kelly_e's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Title: Beach Read
Author: Emily Henry
Genre: Romance
Rating: 3.25
Pub Date: May 19, 2020
T H R E E • W O R D S
Fun • Deep • Over-hyped
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Augustus, an acclaimed author of literary fiction and January, a bestselling romance novelist are polar opposites. Each struggling with writer's block and dealing with personal demons, they find themselves living next door to one another for the summer. One evening they strike up a deal: Gus will write something happy, and January will pen the next Great American Novel.
💭 T H O U G H T S
Emily Henry's Beach Read has been absolutely everywhere, and so I fell victim to the hype and finally dove in. An original and deep plot with a side of romance is typically how I like my romance books, yet for me January and Gus lacked chemistry and I was expecting so, so, so much more from this novel.
There's no denying Emily Henry does banter unlike anyone else. It adds a lightness to often heavy content. With this book, there is excellent individual character growth, but I wasn't invested in the romance at all. In fact, I was way more invested in the plot and them writing their books. I felt as thought it started out strong, but faded by the midway point and never really regained traction. A few of the things I really appreciated were the exploration of grief, the east coast setting, and the letters.
For me, Beach Read was simply an average read, one I'll soon forget, which has me thinking Emily Henry's adult romances may just not be my cup of tea. I appreciate the depth of the plots, but the romance and lack of communication just don't cut it. With that said, I'll probably continue to read her books with hopes of finding one I really love.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• fans of the grump/sunshine and/or enemies to lovers trope(s)
• readers who like depth in their rom-coms
• Emily Henry fans
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Bad things don't dig down through your life until the pit's so deep that nothing good will ever be big enough to make you happy again. No matter how much shit, there will always be wildflowers."
"Because I know no matter how long I get to love you, it will be worth whatever comes after."
"It was okay to let a little ugliness into your story. That it would never rob you of all the beauty."
Author: Emily Henry
Genre: Romance
Rating: 3.25
Pub Date: May 19, 2020
T H R E E • W O R D S
Fun • Deep • Over-hyped
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Augustus, an acclaimed author of literary fiction and January, a bestselling romance novelist are polar opposites. Each struggling with writer's block and dealing with personal demons, they find themselves living next door to one another for the summer. One evening they strike up a deal: Gus will write something happy, and January will pen the next Great American Novel.
💭 T H O U G H T S
Emily Henry's Beach Read has been absolutely everywhere, and so I fell victim to the hype and finally dove in. An original and deep plot with a side of romance is typically how I like my romance books, yet for me January and Gus lacked chemistry and I was expecting so, so, so much more from this novel.
There's no denying Emily Henry does banter unlike anyone else. It adds a lightness to often heavy content. With this book, there is excellent individual character growth, but I wasn't invested in the romance at all. In fact, I was way more invested in the plot and them writing their books. I felt as thought it started out strong, but faded by the midway point and never really regained traction. A few of the things I really appreciated were the exploration of grief, the east coast setting, and the letters.
For me, Beach Read was simply an average read, one I'll soon forget, which has me thinking Emily Henry's adult romances may just not be my cup of tea. I appreciate the depth of the plots, but the romance and lack of communication just don't cut it. With that said, I'll probably continue to read her books with hopes of finding one I really love.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• fans of the grump/sunshine and/or enemies to lovers trope(s)
• readers who like depth in their rom-coms
• Emily Henry fans
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Bad things don't dig down through your life until the pit's so deep that nothing good will ever be big enough to make you happy again. No matter how much shit, there will always be wildflowers."
"Because I know no matter how long I get to love you, it will be worth whatever comes after."
"It was okay to let a little ugliness into your story. That it would never rob you of all the beauty."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Grief, and Sexual content
Moderate: Infidelity, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Fire/Fire injury, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Cancer, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, and Addiction
Minor: Cursing, Suicide, Car accident, and Vomit
kaitlynnnng's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This is the first Emily Henry book I’ve ever read, and I’m kind of mad at myself for not reading it sooner. I borrowed a copy from the library, because I wasn’t sure if I’d like it that much, but I’m happy to say that I just ordered my own copy…and a copy of her other books, too.
I’ve only recently started reading non-fantasy romances, and I started feeling like maybe the genre wasn’t for me, but Beach Read changed my mind. While it maybe isn’t the most groundbreaking story out there, there wasn’t anything I didn’t like about it.
I’ve only recently started reading non-fantasy romances, and I started feeling like maybe the genre wasn’t for me, but Beach Read changed my mind. While it maybe isn’t the most groundbreaking story out there, there wasn’t anything I didn’t like about it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Infidelity, Terminal illness, Chronic illness, and Death of parent
Minor: Child abuse, Cursing, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, Vomit, and Alcohol
vanesst's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Death of parent, Infidelity, Grief, and Sexual content
Moderate: Cancer, Fire/Fire injury, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Vomit, Car accident, Alcoholism, Cursing, and Drug use
hannibanani29's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Death of parent, Infidelity, Grief, and Alcohol
Moderate: Vomit, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Cursing, and Cancer
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Car accident, Physical abuse, and Emotional abuse
saeruh's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
5.0
This book was made for the girlies with dead dads. Such beautiful writing. I loved this book and yet at times I absolutely hated it because I understood the main character, January, so well. Had me sobbing in the middle of a work day so be prepared that while this is a romance novel and deals with two people falling in love, it also deals heavily with grief, abusive situations and the trauma that leaves, how good people end up in bad situations, and the simple factors of life and emotions. This book can be represented well musically by phoebe bridgers’ album Punisher and specifically the song “Kyoto” off of it.
