This book! The hype had me a little worried that I'd be letdown, but thankfully I wasn't. I loved everything about it -- the setting, the characters, the chemistry, the banter; it was exactly what I needed during this stressful time. It even had me wanting to try my hand at writing a romance novel! My next quarantine project, perhaps? There are some subjects that are definitely a little heavier than what one might expect from a beach read, but I'd like to think that was intentional. By giving this book some heft, it showed that romance novels don't always have to only be light and fluffy, but can tackle difficult emotions like grief, fear, and anger.

Fans of Christina Lauren and Jasmine Guillory will love this one.

Really enjoyed this one! I reviewed on Goodreads and Instagram. Here is my insta review https://www.instagram.com/s/aGlnaGxpZ2h0OjE3OTUxNTI5NzE4MzA4NTA1?igshid=1a4021a3aqh4m&story_media_id=2345315331211764834

A soothing, poignant read about grief and coming to terms with the curve balls life throws your way.

Beach Read is an adult contemporary romance novel by author Emily Henry. I loved everything about Beach Read. Honestly, this book was like a breath of fresh air, but at the same time was everything I love and find comforting about a great romance novel. It is perfect "beach read" book, but moreover it is the perfect read for any time of year. And don't let the fact that this book is a contemporary romance scare you away. This is a fantastic story about two people. People in all of their imperfectness, living their messy, sad, chaotic and sometimes happy lives. It is a really spectacular story that manages to be feel good, lighthearted fun as well as poignant and introspective. 

In Beach Read, we meet our main character January as she goes to her late father's secret beach house to clean it out for sale, and to write her next romance novel. Beach Read picks up at a pretty awful time in January's life. Not only has her father passed away suddenly, but at his funeral she learns about his mistress and a secret house he owned, and on top of that she has serious writing block going on. How can she write about romance when she is disillusioned about life. When she gets to the beach house, she discovers her next door neighbor is a total grump. But not just any grump- Augustus Everett, or Gus as she knows him was her college classmate and is a total elitist who thinks literary fiction is the only writing that has any value. (or so she thinks) 

Watching Gus and January interact was pure gold for me. I want to see their story played out on the big or little screen so badly. They scream movie romance in my opinion! Their banter was just as enjoyable for me, as it was to watch them get to know one another, and peel back layer after layer of their preconceived notions. Yes, Beach Read is a romance, and a great one at that. But it also delves deeper into a lot of character issues that I think brought the story to a whole new level. This book honestly felt like the mash up between a literary fiction story and a romance (heavier on the romance side, which is exactly my preference.) I loved the bet January and Gus struck up, and I really loved seeing the byproduct of their bets. Each of their stories screams them, which I loved! 

Bottom line: If you are looking for a great summer read, Beach Read should be your number one pick! I loved the romance and witty dialogue in this story just as much as I loved the characters and everything they had going on in their lives. This book was pretty darn near perfect in my opinion and I had a blast reading it!

Five stars. Perfect summer book. I want to read this again and again and wish I hadn't rushed through it, but also loved it too much to put down!

I'm not saying this book is perfect, but I also might be. Henry has written two lovely, layered, characters who each have their own lives and opinions to work through on love and life. I gobbled this one up by the pool and it was a delight. Will read whatever Henry puts out next!

Full disclosure, I am not much of a romance reader so I didn't love this as much as someone else might. The premise drew me in with the MC discovering something shocking about her father upon his death that shook everything she believed, but once into the story I found it a bit predictable. For those struggling to find something fun to read during quarantine, this book offers a nice diversion especially if you're a fan of romance. Honestly, my favorite part was the afterword where the author talked about writer's block and the writing process, but that's probably just the old English teacher in me.

If you love the opposites attract romance trope, look no further than Beach Read. Augustus Everett is an acclaimed literary author, prone to writing dark tales. January Andrews is a bestselling romance writer who is all about the happily ever after, in lit and in real life. When they find themselves in neighboring beach houses, both dealing with writer's block, they decide to challenge one another. Augustus will write something happy, she'll write something "serious" and they'll take each other on outings for inspiration (cue the rom-com worthy "dates" and macabre interviews with surviving members of a cult because why not). This is one of those cases where you should not judge a book by its cover. Yes, it's swoonworthy with rom-com undertones and moments that will give you all the feels but it also delves deeper than that. (And I'm not just talking about the cult stuff which admittedly felt random and off at times and was my least favorite part.) It delved into why Augustus and January each write what they do and how their individual backstories play a huge role in who they are today. But as different as they are, they have this undeniable connection and chemistry. They push each other out of their comfort zones and support one another. I truly enjoyed watching that unfold!

