Learn how to read Emily Henry’s books in order of age rating and your personal preference. I’ve read all her adult romance novels and share the full list (from her Young Adult beginnings), the plots, my reviews, reading tips, and more. You’ll also get a printable PDF checklist to track your reading. Let’s get literary!
Emily Henry Books in Order
Young Adult Novels (Ages 12+)
- The Love That Split the World (2016)
- A Million Junes (2017)
- When the Sky Fell on Splendor (2019)
- Hello Girls (2019; co-written by Brittany Cavallaro)
Adult Romance Novels (Ages 18+)
- Beach Read (2020)
- The People We Meet on Vacation (2021)
- Book Lovers (2022)
- Happy Place (2023)
- Funny Story (2024)
- Great Big Beautiful Life (April 22, 2025)
See my ranking of Emily Henry books.
Reading Tips
WHERE TO START: Adults should start with Beach Read, both because it was Emily Henry’s first adult romance novel and because it remains one of her most beloved books to date. Young Adults can start with any of her age appropriate books.
READING ORDER: All of Emily Henry’s books are standalone novels with no connection as a series. They can be read in any order.
SPICE LEVEL: Emily Henry includes spicy scenes in her adult romance books. They are usually moderately spicy. The characters and the plot are front and center, but you can always expect some steam between them. Her Young Adult books are appropriate for ages 12+.
AUDIOBOOKS: All of Emily Henry’s adult audiobooks and two of her Young Adult audiobooks are narrated by beloved narrator, Julia Whelan. She’s a favorite of mine and readers generally, so these books work especially well on audio.
Plot Summaries
The Love That Split the World (2016)
The Love That Split the World is set in a small Kentucky town where Natalie is savoring her last summer before adulthood.
She begins experiencing strange visions– her town even mysteriously vanishes for hours. She encounters an apparition she calls “Grandmother,” who delivers an urgent message: “You have three months to save him.”
As the summer unfolds, Natalie meets Beau under the lights of the school’s football field, and the world around them fades away.
A Million Junes (2017)
A Million Junes takes place in the small town of Five Fingers, Michigan, where two families, the O’Donnells and the Angerts, are in a century-old feud of mysterious origins.
Eighteen-year-old Jack “June” O’Donnell believes that O’Donnells should never associate with Angerts. However, the return of the gruff and witty Saul Angert changes things. She unexpectedly connects with him as his presence triggers a series of events intertwined with the town’s magical elements.
This reveals long-buried truths about the feud and June’s family’s history. She must confront her loyalty and decide whether to break free from tradition.
When the Sky Fell on Splendor (2019)
When the Sky Fell on Splendor takes place in the small town of Splendor, Ohio, where a devastating explosion at the local steel mill has left a mark on the community.
Seventeen-year-old Franny, grappling with her brother’s coma, finds comfort in her group of friends, known as The Ordinary. They dive into local ghost stories and legends, documenting their adventures for their small YouTube audience.
But then, they start experiencing unexpected powers following the cosmic fallout from the explosion. As they navigate these new abilities, they must confront the supernatural and emotional turmoil that binds them.
Hello Girls (2019; co-written by Brittany Cavallaro)
Hello Girls follows Winona and Lucille, who decide to break free from the men in their lives. Winona’s father is an abusive celebrity weatherman, so she hides behind the appearance of perfection. Meanwhile, Lucille grapples with the demands of her mother and her drug-dealing brother.
After a life-altering night, they aim to escape their small Michigan town for Chicago, needing quick cash and a stolen convertible to make it happen. They must find strength to confront the challenges that have held them back.
Beach Read (2020)
Beach Read is the story of two different writers: January, a bestselling romance writer who has stopped believing in love, and Augustus, an acclaimed literary fiction author.
As they spend three summer months at neighboring beach houses, they challenge each other to beat their writer’s block by writing something different. Augustus will write something upbeat, and January will write a great American novel.
To help each other achieve their goals, January takes Augustus on romantic field trips, and he takes her to interview surviving members of a backwoods death cult.
Meanwhile, they both also must cope with painful pasts and the fact that they are falling for each other.