My biggest problems were that I felt like January was never really described so I never knew how to picture her in my head and also Gus and his continual closed-off-ness made me annoyed at him during parts. But any book that makes me cry like this deserves 5 stars.
My biggest problems were that I felt like January was never really described so I never knew how to picture her in my head and also Gus and his continual closed-off-ness made me annoyed at him during parts. But any book that makes me cry like this deserves 5 stars.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Infidelity, Grief, Death of parent, Vomit, and Misogyny
Minor: Child abuse and Car accident
pucksandpaperbacks's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
CW: graphic depictions of child abuse and physical abuse, mention of cults and detailed depictions of cult life, graphic depiction and mention of car accident death, death of a parent, infidelity, cancer, and some ableist language.
I have complicated feelings on this book. I liked the writing and enjoyed the story but it felt like too much was happening at once plot-wise. Also the abuse scenes were very triggering for me. There should've been a warning at the beginning of the book or at least the beginning of those chapters because it was definitely a surprise for me. There are graphic depictions of physical abuse from Gus's father that he recounts and details. It really threw me for a loop and I was unprepared for that to be mentioned at least 2-3 times. There's a way to mention that he's been a victim and survivor of child abuse without going into detail, in my opinion.
I liked January at the beginning but as I read her more, she started to feel like a red flag. I HATED how January just didn't communicate with Gus AT ALL. She would get mad at him but not tell him why and that made me SO ANGRY. Then, toward the end, I thought I knew the characters pretty well but then their choices just confused the hell out of me.
However, I liked Gus a lot. I love a brooding character and his character development was stellar. I just felt like these characters had too much going on mentally & internally that it wasn't the right time for either of them to date which really took away from me rooting for their romance. It was a rollercoaster ride pretty much!
Some word choices were questionable and I felt like the sex scenes writing wise were recycled? She uses the word "skating" so much in every sex scene. Besides that, I really liked the sex scenes and the book was well written.
I have complicated feelings on this book. I liked the writing and enjoyed the story but it felt like too much was happening at once plot-wise. Also the abuse scenes were very triggering for me. There should've been a warning at the beginning of the book or at least the beginning of those chapters because it was definitely a surprise for me. There are graphic depictions of physical abuse from Gus's father that he recounts and details. It really threw me for a loop and I was unprepared for that to be mentioned at least 2-3 times. There's a way to mention that he's been a victim and survivor of child abuse without going into detail, in my opinion.
I liked January at the beginning but as I read her more, she started to feel like a red flag. I HATED how January just didn't communicate with Gus AT ALL. She would get mad at him but not tell him why and that made me SO ANGRY. Then, toward the end, I thought I knew the characters pretty well but then their choices just confused the hell out of me.
However, I liked Gus a lot. I love a brooding character and his character development was stellar. I just felt like these characters had too much going on mentally & internally that it wasn't the right time for either of them to date which really took away from me rooting for their romance. It was a rollercoaster ride pretty much!
Some word choices were questionable and I felt like the sex scenes writing wise were recycled? She uses the word "skating" so much in every sex scene. Besides that, I really liked the sex scenes and the book was well written.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Death, Child abuse, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Death of parent and Cancer
Minor: Ableism and Fatphobia
filipa_maia's review
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book was really good. And I say it like that because, once again, this is not my go-to genre. But, once again, was a suggestion from my monthly reading group and I decided to give it a chance.
This is not a typical romance in a sense that are some really dark and heavy topics represented: domestic abuse, a cult, death... the kind of themes that are not associated when you ear the genre romance.
I really enjoyed this book. I like how dark and mysterious Gus is and how fragile and hurt January feels. And I like the way both of them decide to give each other a chance (although, sometimes, January frustrated me a lot). The best part about this book is that it shows that two people with completely opposite visions of the world can find common ground.
I really liked this book and will look for more books by Emily Henry.
This is not a typical romance in a sense that are some really dark and heavy topics represented: domestic abuse, a cult, death... the kind of themes that are not associated when you ear the genre romance.
I really enjoyed this book. I like how dark and mysterious Gus is and how fragile and hurt January feels. And I like the way both of them decide to give each other a chance (although, sometimes, January frustrated me a lot). The best part about this book is that it shows that two people with completely opposite visions of the world can find common ground.
I really liked this book and will look for more books by Emily Henry.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Abandonment, Grief, Chronic illness, Infidelity, and Death of parent
Moderate: Death, Vomit, Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Physical abuse, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Car accident, Alcohol, and Cursing
gabbygarcia's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Fun book! The audiobook narration is great, highly recommend it. My largest complaint with the structure of the story is that there seemed to be both too much and not enough of the plot line outside of the romance— There were definitely more than a few lines that had me rolling my eyes, but overall, the dialogue was funny and captivating. Fun summer read.
Spoiler
I wanted to care more about the book-research plot line but there just wasn’t enough of it to keep me interested; it didn’t feel connected enough to the rest of the story for its placement to make sense.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Sexual content, and Death of parent
Moderate: Cancer and Infidelity
Minor: Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Child death
anielabooks's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This was a wonderful book. I am not surprised by that considering that I’ve read Emily Henry’s books before. The only disappointing part was that I expected to cry and didn’t. That definitely doesn’t take away from how much I loved the romance between the main characters. I think the book was also extremely funny at times. January and Gus’s banter was perfection, absolutely my favorite part. I also really appreciated how we got to see their books unfolded at the end. 100% would recommend this book for summer.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Infidelity
Moderate: Sexual content, Grief, Cancer, Death, and Vomit
Minor: Addiction, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Car accident, Murder, and Religious bigotry
rosevity's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Sexual content
Moderate: Infidelity, Cancer, Fire/Fire injury, and Grief
Minor: Child death and Car accident