I ENJOYED…
☂️
- You might think that Beach Read, from its title and cover and promising synopsis, is a swoony, lovely romance. Well, it is, but not only. Beach Read is a well-rounded contemporary filled with great romance and banter, but also with complex family issues and deeper, heavier themes and I urge you to take a look at the trigger warnings before fooling yourself.
- My favorite thing about Beach Read was the romance. I loved how it slowly developed from being polar opposites to slowly getting to know each other, peeling off the layers (metaphorically and, well, really) and slowly falling for each other, too. The banter was on point, the chemistry was sparkling off the pages and in every single one of the characters’ interactions and I loved it SO much.
- Both of the main characters in the story are incredibly flawed, as well and wonderfully human.
- Told from January’s POV, a romance writer with her inspiration lost after the loss of her father, Beach Read got me from the very first page and captured me, in its writing and in January’s story. I loved how wonderful she was and how, from page one, I rooted for her and wanted her to be okay. I loved her personal growth so much!
- I also really enjoyed Gus. He wasn’t an easy character to figure out, but I found out all of his complexities as January did and I grew so fond of him, too.
- The thing I loved the most about it all was that both of the main characters were writers! I loved the insight into their writing process and research and it just made my heart happy to read about writers.
- Something I really liked about Beach Read was how the author managed to balance romance and heavier themes perfectly, putting them all together in one complex, human, heartwarming and heartbreaking story all at once. From dealing with grief and realizing you didn’t know someone you were close to as much as you thought you did, to escaping with writing and discovering new sides of yourself you didn’t know about.

I HAD A HARD TIME WITH…
☂️
- I didn’t like that I was fooled by this pretty cover into thinking this would be a fun and fluffy romance. It felt like being hit by a thunderstorm when I started reading and the deeper I got into the book, especially in those intense moments dealing with heavy topics, too. Honestly, it is not a book’s flaw, at all, it’s a bit of a marketing flaw for me. Just something to be ready for before picking up this book!

OVERALL
☂️
If you’re looking for a realistic adult contemporary book about grief, healing, forgiveness and second chances, with an A+ romance filled with chemistry and wonderful banter that’ll have you smiling for days, I will definitely recommend you to give Beach Read a try!

trigger warnings: mentions of past abuse, mentions of breast cancer and chemo, adultery, death of a parent, emetophobia, mentions of a cult, grief.

thank you to Penguin Random House International for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review #prhpartner #partner

Beach Read came to me at the right place and time. I initially thought this was going to be a quick read, possibly a romcom but it delivered so much more and it has been welcomed into my arms and heart. I literally read this book in one sitting.

We meet January Andrews, she's narrating the story from her perspective as she arrive in her late father's secret lake house in Michigan. She is a writer, struggling to pen out her 5th book that is nearing its deadline, from suffering the loss of her father, finding out secrets kept by her parents, and breaking up with her long-time boyfriend, she goes to live in Michigan for a while to write her novel and tie loose ends.

January inevitably comes across Augustus Everett, former college nemesis, in a series of mishaps and apparently next door to each other. The two of them are struggling to write their novels and form a bet to write what they are not usually penning, Gus will have to find a way to write a happy ending, and January will have to write a not-so-happy one. 

See, I normally just find myself drawn to more no-drama romance novels, but the more that I was getting into Beach Read, the more I fell in love. Emily Henry wrote this in such a way that you will find yourself knowing the characters in the book as if they were your neighbors. I had a good grasp of each character, who they are, what happened to them, and the burdens they carry. The author allowed me to experience a multitude of emotions with each character that made them feel so solid. 

The relationship between Augustus and January was also very cute and sweet. You can certainly tell that the connection was there. The jokes and banters felt very natural between them and was just ughhh adorable!! The intimate scenes were also adorable, they were the kind that give you butterflies in your stomach because they are just soooo cute! 