Do I recommend? Yes, this is the summer romance book you need to add to your TBR!

This one was great summer reading. Not only was it a fun read, it made me think. I immediately fell in love with January Andrews, a writer who’s spending the summer at her Daddy’s beach house, and also happens to be going through some pretty heavy stuff. Her neighbor, Gus, also a writer, comes on the scene and wow!! The chemistry; the fun that ensues, made me fly through this one!

Really enjoyable, despite its predictability. Nice and witty, and with some depth to its characters and plot.

A romance writer who no longer believes in love and a literary writer stuck in a rut engage in a summer-long challenge that may just upend everything they believe about happily ever afters.


This is a perfect book to tuck into your beach bag and take to the beach or the pool. It's a romance with two very endearing characters who struggle not to fall in love even as they are falling in love. At first, they think they are enemies but the more time they spend together, the more it's just the opposite.

January is a romance writer in a writing slump. She has been betrayed by her father and (she feels) ignored by her mother. Her father left her a beach house on Lake Michigan so she is convinced she can write her next book - which is due very soon - while she has the peace and quiet. Augustus in a popular novelist of literary fiction. He too is in a writing slump and trying to get his next book written. He lives in the beach cottage next to January. At first they make fun of the genres that the other writes. Augustus doesn't feel that books with a happy ending are very realistic because life doesn't always have happy endings. January feels like literary fiction is usually bleak and unhappy. They make a deal -- during the summer, January will write a book of literary fiction and Augustus will write a romance. To help them along, every Friday Gus will take her to do research to write literary fiction and every Saturday, she will take him to do something that could show up in a romance novel. When they start to spend more time together, their feelings for each other begin to change but there's still a lot of baggage that needs to be settled before they can have a relationship.

Beach Read is more than just a light fluffy romance. I enjoyed both of the main characters and what they went through after they switched genres. I enjoyed their relationship with each other - they were both very witty and parts of the book were very funny. But each had a very serious side and both definitely wanted to write a great book. Grab this book and go out in the sun to read it.

I loved Beach Read. Loved it. I blew through this book! I could not get enough of the banter, which was FLAWLESS. I was here for the sad humor (purse wine) and the complexity of loss, betrayal, grief and insecurity. These relationships were sooo well done! The balance between humor and deep sadness was perfect. No particular scene was ever saccharine, as with a lot of romance stories. I mean...even when they say, "I love you," there is litter floating by in the lake 😂 omggg this is my type of romance. I was laughing one second and highlighting poignant lines the next. LOVE IT.

Critiques: I thought the conflict during the party at Pete's was random and the resolution of it seemed odd...Gus totally shut her out and then seems completely surprised that she's hurt by it. It's your typical lack of communication issue, which always annoys me - BUT I think it was more believable and less dramatic than usual. It *did* feel real - it just irritated me. I also think by the time the letters were revealed, I was sort of past them. I thought that section was a bit too long. I was more invested in the romance relationship by then, rather than the father-daughter relationship.

Overall, I really REALLY enjoyed this one. It will probably be a reread for me. Sometimes I just some need reliable banter and this one definitely delivers! 4.5 stars rounded up to 5!

DNF. After reading the first two chapters, I just couldn't get into it. This book wasn't for me.

Honestly, this was supposed to be a book about authors in a writing competition and the actual writing of the book left a lot to be desired. The language used too many cliches. The characters were super trope-y. Another millennial girl who can't make it in the big city falls for the stoic jerk next door. Its a romance novel and I am all for a good trope, but then the characters really need to shine and hook you from the first page. This did not happen in this book.

I saw a lot of 4 and 5 star reviews on Goodreads so people are liking this book. It just wasn't for me.

This was not a typical romantic comedy. Actually I'm not even sure it is. It's can be a little heavy with January and Gus trying to work through each of their problems. It's interesting to see how they help each other along the way and let each other into their lives. When I say heavy though I don't mean unbearable. It has some humor throughout and just the right amount of angst.

