If you’re not an Emily Henry fan, you’re probably not aware of the great literary event happening on April 22nd. Great Big Beautiful Life, one of the most anticipated releases of the year, and Emily Henry’s ninth book will finally be available on shelves. If you’re an EmHen fan, you’ve probably taken the day off from all responsibilities and plan to spend a few hours devouring the book and swooning over her penchant for grumpy book boyfriends and witty banter.
The problem with an EmHen book is that they read so easy. They’re the book equivalent of a ice cream–sweet and delicious but gone before you know it.
And if you’re like me, you’re already mourning the ending before you’ve even started and looking for something to fill the void. I mean, you could read the book again. But what if you found another delectable story to dive into and get you out of the inevitable book slump you’ve fallen into?
To protect you against the inevitable book hangover, I’ve compiled a list of new releases you should read based on your favorite Emily Henry novel. It might even keep you busy for a bit until her new book is announced!
If your favorite Emily Henry book is The Love That Split The World, try Fable For The End of The World by Ava Reid:
The Love That Split The World is her debut so that just might make it your favorite Emily Henry book. Love is a bit different than her other books (it’s a YA novel, for starters) and is speculative (there’s time travel and parallel universes). There’s no capital R romance but the beautiful writing we’ve come to expect from her. Though it’s not an exact comparison, Fable For The End of the World by Ava Reid also features gorgeous writing the same way The Love That Split The World does. And if you’re drawn in by stories where love can save and heal (not just metaphorically but literally) than this one should be your next read!
Available now via HarperCollins. Order here.
If your favorite Emily Henry book is A Million Junes, try Kirby’s Lessons For Falling In Love by Laura Gao:
A Million Junes is Emily Henry’s second novel and another YA. It’s as magical and lovely and heartbreaking all the same. If this is your favorite Emily Henry book, you might be looking for something as moving and heartfelt as this. So I’m recommending Kirby’s Lessons For Falling In Love, a queer graphic novel that is as vulnerable, complex and beautiful as A Million Junes.
Available now via HarperAlley. Order here.
If your favorite Emily Henry book is Hello Girls (co-authored with Brittany Cavallaro), try How To Survive a Slasher by Justine Pucella Winans:
If you enjoy the dark comedy and suspense of Hello Girls, you might enjoy another story that is just as nail-biting and humorous. While How To Survive A Slasher is a horror, I think the will to survive and thrive that main characters Lucille and Winona share is similar to CJ’s own harrowing fight for survival.
Available now via Bloomsbury YA. Order here.
If your favorite Emily Henry book is When The Sky Fell On Splendor, try Why On Earth, edited by Vania Stoyanova and Rosie Thor:
When The Sky Fell On Splendor is another genre-bending YA from Henry. If you like the eerie cosmic vibes, you might like an anthology about alien teenagers on a mission to save their fellow crew member. Delightful and big-hearted, this is a fun choice for readers who like to lean into the more speculative fiction elements of Henry’s works.
On Sale now via Page Street Publishing. Order here.
If your favorite Emily Henry book is Beach Read, try Swept Away by Beth O’Leary:
If your favorite Emily Henry novel is Beach Read, you might love a forced proximity trope. I mean, who doesn’t? There’s just so much tension and conflict between two people stuck together in whatever scenario (like you’re stuck on a boat drifting off to sea or the terrible forced proximity of being neighbors). If this is your favorite trope, check out Beth O’Leary’s swoony new release Swept Away.
Available now via Berkley. Order here.
Bonus Rec: Myah Ariel’s forced proximity, celebrity and baseball star romance, No Ordinary Love.
If your favorite Emily Henry book is Book Lovers, try Any Trope But You by Victoria Lavine:
If you love that Book Lovers is (in Emily Henry’s own words) her “trope-iest book yet,” then you’ll love another rom-com bursting with tropes. And if you add to the fact that one of the leads in Any Trope But You is a romance author who keeps running into tropes with the grumpy Alaskan doctor turned hotel worker, you’ll find a lot to love with this debut.
Available now via Atria. Order here.
Bonus Rec: If you’re craving a rival to lovers romance like Book Lovers but want a little bit more intrigue, A Killer Getaway by Sienna Sharpe may be the perfect pick.
If your favorite Emily Henry book is Funny Story, try Story of My Life by Lucy Score:
If you love the cozy small town setting of Funny Story, you might be charmed by the small town at the heart of Story of My Life. Lucy Score’s author’s note even says the book is for readers that wanted to move to a fictional town. Sometimes setting is everything!
Available now via Bloom Books. Order here.
Bonus Recs: This might be a stretch but there’s a small town in Bridget Morrissey’s wonderful Anywhere You Go so if you’re looking for another cozy setting, you might find it here. Wild and Wrangled by Lyla Sage is another irresistible small town romance you should make sure is on your TBR!
If your favorite Emily Henry book is Happy Place, try Spiral by Bal Khabra:
Fake dating/relationship is one of my favorite tropes. I love when a couple realizes that the feelings they’ve been pretending to have are actually real. If you love Happy Place for that exact reason, you’ll need to try Spiral by Bal Khabra, a delightful sports romance really showcases all we love about the fake dating trope.
Bonus Rec: Once Smitten, Twice Shy by Chloe Liese has a fake dating trope and is a lovely Twelfth Night Retelling.
If your favorite book is People We Meet On Vacation, try First Time Caller by B.K. Borison:
If you’re down bad for a grump/sunshine and opposites attract romance and you ate up every bit of People We Meet On Vacation, then you’ll be overjoyed to know that First Time Caller by B.K. Borison is all about friends to lovers.
Available now via Berkley. Order here.
Bonus Recs: Flirting Lessons by Jasmine Guillory is a sapphic opposites attract romance that also features friends-to-lovers and is a sweet romance to enjoy this Spring.
Brianna Robinson is a book publicist and Sarah Lawrence College alum. She lives in New York with too many books and two enthusiastic dachshunds. You can find her on twitter @blrobins2.
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