Colorful Emily Henry novels have become a staple on bookstore shelves everywhere, but that wasn’t always the case for the author. In fact, many people may not realize that Henry used to write young adult novels—she published four of them before switching to adult fiction.
Henry’s first book was a YA novel called The Love That Split the World, and it was published when she was still working as a proofreader back in 2016. She toiled away at the YA genre for four more years before her first adult fiction novel, Beach Read, gave readers a fun romantic escape right when we needed it most: during the height of COVID-19 in 2020. Since then, she’s published four more adult novels, and all five of her novels have been optioned for on-screen adaptations. To date, she’s sold more than 2.4 million books worldwide!
Now that we know how Henry got her start, how do her earlier YA books stack up against her more recent work? We ranked all nine of her books to find out.
9. A Million Junes (2018)
In A Million Junes, Henry’s second published work, the O’Donnell and the Angert families are like a modern-day version of the Capulet and Montagues from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. The families have been foes for decades, but no one really remembers why until teenagers June O’Donnell and Saul Angert accidentally fall in love. Suddenly, the family feud is rekindled, and June and Saul find themselves utterly star-crossed.
Why does A Million Junes come in last? Well, Henry’s writing is as concise and entertaining as ever, yet this story feels derivative, to say the least. Still, it’s a solid entry into the YA genre that touches on important and weighty feelings that directly affect her teen readers’ lives: love, family, and loss.
8. When the Sky Fell on Splendor (2019)
When The Sky Fell on Splendor is such a fun book, we hate to rank it so low on the list! But this YA novel is so different from Henry’s other work, it just feels like an outlier from the start.
In this book, we meet a teenager named Franny whose small town of Splendor, Ohio suffers a tragedy that results in her brother languishing in a coma for years. Franny finds solace in a group of adventure hunters called The Ordinary, who spend their time searching for supernatural phenomenon that never actually materializes. Until, one day, it does.
7. Funny Story (2024)
Henry’s latest adult fiction novel, Funny Story, was just okay for me. The writing is excellent as always, but I never felt a connection with the characters, and the whole plot felt a bit forced.
The story is about a children’s librarian named Daphne whose fiance Peter leaves her for his childhood best friend, Petra. Somehow, Daphne winds up sharing an apartment with Petra’s own ex, a scruffy grump called Miles. The two hatch a drunken plan to get even with their exes, but naturally, things don’t go exactly as they’d hoped. Frankly, I would have enjoyed this novel more if there was more of a revenge angle; instead, it’s a fairly vanilla love story, but still tasty nonetheless.
6. Hello Girls (2019, with Brittany Cavallaro)
Henry teamed up with Brittany Cavallaro, the bestselling author of the Charlotte Holmes novels, to write this feminist tale of best friends who flee their abusive homes and go on the run. Hello Girls is essentially a teen version of Thelma & Louise, which is why it doesn’t rank higher on this list, but it’s got the wit and snappy dialogue you’d expect from a novel from these two authors.
5. The Love That Split the World (2016)
Henry’s debut novel was not a huge hit, but it was a respectable entry into the YA romance category and it showed the author’s range. The Love That Split The World dabbles in science fiction, exploring the concepts of love and time travel in equal measures. The story follows Natalie, a recent high school graduate who starts having odd “glitch in the Matrix” moments she can’t explain. When a ghostly grandmother figure emerges with a message about “saving him,” she’s confused … until she meets Beau.
The Love That Split The World is not as polished as Henry’s later works, but it’s a unique story with enjoyable characters, and we love a good sci fi angle.
4. People We Meet on Vacation (2021)
Thanks to the success of 2020’s Beach Read, Henry’s second book aimed at adults was an instant bestseller. People We Meet on Vacation has all of the elements we enjoy most about Henry’s work: quirky characters with an “opposites attract” dynamic, snappy dialogue, and a fun location that makes the reader feel like we’re on vacation with the characters. The trouble here is with the plot, which is rather formulaic and unbelievable at times.
Poppy and Alex seemingly have nothing in common, yet they’re best friends trying to reconnect after a falling out. They talk it out while on vacation … and talk … and talk … and talk some more. If you love witty repartee, this is the Henry novel for you.
3. Happy Place (2023)
The 2023 novel Happy Place is a classic beach read. It takes place in Maine, Vacationland itself, and features Henry’s usual cast of chatty and hilarious characters. The story centers on the driven Harriet and the laidback Wyn, a couple that got together in college and stayed together, right up until now. Harriet and Wyn haven’t told their friends that they broke up, so they decide to fake being in love for their annual group vacation to Maine. Naturally, their real feelings start bubbling to the surface quickly, and it doesn’t take long before they don’t have to fake anything anymore.
2. Beach Read (2020)
Beach Read is Henry’s very first adult fiction novel, and it’s the one that put her on the map! Readers were enthralled by the instantly at-odds characters Augustus and January, two authors who write vastly different kinds of books. Both are struggling with writer’s block and are renting side-by-side beach cottages, so they hatch a plot to get both of them writing again. Augustus attempts to write a romance novel, and January tries her hand at crime fiction. They take field trips as research, and somewhere along the line, they fall in love. Obviously!
1. Book Lovers (2022)
My favorite Emily Henry novel is Book Lovers, hands down! This book is truly heartwarming, and the characters feel so real it’s as if we made friends while reading. The story follows Nora Stephens, a feisty literary agent whose sister Libby convinces her to take a vacation in a small town. Nora goes along, envisioning a Hallmark movie-style scenario in which she’s swept off her feet by a burly local. Instead, she meets a cynical book editor named Charlie, who comes from the same city Nora lives in.
Book Lovers manages to deal with some heavy topics (for a Henry novel), yet it does so with a light touch. The dialogue is laugh-out-loud funny at times, and it’s a book we didn’t want to end. Every writer has to start somewhere, and Emily Henry’s talents were evident from her first novel! I enjoyed all of her books, but when it comes to a favorite, it has to be Book Lovers.
Published: Aug 25, 2024 04:13 pm