Beach Read by Emily Henry a refreshing five-star read. This is one of those stories that will keep you hooked, its witty and funny, and the dialogue is so good you can see the sparks coming off the page. This was not what I was expecting, it turned out to be so much more, this will be the perfect each read, but it will also be a perfect read at other times as well. Gus and January seem like the couldn’t be more opposite of each other, under the surface but as you read you learn the truth. Don’t miss this great story, and I for one will be checking for more from this author as I loved every word.

January writes romance Gus writes the opposite.. They were at school together but she thought he hated her and he thought the same about her. They meet up years later and bet each other they can't write a book about the others genre.. Quite enjoyed the book until the last chapter when I couldn't read it for all the repeated words and jumbled up letters so couldn't get to finish. I know it;'s probably a proof but it would have been better if I could have finished

DNF @ 54%.

I don’t even know where to start. I’m no expert when it comes to marketing but even I know that cover shouts light, easy-going rom-com rather than angst-filled romance which could also pass as the life and times of an author. Not for me.

Perfect book for the summer by the pool. It was fantastic to read. I couldn’t put it down. It was well written. Nice and easy to read. Idyllic location that made you just wish you were right there.

very good book I enjoyed to see the ups and downs of January and Gus whether they would both get their happy ever after end or not.

This is a beach read. Easy, enjoyable and fun. Good characters who engendered empathy. What is not to like. I read it in two chunks

Oh, I LOVED this book.

January Andrews and Augustus Everett - from their names to the way the story was told, there's so much about this book that made it feel like I was following two YA characters into their thirties, and I mean that in the best possible way. There is a rawness and honesty to YA that we sometimes lose in adult fiction, and it's here in spades.

I loved that the author started with a lovely, hooky concept, and then kind of threw any thoughts of plot away and let the characters run with it. None of it felt cliched at all, which could have so easily happened especially in the bits where they live out typical romcom experiences. The dialogue is fantastic, the character development a complete delight.

I read this over the course of one night and one morning just wrapped up in my duvet, completely invested in Gus and January's story. They're both such wonderful, messy, human, lovable characters, and they fizz with genuine warmth. I couldn't tell you which character I loved more, but love that I got to live them both for a while.

Emily, you are fabulous.

A nice easy read perfect for chick lit lovers and a perfect companion for the beech. A fairly predictable story but a nice simple read.

Two people who are totally different. January, such a romantic, trying desperatley to finish her next book, publisher waiting in the wings.
Gus, a very serious writer, not into fairytale romance at all.
Both are suffering from 'writers block'. Neither know how to start again.....until they make a bet. They are going to swap writing genres, Gus to write romance and January to write a hard book.
It's a witty and clever book and I enjoyed reading the many ideas that the two came up with.
Thanks to NetGalley for a review copy.

Chalk And Cheese Or Cheese And Chutney....?
January and Augustus. Chalk and cheese? Or cheese and chutney? It turns out that these two seemingly opposites have way more common ground than either think. A delightful, romantic, amusing and well written tale which will have you smiling and egging the protagonists on to the end. A wholly satisfying read.

Thanks Netgalley for the digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

My first 5 star read of the year and I couldn't be happier! :)

January had a perfect life. Perfect family. Perfect job. Perfect boyfriend. Then one day, everything falls apart when her father dies and she finds out he had an affair. When she has no other choice, she decides to go to the beach house her father left her. She thinks it's the perfect opportunity to finish the book she was supposed to have finished months ago. Then, she finds out her neighbor, Gus, is an old colleague from university who's also a writer, but instead of the HEA books January writes, he writes literary fiction. So they decide to make a bet in which she has to write a dark book and he must write a romance.

I loved this book so damn much that I don't even know where to begin, but I'll try. Well, this was my first book by this author (and I already want to read all of them, even though they are from a different genre) and I loved her writing. It's so gripping! The book flew by and when I finished, I just wanted to go back to the beginning.

The dialogues were so funny. I laughed out loud in several occasions, so I'm glad I read this one at home, otherwise I'd be extremely embarrassed. The way January and Gus's relationship develops is so natural, cute and angsty. They had so much chemistry and yet they had the perfect friendship. I just had heart eyes emoji the whole damn time.

Also the relationship with her family and best friend, Shadi, are amazing (She's hilarious, I would definitely read a book with her as a MC). All the process of grieving and trying to understand her father's attitudes and her relationship with him was just so moving and raw. I almost felt the same as her, because of how genuine the writing felt. Gus is also an incredible character and I loved the way he evolved throughout the novel.

This book made me laugh, cry, laugh-cry and it brought me so many emotions that I cannot recommend it enough. If you love romance, drama, laughter and HEA, you should definitely read this one.

