Beach Read - Emily Henry 5/5: ✰✰✰✰✰
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Don’t let this beachy book cover fool you. This book has tremendous character and storyline depth between our two main characters. I love that chick lit rom-coms are starting to mix in more issues within the characters. There are only so many damsel in distress books you can read. 'Beach Read' was seriously one of the best books I've read show casting this growth within the romance genre.
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Synopsis: January and Augustus - both old college mates - who both go on to become published authors. They're polar opposites stuck living next door to each other in beach houses, while they write their next books. Until, one hazy evening, one thing leads to another..and they end up making a deal to help each other out of their writing ruts by swapping genres.
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☀ I love all the subplots! Everyone has their own past and baggage. It unfolded amazingly!
☀ I loved the characters!! Although I don’t have that writer swag they were both relatable and I enjoyed the secondary characters as well. (hint, hint - let’s get a book about Shadi!)
☀ Slow-build steam! Once they succumb to their desires, the steam level is real.
-If I could’ve changed one thing, I would’ve loved to have read Gus’ POV!
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If you are hesitant to start a rom-com because they’re predictable and molded. Try this one! Still follows the genre mold, but with more depth and heaviness. Emily Henry is definitely on my radar now! Can we see a sequel Emily!?

We need to talk about marketing in the book world.

Between the bright, illustrated cover and the media packages for Beach Read hyping how much of a “fun”, “upbeat” summer romance this is, many readers are going to be led astray here.

They’re going to get 75% into the book and think to themselves, “This entire story is set in a beach house and the one time these two assholes actually go swimming is in a pool?!”

Seriously, I think they only went down to the beach together twice in this entire book, so that cover with two people casually reclining on towels and seemingly ignoring each other is a real stretch.

From the blurb, you might assume that this is about rivals pitted against each other, filled with one-upmanship and witty banter. And yes, I did laugh-out-loud several times while reading this, but for the most part, this isn’t what I think of when I think of fluffy rom-coms.

Because a lot of the book is spent on the main characters’ researching a notorious cult from their local area. The head messiah of which locked all his followers into trailers and then burned them to death.

So fun!

Aside from that I had some issues with the male lead here. He went from aloof and quasi-grouchy in the beginning to over-the-top cheesy by the end. I also didn’t appreciate the fact that once their relationship evolved from friendly into something more he started making all the female lead’s decisions for her.

You know, doing that man thing where they try to save you from the world.

“Don’t come with me, you’ll get cold and wet.”

“I didn’t invite you because I didn’t know if you’d have fun.”

“Let me carry that heavy bag for you.”

To me, there’s nothing chivalrous about a guy suddenly assuming that I can no longer make my own goddamn decisions just because I let his penis near me.

All this said, I could be in a shitty mood because the world is ending, so take this review with a grain of salt.

This is a solid romance that elevates itself with the meta set-up. The main character being a romance writer gives the author the chance to play with and comment on tropes of the genre in a fun and intelligent way. The two leads are easy to root for and its a satisfying HEA. I would recommend it, on the beach or not.

I have to say I didn't expect to enjoy this book quite as much as I did! I loved the characters and I loved that there was something deeper going on with each of them when they found each other. Sure, the premise is outlandish, but that's part of the fun of a romance novel. I will definitely read future books by Henry - she gets what romance readers want, which is evident not only in the novel as a whole but in the little tidbits her protagonist spills during her teaching parts of the book. Wish I could read each of the books these characters wrote!

After the sudden loss of her father and an unearthed secret shatters her beliefs of love, romance writer January Andrews meets literary fiction writer Augustus Everett. Both decide they need a change up and agree to a challenge, where over the course of the summer, January will write a literary fiction novel and Augustus will write a romance novel.
Beach Read is exactly that book you need when you spend all day at the beach with enough sunscreen, a towel, and a cooler of drinks. It was fun, light when it needed to be, but dark enough to make you think how you would feel in the situations the characters find themselves in. A must read for this summer.

LOVED this sassy, smart, sweet, well-written contemporary romance. The meta commentary on genre and the writing life was icing on the cake.

First, just know that I'm referring to the male love interest in this book as "hot Jonathan Franzen," which isn't something I knew I needed, but...I did. I really did. I LOVED this book. It hit all the same notes as two of my faves, The Flatshare and Evvie Drake Starts Over. Yes, it's a banter-filled romance, and also it's an exploration of grief and trauma. There are tons of conversations about rom-coms and the importance of romance and the idea of "women's fiction" as a genre name. I can't imagine anyone who wouldn't love this book. I finished it in a couple of days, which is UNHEARD of lately!

This was a really enjoyable binge-read romance. Because the main character is an author of romance novels, it was fun to see this novel play out some of the well-worn romance tropes in a self-aware way. I especially liked the west Michigan lakeside setting, January's relationship with her best friend Shadi, and side characters Pete and Maggie. A balance of steamy scenes, heartbreak, and humor make this a great beach read.

I received a free ARC of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Beach Read felt like a Taylor Jenkins Reid novel and I couldn't give this book higher praise. This book felt like coming home and I couldn't put it down. January is the most relatable hot mess I have ever had the pleasure of meeting and I felt her struggle in my soul, even though I didn't have the same family situation as her. Watching these two broken people find each other and forge a better life for themselves hit me hard and I loved every second of it. I loved the exploration of the genres they write and the stereotypes. Neither genre is easy to write and I loved watching them prove that to each other as well as getting to know both genres better. You won't regret picking this one up. It will hurt you in the best way possible and then slowly put you back together again. Augustus and January will find a place in your heart and you'll never forget them.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Berkley through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.*

I enjoyed this book so much! It was so fun to read. I loved the witty back and forth, tug-and-pull relationship between Gus and January. This is very much a love story but it's also a book about grief and this sense of betrayal. January's dealing with the passing of her father and the secrets that come from that while also dealing with a writer's block aspect. Their respective issues show their own complexities, within themselves and what they bring to their growing friendship. It;s a perfect beach read about a book set by the beach!

