12 best books to read if you love Emily Henry (for 2023)
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If I had to choose one perfect author of beach reads for relaxed summer days, I’d say Emily Henry.
If you did an informal survey of the books sitting on beach loungers, I’m also certain you’d find plenty of copies of Beach Read and Book Lovers.
But what about if you’ve read all of Emily Henry’s books (including her 2023 release, Happy Place) and still want more? Then you’ve found yourself in the right place.
Emily Henry’s books tend to have a similar vibe. They feel summery. They involve a trip somewhere. And they often contain female characters who are writers or work in the publishing industry and are undergoing a journey of self-discovery.
With those themes in mind, read on for my collection of the best books to read if you like Emily Henry…
The best books like Emily Henry’s for bookish summer vibes
The Roughest Draft by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka
Read The Roughest Draft for… what one reader on Reddit recommended for fans of Emily Henry, sharing: “If I’m being honest, I actually felt like it was a better version of Beach Read 😬”
In this quirky romance, cowriting literary superstars Katrina Freeling and Nathan Van Huysen were topping bestseller lists… until their partnership exploded.
They haven’t spoken since and certainly weren’t planning on changing that. But the thing is: they have one more book on their contract.
Realizing that their next romance novel isn’t going to write itself, they’re forced to reunite and play nicely. And, it turns out, passion and prose might be exactly what they need to fix the rift between them.
My Not So Perfect Life by Sophie Kinsella
Read My Not So Perfect Life for… a witty story that’s part love story, part workplace drama that asks: what’s it like to live in a social-media-obsessed world?
Everyone seems to be living Katie Brenner’s perfect life: beautiful house, picture-perfect family, a great wardrobe. Everyone except Katie, that is.
Unlike the beautiful lives she seems on Instagram (and her boss’s enviable creativity and style), Katie’s life is a daily struggle, both at work and at home. Then, just as she’s figuring out her path and finding a place to thrive at work, she’s fired.
Katie retreats far away from London, to her family’s farm in Somerset. And as she helps them set up a vacation business, she realises that the good life might actually look different than she thought.
Something Wilder by Christina Lauren
Read Something Wilder for… the new book for 2023 from everyone’s favourite romance duo about adventure and love in the American Southwest.
From the bestselling authors of The Unhoneymooners and The Soulmate Equation comes this laugh-out-loud romance about the daughter of notorious treasure hunter and absentee father, Duke Wilder.
Now, Lily uses Duke’s hand-drawn maps to guide tourists on fake treasure hunts through the canyons of Utah… even though her heart longs for the beloved ranch her father sold years ago.
Maybe there’s a chance she can right the wrongs of the past… and it involves a certain Leo Grady, who Lily fell deeply in love with many summers ago on the family farm. A man who’s now turned up on one of Lily’s adventure excursions.
The Summer of Broken Rules by K.L. Walther
Read The Summer of Broken Rules for… a romance novel inspired by the songs of Taylor Swift. Niche, but oh so welcome.
In a Reddit thread about the best books for fans of Emily Henry, one reader shared: “I cannot recommend this book enough, it was so so so fun”.
Meredith Fox’s life fell apart when she lost her sister, Claire, eighteen months ago. Since then, she’s shut everyone out, but this summer she’s ready to join the world again – and the annual family vacation to Martha’s Vineyard seems like the perfect place for it.
With the traditional Fox family game of assassin, Meredith is determined to honour Claire’s legacy. But when she forms an assassin alliance with a cute groomsman, she’s more than a little distracted.
Between Us by Mhairi McFarlane
Read Between Us for… a lighthearted-yet-thought-provoking recommendation that Emily Henry calls “my personal gift to you and your life”.
Mhairi McFarlane is one of the best authors to read if you love Emily Henry. To get started with her writing, I’d recommend picking up Between Us.
In Mhairi’s top-rated book on Goodreads, Joe and Roisin are joining their friends for a weekend away with plenty to celebrate: a birthday, an engagement, and the launch of Joe’s new crime drama.
But when Roisin realises that Joe has shared their secrets in the show, she starts questioning everything. Little does she know that this might just offer her the chance of a brand new beginning, however.