Beach Read is a romance full of sparkling dialogue and a cast of great characters.
January and Gus were in college ten years previously where they were in the same creative writing class. January always felt Gus looked down on her style of writing and felt himself to be a more serious writer. Fast forward and January is an author of popular romances and Gus of more serious fiction.
They reconnect when they find they are neighbours in a small lakeside town. January has been left devastated after the death of her father after she discovers he had a mistress and secret life living in the house he has left her.
Gus has had a childhood of abuse and poor relationships, both now have writers block so they they challenge each other to change their writing style, Gus has to write a HEA romance and January a book that has a completely different style and finale.
Gradually they become closer, as their feelings develop we are entertained with their witty banter and charm. At times this is a deep book which delves very much into people’s emotions and the reader is taken on their journey of discovery seamlessly with them.
My thanks to net galley and publisher for the opportunity to review this book honestly.

When I say I want to read romance, this is what I mean. This book. This exact book.

Oh, that cover is a beautiful lie. It conjures feelings of a light flirty summer romance in which both main characters fall head of heels for each other and have a happily ever after.

The story of January and Gus is not a light flirty summer romance. It is not a happily ever after. It is the book my heart always wanted to read but didn’t know until now. Both January and Augustus (Gus for anyone who knew him before his books were published) are flawed. They are both broken. The walls are pretty much crumbling around them.

Their story started long before this book began. A decade ago in college. In the same creative writing programme.

‘Let me guess: everyone live happily ever after. Again’

Moving in to house she didn’t know existed until her fathers death, January is mostly shattered. Meeting a dismissive, grumpy neighbour in the early hours of the morning - sitting on his deck while a party raged inside his house - only to find out that he’s her college rival the next day, only heightens the emotions currently battling their way through her,

Her life used to be a fairy tale. The parents who loved each other completely, faced trials and came out on top. They adored her and showed her that happy ends are real. She had the heart of a romantic which made each day seem to shine. Until it didn’t.

This book delighted me. It was messy and slightly dark and everything i could ever want in a romance. Two people who are broken and hurting but managed to be a little bit less when they were with each other. A rivalry, which turned into not friends exactly, a mutual bet and then companions. An odd slop of getting to know someone in the now but not really their past or what has driven them to have changed so much. A beautiful unravelling. A happy for now.

Beach Read by Emily Henry is the best book I've read this year so far, and easily a top 10 on my all-time favorites list.

Beautifully written, this book tells the story of January Andrews, a romance writer that fiercely believes in happy endings. That is until the fake perfection of her life comes crashing down. A year later and she is utterly broke, avoiding her agent and trying desperately to write some new material, while provisionally moving into her late father's secret love nest on Lake Michigan.

There, while she is trying to make sense of her life without rose-tinted glasses she crosses paths with her former college enemy, famous literary fiction writer Augustus ''Gus'' Everett, now turned next-door neighbor. Gus is the classic pessimist and January used to be the most optimistic of all. More than enemies or friends to lovers and more than an opposites-attract, Emily Henry creates a mutual understanding between both characters, telling us that is ok to be a little bit of both.

“See,” Gus said. “It’s shit like this that makes it impossible for me to believe in happy endings. You never get the paper umbrellas you were promised in this world.” “Gus,” I said. “You must be the paper umbrellas you wish to see in this world.” “Gandhi was a wise man.” “Actually, I was quoting my favorite poet, Jewel.”

“People were complicated. They weren’t math problems; they were collections of feelings and decisions and dumb luck. The world was complicated too, not a beautifully hazy French film, but a disastrous, horrible mess, speckled with brilliance and love and meaning.”

Emily Henry's writing is masterful in Beach Read, crafting each conversation carefully, making every phrase stand out as witty, interesting and utterly enjoyable. All the while, sending us in a layered voyage, where no one is truly right or wrong. Where the journey is the beautiful broken part of life that should always be appreciated.

”Happy endings don’t matter if the getting there sucks.”

This is a book that will stay with me for a very long time. It made me laugh, cry, and swoon. It made me conflicted and curious.... but definitely made me addicted to the author's storytelling and I'll probably want to read everything she's ever written now.

The kind of book you find yourself smiling at and sighing. Romance at its very best. I was so invested in January and Gus and their literary journey to love. I can’t tell you how happy this book made me! Highly HIGHLY recommend.

An absolutely brilliant, fresh and exciting book. With family drama, an excellent love interest and a great concept (two authors battle it out to write each others genre) it’s a clear winner. But there’s so much more to this book- the skill and style, how delicately the characters and storytelling develops. There’s an awareness of trope but without cliche and it just feels like a really new and enjoyable romantic comedy, with lots of depth and backstory.

And as a writer I really related to the sitting around in dirty clothes and a messy kitchen surviving on cereal.

Can’t wait to read more from this author!