The People We Meet on Vacation (2021)
The People We Meet on Vacation is about two very different best friends from college: Poppy, a wild child in the big city, and Alex, a buttoned-up introvert in a small town.
Two years earlier, they ruined everything and haven’t spoken since. However, Poppy feels stuck in the wrong life and reaches out to convince Alex to take one more summer vacation together– their tradition. She has one week to think about their last ten years and how to fix everything.
Book Lovers (2022)
In Book Lovers, Nora is a cutthroat literary agent. But, when her beloved little sister, Libby, asks her to take a sister’s trip to the small town of Sunshine Falls, North Carolina, she agrees.
There, she keeps bumping into Charlie Lastra, the book editor from back in the city who she loves to hate.
They both have a lot of personal and family baggage to unpack. Together, they begin to unravel the carefully crafted stories they’ve written about themselves.
Happy Place (2023)
In Happy Place, Harriet and Wyn were the perfect couple. They have broken up but are pretending otherwise for their annual Maine vacation with friends.
They play their parts as the week progresses. They are forced to figure out how it really feels to pretend to love each other, all while exploring how they got to this point.
Funny Story (2024)
In Funny Story, librarian Daphne relocates after her fiancé, Peter, falls for his childhood friend, Petra. She becomes roommates with Petra’s ex, Miles, an impulsive music lover.
An odd “couple” at first, they strike a friendship and an unexpected romance while they grieve their prior relationships.
Great Big Beautiful Life (2025)
From the publisher, per People:
“Alice Scott is an eternal optimist still dreaming of her big writing break. Hayden Anderson is a Pulitzer-prize winning human thundercloud,” the description teases. “And they’re both on balmy Little Crescent Island for the same reason: To write the biography of a woman no one has seen in years — or at least to meet with the octogenarian who claims to be the Margaret Ives.”
Who’s Margaret Ives, you ask? The “tragic heiress, former tabloid princess and daughter of one of the most storied (and scandalous) families of the 20th Century,” offers both Alice and Hayden a chance to write her story — but only after and a one-month trial period to prove themselves worthy of the gig.
When the time is up, Margaret will choose who gets to tell her story.
[…]
“And it’s becoming abundantly clear that their story — just like the tale Margaret’s spinning — could be a mystery, tragedy or love ballad … depending on who’s telling it.”
Emily Henry Books to Movies
All five of Emily Henry’s published adult romance novels are set to be adapted. Below are updated details on what we know so far about each one:
Beach Read: Yulin Kuang (author of How to End a Love Story) will adapt it to film and is the director.
The People We Meet on Vacation: Brett Haley (Looking for Alaska, All the Bright Places) is the director. Yulin Kuang is adapting the screenplay. The cast includes Tom Blyth (The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes), Emily Bader (My Lady Jane), Sarah Catherine Hook (The White Lotus), Jameela Jamil (The Good Place), Lucien Laviscount (Emily in Paris), and Lukas Gage (Smile 2).
Book Lovers: Sarah Heyways (Girls) will adapt it as a feature film.
Happy Place: Optioned as a TV series by Jennifer Lopez for Netflix. The showrunner is Leila Cohan (Bridgerton).
Funny Story: Emily Henry will adapt it to film.
About Author Emily Henry
about
Emily Henry is one of the most famous authors today. She studied at Hope College and the New York Center for Art & Media Studies (part of Bethel University).
Previously, beginning in 2016, Emily Henry wrote Young Adult novels. Since 2020, she has written for adults. Today, she is a #1 New York Times bestselling author of several modern adult romance novels, known for sharp and witty dialogue.
Henry lives and writes in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Kentucky.
Printable PDF Checklist
EMILY HENRY BOOK LIST
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Recap
You do not have to read Emily Henry’s books in order. They are all standalone novels that can be read in any order. However, you may wish to pick your next Emily Henry read based on age rating, since she started her career as a Young Adult author and now writes adult romance novels.
START HERE
- I recommend that adults start with Beach Read because it was Emily Henry’s first adult romance novel and because it remains one of her most beloved books to date.
- Young Adults can start with any of her age-appropriate books.
Books and Authors Like Emily Henry
If you like Emily Henry, then read the books of other popular modern romance authors, such as:
remember, it’s a good day to read a book. – jules
