The Book Tour by Emily Ohanjanians
Contemporary Romance
Published March 3, 2026 by Dell
Reviewed by Kate

If you’re been reading my reviews for a while, you know that I am Armenian-American and very much in love with Armenian representation in romance novels. I immediately requested The Book Tour upon seeing the a) Armenian last name of the author and b) Armenian last name of the main female character. Premise? Tropes? Didn’t really play a part in my decision to read this one. 

Luckily, The Book Tour has some grumpy/sunshine and enemies to lovers vibes (though I don’t know if they’re really enemies or if Ana just feels Ryan hates her), two tropes I very much enjoy, coupled with a book tour (obviously, I suppose) which isn’t the same as a road trip (my favorite romance setup) but is close enough to be thoroughly enjoyable. 

My favorite part of the book is the female protagonist, Ana. Ana’s character felt so real to me. The podcast she co-hosted felt like it was something that already existed in the real world, not just the world of the book. (I know some people don’t like it when books name drop real people, but the well-placed references to celebrities who would 100% be guests on Ana’s podcast if it existed in real life made it just feel that much more alive for me.) I loved Ana’s competence and incredible self-assuredness in her work and the value it brings to people. This, contrasted with her continued lack of ability to deal with her mother and her feelings of grief after losing her father made her such a stand-out character for me. Her strengths and weaknesses really shone through on the page, and I loved really delving into her life for the duration of the book.

Unfortunately, as a result, Ryan felt a little flatter to me. Especially because the book is told from Ana’s point of view, and we never get in Ryan’s head to really dig deeper into who he is as a person. We learn about him, and I love the snippets we get of his backstory, but I just didn’t connect with him as much as Ana. He was a great romance hero though, kind and steady, showing Ana that she deserved love. 

Though the story touches on some tough moments in Ana and Ryan’s backstories (Ana’s father passing away, a serious breakup, Ryan’s role in raising his sister) the overall tone of the book is light and it also has some fairly steamy scenes. There are a lot of conflicts that feel like they get in the way of Ana and Ryan ending up together, but I liked how in the end, their families both play a part in giving them the final push. The importance of family for both Ryan and Ana was a major theme of the book, and having their family impact their romance felt true to who they both were as characters. 

In the end, The Book Tour was an enjoyable contemporary romance read with a fun take on the forced proximity trope (the two week book tour), a competent female main character and a slightly grumpy but also sweetheart of a man for her to fall in love with. With the Armenian representation, the book had a flavor that I don’t always see these days in romance novels, and I had a fun time reading it. 

Grade: B-