A Guide to Emily Henry Books

This is more than a love story between two people, it’s also about love in lasting friendships and how the older we get, the harder those friendships are to maintain. Harriet, Sabrina, and Cleo all met during their freshman year of college and have been best friends since. Soon, Parth and Wyn joined their group (now Sabrina’s boyfriend and Harriet’s fiancé, respectively), as did Cleo’s girlfriend Kimmie. No matter where their lives take them, they spend a week every summer at Sabrina’s family cottage in Maine. Except this year is different: Wyn and Harriet have broken up. But it’s their last summer at the house, and they’re determined not to ruin the vibe. Over the course of one week, they’ll have to pretend to still be together, while remembering what drew them apart in the first place. This second chance, friends-to-lovers romance is another must-read.

Nora Stephens hates a trope – especially one that frames her as the cold-hearted, work-obsessed New Yorker whose longest relationship is with her Peloton. But as a literary agent, what she does love is books. Miraculously, Nora’s pregnant sister Libby has convinced her to lighten her workload for the month and take a summer sister trip to Sunshine Falls, North Carolina. But the last person Nora expects to see there is Charlie Lastra – her work-nemesis book editor who coldly rejected one of her favorite author’s books years ago. Nora and Charlie’s “meet cutes” cause them to see all that tension between them might not be hate after all.

Poppy and Alex met in college and have been best friends since they shared a car ride home for break their freshman year. Though their lives have taken them to different places (Poppy as a travel writer in NYC and Alex back to their small hometown as a teacher), every summer they take a vacation together. But two years ago, something happened that essentially severed their friendship, and this summer, Poppy is determined to make it right. The pair set out to sunny Palm Springs, California, and over the course of a week, Poppy and Alex find themselves remembering just how wonderful their friendship can be … and why it’s not enough.

The book that started it all is a fan-favorite for a reason. The classic enemies-to-lovers trope is in full force in this story about two authors with neighboring lake houses. January Andrews writes bestselling romance novels, while Augustus Everett is an acclaimed author of literary fiction. One tension-filled evening, the authors strike a deal to help them get out of their respective ruts: over the course of the summer, January will write the next Great American Novel™️ and Augustus will write something ending in a happily ever after. To help each other out, they plan a series of field trips they hope will spark inspiration. But what they spark instead seems to be between each other.

Trying to distract themselves from the aftermath of the steel mill explosion that shook their small town of Splendor, Ohio, a group of teens spent their free time over the last five years investigating local legends and filming it for their YouTube channel. One of them is 17-year-old Franny, whose brother is still in a coma after the accident. It’s all a fun way to stop them from dwelling in their own sadness, until one evening when they film a bright light hurtling towards them. And when they investigate where it lands, everything changes.

This love story steeped in magical realism starts with a feud between the O’Donnells and the Angerts. One hundred years ago something happened to drive a wedge between these two families – no one knows for sure what happened except that it began with a cherry tree. June O’Donnell is happy to hate the Angerts, but when Saul Angert, the son of June’s late father’s enemy, returns to their town, June finds she doesn’t dislike him … not … at … all. Saul’s return reignites the magical mystery around the feud between families, and as June and Saul dive deeper they begin to question everything they thought they knew.

Set during the summer after college, this fantastical debut novel follows Natalie who starts seeing things that are “not quite right.” Natalie has been receiving apparitions from a woman she calls “Grandmother.” This figure tells her, “You have three months to save him” – him being Beau, who she meets next under the lights of their football stadium. Together, Natalie and Beau explore the bounds of time and space – falling hard for each other along the way.