Emily Henry is a full-time writer, proofreader, and donut connoisseur. She studied creative writing at Hope College and the New York Center for Art & Media Studies, and now spends most of her time in Cincinnati, Ohio, and the part of Kentucky just beneath it.
Emilys debut, THE LOVE THAT SPLIT THE WORLD (Penguin/Razorbill, January 2016) is a Young Adult speculative novel pitched as the heady romance and nostalgia of Friday Night Lights meets the world-bending mystery of The Time Travelers Wife. Guided by the enigmatic apparition she calls Grandmother, an adopted teenager must find her place in the world by navigating a cosmic phenomenon that allows her to see different versions and eras of her small Kentucky town; the stakes are raised when she falls in love with a beautiful but elusive boy.
The Truth According to Ember (2024) Danica Nava "The Truth According to Ember is a truly funny and wonderfully heartfelt comedy of errors with a plucky, lovable heroine I rooted for from page one. Danica Nava is a fresh, exciting new voice in the world of romantic comedies and I can't wait to see what she does next."
It's Elementary (2024) Elise Bryant "It's Elementary is the coziest of cozy mysteries. With the intrigue and drama of Big Little Lies and the warmth and humor of Abbott Elementary, Elise Bryant's first foray into the genre is a delight. A perfect next read for anyone looking for a charming cast, clever writing, and a hint of romance alongside their whodunit."
You Belong with Me (2024) (Edie Thompson, book 2) Mhairi McFarlane "Mhairi McFarlane writes with a singular wit, charm, and emotional complexity, every word just right, every page brimming with delicious tension."
A Love Like the Sun (2024) Riss M Neilson "Sometimes you read a book and you just know that no other writer in the world could possibly have written it - that this story was destined to be told in just this way, at just this moment. Riss M. Neilson's A Love Like the Sun is one of those books. It's funny, heartfelt, and fresh, with dreamy prose and vibrant characters. Nielson has crafted something extraordinary in Laniah and Issac's story: a raw, vulnerable, breath-stealing love you can feel as you read. Perfect for fans of Abby Jimenez, Kennedy Ryan, and Carley Fortune (aka me)."
The Ministry of Time (2024) Kaliane Bradley "The Ministry of Time is as electric, charming, whimsical, and strange as its ripped-from-history cast. (Extremely.) I loved every second I spent wrapped up in Kaliane Bradley's stunning prose, the moments that made me laugh and those that made my heart ache. This is a book that surprises as much as it delights, and I'm already impatiently waiting for whatever Bradley concocts next."
How to End a Love Story (2024) Yulin Kuang "How to End a Love Story is one of the sexiest, smartest, funniest, and most effective novels I've read in a long time. Yulin Kuang's voice is strong, sure, and singular - I'll read anything she writes. An absolute star."
A Love Song for Ricki Wilde (2024) Tia Williams "Funny, sexy, and breathtakingly romantic. This is the kind of book you wish you could slip bodily into, live within its warm and magical world for as long as it would have you. Another rapturous knockout from Tia Williams."
The Summer of Songbirds (2023) Kristy Woodson Harvey "The Summer of Songbirds is a warm, hopeful story of friendship, love, and second chances. Reading this book genuinely feels like sipping iced tea with your best friends on a hot summer day. Put this in your beach bag immediately."
Much Ado about Nada (2023) Uzma Jalaluddin "Much Ado About Nada is the contemporary take on Persuasion that I've been waiting for. I've been a huge fan of Uzma Jalaluddin's since her debut novel, but this one has become my favorite. Nada is feisty, complicated, and wholly relatable, and watching her love story with Baz unfold gave me butterflies at times and squeezed my heart tight at others. As ever, Jalaluddin expertly balances explorations of family, faith, and love in a smart and authentic way. I am such a fan."
