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.
Publication date: 5/3/22
Publisher: Berkley
Author: Emily Henry
Review:
I want to thank NetGalley and Berkley for providing me with a copy of this book to read and give my honest review.
This is my second Emily Henry book (the first being People We Meet On Vacation) so while I got to know the author a bit in that first book, I feel like this book really showed me the depth her writing can take.
I was approved to read it the night before it was due to be published, so I jumped in right away hoping to finish it by the day it came out; close by no cigar!
This book is everything I really want in a romance.
Let's talk characters.I love the main character, Nora, who is definitely a shark but has this mushy dolphin feeling come into her personality as she grows. She's like the shell of a brazil nut, with it's super hard exterior, that you finally crack and realize the amazing thing that's inside. Then there's Charlie. He's another one with a hard exterior, but he's definitely a bit more pliable, his soft side oozing out warmly and engulfing everything in it's path so it, too, feels that warmth. I could go on about Libby, Nora's sister, who compliments her so well, their banter so easy and their love for each other as sisters so real. Or Sally, Charlie's mom, who we don't get to see enough of but is enough around the periphery to give us a hint of the momma hen she truly is. And Clint, Charlie's dad, who we just glance at for a few times but who definitely gives some wise words as well as learns some wise lessons in his big scene.
Being from New York, I love how the author is able to work it into little details in the book that remind me of growing up. The way people rush about, the woosh of the train entering or leaving a subway tunnel, the crowds of people when that first real day of Spring hits and everyone comes out and about (even if it is only 55 degrees). She makes me miss living there. She makes me miss some of that hustle and bustle, even though I'm perfectly content living in my comfy, suburban, New Jersey home.
I don't want to go on about how the story progresses or how it ends because I feel like that would spoil the wonderful that is this story.
The one thing I will say is besides the growing and analyzing and decisions made in this book, there is TONS of humor. Each chapter had me laughing out loud at something (at least until the very end when I will tell you there were some tears).
I'm so glad I picked this one up. It is 100% worth the read. I urge you to go buy it if you want a love story that's not quite a love story that turns out to be something like a love story!
Emily Henry writes stories about love and family for both teens and adults. She studied creative writing at Hope College and the now-defunct New York Center for Art & Media Studies. Find her on Instagram @EmilyHenryWrites.
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