This is a fascinating read - thank you for the thoughtfulness and thoroughness, Rena! What I’m contemplating is this: Is it Emily reacting to the market? Or might her publisher be weighing in too? I could imagine Emily writing a version of the book where the editor then says, “Maybe a bit more banter? Or we’re on deadline, we need a spring release, no time to fine tune those sentences. They’re fine, anyway.” These communications might not be quite so explicit - and I’m sure Emily gets to write what she wants. But I feel like publishers are inherently market-driven whereas authors often aren’t. There might be an interesting interplay happening here?
Such a smart addition, Jodie—thank you. I’ve been thinking about that interplay too: not just the reader’s gaze, but the quiet (or not-so-quiet) nudges from publishing itself. I’m sure you’re right—it’s rarely explicit, but even the softest pressures (“spring slot,” “tighten the prose,” “more banter, less bleed”) can shape what survives revision.
And when a writer becomes that successful, I imagine the editorial input becomes less about craft and more about maintaining velocity—which can be its own kind of constraint.
I totally agree with that - about velocity not craft. I think we’ve all seen books from genre or series writers or ‘we publish a book every year writers’ where you can feel the editorial quality slipping. And as a writer, you trust your editorial team, don’t you?But the subtext can be - we need to get this to market, we’ve got a budget hole and this book needs to fill it. Aaah, the challenges!
I’ve so often thought this exact thing — that Emily Henry is stuck in TikTok romance jail and really would prefer to be writing contemporary fiction but feels like she has to perform for her fans. Her last 3 or so books have felt like she’s getting tired. I actually enjoyed GBBL more than the last couple because it at least felt like she was having fun; I see what she was trying to do with Happy Place but I think the romance felt shoehorned in and that detracted from the novel. Good analysis!
Wowow you captured everything I feel about her writing, her novels, her trajectory. The way you explain to me exactly why I dislike some (ahem, People We Meet on Vacation) while loving others (Happy Place) is absolutely flawless. Brava. What an absolutely fantastic read.
Stephanie—this means so much coming from you. I’m a huge admirer of New Romantics, so to hear that the piece resonated (especially re: People We Meet on Vacation vs Happy Place!) is incredibly validating. Thank you for reading—and for taking the time to share such thoughtful words.
agree with so much here! i stand by the belief that beach read is her best book and the book that feels the most HER. i hope she’s given the space to not have to pump out a new book every year and can experiment a little more with her writing.
I do wonder how some authors are pressured by publishing houses to release a book a year and then there’s Donna tart who publishes every 8 years or so and R F Kuang who genre hops and publishers who would get heart attacks or insist on a separate pen name seem to do what she wants unless it’s all under the “literary bracket”
I think honestly this comes back to the way romance is treated - like genre writing instead of anything literature adjacent. Hopefully we can start to shift that narrative in the future and allow authors the time they need to develop fully resonant stories.
Sorry it took me so long to respond to this, I totally missed seeing this comment come in. Thank YOU for wanting more for the genre and for showing up here. I appreciate you reading (and commenting)!
What a great analysis of EmHen's work! I'm shocked that Happy Place is her lowest rated, I was in total awe of its structure and loved the way she wrapped up the romance into a story about friendship evolving through time. Some of the friends weren't as fleshed out as they could've been, true, but honestly the fantasy of a close friend group that vacations together pulled me through!
I was also surprised!! As well as to learn here that Funny Story was the highest rated by readers. It is probably my least favorite, and I find this all so interesting!
It’s her highest ranked by a pretty big margin too! I think when I read them all back to back it was easier to understand why - it’s the best version of her as a straight rom author. But I want more from her than that 😂
It’s ironic that beach read is considered her best and most popular as she actually had writers block writing it- she solved her crisis by making her character have writers block and wrote her way out of it.
This is SO well written. 👏 A Million Junes is still my fave EmHen novel (and her most underrated). Sure, I tend to skew more toward those types of stories in taste, but I feel like it executes everything you pointed out here so beautifully; it's more than a romance—it's a story. I hope the reading community stops punishing her for trying to tell them.
Thank you so much, Sarah—this means the world. I haven’t read A Million Junes yet, but now I really want to! It sounds like exactly the kind of layered, ambitious storytelling I was tracing in the piece. I love the way you put it: “more than a romance—it’s a story.” I think part of what makes Henry so compelling is that she keeps reaching for that, despite the fan pressure to stay stagnant.
