Beach Read

I loved this book so much. It was heartfelt and funny, but also so incredibly emotional at times. It made me pause and think about my own experiences and examine how truly complicated and complex family and relationships can be. The writing was amazing and Emily Henry perfectly combined the salty and the sweet, throwing in just the right amount of humor to balance it all out. The banter and playful back and forth between January and Gus were some of my very favorite moments and the addition of pop culture references were hilarious. ("Thanks be to Jack Reacher.") January and Gus were so relatable with all their cracks and rough edges. They struggled at times and didn’t say or do all the “right” things, but it made me love them more. I wouldn't necessarily classify Beach Read as a romance, even though there are elements of many tropes in the story like second chance, wager/bet, enemies & friends to lovers, forced proximity, etc. There are definitely strong romantic themes in the book though, and the chemistry and build up between these two is some of the best I've read. It's a slow burn for sure, but boy was my patience rewarded. Gus and January were hot and sexy, but also so tender and raw. I also really appreciated the message that it’s ok to not have all the answers and sometimes just being and is enough. I both read and listened to Beach Read and definitely recommend the audiobook. Julia Whelan is one of my very favorite narrators and she gave another brilliant performance. She captured all of the joy and heartbreak so well, but also showed off her wonderful comedic timing. I had no problem differentiating between characters and it was such a wonderful listening experience. This review wouldn't be complete if I didn't mention Shadi and I think all of us would be so lucky to have such an incredible ride or die BFF. I would love to read her story one day. I don't think that I can fully articulate how much my heart and mind needed this book. I just know that it will stay with me for a long time. Audiobook Review Overall 5 stars Performance 5+ stars Story 5 stars CW: infidelity, death of a parent, discussion of cults, cancer, abuse

This book swept me off my feet and the chemistry between January and Gus was so palpable and tangible. You feel like you're falling in love too! I really loved it, however, I started to feel a bit frustrated by some of the drama and character elements towards the end. And it's because I loved this book so much that I feel the need to vent about the areas of the novel of which I take umbrage. *SPOILERS* First of all, January's intense anger about her father's infidelity was at times a bit much. You'd think SHE was her father's wife and she was the one who got cheated on. I guess that was the point, but the way she was insulting Sonya (his father's mistress) while she was standing on her front porch crying and trying to explain herself felt a little cruel. I saw that January could see herself in Sonya but she still couldn't treat her like a "full person," which made me feel annoyed with her. Also, January is a pretty privileged character, and that at times made it hard to empathize, especially toward the end. Based on the way Gus describes her as this tiny, beautiful, fairy princess reveals that January is massively attractive. She also inherited a beautiful beach house from her dad upon his death. She's financially broke because she hasn't been writing, but you can really feel her privilege at times. Sometimes I wanted to shake her and be like "Girl, it's NOT that bad. You have a beach house. You write novels for a living. You're an attractive white girl. Relax." NOW, onto Gus. As fun and as real as this character felt, I found him kind of infuriating in the end, especially during that rainy dance where he confesses that he wants to be with January forever. He and January had a book event together a few nights before and his wife Naomi who left him for his best friend on his BIRTHDAY shows up. They're still in the middle of a divorce, even though she left him a few years ago. This woman clearly never cared about him, and yet, when she shows up, he totally ignored January and grabs a drink with her. He doesn't even try to contact January until the next morning! And it takes him like two days before he starts pounding on her door, begging to talk to her. I'm sorry, but if I was January, I would have been SO PISSED. Gus literally just walked away from January during their shared book event and has a drink with his ex wife. After he had time "to think" he realized that he wants to be with January forever, not Naomi. Why didn't he know this before? Why didn't he care show concern about how January felt during all this? January was literally heartbroken! And of course, when he FINALLY shows up again, she takes him back instantly. This just really left me feeling like Gus is kind of selfish and weak and it just ruined all of my positive feelings toward him. Obviously, this was done purposefully to create romantic tension, but it left me feeling triggered more than anything.

𝔹𝕖𝕒𝕔𝕙 ℝ𝕖𝕒𝕕 𝕓𝕪 𝔼𝕞𝕚𝕝𝕪 ℍ𝕖𝕟𝕣𝕪 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Review: this book was beautiful. Utterly heart wrenching in all of the best ways. The banter between the characters, the humor, and the dark themes that were implemented created this perfect read. It had a lot more meaning to it than just romance. It touched on real life issues in the world, and it easily made it to where it can be relatable rather than just a fictional book world. the FMC’s inner monologue was so relatable and I find myself thinking some of the same thoughts that she experienced herself. Kind of refreshing to know that you aren’t the only one in the world with those thoughts. (I know she’s fictional buttt ;) the two different plots, one about loss & one of the romance, you’re really just holding on hope the entire book and I found myself rooting for the main characters - extensively. I did find myself sobbing with the FMC multiple times so just fair warning that it may trigger some emotions, but overall this book was such a great read & really ties everything up in the ending. 🥺💗 Favorite quotes: “Even if there aren’t any snowflakes, we’ll have January all year long.” “When I watch you sleep, I feel overwhelmed that you exist.” (Of course this one) 🩶 “But people aren’t math problems.” Emily Henry really did it this one, 10/10!