The Last Tale of the Flower Bride (2023) Roshani Chokshi "The Last Tale of the Flower Bride is an intoxicating fever dream, an irresistibly seductive fairytale. I've never read anything like it. Chokshi's mastery of her craft is on fully display. This book will leave you utterly spellbound."
Back In A Spell (2023) (Witches of Thistle Grove, book 3) Lana Harper "I am happily and completely under the spell of The Witches of Thistle Grove."
Before I Let Go (2022) (Skyland, book 1) Kennedy Ryan "Kennedy Ryan pours her whole soul into everything she writes, and it makes for books that are heart-searing, sensual, and life affirming. We are lucky to be living in a world where she writes."
The Bodyguard (2022) Katherine Center "My perfect 10 of a book. As funny and sweet as all the very best nineties rom-coms, but with Center's signature heart-tugging depth. I wish I could erase it from my mind just to read it again for the first time. A shot of pure joy."
A Thousand Miles (2022) Bridget Morrissey "Real, raw, and immensely tender, Love Scenes is a book about second chances: in love, in work, in family. Bridget Morrissey writes with the kind of effortless warmth and complexity that elevates characters to real people you know and love, with quirks and flaws you understand."
The Setup (2022) Lizzy Dent "I fell in love with Lizzy Dent's writing with The Summer Job and have been waiting with bated breath to see what she does next. This book is everything I wanted and then some. With Dent's usual humor, wit, and warmth and a spectacularly charming cast of weirdos, The Setup is exactly the kind of summer read I'm constantly on the hunt for. I love astrology-obsessed hot-mess Mara, I love the crumbling little Broadgate lido she's out to save, and I love-love-love Lizzy Dent."
City of Likes (2022) Jenny Mollen "Jenny Mollen's City of Likes is a propulsive story of motherhood, social media, and obsession - and the ways we can lose ourselves in each. A delightful blend of social commentary, dark humor, and good old-fashioned suspense that I devoured in two days."
Every Summer After (2022) Carley Fortune "Any book that begins with a cocktail and a heartbreak-induced haircut has a strong likelihood of being just the book for me, but Every Summer After outshone even my highest hopes. Fortune's wit is sharp, her prose is gorgeous, and her characters thrum with the rare kind of life and breath we readers are constantly on the lookout for. This is a radiant debut that packs an emotional wallop."
Dating Dr. Dil (2022) (If Shakespeare Were an Auntie, book 1) Nisha Sharma "Nisha Sharma's Dating Dr. Dil is what would happen if you put all my favorite romantic comedy tropes into a blender: a frothy, snarky, hilarious treat with a gooey, heartwarming center. The perfect addition to any rom-com lover's shelf."
Yinka, Where is Your Huzband? (2022) Lizzie Damilola Blackburn "So modern and fresh. Like Bridget Jones, Yinka is a lovable and relatable disaster - which is to say, she isn't actually a disaster at all...I adore her."
You Can Go Your Own Way (2021) Eric Smith "Eric Smith's You Can Go Your Own Way is a big-hearted charmer of a book! Brimming with wintry coziness, heady nostalgia, and wholly loveable characters, this is a story that's as much about finding yourself as it is about finding love. The perfect novel to snuggle up with."
Wish You Were Here (2021) Jodi Picoult "Wish You Were Here is a transporting and transcendent novel about seeking out glimmers of light in the darkness, and following them wherever they lead. Jodi Picoult is that rare, one-in-a-million writer whose books both squeeze your heart and expand your mind. Her latest is wise, surprising, and utterly extraordinary."
The Fastest Way to Fall (2021) Denise Williams "Warm, fuzzy, and ridiculously cute, The Fastest Way to Fall is the perfect feel-good read. Britta is an absolute breath of fresh air, and Wes is everything I love in a romantic lead. It's been weeks since I read this book, and I still smile every time I think about it. If you're looking for a novel that feels like a hug, this is it!"