I am absolutely positively not a YA reader but I have to admit this has me intrigued! I just put them on hold at my library. Thank you for the thoughtful comment and the close read!
I write book reviews so I was intrigued by the title. I have yet to read a book by this author but I have heard what a hit she's been on BookTok. I thoroughly enjoyed your analysis!! I think the author is on here, so she might come across this post too. Well written, so eloquent!! Looking forward to reading more.
Quietly thrilled over here that my title is doing the heavy lifting I was hoping it would. Thanks for reading and for the kind words on my writing. Excited to have you here as part of the community!
What a well thought out piece - I actually didn't love Great Big Beautiful Life or feel it as emotional as some of her earlier works, but I find your analysis fascinating and agree with much of your theory!
Thank you so much, Rachael—your comment really means a lot, especially coming from someone whose work has so much heart and reach in the genre.
I hope you’ll subscribe—I’d especially love your take on my next essay. It goes a bit further: all about what happens when authors write beyond their lived experience. Should be… lively, ha.
I read all of EH’s books as they came out, so it was fascinating to read your analysis of them as a whole — tracking the patterns, prose and risks taken over time. One thing I’d add: I’m not sure she actually has the chance to absorb the reception to a book before she makes choices for the next one. I live near Annabel Monaghan, who is also on a “one book a year” schedule, and have been lucky to attend her release parties this year and last. At both events, she has mentioned that she’s almost done writing next year’s book and very immersed in that book’s world. So, before we even got to read It’s A Love Story, she was almost done with whatever we’ll get in 2026! Wild to think about. So while I’m sure EH (and all authors… and their publishers) do react to reception, it’s probably more delayed than we realize. 😊 Can’t wait to read your next piece!
This is actually so interesting to think about - what a good point! Thank you for reading and commenting (and subscribing!!!). I think you will like my next post!
Really great piece! Emily Henry is my favorite author and I wasn't a fan of Book Lovers! Happy Place has been my favorite so far and so many people hate on it! I just don't see her as a full romance writer. I think it is unfair that booktokers hold her to that standard when there are so many other *strictly* only romance authors! I feel as though her books are womens fiction with a subplot of romance. To me, they are stories that women can resonate with and not just yearn over the MC. She deserves some grace!
Oh this is really really good. You've captured my thinking exactly on why some of her books hit whole others don't. Have you thought about doing something similar with Ali Hazelwood's writing? Also, I find Abbi Jimenez a fascinating person! The recent interview with her (I think it was Nyt?) was so interesting.
Thank you so much for reading (and for taking the time to comment!). I love that the piece helped illuminate something you’d already been feeling about the books—that was exactly how it felt for me, too, once I spotted the pattern.
I haven’t read all of Ali Hazelwood’s books yet, though I’m hoping to soon. And while I’ve read Abby Jimenez, I’ve realized that to really identify this kind of thematic throughline, I need to reread the full body of work in close succession—which means carving out a little time to do that properly.
That said, I am doing a similar deep dive in two weeks on one of my favorite emerging writers: Annabel Monaghan. Stay tuned!
Oh yay! I'm so happy I could introduce someone to her work. Beach Read is truly a masterclass in what the rom com genre COULD be. I hope you enjoy it - you'll have to come back and let me know!
I feel like I've seen issues like this pop up with a few popular authors--once they launch their publishers expect a new book every year and . . . we gotta let her cook in the kitchen more. Some of her new releases have felt so rushed! I liked Happy Place and loved Funny Story but haven't felt the desire to open Great Big Beautiful Life yet. . .
Totally - I said this in reply to an earlier comment touching on the same dynamic and I really think the pressure to release a new book every year comes back to the way romance is treated - like genre writing instead of anything literature adjacent. Non genre authors are never expected to produce on this schedule! I hope we start giving these authors time to breathe!
This is a fascinating read - thank you for the thoughtfulness and thoroughness, Rena! What I’m contemplating is this: Is it Emily reacting to the market? Or might her publisher be weighing in too? I could imagine Emily writing a version of the book where the editor then says, “Maybe a bit more banter? Or we’re on deadline, we need a spring release, no time to fine tune those sentences. They’re fine, anyway.” These communications might not be quite so explicit - and I’m sure Emily gets to write what she wants. But I feel like publishers are inherently market-driven whereas authors often aren’t. There might be an interesting interplay happening here?
