When I got back into reading, BookTok was the main source of my recommendations. At the time, romance was a very popular genre, and Emily Henry was one of the top authors. She quickly became one of my favorites!
Since 2020, Emily Henry has had 5 releases, with her 6th due this upcoming April. I rate her books pretty highly, so I thought this would be a fun exercise to see how my opinions have changed over time and with more releases to compare to. Without further ado, here is my ranking of Emily Henry's releases (that I've read).
5. People We Meet on Vacation
People We Meet on Vacation is a sweet romance with a twist since it includes estranged friends to lovers. Poppy and Alex have a well-established friendship, which flushed out their complimentary qualities as she's quite adventurous and he's more practical. We spend the novel seeing their trips, simultaneously figuring out why they became estranged, and how they work now. With these being the main highlights, that's also the reason People We Meet on Vacation is ranked at the bottom for me. The characters and plot don't feel as three-dimensional as some of Henry's later works, and the plot twist feels fairly predictable. People We Meet on Vacation is a solid, enjoyable read, but doesn't feel overly impactful.
4. Book Lovers
Book Lovers is a great book for book lovers since it captures the magic that is getting swept up in new worlds and characters. Nora and Charlie, our main characters, are very similar since they're very practical, stubborn, caring, and share a love of reading. The novel features a lot of depth in the parallel arcs of these characters as they both deal with attempting to prioritize themself and facing the fear of leaving things behind. While Book Lovers is a lovely book, it's only fourth because it feels lacking in depth or variety at points.
3. Happy Place
The magic of Happy Place is how realistic and grounded it feels: Wyn and Harriet feel like very flushed out characters, and a couple with very real issues. The growth of their characters and relationship happen with the backdrop of an interesting plot since they're hiding their breakup from the friends they are on a trip with. The subsequent themes of healing, honesty, deception, and discovery are each impactful and interesting to unpack. My main qualm with the novel is despite how much I adore it, I wish it felt a bit more seamless. The tone of the novel shifts when things get revealed, which was more jarring than I expected and took me out of the experience a bit.
2. Funny Story
Funny Story just missed out on being in my top 5 of 2024! I think Funny Story has the best aspects of Henry's writing: it has dynamic, sympathetic characters, a humorous premise with unexpected depth, and a title that makes sense by the end. Daphne and Miles compliment each other in a way that brings out new sides to them, which evolves their relationship until it's a perfect fit. While Funny Story is a single point of view following Daphne, there's so much depth to her character and those she interacts with that it feels smooth and easy to read. A great blend of humor and emotion!
1. Beach Read
Beach Read has a special place in my heart, so much so, that I might drop anything to pick it back up if the mood struck. This novel follows January and Gus as they challenge each other to write outside of the others' comfort zones for their next novels. Simultaneously, this challenge brings them closer as they begin to break down each others' vulnerabilities and work through their vulnerabilities for themselves. It's always managed to make me emotionally invested and root for them. The beautiful quotes, the themes of healing and growth, and the power of being vulnerable, well, they make me overwhelmed that Beach Read exists.