Emily Henry’s book-lover adult romance novels, ranked
Book Lovers, assemble!
This is a great time to be an Emily Henry reader. With all five of the author’s adult romance novels picked up for screen adaptations as either films or series, fans are busy fancasting who should play which character and imagining their favorite green flag fictional men visualized on screen.
Only recently, after the success of her Amazon Prime Video series My Lady Jane, actor Emily Bader was announced as the female lead of the adaptation of Emily Henry’s 2021 novel, People We Meet On Vacation. Emily will be playing Poppy Wright, the travel influencer female lead who falls for her best friend. And that lucky BFF, Alex Nilsen, will be played by The Hunger Games: The Ballard of Songbirds and Snakes star Tom Blyth!
And this got us thinking, which of the five is THE best Emily Henry book that we’ll need the adaptation to deliver on absolutely? I embarked on the quest of rereading all her adult romance novels (leaving behind her history of YA work) and here’s a definitive ranking I’ve come up with!
5. Funny Story (2024)
Emily Henry’s most recent novel, Funny Story, is perhaps her weakest, even if it’s still enjoyable with the simple virtue of being an EH novel. Daphne and Miles’ story has an interesting premise—Daphne is a librarian whose fiancé breaks up with her because he realizes he is in love with his best friend. And somehow, Daphne ends up as roommates with the boyfriend of said best friend, Miles. Forced proximity trope, anyone?
Yet, despite the promising story, the plot feels like it was written to engineer rom-com moments for a movie, like this was mid-way between a novel and a screenplay. There are even meta references to Henry’s earlier novel, Beach Read, in it. The characters are her most underdeveloped, with flaws that seem superficial at best. And everything happens too fast—breakups, friendship, love.
It falls into place when you realize that this is the first of her books that Emily Henry herself is adapting into a film, and she has already begun working on the screenplay.
4. People We Meet On Vacation / You And Me On Vacation (2021)
People We Meet On Vacation reminds me incessantly of One Day, or this Bollywood movie called Hum Tum that’s inspired by When Harry Met Sally. It’s the story of Poppy Wright and Alex Nilsen, two opposites who meet during college and are drawn over their love for travel and a few odd commonalities. Of course, there’s love attraction, and over the course of their summer trips, when they finally give in, there’s whiplash from fear of losing their friendship. And so they drift apart, until Poppy boldly plans a trip to reconcile.
PWMOV is enjoyable, and Alex Nilsen is such a green flag that you can’t help but fall for him. And that’s the thing about Henry’s characters, they are kind of perfect, and their flaws feel rather forced, as if introduced just so creating a conflict can seem justified. This novel lacks the spark that was in her other novels before, like Beach Read or Book Lovers.
That being said, I cannot wait for Emily Bader and Tom Blyth to bring these characters to life in the film adaptation, which will be directed by Brett Haley and written by Yulin Kuang.
3. Happy Place (2023)
If there’s one thing that Emily Henry gets absolutely right, it’s the dialogue. Initially, I wasn’t sure if I could get on board with Happy Place. Even though it is a story of an engaged but broken up couple thrust in close proximity—Harriet and Wes—because they’re lying to their college friends, there are two other couples, and together they form one of those gorgeous, sweetly in love friend groups that look too good to be true.
But Happy Place grew on me because Henry addresses how people grow up, grow apart, and how what they need from their friendships (honesty) and relationships also changes with time. Think of Happy Place like a mature The Summer I Turned Pretty, minus the love triangle, but the same sense of belonging to a place that gave you the best moments of your life and will always feel like home. Harriet and Wes are hot together in a cheesy sexy way. And in true Emily Henry fashion, this book also makes you long for ‘Your Person’, your happy place. And sometimes, that has to be yourself first, before it can be someone else.
In an exciting development, Jennifer Lopez has announced that she is adapting Happy Place into a series. No cast has been announced yet but JLo has encouraged fans to fancast and give her ideas! IMHO, I’d like to submit a few names like Dev Patel, Joseph Quinn, Henry Ashton, and Manny Jacinto as casting choices for all of the adaptations!
2. Beach Read (2020)
Emily Henry’s debut adult contemporary romance novel Beach Read is great for a first-time effort, but I found it was slow to reel me in before sinking its hooks in me. In hindsight, I realize of all Henry’s books, this one had some of the more interesting characters compared to her other novels. Or it could just be that I related more to the lead pair because I am a writer too, just like January Andrews and Augustus Everett, and Beach Read had me wishing someone as fascinating as Gus helped me through my writer’s block!
It’s an interesting premise—two writers of different genres decided to swap genres in a bid to beat writer’s block. They decide to educate each other in the art of writing romance novels and literary fiction, which sets up the most fun date nights for the unsuspecting duo. I love how in a meta sort of way, it defends romance novels against the claims that it is frivolous fluff and easy to write.
The banter between Gus and January is sexy, their chemistry is palpable. But I’ll tell you, Beach Read made me cry because of how January comes to terms with her relationship with her recently deceased father!
Screenwriter Yulin Kuang, of Dollface and I Ship It fame will direct the screen adaptation which is being produced by 20th Century Studios.
1. Book Lovers (2022)
Okay, Book Lovers has got to be the sexiest, hottest, “cliché yet having fun with it” Emily Henry novel there is, and a vast improvement from her debut novel Beach Read.
Nora Stephens is a literary agent, an aspiring editor who loves books, and she’s an elder daughter who feels the weight of the world on her shoulders. No wonder I related hard to this character. Especially when she finds a man like Charlie Lastra who is everything you’d want in a man. He’s supportive of her ambitions, he quotes from classic literature and Love Actually, and he can banter like nobody’s business!
The relationship between Nora and Charlie made me ache for someone I’d never met. The heart-to-heart between Nora and her sister Libby will make you ugly cry if you’re an elder sibling who had to grow up too soon! In that way, Book Lovers has everything, including library sex, which will never not be hot!
Book Lovers is going to be adapted into a film by Tango Entertainment, with Sarah Hayward of Girls and Modern Love, attached to it for writing the script.
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