Well, hello there, guys! I finished this book a few days ago and I loved it so much. I am going to split this post into some categories so that you can skip to which ever part you like. Also I am going to try and keep it spoiler free, but if there are going to be some you will see a spoiler warning before it.
1. Short summary of the book
You already know the drill, here’s the Goodreads synopsis:
“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. “
2. Characters
As far as characters go, the only ones that we get more information about are Nora, Charlie and maybe Libby(but that is a bit of a stretch). I will like to talk more about our main character.
Nora Stephens:
I am an only child, but from what I heard she is for the older sisters (hope that helped a bit). I loved her so much. She isn’t like a typical protagonist in a book, she even says so in the first chapter. “I'm the city person. Not the one who meets the hot farmer. The other one. The uptight, manicured literary agent, reading manuscripts from atop her Peloton while a serene beach scene screen saver drifts, unnoticed, across her computer screen. I’m the one who gets dumped.”. She is unapologetic about who she is. She is a literary agent, one of the best in town, unfortunately being in a male dominated field she faces a lot of criticism, because she acts like her male co-workers, earning the nickname “the shark”. Her experience fits great with the song “The Man” by Taylor Swift. Nora acts all cold, but she is one of the sweetest, most caring people I have ever read about.
3. Writing style
I really liked the writing style of this book. It was easy to understand, so I would recommend this book for non-native English speakers. It also has a very fast pace, which makes the experience much more enjoyable.
4. Things I loved about the book
Firstly, I really liked the banter between Charlie and Nora, probably the best one I’ve read so far in a romance book. Secondly, I liked the parallel between Nora’s life and Dusty’s (the author that she is working for) book. Thirdly, I loved that the book didn’t focus only on the romance and actually tried to give depth to the characters and address their problems. Nora is one of the realest characters I’ve read about in a while. I also felt like the pacing was really good, since I didn’t experience one single dull moment. I know this might seem weird but I loved that this book made me cry at times, because that means that Emily Henry managed to create characters in which you can see yourself and with whom you made an emotional connection.
5. Things I didn’t enjoy about the book
I can’t think of one thing that was out of place in this book. Absolutely amazing!
6. Favorite quotes
“That's the thing about women. There's no good way to be one. Wear your emotions on your sleeve and you're hysterical.”
“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.”
“That’s life. You’re always making decisions, taking paths that lead you away from the rest before you can see where they end. Maybe that’s why we as a species love stories so much. All those chances for do-overs, opportunities to live the lives we’ll never have.”
“She wonders whether what comes next could ever live up to the expectations. She doesn’t know. You never can. She turns the page anyway.”
“So if you’re the ‘wrong kind of woman,’ then I’m the wrong kind of man.”
7. Overall opinion
I loved this book so much and I will give it 5/5 stars. I believe that this is a perfect summer read, especially if you find yourself in a small town. Emily Henry is for sure one of the most influential authors of the moment and I can totally see why. She manages to write lovable characters that have great chemistry between them, while also putting them in unimaginable scenarios (so fun). I think anyone should read this book if they like the rivals-to-lovers trope and amazing banter.
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