January is a romance writer who loves happily ever after. She believes her life has been a happily ever after until her dad passed away unexpectedly and she learns some truths about her life. She moves into his beach house, which is also next for to another author, who ends up being someone from her college days, Gus Everett. Their writing styles are complete opposites. But writers have writers block, so they make a deal to write each other’s genre and see who sells their book first. This is a cute love story, but I felt like it was missing something. It was a quick, easy, beach read. I would give this book 3.5 stars. It was good and kept my attention but for me it was just missing something.

I really liked it but left out one star because there were times January was utterly annoying, and not in a good way. I love flawed characters, but she spent a lot of time either crying or puking – which was really gross. There were always references to her weak stomach and every little thing made her cry. It just got distracting after a while. That said, I love EmHen and the way she threads psychology into her stories. She always gives us layered backstories and moments that feel highlight-worthy. This was my second of hers and definitely won’t be my last—she’s gifted and definitely in my “go-to” author category. For those who are concerned about spice ratings – this is a 4 on a scale of 5. If you are used to closed-door romances you will need to fast forward frequently during the last third of the book. But don’t let that deter you. This author is brilliant and extraordinarily talented. Her books make you think about your own life and the world around you in a deep, emotional way.

Beach Read by Emily Henry is exactly why she’s one of my favorite authors. This was such a quick, easy, and completely addictive read for any rom-com lover. I brought it on vacation thinking it would be the perfect light beach book… and I couldn’t put it down because I had to see how everything unfolded. The story follows January Andrews, a romance writer who no longer believes in love after discovering her father’s secret life, and Augustus Everett, her college rival turned literary fiction author who doesn’t believe in happy endings. They unexpectedly end up living next door to each other in neighboring beach houses, both struggling with writer’s block. In an effort to get out of their creative ruts, they make a pact: she’ll write literary fiction, and he’ll write a romance. I loved how different the two main characters were—January with her hopeful, heart-on-her-sleeve outlook, and Gus with his broody, analytical personality. Watching them challenge each other, push each other creatively, and slowly let their guards down was such a fun and heartfelt journey. As with any great rom-com, you’re rooting for them the whole time, wondering if opposites really can attract—and this story makes you believe they absolutely can. What I appreciated most was that while it’s funny and swoony, it also has emotional depth. There’s grief, family secrets, and personal growth woven into the romance, which makes the love story feel earned and real. Overall, it’s a perfect vacation read and truly lives up to its title—a genuine beach read with heart, humor, and just the right amount of emotional depth.

I made a mistake when I read this book. I borrowed it from the library when this is one that 100% deserves to be purchased. It was utterly wonderful. I adored this book! I love the MCs imperfections. I loved that they knew each other but not really years before. I loved that he was smitten with her back in the day! (I honestly skipped ahead and found this out, but I didn’t even care because it made him so much more endearing.) It's 1st Person, FMC's POV, slow burn, dare I say, grump/grump trope? The romance was so sweet. It was subtle in the perfect places--the kind that is begging to be reread so you can soak everything up. This is a book that lived up to the damn hype, and I have almost no complaints. This book is absolutely Women's Fiction though. This is not a romance. This has a heavy romance, no lie, but this is Women's Fiction with Romance. The author mentions in the acknowledgments that she tells other writers that this book is about writer's block. Not the romance. It's also very wordy. Like, overwritten, over described, heavy inner monologue which really speaks to women's fiction more than romance as a genre. The plot of them switching genres begins on page 80 of 360ish, so it's a very slow moving plot. But it is incredibly developed. The A plot mixes seamlessly with the B and C plots. You can't have one without the other and I really appreciated that. The plots are also really heavy, again, more women's lit than romance. The back story is really told, not shown, but it is told in a more compelling way than straight true info dumping, and it's told it a beautiful manner. I felt like some of the chapter endings were random. Like, oh crap, gotta cap this chapter now and start the new one. It wasn't distracting too much; it just felt weird. Weirder though, was the choice to have sex--multiple times--outside of a burned down cult site. Like, MMC brought condoms for that outting when he hadn't had them for their other sexytime. So. It was clearly a choice. Unless they stopped using condoms, but given the mention of them . . . it just wasn't the sexiest choice in the world. I loved this book. I'm really looking forward to reading more from Ms. Henry. And I can't wait to buy the book myself and reread it. This one lives up to the hype.

I really enjoyed Book Lovers, so this novel by Emily Henry was quickly added to my tbr. Since this has been Bookstagram's favorite, it needs no introduction. First, the lake house setting. I marveled at it and kept picturing myself there! If it wasn't for the circumstances surrounding January Andrews inheriting the house, I would say it was a perfect setup for her for writing her next novel. But it was quite an agonizing situation, and the author captured the emotions and the grieving process for the lost loved one and the betrayal in such a delicate way. SO good! The romance was wonderfully developed in this rivals to lovers trope. There was just the right amount of spicy for my liking, and I truly enjoyed the two main characters. This was a quick read and it tugged at all the heartstrings. Writer's block is a real deal, and if it wasn't for it, this could have been a different novel! My second Emily Henry book definitely didn't disappoint! I am always cautious about approaching "booksta made me do it" books, but I'm glad I picked this one up. I will absolutely be reading the other books by Emily. 4.5/5 stars from me.