Reviews

Beach Read, by Emily Henry

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artsandbookish's review against another edition

5.0

I originally planned to read this one during vacation in July, thinking it would be the perfect summer read. Now that I’ve finally read it, it definitely is, but also so much more.

I absolutely fell in love with the characters. Gus definitely surprised me because I had something so much different in mind. Although now, I wouldn’t have it any other way. Emily Henry has done an amazing job bringing him and January to life. There was never a point where I felt their interaction wasn’t genuine and real. You can read a lot of novels out there where the protagonists fall in love after a hundred pages, break up after discovering a disturbing secret, only to get back together in the end. And, you know, reading those books is sometimes everything you need, because you know what’s going to happen. With Beach Read, to my mind, it often came a little different than I expected. With each chapter, January and Gus’ connection grew. Their story didn’t feel rushed or unnatural - it made me laugh, cry and root for them every step of the way.

Beach Read is beautifully written, with just enough tension and a wonderfully portrayed cast of characters. A huge recommend.

fishbitxh's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I wasn’t expecting to become so involved in the lives and emotions of these characters! My first Emily Henry book and I will definitely be continuing with her books!

gabym's review against another edition

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5.0

First off, this book is literally adorable. I feel like I have seen a lot of buzz about this book, but I am going to say that it is totally worth it because this is a romance that definitely has some meat to its bones! The plot of this is writer January Andrews is broke so she moves into the house her dad that has passed away recently left her to find out her college writing rival Augustus Everett is her new neighbor. You can probably fill in the blanks from there since it's a romance, but what you aren't probably expecting to be explored in a typical romance is that both characters have difficult pasts they are working through including the loss of a parent, divorce, and a hard childhood, which I loved as an added element. I also found this book to be adorable with the challenge to write in the other's genre and the learning field trips that follow from it and the fact they held up signs while writing like the You Belong With Me music video (which as a Taylor Swift fan I LOVED)!! I also thought this was super fun because it made me wonder about the writing process especially since it's about two writers stuck in the process of writing their next novel and Emily Henry has a little tidbit in the back of the book about how this was inspired by writer's block. Overall, I would definitely recommend this book because it will make you swoon while not being totally surface level and needless to say I loved it a lot, so I am going to have to give this one 5 stars!!

Note: I did receive an e-ARC of this from Edelweiss so huge thank you to them, Berkley, and Penguin Publishing Group, but all opinions are my own!

heatherguinta's review against another edition

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Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

courtneyfcooper's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

notwaldorf's review against another edition

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4.0

Ok look. I came in wanting to read a light book because I’m bummed about the world, give it a solid 3 stars, and then go back to my Serious Literature Novels™️ deserving of more stars. Turns out that’s a load of shit; this book is great and I loved every bit about it, especially the fact that all the characters are like, nice, dorky people. They have a nice little romance, and they’re never really dicks to each other and it was a joy to read. Also there’s casual mentions of cults which is EXTREMELY my shit.