A Lot Like Adios (2021) (Primas of Power, book 2) Alexis Daria "Alexis Daria's A Lot Like Adiós is a charming, sexy spitfire of a novel! Between Mich and Gabe's crackling dialogue and their palpable yearning, I fell hard and fast for this book, racing through its pages until I finally closed it with an overflowing heart and a deep happy sigh. Romance readers, this is your new favorite book!"
So We Meet Again (2021) Suzanne Park "Some books just feel like an old friend, their first pages embracing you with an instant familiarity and warmth you can’t help but sink into. Suzanne Park’s So We Meet Again is that kind of book...A cinematic, charming heart-squeeze-of-a-book that has found its way to my Ultimate Comfort Reads shelf."
In the Wild Light (2021) Jeff Zentner "In a word: sublime. This gift of a book will leave you with fiery, incandescent hope in your chest."
The View Was Exhausting (2021) Mikaella Clements and Onjuli Datta "An absolutely stellar debut with tension that crackles and prose that sings, The View Was Exhausting is the complex, Hollywood love story we've all been waiting for. Clements and Datta have crafted a book that's as heartfelt and earnest as it is sharp and surprising--I couldn't get enough."
The Lucky Escape (2021) Laura Jane Williams "What an absolute delight! A romantic, relaxing, inspiring not-quite-honeymoon in book form, with a surprising emotional heft behind it. I love it!"
Blush (2021) Jamie Brenner "Jamie Brenner's Blush is a delicious, big-hearted book about love, secrets, and pleasure--a novel that's easy to devour, but made to be savored. I adored every last drop."
A Special Place for Women (2021) Laura Hankin "One of the smartest, sharpest, and funniest books I’ve read in years... Some books are meant to be devoured—this one does the devouring."
The Invisible Husband of Frick Island (2021) Colleen Oakley "Sweet, quirky, surprising, and altogether lovely, The Invisible Husband of Frick Island is everything I long for in a book. I fell in love with Oakley's sparkling prose, charming characters, and quaint island setting. This is a story I can't wait to revisit, again and again. A must read."
Second First Impressions (2021) (Second First Impressions, book 1) Sally Thorne "Second First Impressions is the warmest, coziest, sweetest book of the year, an absolutely perfect blend of humor and heart. I want to live inside Sally Thorne’s brain."
The Kindred Spirits Supper Club (2021) Amy E Reichert "I am absolutely smitten with The Kindred Spirits Supper Club. Amy E. Reichert has created a heart-squeezing love story, with a perfect sprinkling of mystery and magic. A deliciously sweet tale about ghosts, growing up, and going home. Reichert has hit her stride in this one!"
Abbie Greaves "Abbie Greaves's Anywhere for You is a gorgeous story about hope, healing, and human connection--one of those rare novels that is as elegantly written as it is emotionally raw. Greaves's words will stay with me for a long time."
Dial A For Aunties (2021) (Aunties, book 1) Jesse Q Sutanto "Had me laughing aloud within its first five pages. Charming, hilarious and heartfelt."
In A Holidaze (2020) Christina Lauren "In a Holidaze is everything I've ever wanted in a wintry love story. As hilarious as it is sweet, and sexy as it is tender, this story is pure, irresistible magic from start to finish. I couldn't possibly love this book anymore--my favorite Christina Lauren novel yet!"
East Coast Girls (2020) Kerry Kletter "A brilliant firecracker of a book. East Coast Girls perfectly captures that time in a girl's life when friendship and the summer sun is enough to make you feel invincible--and the fallout when you realize that you're not. A beautiful, heartfelt, and life-affirming story about the things worth holding onto and those moments when you just have to let go."
The Looking Glass (2018) Janet McNally "Reading this book feels like standing in a sunbeam and watching the dust glitter. McNally transforms the mundane into the extraordinary, expertly pairs life’s bitter with its sweet, and coaxes her readers into a world they won’t soon want to leave. The Looking Glass is pure delight."