Overall, I'd say this is definitely part of my 2020 favorites. If you are in need of a sweet romance novel during these times, I'd say grab yourself a copy of Beach Read.

This was a fun read, but just that. At least for me. I read the synopsis and I was so excited, it sounded like a romance I NEEDED to read. I mean, the main characters are both authors that write totally opposite genres and they develop sort of a enemies to lovers relationship? I WAS SO IN. But sadly, I found it a little boring.

I may be the exception here. I've only read GREAT reviews for this one. Maybe it is because I'm not that into romance stories? SURE, I love romance IN my stories, just not so much if it's the main theme. But sometimes it can happens that a romance books sweeps me away and makes me swoon. Examples:
- To all the boys I've loved before
- The Hating Game
- Red, White & Royal Blue

So yes, there are a few romance books that I love, and I'm always trying to find the next one to add to that list, and I was hoping this was it. But it was not.

Nevertheless, it wasn't bad, I really enjoyed some parts and I was rooting for the main characters! And I really liked the dare. So: January is a romance author and Gus is writes dark literary fiction, and they dare each other to write the thing the other one usually writes! That's the sinopsys and it sounded awesome. It was kinda awesome.

But yeah, I didn't like the book as much as everyone else. The middle part dragged a bit to much and the way Gus handled the situation when things were getting hard was frustrating. And it wasn't a good kind of frustration, it was one that made me go: ugh STOP. Anyway, everyone is loving this book, so my opinion is an unpopular one.

Beach Read was so much deeper than I anticipated. Based on the title and synopsis, I was expecting, well, a beach read, but this story touches on a series of heavier topics and realistic character hardships. In addition to that, the main characters, January and Augustus, have the cutest dang romance, complete with writing notes to each other from their windows à la Taylor Swift.

The two are authors, both suffering with writer’s block, who challenge themselves to swap genres for their next books to help get the creative juices flowing. To help do so, they organize weekend research outings to teach each other about their writing processes. I love that this book explores each author’s relationship to their respective genre, and how they ended up writing what they do. January’s transformation from believing wholeheartedly in her parents’ love story to discovering secret infidelities shakes her hugely and rattles her ability to move forward with her romance novel. In the wake of her father’s sudden death, she grapples to wrap her head around the man she thought she knew and the unburied secrets he kept from her. Augustus is stubbornly disillusioned with love and, rather than being a stereotypical playboy, or curmudgeon, we slowly find out the depth of hurt that has made him that way. Both character’s backstories are raw, deep, and believable, and made this story so much more than a fluffy romance.

The small-town setting of this story is perfect. It’s wonderfully constructed with quirky, believable shops and townspeople, and frames January and Augustus’s story very well. Isolated from distraction in such a quiet town, they have little to focus on but one another.

This book definitely made me feel things: anticipation over an impending romance, sorrow and grief, and happy butterflies for the two main characters. Although not strictly a ‘beach read,’ Beach Read is a poignant contemporary romance with depth and narratives that stretch far beyond what I expected.

Reviews posted on May 22:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CAf0s47ARU1/
https://treatyourshelf.home.blog/2020/05/22/beach-read-by-emily-henry-book-review/

Beach Read was such a fantastic book. I did not expect to love it as much as I did, but I stayed up all night to finish it and haven't stopped thinking about it since. I loved the balance between lighter fun moments and heavier emotional ones. All the research trips January and Gus went on were so much fun to read about, I never wanted it to end. I really loved their romance and felt the chemistry so much between them. 
This is a book I will reread again and again.

I absolutely loved this book. The main characters were just so likable and it kept me rooting for them throughout the whole story.

I keep hearing about this book being the 'it' book this summer, and it lives up to the hype. Such a beautiful, emotional, funny, and realistic love story about the wonderful January and Gus. January was just a fantastic character and felt so real and authentic. Favorite book I've read this year.

