Convincing You to Read Books by Emily Henry
If you have Goodreads and you follow Maude Garrett, Amanda Tass, or Amanda Guarragi (me), you know that we have been diving into books by Emily Henry. And if you don’t follow us on there, then come on over! Maude has read Book Lovers and saw a lot of herself in Nora.
She’s currently reading Beach Read right after both Amanda’s finished it with opposing opinions. Amanda Tass was mad with the ending and Amanda Guarragi had tears streaming down her face while reading the second half.
But that’s the beauty of reading and knowing an author like Emily Henry. She is able to connect her readers to different characters because of how she layers their hardships and emotions.
Emily Henry is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Book Lovers, People We Meet on Vacation, and Beach Read. Her latest book Happy Place is taking #BookTok by storm. She lives and writes in Cincinnati and the part of Kentucky just beneath it.
Themes in Emily Henry’s Books
Happy Place: changes in friendships, grief, depression, self-love, angsty romance
Book Lovers: mental health, grief, and Self-discovery
Beach Read: grief, family, love, happy endings, re-discovering yourself
People We Meet on Vacation: trust, grief, finding “home, friendship, taking risks, and second chances.
A Million Junes: grief, memories, love and Healing
Characters
Harriet and Wyn: they broke up six months ago and they still haven’t told their friends. They have a yearly getaway with all of their friends and end up in the biggest room at the Maine cottage this year. After years of being in love, how hard could it be to fake it for one week?
Nora and Charlie: Nora is a literary agent who doesn’t see herself as a heroine and Charlie is an editor who doesn’t see himself as a hero. Coincidentally, they keep bumping into each other, and the more they are thrown together, they discover more about themselves.
Augustus “Gus” and January: Gus is an acclaimed author of literary fiction and January writes romance novels. They are polar opposites. The only thing they have in common is that for the next three months, they’re living in neighbouring beach houses. Until, one hazy evening, one thing leads to another and they strike a deal designed to force them out of their creative ruts.
Poppy and Alex: They have nothing in common. Poppy has insatiable wanderlust; Alex prefers to stay home with a book. And somehow, ever since a fateful car shares home from college many years ago, they are the very best of friends. Until they weren’t. Poppy plans one last vacation with Alex (as is tradition) to lay everything out on the table and settle the score.
June and Saul: For as long as Jack “June” O’Donnell has been alive, her parents have had only one rule: stay away from the Angert family. But when June collides — quite literally — with Saul Angerts, sparks fly, and everything June has known is thrown into chaos.
Why You Should Pick Up One Of Emily Henry’s Books
After reading Beach Read, I found a new appreciation for Henry’s novels. One of the common themes in her set of books is grief. Henry doesn’t particularly emphasize the grief, but she works it into her characters as it comes in waves. There is no right way to describe grief because everyone can experience it differently.
Henry explores characters grieving the loss of loved ones, relationships or even their past self. She shows that her characters continue living and try their best to find that bright spot to keep them going. Beach Read started off slow, but there was a shift in the middle that made me feel every single emotion possible.
Just like grief comes in waves, the emotions in Henry’s books will slowly creep up on you. And you will most definitely resonate with at least one of her characters. You can feel their pain through the pages and understand that life won’t stop for anyone. Henry explains that self-love and acceptance are the two things that can get you through life.
Which Emily Henry books have you read? Let us know in the comments below or join our discord today!
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