Emily Henry

Emily Henry (born May 17, 1991) is an American romance author whose work has made her the most decorated author in the history of the Goodreads Choice Awards for Romance. Raised in Ohio and Kentucky, she attended Hope College in Holland, Michigan on a creative writing scholarship, where she initially intended to major in dance before discovering her passion for writing. She also completed a writing residency at the New York Center for Art & Media Studies. Henry began her career writing young adult fiction, with her debut The Love That Split the World published in 2016. Her transition to adult romance began with Beach Read (2020), which became a phenomenon on BookTok and social media. People We Meet on Vacation (2021), Book Lovers (2022), Happy Place (2023), Funny Story (2024), and Great Big Beautiful Life (2025) followed, with each title becoming a New York Times bestseller. As of 2023, she had sold more than 2.4 million books collectively. Henry won the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Romance five consecutive years, from 2021 through 2025, an unprecedented streak. Her novels are known for their witty dialogue, emotionally intelligent characterization, and sophisticated explorations of adult relationships, friendship, and creative ambition. Critics often describe her work as elevating the romance genre through literary sensibility without sacrificing reader enjoyment. She lives and writes in Cincinnati, Ohio and Northern Kentucky.