#pwmov reading

[spideyhexx]

the rest of my pwmov notes <3

Chapter 33

“Bernard, Alex whispers one night, might be god, and I snort into my white one.”

SLIPPING HIS HAND AROUND HER NECK?

The drunk falling to the floor together oh my god

Too many wine

OF COURSE HES WEARING A BELT

oh my god though the whole lead up to the way they kiss…his hand in her hair and tilting their heads oh my god like I said before emhen knows how to write a good lead up to a kiss

“Ten years of friendship flushed down the drain just so I could know what Alex Nilsen tastes like.”

Yk you guys would’ve had this solved if you just talked

Chapter 34

Oh poppy :( it’s actually so heartwarming to see she actually went to therapy

Chapter 35

Her parents are so sweet :(

Schools not out until two thirty I STARTED TEARING

Sarah being so nice about it :( unexpected but yk what refreshing

“I’ll help you take down wallpaper I hate taking down wallpaper.” CRY

I want to punch Alex

Chapter 36

Oh Alex :( oh no THEY BOTH WENT TO THERAPY

oh he’s so afraid to just be in love cause he loves so much and cares so much oh no :( he’s overthinking the future

Men crying >

Epilogue

“Like a vacation you don’t have to go home from.”

^^ I was sobbing at this idc how cliche it is

Down to the bones!

[calming-chaos]

[milliesfishes]

Please feel free to ignore this if you don’t want to do it!! But I saw some people requesting you write for Alex from pwmov and I got excited because no one writes for him and with Tom getting cast I have fallen in love with him again! Maybe something like when reader sees him looking at programs in her city, sort of like the scenario that actually happened in the book. Or killing time during a monsoon like at the beginning of the trip in the book where it doesn’t stop raining the whole week!

⋆౨ৎyou and alex on a rainy day⋆౨ৎ fem reader x alex nilsen

Pounding at the window, the rain beat a steady rhythm, almost musical with its continuation. Thunder rumbled like a growling stomach, seeming to war with itself. The noise was nearly shaking the building, lights flickering precariously as the power threatened to give out under the weight of the storm.

You sighed, setting your book down. It was the third re-read this week, and you were getting tired of the premise despite it being one of your favorites. Turning your head, you saw that Alex had already given up, his own reading material sitting to the side of his thigh. It was rare for him to grow weary with books, which is how you knew the weather was wearing down on him too.

Rolling over on your stomach, you glanced up at him. "Do you think the rain will let up soon?"

A boom of thunder responded, the sky outside your window lighting up with a prickly finger of lightning.

"Think that's a no," he responded, turning his head and giving you a pointed look.

"Who knew it was possible for it to rain this much?" you groaned, burying your face in the mattress of your bed. It had been sunny for exactly half a day before the torrential rain that locals assured you wasn't due for another month ruined any other pursuits. It was a beach vacation for goodness' sakes. Every activity you'd planned had been outside.

"We checked all the reports before we flew in," Alex shrugged, his head lulling back against the headboard. One of his hands had absentmindedly crawled over to yours, playing with your fingers as he was wont to do. "There wasn't anything else to do."

"They lied to us." Your words were muffled by the mattress, and Alex's chuckle rang out as he tugged on your hand, forcing you to look up.

He raised his eyebrows. "The highly skilled meteorologists lied to us?"

"Uh huh." Your response was accompanied deep nod, glasses sliding down your nose. With a smile, he lifted a finger and pushed them right back up the bridge, securing them and earning a scrunch-nosed smile from you. Alex shifted in his spot, sitting up straighter, patting his lap. "C'mere baby."

You obliged him immediately, crawling over from your side to straddle his thighs and rest your head on his shoulder. He held you securely with a hand on your back, grazing up and down the bumps of your spine. "It's okay. We can find something else to do?"

Pulling back, you nudged your nose against his once. "Like what?"

He hummed, fingers thrumming on your back. You could practically hear the low buzz of his thoughts scrambling around in his head. Then a lightbulb seemed to go off, something lighting in his eyes. "We could watch a movie. I don't think we've done that all week."

"How didn't we think of that?" you mock gasped, wrapping your arms around his neck.