Such a smart addition, Jodie—thank you. I’ve been thinking about that interplay too: not just the reader’s gaze, but the quiet (or not-so-quiet) nudges from publishing itself. I’m sure you’re right—it’s rarely explicit, but even the softest pressures (“spring slot,” “tighten the prose,” “more banter, less bleed”) can shape what survives revision.
And when a writer becomes that successful, I imagine the editorial input becomes less about craft and more about maintaining velocity—which can be its own kind of constraint.
I totally agree with that - about velocity not craft. I think we’ve all seen books from genre or series writers or ‘we publish a book every year writers’ where you can feel the editorial quality slipping. And as a writer, you trust your editorial team, don’t you?But the subtext can be - we need to get this to market, we’ve got a budget hole and this book needs to fill it. Aaah, the challenges!
I’ve so often thought this exact thing — that Emily Henry is stuck in TikTok romance jail and really would prefer to be writing contemporary fiction but feels like she has to perform for her fans. Her last 3 or so books have felt like she’s getting tired. I actually enjoyed GBBL more than the last couple because it at least felt like she was having fun; I see what she was trying to do with Happy Place but I think the romance felt shoehorned in and that detracted from the novel. Good analysis!
Wowow you captured everything I feel about her writing, her novels, her trajectory. The way you explain to me exactly why I dislike some (ahem, People We Meet on Vacation) while loving others (Happy Place) is absolutely flawless. Brava. What an absolutely fantastic read.
Stephanie—this means so much coming from you. I’m a huge admirer of New Romantics, so to hear that the piece resonated (especially re: People We Meet on Vacation vs Happy Place!) is incredibly validating. Thank you for reading—and for taking the time to share such thoughtful words.
agree with so much here! i stand by the belief that beach read is her best book and the book that feels the most HER. i hope she’s given the space to not have to pump out a new book every year and can experiment a little more with her writing.
I do wonder how some authors are pressured by publishing houses to release a book a year and then there’s Donna tart who publishes every 8 years or so and R F Kuang who genre hops and publishers who would get heart attacks or insist on a separate pen name seem to do what she wants unless it’s all under the “literary bracket”
I think honestly this comes back to the way romance is treated - like genre writing instead of anything literature adjacent. Hopefully we can start to shift that narrative in the future and allow authors the time they need to develop fully resonant stories.
I have been *waiting* for romance criticism that takes the genre and writers seriously! Thanks for this!!
Sorry it took me so long to respond to this, I totally missed seeing this comment come in. Thank YOU for wanting more for the genre and for showing up here. I appreciate you reading (and commenting)!
What a great analysis of EmHen's work! I'm shocked that Happy Place is her lowest rated, I was in total awe of its structure and loved the way she wrapped up the romance into a story about friendship evolving through time. Some of the friends weren't as fleshed out as they could've been, true, but honestly the fantasy of a close friend group that vacations together pulled me through!
I was also surprised!! As well as to learn here that Funny Story was the highest rated by readers. It is probably my least favorite, and I find this all so interesting!
It’s her highest ranked by a pretty big margin too! I think when I read them all back to back it was easier to understand why - it’s the best version of her as a straight rom author. But I want more from her than that 😂
It’s ironic that beach read is considered her best and most popular as she actually had writers block writing it- she solved her crisis by making her character have writers block and wrote her way out of it.
I didn’t know that! What a fun bit of trivia!
This is SO well written. 👏 A Million Junes is still my fave EmHen novel (and her most underrated). Sure, I tend to skew more toward those types of stories in taste, but I feel like it executes everything you pointed out here so beautifully; it's more than a romance—it's a story. I hope the reading community stops punishing her for trying to tell them.
Thank you so much, Sarah—this means the world. I haven’t read A Million Junes yet, but now I really want to! It sounds like exactly the kind of layered, ambitious storytelling I was tracing in the piece. I love the way you put it: “more than a romance—it’s a story.” I think part of what makes Henry so compelling is that she keeps reaching for that, despite the fan pressure to stay stagnant.
