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Verdict: A cosy, bookish slow burn for Austen fans: stood up by her boyfriend on a dream trip to Bath, Boston librarian Bennet befriends Austen-sceptic waitress Alice, and a transatlantic book swap turns into love. Readers praise the friendship, the banter and the duet audiobook; others found it long, slow to resolve Bennet’s sexuality and light on the promised book talk.
Best for: Jane Austen fans and readers who love long-distance friends to lovers.
Heat level: 🌶️🌶️
Rating: ★★★★☆ (3.9/5 — a 4.25 Goodreads average across 1,049 ratings, 3.93 on StoryGraph from 196 reviews, and 4.6 stars across 962 Amazon ratings)
Tropes: Friends to lovers, slow burn, bookish, long distance, “straight” girl realisation, low angst.
Book Lovers is T.B. Markinson and Miranda MacLeod’s 2025 contemporary lesbian romance. Librarian Bennet Webb’s trip to Bath for Jane Austen’s 250th birthday was meant to end with a proposal from her longtime boyfriend. Instead, she is there alone.
It holds a 4.25 average across 1,049 Goodreads ratings, with 82% of them four or five stars, 3.93 on StoryGraph from 196 reviews, and 4.6 stars across 962 Amazon ratings.
What Is Book Lovers About?
Alice Higgins is a waitress by day, aspiring novelist by night and sworn enemy of all things Austen. When a flustered American tourist stumbles into her restaurant, she starts to reconsider.
The two strike up a transatlantic book swap — Alice reads Bennet’s classics, Bennet tries Alice’s contemporary picks — and the connection deepens with every page.
What Works in This Book
- Friends to lovers: Readers find the slow build authentic and the feelings genuine.
- Austen and Bath: Austen fans enjoy the setting and literary background.
- Banter: Readers call it witty and funny, with lovable, quirky leads.
- Audiobook: Lori Prince and Marisa Calin’s duet narration won listeners over; one bumped up their rating for it.
Book Synopsis
An Austen-loving librarian and an Austen-hating waitress become transatlantic book buddies.
Could the love stories they share lead to their own?
My Review
Longtime fans of the duo call this one of their best, heartfelt and laugh-out-loud funny, with a good chunk of on-page happiness at the end. It is a gentle, warm comfort read.
The reservations are real. One reader found Bennet insisting she was straight until 72% a long wait, another felt the slow burn was filled with time jumps rather than pining, and one said it dragged at the end. One reader found the book-swap premise barely used and the whole thing silly, and another DNF’d for lack of stakes.
My honest note: Best for Austen lovers with patience for a long build.
| Element | In Book Lovers |
|---|---|
| Central relationship | Bennet Webb (Boston librarian) & Alice Higgins (Bath waitress and aspiring novelist) |
| Core tropes | Friends to lovers, slow burn, long distance |
| Setting | Bath, England, and Boston |
| Heat level | 🌶️🌶️ |
| Length | 380 pages (Kindle listing) |
| Series | Standalone |
| Content notes | Emotional abuse, fatphobia, misogyny (StoryGraph) |
How Spicy Is Book Lovers?
Moderately, once the couple finally gets together.
StoryGraph users flag emotional abuse, fatphobia and misogyny.
Who Should Read This Book?
You’ll likely love it if: you want a bookish, cosy slow burn. It is on our cozy lesbian romance list.
You may want to skip it if: long “is she straight?” arcs frustrate you.
In short: Pride, prejudice and a book swap.
What Readers Are Actually Saying (September 2026)
On Goodreads the split is 46% five stars, 36% four, 13% three, 3% two and under 1% one. On StoryGraph, 80% tagged it lighthearted and 70% funny.
Why readers love it (according to the discourse): The friendship first. Second, Austen. Third, banter. Fourth, the audiobook.
What readers argue about and complain about: Pacing and length, above everything. Second, Bennet’s late realisation. Third, a thin book-swap premise.
The comparison worth making first: The duo’s The Love Project, another slow burn.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this the Emily Henry book?
No. This Book Lovers is a 2025 sapphic romance by T.B. Markinson and Miranda MacLeod, unrelated to Emily Henry’s novel of the same name.
Is Book Lovers a slow burn?
Yes. It is a slow-burn friends to lovers; one reader notes Bennet believes she is straight until about 72% of the way through.
Does it have a happy ending?
Yes — and one reader loved that the happiness gets real page time, not just a one-chapter epilogue.
How spicy is Book Lovers?
Moderate. Once the couple gets together, readers say things turn flirty and sexy.
Is Book Lovers on Kindle Unlimited?
Yes, when we checked. Lori Prince and Marisa Calin narrate the audiobook duet-style.
If You Loved Book Lovers, Read These Next
Try The Love Project or Two of a Kind. Browse our cozy list or the full Book Reviews archive.
The Bottom Line
Book Lovers sets out to be a warm, bookish friends-to-lovers romance, and fans say it is one of the duo’s best. What holds it back is a long, slow middle. Recommended for Austen fans. Check Book Lovers on Amazon →
The Eikna Overall Ranking
On the Eikna scale, Book Lovers ranks as a good cosy romance — bookish, slow.
The Evidence Scorecard
Overall ★★★★☆ 3.9/5
- ✓ 4.25 average across 1,049 Goodreads ratings
- ✓ 82% of Goodreads ratings are four or five stars
- ✓ 3.93 on StoryGraph from 196 reviews
- ✓ 4.6 stars across 962 Amazon ratings
Romance ★★★★☆ 3.7/5
- ✓ Friends to lovers
- ✓ Authentic feelings
- ✓ Late realisation
- ✓ Time jumps for one
Characters ★★★★☆ 3.9/5
- ✓ Endearing Bennet
- ✓ Witty Alice
- ✓ Quirky
- ✓ Immature at first for one
Writing ★★★★☆ 3.7/5
- ✓ Witty
- ✓ Austen detail
- ✓ Long
- ✓ Drags for some
Emotional Impact ★★★★☆ 3.7/5
- ✓ Tagged funny by 70%
- ✓ Heartfelt
- ✓ Low angst
- ✓ Low stakes for one
Heat Level ★★★☆☆ 3/5
- ✓ Flirty and sexy
- ✓ Moderate
- ✓ Late
- ✓ Adult
Ending ★★★★☆ 4.1/5
- ✓ HEA
- ✓ On-page happiness
- ✓ Warm
- ✓ Earned
Re-read Value ★★★★☆ 3.9/5
- ✓ On Kindle Unlimited
- ✓ Duet audiobook
- ✓ Austen comfort
- ✓ 380 pages
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