"Falling’s the part that takes your breath away. It’s the part when you can’t believe the person standing in front of you both exists and happened to wander into your path. It’s supposed to make you feel lucky to be alive, exactly when and where you are."

AAHH! My new favorite romance! Don't let the sunny, summery, fun cover fool you - this is an adult contemporary romance dealing with real-life issues such as family dysfunction, illness, death and relationship issues. But it IS funny and it is SO much more than just a light romance! Very rarely do hyped-up books live up to the buzz for me, but 'Beach Read' did all that and more. I have a serious book hangover after reading this.

'Beach Read' is one of my top favorite books so far this year. I have started and stopped tons of books since coronavirus lock-down started but very few hold my attention. I am happy to say that 'Beach Read' was perfect for me right now: intelligent banter, steamy scenes and a story about writers that was just fascinating!

Yes this book provides a great escape but the main protagonists January and Gus were also fully-developed characters with depth, wit, serious issues and most of all, intelligence. I often find romance novels to be filled with cliches and tired old story lines but Emily Henry has really created something fresh and new here. This also fits nicely into the women's fiction category for all you fans of that genre.

I mean how catchy is the premise? A romance writer and a literary fiction author swapping genres for the summer on a bet? To read a behind-the-scenes peek into how writers flesh out their stories and their characters was fantastic. And I always give props to authors who name their chapters, Love it!

For any read who has ever defended their love of romance novels, this book is for you. Emily Henry is a huge talent and I cannot wait to read her next adult novel. 'Beach Read' is a sweet, sexy, intelligent story that I could not put down. Make this your next Summer 2020 read! You'll love it.

January Andrews is not having a good year. She’s a romance writer who has lost her belief in love and happily ever after — and she has promised a book to her publisher in three months. That’s why she’s moved into the house on Lake Michigan. A house she needs to sell because it is a large reminder of exactly why she doesn’t believe in love anymore.

Of course her next door neighbor would be the wildly successful literary author Augustus Everett. The man she crushed on in college who seemed to hate her guts until that one frat party where they danced the night away. Turns out Gus is suffering from writer’s block and a looming deadline too.

January and Gus make a bet — he has to write a romance and she has to try her hand at depressing literary fiction. Can they change their style? Can they write their books? Can they survive the summer without falling in love?

I’ve been really lucky with the awesome book picks I’ve been making. This is such a fun read that is also a serious exploration of heartache, healing and writer’s block. I felt like I really got to know January and Gus and I would like to be friends with them. I rooted for them to get together and I also hoped they would learn to forgive those they love and themselves along the way. This is the quintessential beach read for those that want a little “more” with their relaxation reading.

I loved this book so much - Gus and January were such delightful characters to read about. Emily Henry has written an amazing book that I strongly recommend!

The folks in one of my reader groups have been raving about this book, so I finally picked it up. I loved it. January is grieving her father’s death and coming to terms with the fact that he was not the perfect father she imagined. She’s a writer and she is blocked. She goes to the cabin she didn’t know he had and figures she will cure her writer’s block and write her new novel. Her neighbor is a grumpy grump called Gus. They know each other from college. Gus is also a writer struggling with his latest novel. They made a bet on who can sell their next book first. Queue up the adventures. 

Along the way they both discover things about themselves, each other, and more. It was an incredibly engaging story. It had me hooked from the beginning. January was sassy and sweet. Gus was grumpy, sexy and absolutely does not believe in love.  

There was some meta discussion about romance novels vs women’s fiction vs literary fiction that was interesting to read. Throughout the novel January labels what she writes as “romance”, “women’s fiction”, and “romcom.” I think the lines can be really blurry on what makes up books with those descriptions so I thought it was very fitting that this book will be described as all of the above. In my opinion it leans more toward women’s fiction with a strong romantic element because January’s growth arc was the main focus. 

This book covers some heavy topics, grief, death of a parent, parent with cancer but I thought were incorporated well into the story without being sensationalized. 

