Nicolena Reads

Read April 2026

If you’ve been here long enough, you know Emily Henry is basically an automatic read for me. Do I get to them right when they’re published? Not usually, LOL. But if she writes it, I’m probably going to read it at some point. When my library hold on this one came up, I obviously downloaded it on my Kindle and went in with pretty high expectations.

What is it about? 

Alice is a writer who’s trying to make a name for herself and gets the opportunity of a lifetime when she’s invited to interview Margaret Ives, a reclusive former heiress with a complicated family history. Alice knows Margaret has a story worth telling, but she isn’t the only writer who knows it. She has to compete for Margaret’s attention and the chance to tell the story herself. Alice is determined to prove she belongs, even if she’s not entirely sure she believes it herself.

Hayes is a Pulitzer-winning author who is also after Margaret’s story, which immediately puts him in direct competition with Alice. He’s cold and has no interest in softening up for the competition, if you can even call Alice that. He knows he’s the better writer and isn’t trying to get distracted from the reason he’s there. The only problem is, you can only turn down a girl with a cup of coffee so many times before you have to admit she’s growing on you.

What does it have?

• Enemies-ish to Lovers
• Story Within a Story
• Professional Rivalry 
• Can I Skip This Part?

Henry has a way of touching on aspects of human relationships that always gets me thinking and highlighting. I find myself relating to more than one thing, and that may be what keeps bringing me back to her books. I don’t have to relate to the entire narrative, or even parts of it, but when there’s a piece I connect with, then I want more. When one of them narrates, “Fact: I have never played it cool in my life,” I was like wow cool, yeah, me too. I’m the most chalant person you’ll meet.

Is it worth reading?

I think so. If you like Emily Henry, you’ll probably like this one. It’s not my favorite of hers (I definitely skipped a lot of the Margaret parts, so sue me!), but I still enjoyed it.