Book Lovers and Crying Under the Covers

 If there is one thing about me; it is that I love a book that makes me cry. 

My latest read was Book Lovers by Emily Henry, one of my auto-buy authors. Truly, I didn't even have a moment to think before I ordered it on release day. I have loved her other books, so I knew this one would be no different. 

The plot revolves around a literary agent, Nora Stephens, who deems herself the villainous city-girl that always gets dumped in favor of the fun-loving farm girl. She has a career, and she will do everything she can to ensure success. That is, until her sister drags her to a sleepy North Carolina town, where she runs into a famed editor, and her worst enemy. Maybe enemy is a strong word, but they don't get along. Or do they...?

To absolutely no one's surprise, I loved this book. I got it on Thursday evening, and finished it by 3am on Friday. I am a sucker for a good enemies to lovers, and Emily Henry excels in this trope. She understands how to give enough tension to create wanting, but not enough to bore the reader. It's a tightrope that she is fantastic at walking. I only have two critiques, those being: I wish the middle was paced a little better, and I wish the epilogue was more drawn out. Minor issues to have, honestly. 

The best part about this book, however, was not the romantic relationship between Nora and Charlie (no matter how many times it made me giggle like a little girl). Rather, that prize went to the relationship between Nora and her younger sister, Libby. There really is nothing quite like the bond between two sisters, and Henry understood that. 

Together the sisters navigate life in NYC and a vacation in the fictional town of Sunshine Falls, North Carolina. It was comforting to see two women fall back into the old habits of sisterhood. The joking, nagging, and camaraderie was so realistic it made my heart melt for my younger sister.

And then the tears came.

I won't spoil the book for you, but I will say that the ending made me cry at the realization that Kate and I will never live under the same roof again. It's a sobering thought, one that forces you to confront adulthood in a way I personally was not prepared to handle. For roughly 20 years, I have cohabitated with Kate either full-time or part-time. As sisters so often do, we grew up together, shared toys, chased each other with dull katana swords, and slid down the staircase on sleds. She knows my quirks and I know hers. She lets me sit on her bed and stare at her without saying a word. We sang showtunes together and held an impromptu prom when COVID shut hers down. Her closet is mine and my closet isn't hers. Sharing can only go so far, after all. We have seen each other at our best and worst, our highest and lowest points.

There are not many people in this world that can understand someone so deeply. Sisters, especially little ones that are not-so-little, are a half of a whole. I cannot imagine life without my Kate. It hurts my heart to realize that we have physically grown apart, distance-wise. As she takes on this summer in Washington, D.C. and I go wherever the wind takes me, I am both saddened and thrilled. I get to witness my baby sis grow up, and face whatever life throws at her. Like Nora, I am secretly a huge worry-wart. Similarly, I have all the faith in the world that wherever we end up in the future, success and happiness will greet us with open arms.

I could speak about the emotions Henry is able to evoke in her books for hours. It is probably best, though, if you just pick one up and experience it for yourself. 

Here's to every book that makes you cry, every sister that makes you smile, and the futures that lie ahead.

Lots of love, 

Sam