Hands down my favorite of Emily Henry’s books. Book Lovers is a meta take on the small town romance featuring enemies-to-lovers n publishing (Nora’s an agent; Charlie’s an editor). They initially butt heads in New York professionally and bump into each other again when Nora and her sister go on a girls trip to reconnect. In a town made famous as the location for a hugely popular book & movie, Once in a Lifetime.
Henry serves up the snap, crackle, pop with banter for days and a constant current arcing between these two. Charlie’s that methodical, take-you-apart, then-put-you-back-together guy and It’s delicious. Book nerds and romance readers will love the lit references from Alyssa Cole to Belle sliding on a library ladder to the call back to Beach Read. Tall people, this one’s for you. Nora’s 5’11. Definitely one to throw in your beach bag. But why wait, read it now.
CW: Absent dad; loss of a parent just before college, leaving Nora responsible for her sister
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Lily Chu’s The Stand-in makes the jump from Audible only to paperback today, landing as a Target Book Club pick. Gracie Reed is at a crossroads, she’s just gotten fired by her handsy boss and needs to find a way to pay her mom’s nursing home costs. Enter Chinese film stars Sam Yao and Wei Fangli, who Gracie has an uncanny resemblance to. Fangli hires Gracie to be her stand-in at events around town for a month so she can focus on preparing for the play she’s starring in. But it turns out, Fangli and Gracie have more in common than just their looks. I’m about 250 pages into this one, and it definitely has a more serious side behind the glitz, glamour, and dodging the paparazzi. Stay tuned.
CW: Parent with Alzheimer’s, sexual harassment, depression
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ON MY TBR: To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, but make it gay. In Timothy Janovsky’s new adult rom-com, Wren Roland gets a nostalgic bug and emails his pre-coming out crushes and has immediate regrets. But who reads emails anyway? Turns out, it’s Derick Haverford, his #1 crush. It’s too bad their almost kiss didn’t make as much of an impression on Derick. Then, the two get thrown together on a project for their town’s struggling drive-in. Hot summer nights, movies under the stars, and maybe the kiss Wren’s always wanted? Sounds super cute.
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