Okay, I am such a stickler when it comes to romances and I need one of two things to really like a romance read: it needs to be laugh out loud funny, or I need to FEEL the love between the two main characters. This one was the former: there were so many moments, particularly in the first half, that made me laugh out loud. The second half was a little more focused on the romantics and building Gus and January's relationship, but I found it a really good balance and it worked for the story.

It was a really quick and fun read and one of those that I stayed up late reading!

This book is exactly the escapism I wanted The writing is absorbing and the plot is classic (but with a twist, of course). If you're looking for beach read...

Oh, how I loved this bruised and beautiful story of two rival writers of different genres reconnecting after becoming neighbors. This was my first book by Henry and I can’t wait to work through her back catalog. I enjoyed her sense of humor and perspective on the world - how we can never truly know the ones we love, how the story we tell ourselves can be so different from the reality we are living in. Anyone else get great big Greg from My Crazy Ex-Girlfriend vibes from Gus? Just me? Okay.

January Andrews and Augustus Everett are writers who polar opposites. January writes romances with happily-ever-afters and Gus kills everyone off by the end. They also each have writers block and are searching for a way to combat it. Then one thing leads to another and they have a deal to write in each other's style to squash the writer's block once and for all. Can Gus write a juice romance novel and will January bring herself to write a bloodbath?

Surprisingly insightful and thoughtful. This was not the “beach read” I was expecting. I love that the author turned her own writers block into a book. Very clever! At times I did feel like the story wasn’t moving along quickly enough and I wanted more momentum to the story. Both characters were such train wrecks but they worked well together. The banter was cute but the buildup took a bit long for me. I think this could have been a tad shorter. I love that the author dissected romance for us and gave us a true sense of what true love is. Overall an enjoyable read.

Beach Read was both a fun, easy read, but also had more substance. I enjoyed seeing how the characters worked their way through the difficulties of writing. We got to spend time with the main characters and get their back stories, and we got to see them introduce their own writing specialties to each other.

Beach Read: Emily Henry

Release Date: May 19, 2020

Heartfelt, honest and captivating; The Beach Read is an intense, slow-burn romance.

‘Ive never met someone who is so perfectly my favorite person.’- exactly how I felt about the book…

If you have anything going on in your life with a deadline, don’t start this book. You WILL be glued to the pages until the end!

One year after the death of her father, January Andrews still has not come to terms with the life imploding news she found out at the funeral: her father had been having an affair while she had believed, her whole life, that her parents were happily married and in love. Here’s the real kicker, the affair had not just occurred at any time. It was when her mother had cancer. So, one year later, January arrives in the small town of North Bear Shores with more baggage, anger, and confusion than she knows how to manage. Her father left her the house he and his mistress had bought during the affair. It was finally time for her to clean it out, spend the remainder of the summer writing, and then, once finished with her novel, sell the home. As a published, romance novelist, January struggles to find the rose-colored glasses she used to wear, making writing all the more tedious. Fortuitously, January discovers that her new neighbor is Augustus Everett: her formal college, and literary, rival and love obsession. After a series of awkward meetings and angsty banter, she learns that Gus is also struggling with his next book. They make a deal: Gus will write a romance novel and January will write her attempt at ‘bleak literary fiction’. The first one to get a book deal wins. They spend the summer showing each other the ins and outs of the research they do; Gus showing August the burn down remains of a nearby cult and January taking Gus dancing. As they both process their own grief and come to terms with, they find themselves leaning on each for support.

The Beach Read is a witty, sexy, slow-burn romance that brings light and possibility to second chances. It was the perfect combination of romance and angst, allowing the reader to connect that much more with both the plot and the characters. It is more serious than a swoony-rom-com, so people, don’t be discouraged by the girly, typical romance cover.

Along with posting on Net Galley, I will be posting my review to Goodreads, Amazon (when it becomes available), my Instagram (which has over a two thousand book review followers) and my blog. Please find the link to my blog post below. I am very grateful for the opportunity to review such an inspiring novel. Thank you very much.

Link to Blog Post: https://ifyoucanreadthisdotblog.wordpress.com/2020/04/11/the-beach-read-emily-henry/
Link to Instagram Post: https://www.instagram.com/ifyoucan_read_this/
Link to Goodreads Post: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3274931683?book_show_action=false


Respectfully,

Chanel Johnson

This read was a tad heavy on the drama. I was expecting something lighter and more "beachy". That said, the main characters are well drawn. The romance is real and emphasizes the scariness and fear of falling in love.

I just finished Beach Read and I am so sad that it is over!! I will miss January and Gus. This book will definitely be a hit this summer. With all that is going on in the world today, this book is a bright spot in a crazy time. I will definitely be sharing this book as a Summer 2020 must read to my library customers and friends!

Wow! In many of my past reviews, I always mentioned lacked of continuity in plots and a need for character development. This is how it is done! When I first picked up this book, I was honestly expecting to read a fluffy “beach read”. That’s surely what the title implies. However, as I got into the story, I realized the depth of the characters, the emotional journey January goes through and the witty banter between the two writers actually makes this the perfect weekend novel to snuggle up to! You’ll definitely want to make a cup of tea and set aside all weekend plans to finish this book!