Her YA novels don’t get the attention they deserve, they are so gorgeously written.
I am absolutely positively not a YA reader but I have to admit this has me intrigued! I just put them on hold at my library. Thank you for the thoughtful comment and the close read!
I hope you enjoy! They are magical realism YA and I think they’re just so well executed.
I wholeheartedly agree. And I hope she ventures back into YA someday because her quick wit almost works better there than it does in adult, imo.
I write book reviews so I was intrigued by the title. I have yet to read a book by this author but I have heard what a hit she's been on BookTok. I thoroughly enjoyed your analysis!! I think the author is on here, so she might come across this post too. Well written, so eloquent!! Looking forward to reading more.
Quietly thrilled over here that my title is doing the heavy lifting I was hoping it would. Thanks for reading and for the kind words on my writing. Excited to have you here as part of the community!
What a well thought out piece - I actually didn't love Great Big Beautiful Life or feel it as emotional as some of her earlier works, but I find your analysis fascinating and agree with much of your theory!
Thank you so much, Rachael—your comment really means a lot, especially coming from someone whose work has so much heart and reach in the genre.
I hope you’ll subscribe—I’d especially love your take on my next essay. It goes a bit further: all about what happens when authors write beyond their lived experience. Should be… lively, ha.
Thought I was already subscribed :) But definitely am now!!
I read all of EH’s books as they came out, so it was fascinating to read your analysis of them as a whole — tracking the patterns, prose and risks taken over time. One thing I’d add: I’m not sure she actually has the chance to absorb the reception to a book before she makes choices for the next one. I live near Annabel Monaghan, who is also on a “one book a year” schedule, and have been lucky to attend her release parties this year and last. At both events, she has mentioned that she’s almost done writing next year’s book and very immersed in that book’s world. So, before we even got to read It’s A Love Story, she was almost done with whatever we’ll get in 2026! Wild to think about. So while I’m sure EH (and all authors… and their publishers) do react to reception, it’s probably more delayed than we realize. 😊 Can’t wait to read your next piece!
This is actually so interesting to think about - what a good point! Thank you for reading and commenting (and subscribing!!!). I think you will like my next post!
Really great piece! Emily Henry is my favorite author and I wasn't a fan of Book Lovers! Happy Place has been my favorite so far and so many people hate on it! I just don't see her as a full romance writer. I think it is unfair that booktokers hold her to that standard when there are so many other *strictly* only romance authors! I feel as though her books are womens fiction with a subplot of romance. To me, they are stories that women can resonate with and not just yearn over the MC. She deserves some grace!
Oh this is really really good. You've captured my thinking exactly on why some of her books hit whole others don't. Have you thought about doing something similar with Ali Hazelwood's writing? Also, I find Abbi Jimenez a fascinating person! The recent interview with her (I think it was Nyt?) was so interesting.
Thank you so much for reading (and for taking the time to comment!). I love that the piece helped illuminate something you’d already been feeling about the books—that was exactly how it felt for me, too, once I spotted the pattern.
I haven’t read all of Ali Hazelwood’s books yet, though I’m hoping to soon. And while I’ve read Abby Jimenez, I’ve realized that to really identify this kind of thematic throughline, I need to reread the full body of work in close succession—which means carving out a little time to do that properly.
That said, I am doing a similar deep dive in two weeks on one of my favorite emerging writers: Annabel Monaghan. Stay tuned!
Thanks for this. Just found BEACH READ at the thrift store and added it to my TBR. Haven’t read any Henry so this is a great intro.
Oh yay! I'm so happy I could introduce someone to her work. Beach Read is truly a masterclass in what the rom com genre COULD be. I hope you enjoy it - you'll have to come back and let me know!
I feel like I've seen issues like this pop up with a few popular authors--once they launch their publishers expect a new book every year and . . . we gotta let her cook in the kitchen more. Some of her new releases have felt so rushed! I liked Happy Place and loved Funny Story but haven't felt the desire to open Great Big Beautiful Life yet. . .
Totally - I said this in reply to an earlier comment touching on the same dynamic and I really think the pressure to release a new book every year comes back to the way romance is treated - like genre writing instead of anything literature adjacent. Non genre authors are never expected to produce on this schedule! I hope we start giving these authors time to breathe!
👀