Every spring, I am giddy with anticipation for three things: the snow to melt, the flowers to bloom, and the latest Emily Henry book to release. An Ohio native, Henry has been publishing books since 2016, but it wasn’t until 2020, after a hard pivot from young adult fiction to romance, that she really made a name for herself as an A-list author. Her first romance novel, Beach Read, was published in May 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic proved it wasn’t going anywhere, any time soon, and we all needed the escapist thrill of romance fiction more than ever.
Every romance reader has their favorite tropes, and Henry expertly peppers several into each of her novels — from enemies-to-lovers to second-chance romance to fake dating. However, in a genre often (unfairly) dismissed as fluff, Henry has silenced even the staunchest literary snobs by tackling serious themes like anxiety and grief, making her the queen of the “rom-traum-com”. Often citing the late, great filmmaker Nora Ephron as an influence, Henry, too, has become a voice of her generation. With her latest novel, Great Big Beautiful Life, released on April 22 and her first five romance novels all being optioned for screen adaptations, Henry is not slowing down anytime soon.
6
Happy Place (2023)
Second-Chance Romance On Vacation
Romance tropes in Happy Place
- Second-chance romance
- Fake engagement
- Forced proximity
- Vacation setting
Emily Henry’s fourth novel, Happy Place follows Harriet and Wyn, a couple that was always deemed perfect until they broke off their engagement months ago without telling anyone. But now, their annual Maine cottage vacation with their friends is fast approaching, and with the cottage up for sale and their friends getting married, Harriet and Wyn pretend to still be together for the sake of one last magical summer. Of course, this plan doesn’t exactly go the way they expected, as Harriet and Wyn’s duplicitous hijinks turn into something more complicated and romantic than expected.
Related
5 Romance Books Better Than The Movies (& 5 That Are Surprisingly Worse)
While many may think that the book is always better, there’s no denying that some films actually outshine the source material.
Second-chance romance is a notoriously difficult trope to pull off, but Henry succeeds with her usual expertise, making us root for Harriet and Wyn to reconcile every step of the way. However, the reason why SCR is not as popular as a trope is that it can be a bit of a downer, and indeed, Happy Place lacks some of the buoyancy typical of a Henry novel.
Henry also always delivers superb supporting characters, and this book is no exception. But while I found myself wanting to hang out with Harriet and Wyn’s friends — especially at that gorgeous cottage — the amount of time spent with them somewhat took away from the core romance. Excitingly, in 2024, Happy Place was picked up for a TV adaptation by Jennifer Lopez’s production company, Nuyorican Productions.
5
Beach Read (2020)
Two Rivals-To-Lovers Writers Are Beach House Neighbors
Romance tropes in Beach Read:
- Rivals-to-lovers
- Grumpy-sunshine
- Opposites attract
- Small-town setting
Emily Henry’s 2020 romance debut, Beach Read follows romance novelist January Andrews, who stays in her father’s beach house for the summer in order to grieve him and attempt to forgive his past secrets. However, things take a turn when she discovers that her next-door neighbor is Augustus “Gus” Everett, a celebrated literary author and her former college rival. In an attempt to understand each other, they strike a deal: January will attempt to write a literary novel while Gus will pen a romance. In the process, they form a bond that they didn’t think was possible to have.
Beach Read is the novel that introduced us all to Emily Henry the romance writer, and it shows us exactly how talented she is. January and Gus’ chemistry is on fire from the start, and their writerly bet has a whimsy that propels the novel through its darker moments, including cult trauma. Henry doesn’t quite nail the balance of trauma to comedy here, but honestly, this is her first romance, and it’s an absolute tour de force of a debut. 20th Century Studios is set to release a film adaptation of Beach Read, with Yulin Kuang in the director’s chair.
4
People We Meet On Vacation (2021)
Friends-To-Lovers Go On Vacation
Romance tropes in People We Meet on Vacation:
- Friends-to-lovers
- Opposites attract
- Second-chance romance
- Forced proximity
- Only one bed
- Vacation setting
Emily Henry’s sophomore romance novel, People We Meet on Vacation tells the story of Poppy and Alex, two polar opposites who became BFFs in college and, for many years, went on spectacular vacations together. However, after a mysterious falling out in Croatia, the pair haven’t talked in a while, and Poppy, hoping to salvage their friendship, asks Alex to go on one last awesome vacation. In doing so, we see where it all went wrong, and see the two not only rekindle their friendship but begin to spark something more.
If this isn’t the best friends-to-lovers novel of the decade, I don’t know what is.