"Between all the reading and card games and trying to go to the beach and failing I think it may have slipped our minds." He furrowed his brow playfully at you, triggering a smile turning up on your face like a half-moon. "And my morning runs."

"Hmm, think your hair still wet from today's," you giggled, reaching up and ruffling it. He grinned, nudging his head against your hand like a cat. "Anyways, that sounds nice. Is your laptop charged?"

Alex gave you another look. "Of course it is."

You removed yourself from his lap, grabbing one of the blankets you'd brought and spreading it over your thighs, fluffing out the end corners to they reached your heels. Alex was typing furiously on his laptop, seemingly searching for something. He made an aha! face, turning the screen around so you could see. "How's this sound?"

It was an old black and white movie from the fifties that you adored and he knew you did. Clapping your hands once in excitement, you nodded enthusiastically, nearly bouncing in place. "Yes!"

Your smile must have been contagious because his that you loved so dearly was making another appearance as he situated the laptop at the edge of the bed, pressing the space bar with a soft click. The twinkly opening music started up, and he shifted back over to you, pulling your legs over his and twining an arm around your waist.

The chances of him falling asleep halfway in were more than likely, but you were grateful he put in the effort to set things up for you anyways. That was Alex's way. He was more thoughtful than most, and caring for his girl came first, even before his own needs.

Flickering hotel lights abound, you stayed cuddled under his arm as the movie progressed, making you laugh at different intervals, in turn coaxing one out of him too. He pressed a kiss to your hair during the first romantic scene, and you smiled, snuggling against his chest.

Alex lasted longer than you thought he would- his breathing grew faint with sleep around the last stretch, cheek leaning on your head. When the movie ended, you reached out with your foot, carefully closing the laptop screen without disturbing it or him, staying pressed right to his chest.

Closing your eyes you allowed yourself to drift off too, the rain stuttering the same way as his heart under your ear.

[lostboybarnes]

the way i could talk about emily henry books for days. happy place ruined my life. beach read had me inconsolable. funny story took me by the heart. people we meet on vacation changed me. book lovers was a personal attack.

i just love her so much.

[backgroundagent3]

My Emily Henry Rankings

@brekker-by-brekkerr you asked here if I had a ranking of the Emily Henry books and couples, so after way too long, here's my opinions, along with some really bad explanations. <3 Spoilers ahead!!

Books:

Happy Place. This was the first Emily Henry book I read, and the first book that ever made me cry. Harriet was so relatable, and it was probably my favourite setting out of the four books. The characters were all so interesting, and they had such a great dynamic. I love the found family trope, and she absolutely nailed it.

Book Lovers. I loved the plot so much, and Nora was also so relatable in a different way. I loved how even though she isn't perfect, she doesn't have to change and give up her job to get what she wants. Her relationship with Libby reminded me a lot of me and my sister, which was so nice to read about.

People We Meet On Vacation. I really liked the structure of this book, and I think it made the reveal so much better. I also loved reading about all the places they went to.

Beach Read. I loved this book so much, so the only reason it's ranked in last place is because I somehow loved the other ones even more. The plot felt a little slower, but I think that has a lot to do with the fact that I only managed to read about 5 minutes a day.

Couples:

These were much easier to rank for some reason.

Nora and Charlie. I just love them so much, I don't even know what to say. I love how they respect each other's choices and make their decisions according to what they want/need, not what the other one wants. I usually really like the quiet, more mature relationships where they know they love each other without needing to shout it from the rooftops.

January and Gus. I though the way they learned to communicate without pushing each other was really sweet, even if it led to some misunderstandings. Enemies to lovers is always great, especially if one if then doesn't even realize they were never actually enemies.

Harriet and Wyn. I was a little annoyed at Wyn for most of the book to be honest, and so frustrated with their miscommunication. That's not to say I didn't like them. I think they were so sweet and had some of my favourite lines.

Poppy and Alex. Again with the terrible communication skills. I get that it's an important trope for the genre and it made sense in this book, but I'm a very impatient person. I did love how well they know and understand each other, but I think I preferred the scenes when they were just friends.

I'm also going to do main characters, because why not:

Nora Stephens.

Harriet Kilpatrick.

January Andrews.

Poppy Wright.