As Gus and January become friends there is a sort of epistolary aspect where they write notes to each other on paper and show them to each other from their respective houses. I loved it. As Gus learns that he is lovable and can love, I was practically swooning. 

This is a recommended read from me.

Emily Henry's BEACH READ is a heartfelt, emotional story about two people overcoming the realities of love and heartbreak to find each other. At times both funny and realistic, both January and Gus are characters that felt realistic and authentic, adults doing their best to get through the tough stuff life sometimes throws at us. 
I enjoyed the humor in this book, it felt like the perfect parallel to the grieving, life adjusting parts of the story. I also think January was written in such a way that felt truly relatable, when it comes to embarking on a new relationship. Second guessing all the little things, doubt and worry over what the other person is thinking etc. I loved the ending and how the story came together- less the "happily ever after" and more the true to life "we are happy today".

Sometimes you pick up a book and it’s exactly what you need in that moment. And for me, Beach Read was it this week — as evidenced by the fact that I read it in about a day and a half, ignoring the real-world obligations nagging for my attention.

Beach Read is sweet and uplifting, but also a little heavier than you might guess from the title and the cover.

Main character January is a young, successful romance writer. She’s known for her swoony love stories and happy ending. However, she’s been thrown for a loop, and isn’t able to summon her inner belief in the power of true love — and her looming book deadline isn’t helping at all.

January’s father recently died, so she’s dealing with the loss of her incredible dad — but on top of that, at his funeral, she met That Woman. It turns out that her father had an on-again, off-again mistress for years, including during her mother’s battle with cancer. January is shattered and angry, and feels like her foundation has been swept out from under her. After all, it was her parent’s shining love story that taught her to believe in love-story-quality love — and if that was all a lie, then what is she supposed to believe? And how can she possibly write a believable love story when she’s not sure her heart will ever be in it again?

January’s father left her a beach-side bungalow in a small-town in Michigan. With her book deadline looming and a serious lack of funds, she decides to spend her summer writing at the cottage, while also cleaning, sorting, and getting it ready for sale. And the fact that this was her father’s place with That Woman is not helping in the slightest.

Also distracting is her next door neightbor, who turns out to be the revered young writer Augustus Everett — whom January knew as Gus back in their college days, when they were fierce competitors, and shared one steamy “almost” at a party.

As January and Gus reconnect, initially with resentment and animosity, they realize they’re in the same boat when it comes to lack of inspiration and dire writer’s block. Gus is battling his own inner demons and past hurts, and he can’t seem to make progress on his next book.

In the book’s central (cute) twist, they challenge each other to write each other’s genres. Gus has always mocked January’s belief in the HEA — now, he needs to find a way to see the possibility of happiness, rather than going for the gloomy conclusion. And January needs to be open to grim reality and the idea that love isn’t always perfect, that messiness and secrets and hard choices are parts of life, and that fairy tales never (rarely) come true.

Beach Read is so much fun, start to finish, but it’s not only sunshine and swooning. (But yes, there is swoon-worthy romance, to be sure.) The author has a lot to say about families and love, how the ideals of childhood can be tarnished by the realities of adulthood, how families can hurt one another but can also save one another in all sorts of different ways… and how true love doesn’t mean no one ever makes a mistakes or hurts the other person, and that sometimes love takes work, compromise, and second chances.

January and Gus have a great chemistry together, and I loved the scenes of them writing in their respective cottages, but communicating through notes held up to the window. It’s adorable — so much better than texting!

The small-town setting is charming, and there’s a wonderful bookstore, so that’s a plus! One of the central plot elements of the book is Gus and January’s series of field trips/dates, where each exposes the other to something that feels related to their own writing style and genre. So, line dancing alternates with going to the site of a tragic fire at a cult compound… and all their excursions bring them closer to each other and also give them each different insights into their own process and emotions.

