Ranking Emily Henry Romance Books

I have been a big fan of Emily Henry’s books since I read Book Lovers in 2023. Since then, I have read all her adult romance books, including Great Big Beautiful Life. In this post, I want to share my ranking of the adult fiction books by Emily Henry.

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Who is Emily Henry?

Emily Henry is an American author known for her romance novels. In 2016, she published her first book, The Love That Split the World, which is a young adult novel. In 2020, her first adult romance book, Beach Read, was published. Since 2020, Emily Henry has published 6 adult romance novels, which I will rank here from my least favorite to my personal favorite.

Ranking Emily Henry Romance Books

#6 People We Meet on Vacation

People We Meet on Vacation (also published as You and Me on Vacation) is Emily Henry’s 2nd adult fiction novel published in 2021. The story follows Poppy and Alex, who were best friends in college and went on yearly vacations together each summer. However, Poppy and Alex had a falling out and have not even talked to each other for 2 years. Poppy does not know what she wants to do in life, and the last time she was truly happy was when she was on vacation with Alex. Poppy and Alex then decide to reconnect and go on one last vacation together.

The book is told in dual timelines and switches from Poppy and Alex’s present summer vacation to their past vacations. Poppy and Alex are opposites, and Poppy travels around the world for her job while Alex is in their hometown and wants to settle down and start a family. I liked seeing the relationship between them, but I do feel like a lot of problems could have been avoided if they had just talked to each other about their feelings. Also, it did take me longer to get into the story compared to Emily Henry’s other books, but I still enjoyed reading the book. Even though People We Meet on Vacation is my least favorite Emily Henry book I have read, it is not a bad book overall, and I would still recommend reading it.

Available at Bookshop

Rate: 7/10

#5 Book Lovers

Book Lovers is Emily Henry’s 3rd adult fiction book published in 2022. The book follows literary agent Nora after she agrees to go on a sister’s trip with Libby. Nora and Libby stay in the small town of Sunshine Falls, North Caroline for a month, but Nora keeps bumping into Charlie, a book editor from the city whom she met 2 years earlier.

Book Lovers fits into the enemies-to-lovers trope, which is one of my favorite tropes. Nora is a little unlikable because she is at times harsh and quite work-driven. However, I do like seeing her relationship with her sister Libby, and the connection she has with Charlie. I also like the setting because Sunshine Falls is the setting of a book that Nora edited, and Libby and Nora go through a bucket list of things to do there. I did like the ending of Book Lovers, but I liked some of Emily Henry’s other books more.

Available at Bookshop

Rate: 8/10

#4 Great Big Beautiful Life

Great Big Beautiful Life is the 6th and latest adult fiction book published by Emily Henry in 2025. The book follows Alice and Hayden, who are given the opportunity to write a biography of Margaret Ives, heiress to the Ives family and former tabloid princess who no one has seen in years. Both Alice and Hayden go through a month-long trial period, and at the end, Margaret will choose one to tell her story.

There is immediate conflict between Alice and Hayden because both are competing for the same job. However, there is also an instant attraction between them. Alice and Hayden do fit the sunshine and grumpy trope, with Alice being optimistic and cheerful while Hayden is more pessimistic. The book does delve into Margaret’s backstory, and I have seen reviews from those who did not like the parts about Margaret. However, I found the history interesting, and Margaret’s story is connected to the overall plot. The romance between Alice and Hayden is more of a subplot since so much of the book is focused on Margaret. That said, I still enjoyed the book, but it is not my favorite Emily Henry book.

Available at Bookshop

Rate: 8/10

#3 Happy Place

Happy Place is Emily Henry’s 4th adult fiction novel published in 2023. The book follows Harriet and Wyn, who met in college and soon became a couple. However, they broke up months earlier and have not told their best friends. Now the yearly trip with their friend group is here, but the Maine cottage is for sale. This will be the group’s last week together at the cottage. Harriet and Wyn pretend they are still in a relationship in order to avoid ruining the trip and breaking their friends’ hearts.

Fake dating is another one of my favorite tropes, and since Harriet and Wyn already have history, the fake dating works so well. During the trip, they push boundaries, and there is tension between them. That said, a lot of the book is focused on friendship and chosen family. Since it is their last week at the cottage, the friends want to make the most of their time. However, they have been drifting apart and living their lives, so there is drama that comes up. The ending is good, and I overall liked the book since it is focused on the concept of home.

Available at Bookshop

Rate: 8/10

#2 Funny Story

Funny Story is the 5th adult fiction novel published by Emily Henry in 2024. In Funny Story, Daphne moves to her fiancé Peter’s hometown in Michigan to begin their life together. However, Peter soon realizes he is actually in love with his childhood friend Petra. Now Daphne is living with Petra’s ex Miles.

I like Daphne as a character because she went through a lot, but she is staying strong. She uprooted her whole life to follow Peter, but then she was completely blindsided by him. Now Daphne is finding where she belongs since all the places she has been to were with Peter, and almost all the people she knows are friends with him. Also, Daphne is working as a children’s librarian and planning a big readathon event. However, she is thinking about moving and getting a job near her mom after the readathon is over.

When Peter and Petra announce they are getting married, Daphne tells Peter she is dating Miles. As I mentioned before, fake dating is one of my favorite tropes, and I liked seeing the connection between Daphne and Miles, especially because they are going through the same situation. I thought Funny Story is a great book, and it is one of my favorite Emily Henry books.

Available at Bookshop

Rate: 9/10

#1 Beach Read

Beach Read is the first adult fiction book Emily Henry published in 2020. In the book, January is a romance author. However, she has writer’s block after her father’s death and finding out he had an affair, along with her boyfriend ending their relationship. January’s father left her a beach house in his hometown, and she decides to visit. However, the neighbor turns out to be an author named Gus, who is a former rival from her university days. January and Gus make a bet to switch genres and see who can sell their book first. January has to write the next Great American Novel while Gus has to write romance.

From the start of the book, January has a lot to process. She believed in love and happy endings, but her father’s affair caused her to change her perspective. Gus is closed off and will not open up to January. You do learn more about Gus, and I liked the growing connection between him and January. To help with the writing process, January and Gus take each other on dates. January takes Gus on rom-com dates while Gus takes January to interview members who survived a death cult. The cult part is unexpected, but intriguing, and I loved seeing the rom-com dates. I enjoyed the ending of the book, and what makes Beach Read my favorite Emily Henry book is that even though I read it over a year ago, I still occasionally think about the plot today.

Available at Bookshop

Rate: 9/10

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Have you read any books by Emily Henry? Which one is your favorite?