The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston
Read The Dead Romantics for… a romcom that bestselling romance author Ali Hazelwood describes as “funny, breathtaking, hopeful”.
In this book for fans of Book Lovers, Florence Day, a disillusioned ghostwriter for one of the most successful romance authors of the moment, prepares to kiss her career goodbye.
Her unreasonable new editor won’t give her an extension on her deadline, and considering she no longer believes in love after a terrible breakup, the book is never going to happen.
But when she gets a phone call that sends her rushing back home for the first time in a decade, the most unexpected man she could possibly bump into is standing at the funeral parlor’s door.
Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan
Read Nora Goes Off Script for… fresh starts, warmth, wit, and the kind of love story that doesn’t shy away from life’s emotional baggage.
In this book like People We Meet on Vacation, Nora is a romance screenwriter who’s well-versed in the formula for love…. until her husband leaves her and their two kids.
Finding determination rather than defeat, Nora turns her marriage’s collapse into cash and writes the best script of her life – a script that’s picked up for the big screen and changes everything.
The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman
Read The Bookish Life of Nina Hill for… a marvellously joyful and lighthearted book about books to get lost in.
Shortlisted for the Comedy Women in Print Prize, Abbi Waxman’s charming and quirky romance follows introvert and bookworm Nina Hill as she discovers if real life can ever live up to fiction.
Nina has created her perfect life: a job in a bookstore, an excellent trivia team, a cat named Phil, and plenty of time for reading. She has everything she needs – or so she thought.
But when the father she never knew existed dies and she discovers a whole new family, Nina is horrified. Which is exactly how she feels when Tom, her trivia nemesis, turns out to be cute, funny and interested in getting to know her.
Meet Me in the Margins by Melissa Ferguson
Read Meet Me in the Margins for… a charming romance book set in the publishing world that’s similar to Book Lovers by Emily Henry.
Do all editors dream of being writers? It’s true at least for Savannah Cade – and now, Claire Donovan, editor-in-chief of the most successful romance imprint, is requesting to see the manuscript Savannah’s been secretly chipping away at.
However, Savannah’s highbrow and snobbish publishing house isn’t exactly a fan of commercial fiction, let alone romance.
She’s dismayed to discover that someone in the company has found her manuscript – and mortified to see they’ve also written notes in the margins. But, it turns out, listening to these comments might be her only option to follow her dreams.
Same Time Next Summer by Annabel Monaghan
Read Same Time Next Summer for… a sparkling summer read for fans of Emily Henry that’s one of the best new romance books for 2023.
In this sunkissed romance about first love, everything in Sam’s life is on track, including her upcoming marriage to her doctor fiancé, Jack.
But when Sam tours a wedding venue near her family’s Long Island beach house, she wonders if she’s doing the right thing.
Wyatt is the guy who broke her heart when she was seventeen, and he’s here. As she hears notes from Wyatt’s guitar float across the night air from next door, Sam’s memories come flooding back as if nothing has changed.
Meet Me at the Lake by Carley Fortune
Read Meet Me at the Lake for… the anticipated new romance for 2023 by the author of Every Summer After, offering warm summer days and rekindled love.
At thirty-two, Fern Brookbanks isn’t where she thought she’d be in life. Instead of living in the city, Fern’s back home running her mother’s lakeside resort. And she’s wasted far too much of her adult life thinking about Will Baxter.
Despite spending just twenty-four hours with Will in her early twenties, Fern has never forgotten the connection they had… and how he promised to meet her one year later, but never did. At least, not until nine years later, with a suitcase in tow.
The Five-Star Weekend by Elin Hilderbrand
Read The Five-Star Weekend for… a sunshine-filled story about friendship, love, and self-discovery from the bestselling author of The Hotel Nantucket.
In this anticipated beach read for 2023, Hollis Shaw is exactly where she wants to be in life. Not only is she the creator of a popular food blog, but she’s also happily married to Matthew, a dreamy heart surgeon.
But when loss strikes and the life she loves falls apart, the cracks in Hollis’s marriage and relationship with her daughter, Caroline, begin to surface.
When Hollis hears about something called a “Five-Star Weekend”, she decides to host her own to get her life back on track, bringing together four friends from different stages in her life.
Looking for even more books similar to Emily Henry’s writing? You might like reading…
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