Beach Read by Emily Henry, 361 pages

January Andrews is reluctant at best to move into her late father's beach house, what with it being the location of a long extramarital affair that she only learned about at his funeral. But she needs to clean it up and sell it, and well, it would definitely be a good place to work on the romance novel her agent is nagging her to finish. Too bad January's neighbor is Augustus Everett, dreamboat literary fiction writer and January's college nemesis. When chance brings the two together, they challenge each other to write in each other's genre, with the loser being forced to promote and write a book blurb for the other.

This is a romance novel with some very serious topics to chew on between the meet-cutes and steamy makeout sessions. It's a good bridge between "regular" fiction and romance, creating a cozy spot in the Venn diagram for readers of each (and now both). The issues January and Gus experience are very real, even if the coincidences that bring them together are stereotypical romance tropes. A fun read, and a quick one too.

‘She was in pain. I knew that. But I was in pain too, so much of it that for once I couldn’t laugh or dance any measure of it away. I couldn’t even write myself a happy ending.’

Beach Read by Emily Henry without question one of our favourite books of 2020. The storyline is so much more than what the cover and synopsis implies. So much more. We’ll come back to the cover later. Beach Read had us sobbing, it had us questioning human relations. It had us compelled! The writing was outstanding. This is so much more than a romance. It is a plethora of stories entwined perfectly crafted and shaped into an all-encompassing story of life. Beach Read is also a truly wonderful love story which slowly builds across the chapters.

“Promise not to fall in love with me.”

You know those romance books where the romantic tension is so agonisingly slow that it builds and builds your anticipation into something so excruciatingly intense that you crave it so badly your anticipation is almost unbearable. The lingering touches the eye contact, the subtle body language and racing thoughts and hearts. The anticipation of that first kiss, the heated desire for what comes after. Emily Henry magnificently wrote this to perfection.

‘He was always leaning on something, like he couldn’t bear to hold all his own weight upright for more than a second or two. He lounged, he sprawled, he hunched and he reclined. Now I wondered if he was simply tired, if life had beaten him into a permanent slouch, folded him over himself so no one could get at that soft center…’

Gus and January are two very complex and completely lovable characters who happen to become neighbours on the beachfront of a small town. Both are authors; of literary fiction and happily ever after romance, respectively. On paper, they could not be any more different even if they tried, but then again, action is a reaction to what lies underneath and what spurs the pen isn’t it?! Carrying heavy loads and a clogged up minds, both are suffering from writers’ block and need something epic to happen to release the flow of words. A dare becomes an out of control animal which forces these two wonderful characters to face not only themselves but the truth they so desperately hide from.

‘…nothing felt more important than the book, than giving these fictional lovers the ending they deserved, giving my readers the ending they deserved. People clinging to whatever steadfast thing they could find? Yes. Yes, that made sense. It made perfect sense.’

We all have a very personal perception of life, the people in it and how they see us. It is shaped by experience, actions and their consequences. Ours and theirs. It is not always a perception based on a full picture or truth, because no one truly knows what motivates another person’s actions or reactions. The way in which Emily Henry writes a story is truly mesmerising and engages every single one of our emotions. It’s truly stunning, and we have to mention how brilliant it is to feel so immersed and fully engaged in character conversations, be they hilarious banter, raw emotions or grief stricken anger. This Author gave us the opportunity to experience everything which is so refreshing, as opposed to being told what happened and how to feel. She afforded us the intense experience of peeling the layers off one by one, to take a chisel to two hearts, thus discovering and forming a true and honest comprehension and connection to January and Gus.

‘…if I ever got to kiss Gus again, I wanted it to be this version of him. The one who didn’t feel so weighed down by the world around him that he had to lean just to stay upright.’

We literally couldn’t have loved this book any more than what we did. We loved the humorous banter, the romantic and sexual tension, the personal discoveries, the tragic heartbreak, the second chances at life and love, and the underlying message that if you find yourself stuck in life, look for an outside perspective. Whilst we only hear January’s POV, the superb way in which Beach Read was written ensured that we fully connected with Gus. We felt his pain, we cringed at his awkwardness and we felt his passion.