The writing is cheerful and light, but the author doesn’t shy away from harder emotions. January and Gus both have baggage to deal with, and we do see their pain and confusion as they deal with the events in their lives and try to move forward.

Bonus points too for a terrific female friendship, which helps January realize that true love can also be the bond between two lifelong friends who have each other’s backs and love unconditionally.

Falling’s the part that takes your breath away. It’s the part when you can’t believe the person standing in front of you both exists and happened to wander into your path. It’s supposed to make you feel lucky to be alive, exactly when and where you are.

Beach Read is a wonderful depiction of falling in love, but also a moving exploration of the messiness that comes with growing up and facing real life and accepting the fact that parents aren’t always perfect.

As I mentioned at the start, this book came into my hands right when I needed it, and I enjoyed every minute. A great summer reading choice — and also a great way to escape our current isolation through fiction!

This book follows January, a published writer who moves to her recently deceased father’s beach house looking for both closure and to finally write again. Imagine her surprise when she finds out that her neighbour is none other than her college rival Augustus Everett, who is also a published author. One thing leads to another and these two decide on a bet that involves January writing a serious story with a not-so-happy ending and Gus writing a romantic happily-ever-after one. What could go wrong?

Reading this book was both delightfully fun and heartwarming and awfully heartbreaking and serious. At the start of the story, both characters are dealing with their own demons by not dealing with them so all their interactions are more lighthearted. But the more time they spend together and the more they open up to each other, the more those demons come out to haunt them.

Their character development is slow but steady, especially when it comes to January and her father. Seeing Gus making an effort to be honest with her and let her in through January’s eyes was heart wrenching because his insecurities was rooted deep within him. The fact that he tried despite how scared he was of getting hurt yet again was super relatable.

However, for as many serious scenes there were, fun scenes were scattered across the story. Their fun and snarky banter was the best! It was my favourite part of the book. It was hilarious to see them roasting each other at every chance they got.

I also really loved the setting. A cabin house on the shores of Michigan Lake sounds so romantic and peaceful!

I’d definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a solid summer romance that gets a little serious at times.

I gave this book a good effort - 50%. It just couldn't connect with the style of writing. I did not like how it went back in forth in time in the same paragraph. I did not find anything particularly enjoyable about the main characters, nor did I find their banter realistic. I did love the plot and the location of the story! I think reading this as a physical book would be more enjoyable as I found the lack of differentiation in paragraphs and quotations hard to follow.

January Andrews is in a writing slump. Broke and broken, she reluctantly decides to move into a beach house for free for the summer, hoping it will spark something in her to finally write. Instead, she discovers that her archnemesis, Augustus Everett, lives right next door. After a few grumpy conversations and chance meetings, they both realize they are in the same position. They strike up a deal: January will write the next Great American Novel while Gus writes a romcom, with the help of each other in the research department, because they are both experts in their respective genres. And so begins their summer of meet-cute settings and interviews with former members of a death cult. The only guarantee? They won't fall in love.

I had read so many early reviews saying that this book is so much more than just a beach read, and all of those reviews are right. The characters in this book have depth and real issues and are messed up. It made the story seem real and relatable. January and Gus early on establish a witty banter that I thought, at times, was a bit forced, but that's just me trying to find something to pick on. The swoon-worthy scenes were just that. I felt myself smiling much of the way through this book. And, if you don't fall in love with Gus while reading this, well then I'm inclined to think there's something wrong with you. If you are looking for a fluffy romcom, this isn't for you. If you are looking for a story with layers, with ups and downs, with characters that'll stick with you, then this one is for you.

Thank you to Berkley & Netgalley for my eARC.

I have loved all of Emily’s YA books, so I was basically beside myself when I found out she was writing a romance novel and coupled with that cover, I expected loads of fluff. 

Two things: there is little to no fluff and I wouldn’t categorize this as a rom-com. That illustrated cover and sweet sounding synopsis are so very misleading. 