The reasoning here is purely relatability. I can see a bit of myself in all four of them, but some more than others. As I was writing this I realised the ones at the top I find relatable because of more negative things, like my insecurities, or qualities I have that I don't like. I share a lot of qualities with the ones at the bottom, but at the end of the day, I like reading about people who share my struggles and doubts because it's comforting to know I'm not alone. I don't know if this makes any sense, but it was very interesting in my head.

So anyways, these are my opinions. How would you rank them?

[jakeperalta]

is emily Henry’s people we meet on vacation called you and me on vacation in the uk??? 😮

yes! I have no idea why, surely if they were trying to make it more uk-friendly they'd change the word vacation? maybe they wanted to be sure people knew it wasn't just about a holiday romance??

her publishers clearly think uk and usa audiences want very different things though. there's the different title and all the different covers obviously, plus in the uk edition alex doesn't have a vasectomy whereas in the usa edition he does?? (this shocked me to learn lol). also beach read has a different ending here. wild!

[youareinlove]

i had to dnf people we meet on vacation, loved beach read tho!

WHAT? presley bestie ily but HOW (like genuinely what did you not love about people we meet on vacation i found it excellent). beach read is miles better though

[mlybrnte]

“I sit on the edge of the bed, feeling the loneliness swell, not knowing whether it's pressing against me from the outside or growing from within. either way, it's inescapable, my oldest companion.”

― Emily Henry, Happy Place

as a girl in her 20s, this was both painful and nourishing.

[llamasaysrandomstuff]

emily henry has a way of publishing books with characters whose problems surprisingly align with mine. every. single. time.

[spideyhexx]

kinda need them to do the scene in pwmov where alex elbows poppy in the face on the plane

[reputayswift]

How’d you like Funny Story? I loved it! If you’re looking for summery non-romance, I just finished The Unwedding by Ally Condie. It’s a fresh-take on ‘murder mystery’ that I really enjoyed!

Coming back to this now that I’ve finished Funny Story: I actually was pleasantly surprised! After Happy Place I thought I was kind of Emily Henry’d out, but she had some fun twists towards the end and did a good job exploring the awkwardness (and social media-related horror) that comes with ending a relationship that’s deeply entwined with your social life. The side characters also felt a little more developed than they have in some of her other books and Daphne’s dedication to her library job was so sweet :’) And I enjoyed Miles a lot more than I was expecting (thanks in no small part to me picturing Nick Miller lol). AND I was vacationing in the area she based Waning Bay on when I started reading, so extra points for that!

Just read the blurb for that one and I’m interested! Getting a lot of mystery recs and I love that 🙂‍↕️🫶

[milliesfishes]

⋆౨ৎyou're alone on halloween and alex comes to see you⋆౨ৎ fem reader x alex nilsen

Swiping the wand over your lashes, your eyes fell to your phone when it buzzed on the counter. Alex was trying to call you. Ignoring it, you leaned forward in the mirror to get a better look at the state of your makeup. Fish purred contentedly by the sink, lifting his chin in a kitty smile when you looked at him.

It was always hard spending a holiday away from Alex, even if it was a minor one. You always took the major holidays together, like Christmas or Thanksgiving, but you longed for the simple pleasures of fun ones like Halloween. All your friends were bringing their boyfriends to the party tonight in coordinating costumes while you were stuck with your solo act.

Maybe if Alex was here you would have done something cute from a movie you both liked. But since he wasn't, you had gone generic, donning a short white dress and angel wings. Staring at your reflection, you capped your mascara, shoulders slumping a little. You felt pretty. You'd look good in whatever pictures your friends posted tomorrow. But the ache in your chest was apparent, and you wished with all your heart that he was with you.

The two of you had talked about him maybe relocating to the city when you'd first accepted this job a few years ago, but nothing had come of it until this past spring. You both agreed that he should spend at least another school year in Linfield and maybe start looking for teaching jobs this winter so he could move right after school ended. You were so excited at the prospect of him coming to live with you finally after missing him so often for so long.

That still didn't make days like today any less hard.

Your phone buzzed with another text from Alex, but you didn't bother to read it. In a minute you would FaceTime and show him your costume and the little bow you'd put around Fish's neck. He would let you see Flannery O' Conner, Fish's littermate, and probably tell you he would be staying in tonight.

