Emily Henry Books in Order (2024)
Emily Henry is a fantastic and much loved writer who has published a number of romantic comedy books for adults. One of the many great things about her books is that they all stand alone, meaning that you can dip into them wherever you like and not commit to a lengthy series. Having said that, once you’ve read one, I guarantee that you’ll want to read them all!
In this post I’ll go through each of her books in publication order, explaining which I think you should read first.
1) Beach Read (2020)
Aspiring writers, Beach Read is the book for you. The story follows two authors as they work through their writer’s block by swapping genres. This is the synopsis:
“January is a hopeless romantic who narrates her life like she's the lead in a blockbuster movie. Gus is a serious literary type who thinks true love is a fairy-tale. But January and Gus have more in common than you'd think:
They're both broke.
They've got crippling writer's block.
And they need to write bestsellers before summer ends.
The result? A bet to swap genres and see who gets published first. The risk? In telling each other's stories, their worlds might be changed entirely...”
Fun Fact: This book actually has a different ending depending on whether you own the UK or US edition!
2) People We Meet On Vacation/ You And Me On Vacation (2021)
This one’s a bit confusing as the title differs depending on where you live. US readers will recognise People We Meet on Vacation and UK readers will know You and Me On Vacation - I know, how odd! You’ll want to read this one first if you enjoy novels that play around with time, and jump between years to build a fuller picture. Here’s the synopsis:
“12 YEARS AGO: Poppy and Alex meet. They hate each other, and are pretty confident they'll never speak again.
11 YEARS AGO: They're forced to share a ride home from college and by the end of it a friendship is formed. And a pact: every year, one vacation together.
10 YEARS AGO: Alex discovers his fear of flying on the way to Vancouver.
Poppy holds his hand the whole way.
7 YEARS AGO: They get far too drunk and narrowly avoid getting matching tattoos in New Orleans.
2 YEARS AGO: It all goes wrong.
THIS YEAR: Poppy asks Alex to join her on one last trip. A trip that will determine the rest of their lives.”
3) Book Lovers (2022)
If you’re interested in publishing and how the book industry works, then you need to start with this one. It features two book publishing professionals (an agent and an editor) in an enemies to lovers romance. You’ll love it! Here’s the synopsis:
“Nora is a cut-throat literary agent at the top of her game. Her whole life is books. Charlie is an editor with a gift for creating bestsellers. And he's Nora's work nemesis.
Nora has been through enough break-ups to know she's the one men date before finding their happy-ever-after. To prevent another dating dud, Nora's sister has persuaded her to swap her city desk for a month's holiday in Sunshine Falls. It's a small town straight out of a romance novel, but instead of meeting sexy lumberjacks, handsome doctors or cute bartenders, Nora keeps bumping into...Charlie. She's no heroine. He's no hero. So can they take a page out of an entirely different book?”
4) Happy Place (2023)
You’ll want to pick up this book first if you enjoy reading about found family, as well as romance. It’s an emotional read and definitely one of my favourites! This is the synopsis:
“Harriet and Wyn are the perfect couple - they go together like bread and butter, gin and tonic, Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds. Every year, they take a holiday from their lives to drink far too much wine with their favourite people in the world. Except this year, they are lying through their teeth, because Harriet and Wyn broke up six months ago. And they still haven't told anyone.
But the cottage is for sale so this is the last time they'll all be here together. They can't bear to break their best friends' hearts so they'll fake it for one more week. How can you pretend to be in love - and get away with it - in front of the people who know you best?”
5) Funny Story (2024)
Finally, this is the Emily Henry book you should read first if you’re going through a breakup. That’s because, you guessed it, it involves a breakup and getting back at your ex, and I think you’ll find it cathartic. Here’s the synopsis:
“Daphne always loved the way Peter told their story. That is until it became the prologue to his actual love story with his childhood bestie, Petra. Which is how Daphne ends up rooming with her total opposite and the only person who could possibly understand her predicament: Petra's ex, Miles.
As expected, it’s not a match made in heaven – that is until one night, while tossing back tequilas, they form a plan. And if it involves posting deliberately misleading photos of their adventures together, well, who could blame them? But it’s all just for show, of course, because there’s no way Daphne would actually start her new chapter by falling in love with her ex-fiancé’s new fiancée’s ex . . . right?”
Young Adult Books
A lesser known fact about Emily Henry is that she’s also written a number of books for young adults. The publication order and dates for these are as follows:
The Love That Split the World (2016)
A Million Junes (2017)
When the Sky Fell on Splendour (2019)
Hello Girls (2019)
There you have it - those are all of the Emily Henry books to date, although she’s such a prolific writer I’m sure we’ll have a new book to read soon! If you’re a fan, leave a comment and let me know which one is your favourite.
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