I liked January and Gus. They’re both struggling in different ways and each was sort of a beacon to the other. They do have an instant connection and I loved the bit of backstory they had. That history helped me see the jump in their relationship. There are a few secondary characters, but this is mostly January’s story.

Plot wise, it was slow going. There are a lot of moving pieces here and it wasn’t always coherent for me. Yes things actively happened, but at the same time, it felt like nothing was happening. The small bits of banter sparked me into reading further and I could have easily read a million more scenes of Gus and January talking about Maggie and her rocks. 

Overall, it was a good story, but after seeing everyone gush about it being a “super cute book” and “a perfect summer read” has me wondering how I missed whatever they clearly saw. 

**Huge thanks to Berkley for providing the arc free of charge**

Woo hoo loved it! Bravo Emily Henry! Captivating storyline, delightful setting, fantastic characters, fun banter, beautiful emotion, tender romance. This is the summer romance I’ve been waiting for! January is at a low point in her life. She is grieving the death of her father, but now she’s not so sure that she really knew him. She is also suffering from writers block and trying to pick up the pieces after her longtime boyfriend broke up with her. Her father left her a beach house on Lake Michigan and she’s hoping the change of scenery will help her clear her head and figure some things out. In a crazy turn of fate her next-door neighbor at the beach house is her old college crush/rival Gus. When the two start to talk they realize that they both are struggling from writers Blok so decide to wager a little bet and each will try to write in the others genre. So what happens when the grumpy literary author tries to write a romcom? What happens when the romcom author attempts to write a bleak book? What happens when too lonely hearts find each other? Will there be a happily ever after or will everything fall apart?

   I seriously loved absolutely everything about this book! January and Gus were such great characters and they were so multi dimensional. Loved all their banter, their back-and-forth, their give-and-take. The story was so much more than a romance, touched on so many different issues and gave me all the feels. If you enjoy good storytelling, fabulous characters, and witty dialogue then this is a can’t miss!

This book in emojis  📚 ☕️ 👩🏻‍💻 ⛈ 🎠 🎪 

*** Big thank you to Berkley for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***

5 Loving This Book Stars
This had it all and then some. 
You want a cute hook for why two people happen to start talking and developing a friendship- you got it.
You want interesting backstories for the reasons why these two are who they are-you got it. 
You want a push/pull type of opposites that really have some much in common-you got it. 

This has all of that as well as Heart, Angsty Stuff, Steamy Stuff, Humor and anything else you could want. 
This is a huge Winner and NOT what you may think it is...It Is More.

BEACH READ by Emily Henry is a story filled with angst, secrets, family, friends, and more. January, a romance writer with writer’s block and deadlines looming, is given a letter written by her father upon his death, along with a key to a house he owns in the little beach town in Michigan where he grew up. Her mom is not too thrilled with the whole scenario but doesn’t want to talk about any of it. When January finally travels from Ohio to Michigan to clean out the house so she can sell it, she doesn’t expect to meet someone she knows living next door or to be able to write again.

There are some laugh-out-loud moments as January and her neighbor, Gus, meet and get to know each other again. She and Gus went to college together and were always rivals in writing class. He is a successful literary fiction writer and doesn’t like her successful happily-ever-after books. They currently both seem to be struggling to get words on paper.

When they make a bet about writing in a different genre than they usually do, the story really takes off. I loved their research on Fridays and Saturdays as well as how they slowly get to know each other better. The characters have a depth to them, both vulnerable when it comes to letting others in. Their chemistry is real, but their lack of communication causes problems a lot of the time.

The descriptions of the small town and beach are vibrant; the small town feels real. The romance is nicely woven through the plot, which has a nice pace, in addition to an unexpected twist at the end. The last chapter takes place nine months later and gave me the closure I look for. The cover is playful and fits the book, and the titles for each chapter are spot-on. I enjoyed the author’s Behind the Book section and Discussion Questions at the end.