Petting Fish, you smiled a little sadly when he stood, rubbing his head on your side. You and Alex had gotten your cats together, picking them out at the town shelter. Fish was a tie to the man you loved in that way, and you were grateful for it.

There was a knock at the door, and you called, "It's unlocked, come in!" It was probably Jules here with the Uber. She was early.

Deciding to find a quiet-ish place at the party to call Alex in, you picked up your phone and gave Fish one last pat, trailing from the bathroom to the kitchen and living room. Your white heels were sitting by the couch, and you internally debated the logistics of bringing a purse before you realized who was standing in front of the door. Not Jules.

Alex grinned at you, somehow more handsome than when you'd seen him last. His hair was a little messy, and he looked a little tired. But he was here. "Hi baby."

Your mouth fell open, and you hurtled toward him, crashing into his open arms as he dropped his carry-on and squeezed you tight, lifting you off your feet. You'd told him a thousand times not to do that because of his bad back, but today you shelved your concerns. His clean scent filled your nose as you buried your face in his chest. "You're here...how are you here?"

"It's amazing what they're doing with teleportation these days." You lifted your head up, raising your eyebrows and meeting his eyes. He smiled, thumbing the side of your cheek. "I took today and tomorrow off. Decided to take a long weekend and come see you."

You giggled, almost in disbelief. wrapping your arms around his neck. "You did all that for me?"

"I missed you." Alex pressed his lips to your forehead, leaning down and catching your mouth in a kiss as sweet as candy corn. "Missed my girl."

Tummy fluttering from both his words and his lips, you squealed lightly, hugging him tight again. "I'm so happy you're here."

Pushing you back just a bit, Alex's eyes roamed over your body, your dress. "You look sexy. Were you going somewhere?"

"A party," you mused, staring up into his eyes, your previous plans already nearly forgotten. "But now that you're here...I'm not going anywhere."

He gave you a look. "We can still go. You got ready and everything and you look gorgeous-"

Reaching up, you kissed him needily, effectively silencing his protests. Losing yourself in his touch, you nudged your nose against his. "I wanna do something else."

He slipped off his shoes as he kissed you, letting you walk him over to the couch and push him gently to sit down. The grin on his face hadn't faltered once for the time he'd been there. When you began to take off your angel wings, he sat up, reaching out. "Wait, wait. Did you take any pictures in your costume?"

You shook your head, a little dazed, mind clouded around everything except him. Alex reached into his pocket and pulled his phone out, using his hands on your hips to scoot you backwards a bit. Flopping back on the sofa, he swiped right on the screen and pointed it at you, the shutter clicking. Over and over you'd teased him for not turning off the phone's standard device sounds.

After a few seconds of posing, you gravitated back towards him, sitting on his lap despite his protests. "Just a few more...okay." You were already cuddling into his chest, your wings poking his arm. Looking up with puppy dog eyes, your cheek squished his shoulder. He sighed, smiling and setting a palm on your other cheek. One final click of the camera was heard as you smiled adoringly up at him.

Tossing the phone aside, Alex settled his hands on your hips, giving you a fond look. He rubbed you gently, and you melted under his touch.

Remembering what you'd wanted before, you stood from his lap and slipped off your wings, setting them on a nearby chair. Letting his arms rest on the back of the couch, Alex shifted so he was sitting up straighter, grinning. "Whatcha doing babe?"

"I was gonna send you a picture later," you smiled, slipping one strap of your dress over your shoulder. He watched, almost entranced, as you removed the other one, beginning to shimmy the fabric down your chest and over your knees. His eyes widened as you kicked the dress aside, smoothing your hair behind your shoulders.

Your lingerie was white and lacy, hugging your body and effectively stunning your boyfriend. He wordlessly reached for you, hands glued to your hips as he pulled you right down into his lap again. "Baby..."

Sliding his hand to your breast, you kissed him lovingly, pressing yourself against him. Alex kneaded your hips, hands sliding over your bottom and tugging you into him.

His lips ebbed and flowed over your skin in the way you'd missed so desperately, and you tangled your hand in his hair. It'd been nearly a month since you'd seen him last, felt him like this. He shifted you off his lap so you were sitting beside him. You were about to protest, when he knelt in front of you, pulling your legs over his shoulders.

