Reading Guide: Emily Henry Books in Order

It’s no secret that Emily Henry is one of my favorite authors. Every Spring I eagerly anticipate her Spring release. This year I preordered her new book Great Big Beautiful Life and was so excited when my preorder came in the mail! Whether you’re new to this author or know all of her titles by heart, I hope you enjoy this Emily Henry reading guide. Stay tuned because we’ll be discussing romance, tropes, and all of the Emily Henry books in order.

What Are the Emily Henry Books in Order?

Here is a list of Emily Henry’s books in Publication Order:

Who is Emily Henry?

Emily Henry is a contemporary American author best known for writing witty, heartfelt romantic comedies. Her writing manages to blend emotional depth with humor and literary flair. Her modern love stories often feature characters who are writers, editors, booksellers, or other creative professionals in the literary world. They mainly focus on romance but she also explores themes like grief, ambition, friendship, and found family. Her stories are very well rounded and have a little bit of everything in them.

What is Beach Read About?

Beach Read by Emily Henry is a story about two writers. There’s romance novelist January Andrews, a bestselling author who’s lost her belief in love. And then there’s Augustus Everett. Or Gus, a brooding literary fiction writer who doesn’t believe in happy endings. They’re polar opposites who are now living next door to each other for the Summer, in adjacent beach houses.

Oh, and did I mention that they are also former college rivals? Neither of them is thriller with their current situation and both of them are struggling with writer’s blocl. To shake things up, they agree to swap genres: Gus will try to write a swoony romance, and January will dive into dark, serious fiction. Over the course of the summer, the lines between competition, friendship, and love blur.

What is People We Meet on Vacation About?

People We Meet on Vacation is a friends-to-lovers story about Poppy and Alex, two complete opposites who have been best friends since college. Every year, they take a summer vacation together—until something happened on their last vacation two years ago that drove them apart. Now, Poppy realizes she’s not truly happy without Alex in her life, so she convinces him to take one more trip together to try to fix things. As they revisit old memories and navigate their complicated feelings, they have to confront what went wrong—and whether there’s something more than friendship between them. It’s a funny and heartfelt story about going out on a limb and taking chances for the ones that you love.

What is Book Lovers About?

The main character in Book Lovers is Nora Stephens, an ambitious literary agent who thrives in the cutthroat world of publishing. She’s incredibly hard working and rarely takes time for herself. So when her younger sister suggests they go on a sisters trip before she gives birth, Nora cautiously agrees. But she has no idea what Libby has up her sleeve. 

They head for the quaint town of Sunshine Falls, North Carolina. Nora vows to take the time to spend it with her sister and not worry about work. But work just might have followed her across state lines. She keeps running into an editor that she knows. And Charlie Lastra is just about the last person she expects to see outside of New York City.

The two keep getting thrown together in weird situations, and Libby becomes increasingly absent. Nora begins to questions where she belongs in her own story.

This book will warm your heart in more ways than one as Nora starts to enjoy small town living, and remembers what the important parts of life really are.

What is Happy Place About?​

Happy Place is a heartfelt second-chance romance about Harriet and Wyn, a couple who secretly broke up months ago but haven’t told their closest friends. When their annual friend group getaway rolls around, they decide to fake it for one last week in their beloved Maine cottage. As they pretend to be the perfect couple, old feelings resurface, and they’re forced to confront why they ended things—and whether they really meant to. It’s a story about love, friendship, the comfort of found family, and the struggle to hold on to happiness when life starts to pull you in different directions.

What is Funny Story About?

Funny Story is about Daphne, a children’s librarian whose fiancé suddenly leaves her—for his childhood best friend, Petra. To make matters more awkward, Daphne ends up rooming with Petra’s ex, Miles. But the two aren’t exactly perfect roommates. Miles is as laid-back and chaotic as Daphne is buttoned-up and orderly. 

What starts as a messy rebound living situation turns into something deeper as Daphne and Miles fake a friendship (and maybe more) to save face in their small town. It’s a charming, emotionally rich story about unexpected connections, starting over, and finding joy in life’s weird, wonderful detours.

Marian’s Note: I think this might be my favorite book by author Emily Henry so far. The banter between Daphne and Miles is just so good. And fake dating is one of my favorite romance tropes so it just makes sense.

What is Great Big Beautiful Life About?

As I write this post, this is Emily’s most latest novel. As I mentioned, my preorder came in the mail today but I haven’t had time to start reading yet.

From what I’ve read, it’s different from her previous works. It has romance in it, but also mystery. And intrigue. The main characters are Alice Scott, an optimistic journalist, and Hayden Anderson, a Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer. Both of them are invited to Little Crescent Island to compete for the opportunity to write the memoir of the reclusive heiress Margaret Ives.

But neither of them is a shoo-in for the job, because Margaret has tricks up her sleeve. She offers each of them a one-month trial to earn her trust and secure the biography deal. She makes each of them sign an NDA and proceeds to only give parts of her story to each writer. It could be a life changing opportunity for both of them. In more ways than one.

Which Emily Henry Book Should I Read First?

I would suggest reading Beach Read first. And then keep reading in the order of publication. Emily Henry’s books just keep getting better as her author career continues, so it makes sense to read them in that order.

Are the Emily Henry books a Series?

No, the Emily Henry books are not a series. They are all standalone novels that you can read in whichever order you choose.

Are any of Emily Henry’s books being made into Movies?

Yes! Which is very exciting to hear. I found this article which explains more about all of the Emily Henry film and television adaptations that are currently in the works.

In Conclusion

I hope you enjoyed today’s Emily Henry reading guide! She has become one of my favorite authors over the past couple of years. I love to read stories that are romantic, realistic, and funny. Emily’s books always hit the mark because of the unique characters and the great chemistry between her love interests. I’m getting distracted right now thinking about how perfect Daphne and Miles are in Funny Story. 

The settings are so cool. I love the summer houses, the small towns, and the interesting side characters. I love that Emily’s characters always have interesting careers and realistic problems. And the dysfunctional families? That is just a part of life. Family secrets and family drama is something that we can all relate to.

So what are you waiting for? If you’re looking for an entertaining love story, you’ll definitely want to head to the book store. These bestselling romance novels are sure to put a smile on your face, and you just might find your next beloved beach read.

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