This is about to be real controversial, but that’s okay.
Over the past few months, I have read Emily Henry’s four most popular books (all recent works) and now have an understanding of why she is one of the most popular authors on BookTok, BookTube, all of the book sections of any social media platform. These four books have really catapulted her career via social media, and now that three of these four books have been announced as movie adaptations, her popularity is going to keep growing.
For the time being, I decided to rank the four Emily Henry books I’ve read, from my least liked to my absolute fave (the one I am fighting myself to not read again until I get my TBR down). Of course, there are Simply Jamilah reviews for all of these books:
4. People We Meet on Vacation
Release Date: May 11, 2021
Number of Pages: 400
Initial SJ Rating: 71%
Characters: Poppy & Alex
I wanted so badly to like this book. I remember when people RAVED about this book during the second lockdown, and honestly, I’m still trying to figure out why. For me, this book is incredibly unmemorable. The trope is friends to lovers, but the way their story is told is not written the best. Emily Henry is not a bad writer; it’s just the way the back-and-forth was written for this one that didn’t sit well with my brain. The book doesn’t grab your attention until 75% through, and even then, it doesn’t create the same care for what comes after each page.
3. Beach Read
Release Date: May 18, 2020
Number of Pages: 386
Initial SJ Rating: 92%
Characters: January & Augustus/Gus
This is the first book written by Emily Henry that truly blew up; as I’ve mentioned before, she’s written other things before this book’s release. As you can guess by the release date, this book blew up during the first major COVID lockdown, and rightfully so. Beach Read is the perfect foundation for the universe Emily Henry has created, and y’all know I love when it’s referenced in the books to come after. Truthfully, I don’t know which trope this is (because for as many romcom books as I read, I don’t know all the tropes), but I love this story. I fell in love with Gus and just the overall progression of his relationship with January.
2. Happy Place
Release Date: April 25, 2023
Number of Pages: 400
Initial SJ Rating: 91%
Characters: Harriet & Wyndham/Wyn
All types of love are present in this love story, and I love it. Yes, there’s the obvious romance element between Harriet and Wyn as they rekindle their relationship; this was my first time reading a second chance trope, especially involving an almost marriage. There’s also the love between friends who become family, and with telling that aspect of the story, there is an abundance of nostalgia and a bit of longing. Other subjects this book touches to go beyond a standard contemporary romance: grief, people pleasing, and other introspective issues.
1. Book Lovers
Release Date: May 3, 2022
Number of Pages: 416
Initial SJ Rating: 96%
Characters: Nora & Charlie
Any time someone says Emily Henry’s name, my brain immediately goes to Book Lovers. I love this book almost too much. First off, THE STEAM!! THE TENSION!!! So beautifully written. Wow wow and wow. Also, I love that this is an enemies to lovers trope, but there’s more compassion than aggression behind the “enemies” aspect of it. One of my favorite things about this storyline is Nora’s self-growth journey as she adapts to a completely different environment and falls in love. There’s so much Nora has to figure out regarding her happiness, and out of all the women in this list, I found her to be the most relatable woman. She’s a shark with a heart. <3
If I remember when April 2024 rolls around, Funny Story would be added to this list. I’m already itching to get my hands on it.
