(The) romance (novel) isn’t dead
Whether you know me well or not, if you’ve read any of my writing, it’s highly likely you will not be surprised by this revelation: outwardly, I do not present as a romantic. In my head, a “romantic” is the type of person who adores Taylor Swift and posts pictures of their boyfriend to grid with the caption “this guy.” No shade to those people — I love them! They love life! But, simply put: that’s not my vibe. But when I think about some of my absolute favorite things, I start to wonder. I loved Bridgerton season two. In high school, I will admit that I was a Blair and Chuck stan (yeah, yeah, yeah, it’s toxic, I KNOW). Pride and Prejudice is my favorite love story, I adore Emma, and I’m currently racing through my first-ever read of Wuthering Heights in awe. That all of these couples have captivated me does imply that I have some sort of soft spot for romance - but it’s not the cut-and-dry, love-at-first-sight, soulmates type.
All of these objects of my literary and televisual affection have two things in common: the protagonists aren’t hopeless romantics; they’re headstrong — arguably difficult — women. And their love stories are never smooth - in fact, in most cases, the lovers in question start as sworn enemies. So yes, I am sucker for the “enemies to lovers” trope. Why? Because, in borrowed parlance from my favorite series (Love Island UK, bien sur), this means they’ve got banter. I don’t need some sort of Romeo-and-Juliet gaze-into-each-others-eyes-all-night type of vibe. I need the verbal sparring and the back-and-forth that makes the eventual union (and, ideally, you’re on will-they-or-won’t-they tenterhooks for at least half of the book, even though you know they eventually will) all the more satisfying.
When, again through my blessed bachelorette book-gifting scheme, I was gifted Emily Henry’s Book Lovers by my cousin Lauren, I had no idea what to expect. She didn’t either. She just gifted it to me because a) I love books and b) the cartoons on the cover reminded her of me and my fiancé. As soon as I started reading, I knew this was going to be one of those drop-everything-you’re-doing-forget-all-responsibilities type of books. The ones you read while walking or under the table at dinner. Yes, my friends, we have a PAGE TURNER on our hands.
Book Lovers follows Nora Stephens, a cutthroat literary agent married to her Peloton and her career. Henry paints a perfect picture of her: tall, immaculately put-together, with a penchant for Isabel Marant, iced coffee and expensive highlights, and entirely emotionally distant. Nora is famous for getting dumped by her boyfriends, all of whom leave her for the softer, more Swiftian (as in Taylor - coining this) girl-next-door types. If you’re a You’ve Got Mail fan, which Henry clearly is, Nora Stephens is Parker Posey, but with a main character arc. One day, after a particularly brutal dumping, Stephens heads to a meeting with book editor Charlie Lastra, who treats her so icily she assumes he hates her—and bookmarks him a professional nemesis in her head.
Months later, Stephens’ sister Libby, overwhelmed and pregnant with her third child, convinces her to take August “off” (in the publishing industry, this actually is a ‘thing’) and head to Sunshine Falls, North Carolina with her - the setting of a famously cheesy romance novel written by one of Nora’s clients which Libby unironically loves. When Nora encounters Charlie Lastra there in a coffee shop on her first day, the enemies-to-lovers story begins to unfold…and the result is a delicious melange of everything you want out of a page-turning love story. Banter! Conflict! Miscommunication! Sex! Secrets! Also, Henry is no Stephenie Meyer (with all due respect to the Twilight series, which I obviously love) — the girl can write. As summer approaches, all I can think is that this is the type of book that would be perfect to devour over the course of one flight or the span of a single beach day. Lucky for me, Henry just released a new book (and has a back catalogue which I WILL be diving into). Moral of the story: don’t judge a book by it’s genre. READ THIS!