that they’ve met many times and it’s never been cute.

If Nora knows she’s not an ideal heroine, Charlie knows he’s nobody’s hero, but as they are thrown together again and again—in a series of coincidences no editor worth their salt would allow—what they discover might just unravel the carefully crafted stories they’ve written about themselves.

This discussion guide was shared and sponsored in partnership with Penguin Random House

Book club questions for Book Lovers by Emily Henry

Use these discussion questions to guide your next book club meeting.

Nora sees herself almost as the villainess in someone else’s love story. Who are some of your favorite villainesses—whom you either outright love or love to hate?

Nora reads the last page of a book first. Libby likes to go in knowing as little as possible. How do you prefer to read?

What was the book that made you fall in love (or fall in love again) with reading?

Would you rather spend a month in Sunshine Falls, or in Nora’s New York life? Why?

Have you ever felt like different places brought out different parts of you?

As Libby and Nora grow, they have to accept that life is carrying them in different directions. Have you ever been through something like that with a friend or family member?

Nora and Libby grew up together, and yet they experienced their childhoods very differently. Why do you think that is? Have you ever had this happen with a family member or friend?

Charlie initially set out to write and wound up editing. Nora wanted to edit and became an agent instead. Have you ever pursued something that led you in a different direction?

As children, Nora and Libby would change the ending of stories if they didn’t like them. If you could change the ending of one book, what would it be and how would you change it?

All of Nora’s exes have ended up with partners who were seemingly totally different than them. Nora and Charlie, however, are peas in a pod. Do your favorite fictional couples tend to fall in one category or the other? Do you feel the same about real-life relationships?

One of Nora’s biggest struggles is finding the balance of how much to compromise in her life for those she loves. What role do you think compromise plays in love? What, to you, is uncompromisable?

What is your idea of a happy ending?

Book Lovers Book Club Questions PDF

Click here for a printable PDF of the Book Lovers discussion questions

[Book Lovers] is multilayered and the characters’ familial challenges are complex. By both playing to and overtly subverting romance tropes and archetypes like the high-powered big city woman who neglects her family and the life-affirming power of small-town life, this novel delivers an insightful comedic meditation on love, family and going your own way.”—NPR

“It is humanly impossible for Emily Henry to write a bad book. Her particular blend of grief and messy relationships is a heady cocktail of intoxicating yearning…Whatever Henry decides to spear, be it literary posturing or vacation rom-com, she subverts her subjects in the most delicious ways.”—Entertainment Weekly

“Book Lovers is a treat from start to finish, flipping the conventional small-town love story trope on its head…This enemies-to-lovers novel is a quick and satisfying binge-read.”—USA Today

“Book Lovers is a rom-com lover’s dream of a book. It is razor-sharp and modern, featuring a fierce heroine who does not apologize for her ambition and heartfelt discussions of grief. Readers know that Emily Henry never fails to deliver great banter and a romance to swoon over but this may just be her best yet. A breath of fresh air.”

—Taylor Jenkins Reid, New York Times bestselling author of Malibu Rising

“I would follow Emily Henry anywhere. A small town, a literary enterprise, a bookstore to rescue, and sex in moonlit streams? Yes, please! Book Lovers is sexy, funny, and smart. Another perfectly satisfying read from the unstoppable Emily Henry.”

—Emma Straub, New York Times bestselling author of All Adults Here

“Emily Henry’s books are a gift, the perfect balance between steamy and sweet. The prose is effortless, the characters charming. The only downside is reaching the end.”

—V.E. Schwab, New York Times bestselling author The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

“Emily Henry writes romantic comedy with such sass and humour, she has that gift for making you laugh and cry within the space of a few sentences. Not to mention the sizzling chemistry! Her characters fizz like good champagne, they leap off the page and into your heart.”

—Josie Silver, New York Times bestselling author of One Night on the Island

“Magical, delightful, and utterly one of a kind: Emily Henry’s writing is a gift to the world. I’ve loved every single one of her books more than the previous, to the point that I cannot wait to see what her next title will do to me!”

—Ali Hazelwood, New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis

“Book Lovers uses classic romance tropes with purpose and intention, offering readers a satisfying romance unto itself, while also reflecting on why romance novels are so enticing to begin with…a smart, charming and dazzling book.”—Shelf Awareness