When your phone buzzed on the coffee table, you reached for it, seeing the text from Jules. She was on her way. Alex frowned, squeezing your thigh. "Baby."

"Hold on, I need to tell her I'm not going tonight." You tapped out the text quickly, using more abbreviations than usual.

Alex pressed his mouth to your thigh, still pouting. "You weren't so eager to respond to my texts."

"I was going to call you," you giggled, hitting send and putting your phone back on the table. "And show you my costume."

"Hmm." Alex kissed your knee, dipping back down between your legs.

It was dark when the two of you finally stopped, trying to catch your breath, skin sticking to one another. He kissed your forehead, reaching for his boxers and tugging them on. Taking the blanket from over the arm of the couch, Alex unfolded it, spreading it over your body before getting to his feet.

He went to the carry-on bag that he'd abandoned earlier, kneeling and unzipping the top. You sat up sleepily, holding the blanket to your chest. "Did you bring more sweatshirts?"

Alex threw a smile back at you. "You don't have enough of my clothes?" But he tugged out what he was looking for, holding the maroon sweatshirt up triumphantly. "I'll have to borrow one of the others I've left here."

With an excited squeak, you sat up, making grabby hands. He laughed, bunching up the sweatshirt in his hands. "Lift your arms, baby."

You did, smiling wide as he pulled the neck opening over your head and adjusted it over your bare body. He gave you a loving peck on the nose, leaving for your bedroom to find a sweatshirt of his own. The one you were wearing was an old one from college that was soft and cozy on the inside.

He returned in a forest green one, smiling and diving into the couch, taking you into his arms. Pressing warm kisses to your neck, Alex nuzzled there, murmuring, "You're so pretty."

"Wanna put on a movie?" you murmured, rubbing his chest.

Alex nodded, kissing your cheek. "Scary?" You scrunched up your face, and he laughed. "Alright. Not scary. I'll pick a Halloween movie though."

Remote in one hand, Alex kept you cuddled close with his other arm, kissing your hair as he flipped through movie options, selecting one of your favorites. You were pleased when his other arm slid around you as the opening credits began. Fish found his way over, jumping on the couch and purring as he settled into Alex's lap. It seemed you weren't the only one who'd missed him.

Every second with him you soaked up, reveling in his warmth. As the movie played, you talked softly about everything and nothing, the stupid little things you always wanted to tell him but felt strange doing when he wasn't physically here.

You knew eventually you would have to escape your bubble, find a way to say goodbye until the next time. But for now you were content in his arms, able to pretend that he would never leave.

tagging @kellielovesmovies because <3

[anonynaomi]

what does J Lo know about the Emily Henry Cinematic Universe pls (controversial opinion: at least it’s Happy Place aka my least fav EH book)

and WHEN will we hear about the other THREE movies BEFORE this??!!!??

[lucygxybaird]

you asked me who i was, and--it was like the answer came out of nowhere. sometimes it feels like i didn't even exist before that. like you invented me.

AND THEN HE CARRIES HER DOWN A MOUNTAIN BECAUSE SHE SPRAINED HER ANKLE???

this is why i'm exclusively attracted to fictional men because no real man could or would ever

[backgroundagent3]

i saw that you finished book lovers and pwmov!! that's so exciting!! what are your thoughts? do you have a favorite so far??

I did!! Omg I loved them so much, I can't get over the way this woman writes, like they were literally perfect?? Out of the two my favourite is Book Lovers, I don't think I will ever get over it. It's definitely got my favourite ship out of all of them, and I thought Nora was so relatable in kind of the opposite way that Harriet was. Loved the main characters so much, and the plot is amazing, when you think you know how something's gonna go down suddenly something else happens that is so much better than anything I could have imagined. I generally love the plot twists in her books, I feel like maybe they aren't exactly what I wanted but 100% what I needed to read, if that makes any sense. I also loved pwmov because best friends to lovers is one of my favourite tropes, and I love books that take me around the world. Out of the three that I've read so far though, my favourite remains Happy Place, that book ripped my heart out in the best way possible somehow. I'm gonna start Beach Read later today, so I'll let you know what I think!