People We Meet on Vacation is probably the most polarizing of Henry’s romance novels, with most fans either placing it dead last or number one with a bullet in their rankings. For what it’s worth, it’s my personal favorite, but reading it while vacationing in Spain may have influenced me. I can, however, understand where the detractors are coming from. My biggest issue with the novel is that, while the settings in Henry’s novels often serve as the third main character — cottage country in Happy Place, small-town coziness in Book Lovers, etc — People We Meet on Vacation, by its very nature, is lacking the romantic vibes of one fixed setting.
But if this isn’t the best friends-to-lovers novel of the decade, I don’t know what is. Rarely do romance readers cite FTL as their favorite trope, and it’s understandable, as it lacks the heated passion of enemies-to-lovers, or the whimsy of fake dating. Poppy and Alex’s love may be a slow burn, but that’s a huge emphasis on the burn, and I defy you not to stay up until the wee hours waiting for these friends to become lovers. This novel officially made FTL my favorite romance trope, and I cannot wait for the release of the People We Meet on Vacation movie from Netflix later this year.
3
Funny Story (2024)
Fake-Dating Your Ex’s New Lover’s Ex
Romance tropes in Funny Story:
- Fake dating
- Opposites attract
- Forced proximity
- Small-town setting
Emily Henry’s 2024 novel, Funny Story, follows Daphne, an introverted children’s librarian who’s living a fairy-tale romance with Peter — until he leaves her for his childhood friend named, yes, Petra. Heartbroken and needing a new place to live, Daphne moves Petra’s ex, Miles, and the two commiserate over the pain of being dumped by the person they thought was the one. But things get even more complicated when Daphne lies to Peter that she and Miles are dating, which they are not. A fake dating plot for the ages ensues with Daphne and Miles liking each other — and themselves — more and more along the way.
For her fourth romance novel, Henry is firing on all cylinders. Though detractors of the fake-dating trope often find it too silly and far-fetched, Funny Story is perhaps the most grounded of Henry’s work. Daphne’s workplace subplot is a huge part of the novel, but we never feel like the romance is lacking, and if anything, her professional ambitions make her someone we root for even harder. And for his part, Miles is the quintessential perfect boyfriend while still feeling like a real person you might know. Excitingly, Emily Henry will be writing the script for the Funny Story film adaptation herself, with Lyrical Media and Ryder Picture Company producing.
2
Great Big Beautiful Life (2025)
Romance tropes in Book Lovers:
– Rivals-to-lovers
– Slow burn
– Grumpy/Sunshine
Emily Henry’s latest offering is one of her more layered and complicated, with two love stories that share the spotlight. The first, and the main romance of the book, is between Alice Scott (an optimistic entertainment/celebrity journalist) and Hayden Anderson (a Pulitzer-prize winning biographer). The two writers are in competition – to win the right to write a biography of Margaret Ives, a larger-than life heiress and Hollywood figure who went missing after tragedy struck decades ago. As they bump into each other repeatedly on the small island where she now lives, they are working to uncover the mysteries of her life, and to try and avoid falling for each other.
This slow-burn romance is all about the delicious tension between Alice and Hayden, but there’s much more going on than anyone realizes. This is definitely Henry’s twistiest book, which is as much a contemporary mystery and glamorous life story (a la The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo) as it is a traditional romance. It feels more mature, layered, and complex than some of her earlier romances, and is a story that will stick with you.
1
Book Lovers (2022)
Enemies-To-Lovers Publishing Edition
Romance tropes in Book Lovers:
- Enemies-to-lovers
- Grumpy/sunshine
- Small-town setting
Emily Henry’s best book, Book Lovers tells the story of Nora, a Type-A literary agent who decides to take a vacation with her pregnant sister to Sunshine Falls, an idyllic, Hallmark movie-esque small town in North Carolina. While there, she runs into ornery book editor, Charlie, her least favorite professional contact in the New York publishing scene. Though the pair’s rocky past means they are far from perfect for each other, the North Carolina summer brings out new sides of them, and they realize that they may have more in common than previously thought.
Nora and Charlie are two of Henry’s most charismatic yet relatable leads, and the sexual tension between them propels the novel
Enemies-to-lovers often provides us with the steamiest romance stories, but it’s a tough balancing act to make two diametrically opposed people both likable enough that you’re rooting for them to get together in the end. However, Nora and Charlie are two of Henry’s most charismatic yet relatable leads, and the sexual tension between them propels the novel.
But, besides its awesome title, what makes Book Lovers really shine is that Emily Henry brilliantly subverts the trope of the big-city woman who gives up her high-powered career to live in a quaint small town. Here, Nora’s professional ambitions and love of living in NYC are celebrated, and done so while also embracing everything that makes small-town life so peaceful, cozy, and romantic. Tango Entertainment bought the film rights to Book Lovers in 2023, and Girls‘ Sarah Heyward is attached to write the script.
