There is no great difference in reading a novel whether you read it as a general reader or as a student of Literature as long as you are reading it and enjoying the experience. But once you read it consciously, in the sense of reading from a literary point of view, then the reading part is a little dampened actually.
It is expected of a student of Literature to have a grasp of the novel, the narrative technique, the thematic variations, the use of language, image, metaphor and symbolism as also the significance of the novel relative to the body of the author’s work and the work of others in a similar historical or social period.
As your awareness and understanding increases you can start reading novels at different levels. When I read Pride and prejudice the first time I was aware only of the plot, the interesting twists and turns. Later when I read it in my class, I could read from the perspective of a student of Literature; how Jane Austen has fashioned a small English town romance into an endearing love story, the scintillating wit and humor, the critical observation of character as in Mr Collins and Lady Catherine Deborough or Mrs Bennett and Charlotte, the irony of the language starting from the opening lines and many other features.