“When you love someone, you want to make this world look different for them. To give all the ugly stuff meaning, and amplify the good. That’s what you do. For readers, for me. You make beautiful things, because you love the world, and maybe the world doesn’t always look how it does in your books, but…I think putting them out there, that changes the world a little bit. And the world can’t afford to lose that. I always admired that. The way your writing always makes the world seem brighter, and the people in it a little braver.”

We do have to mention the book cover in direct relation to the actual story within. We can’t quite decide if this cover is a clever satirical decision or an ironic nod to what the title Beach Read actually represents or whether it is fully intended to imply that this is a book you would grab to get lost in, whilst living your best life in the sun. Any which way, this cover does not, in our humble opinion, reflect the life and love story within, which is what is in fact sporadically argued in this story, and we have to say -great point well made-` by Emily Henry. Yet it is also a truth that it would indeed turn many readers off, which is a sad fact. So to play devil’s advocate, what the gist of truth in the words within are conveying, they will in fact be lost at the first hurdle. The irony and sarcasm is certainly transparent in the storyline and quite frankly incredibly apt. Beach Read is a brilliant read, the snarky and cheeky banter, the intense emotions, the heartbreak, the self-realisations and the overcoming of life’s severe kicks in the gut. It’s just such a wonderful read. So, we urge readers to pick this book up, especially the readers who may fall at the first ‘book cover hurdle’. This is not a story to be missed!

“I’ve never met someone who is so perfectly my favorite person. When I think about being with you every day, no part of me feels claustrophobic.”

This book was the perfect read for a hot summer weekend. It is a beach read with substance. Well developed characters and fun dialogue.
January and Augustus are college rivals and end up living next door to each other for the summer. The setting in the small beach town was very atmospheric, the banter between them entertaining and learning about their past emotional baggage kept me wanting to keep reading. There were even tears shed at the end. Their story moved pretty fast and that was unrealistic for me, however, she was on a deadline so I understand that. It was a good rom com and I would recommend it to those in the mood for a summer romance or beach read with some substance.

3.5 stars
I liked this one, but I did not love it. That made me sad. I thought this was going to be the best read of the year.
The book had a LOT going on! A Lot! Too much.

I wished it focused on the love story some more.

***Actual rating: 5/5 GREAT FAMILY MARCONI Stars***

Oh my dear God, this book! For starters, BEACH READ, in my opinion, is NOT a beach read at all. It’s nothing like a fluffy, swoon-worthy, super light and fun summer read like I expected (or as the title and cover implied); instead, it’s a book about sad, tragic pasts, ugly lies, and dirty family secrets.

That being said, I really appreciate that there's much more depth in the character development and overall plot design. The protagonists, January and Gus, are determined to find their ways back to their truest selves through a string of bad lucks, terrible incidents, and harsh truths they're left no choice but to accept. Interestingly, as a rom-com and general fiction author respectively, January and Gus make a deal challenge each other to jump out of their comfort zones by switching their genres and each of them have to write a book in the genre they're most unfamiliar with. In short, January has to write a general fiction book instead of her favorite happily-ever-after whereas Gus needs to brainstorm a heartfelt, swoon-worthy story filled with pink bubbles. *giggles*

Needless to say, this book is indeed a breath of fresh air with such an original story idea and unforgettable characters. January and Gus are both so different yet share a wicked sense of humor I can't get enough of. On a cooler note, the initial inspiration of this book is actually from Emily Henry's experience of a writer's block! In the acknowledgement, Emily reveals that since she has no idea what to write in the first place, why not write about the struggle of a writer's block? And I'm in awe, seriously, because this book turns out to be one of the BEST READS I've had this year so far!

The story itself is on point and perfectly written, however, the only complaint I have for this book is the cover and book title. Not only are they utterly irrelevant to the storyline, there's no way I'd pick this book up had I judged it by its cover. Thankfully, the synopsis piques my curiosity more than the odd cover/title and I'm so, so, so happy I come across this book. :D

All in all, HIGHLY RECOMMEND Beach Read to all of you!! I'm sure you'll love January and Gus's writing/living journey as much as I do. This book truly far exceeds my expectation and I can't recommend it enough! If you ever got a chance to read it, please let me know what you think. I'd love to have someone to chat about this beautiful story. *wink*

***Thanks to Penguin Random House International Sales for providing me with an e-ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.***

Great book...perfect Beach Read ;) I laughed, cried, & didn’t want this book to end! Loved the characters!!