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taraaleitz's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity
Moderate: Sexual content and Death of parent
Minor: Alcoholism and Alcohol
booksawyer's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Since Beach Read came out in 2020, I’ve heard nothing but good things about Emily Henry’s first adult romance novel. Years later, Henry has released three more novels in this genre and I still have yet read any of them - until now!
Beach Read follows the story of January Andrews, a published romance writer who recently lost her father. His death opened up numerous wounds when January discovered secrets he has been keeping from her, the aftermath of which sent her into an extreme writers block. Since she hasn’t sold a book and recently spilt with her long-time boyfriend, January moves into a lake house left to her by her dad, hoping write her next novel by the end of the summer.
Upon moving into the house, January “meets” her neighbor, who turns out to be her college rival Augustus Everett, a successful literary fiction writer. The two decide to make a bet, deciding they will each try to write a book in the other’s genre. The terms of their agreement cause them to spend a lot of time together, and sparks may fly…
Saying I enjoyed this book is an understatement. From the moment I started reading, January and Augustus’s story captivated me. I was swept up in the romance, rooting for them the whole way.
What pushes Beach Read into the category of an all-time favorite is the inclusion of difficult themes. I always enjoy books that cover difficult topics, so the discussion of grief and the impact that January’s fathers actions had on her was an element of the book I really enjoyed.
This book also finds our characters researching a cult, something I never expected to see in a romance novel. However, I think it was handled well. The scenes in which this topic was discussed were moving and I found myself getting goosebumps once or twice.
Despite the heavy themes, this book makes for an excellent cute romance. January and Augustus have undeniable chemistry, and the development of their romance was enough to make me giddy.
Emily Henry is an excellent writer who masterfully crafted this novel. I truly can not wait to immediately pick up one of her other books!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Infidelity, Sexual content, and Death of parent
Moderate: Child abuse and Domestic abuse
Minor: Alcoholism, Suicide, and Fire/Fire injury
This book also deals with cults, particularly the fallout of being in the cult on survivors, as well as the family of cult members who died.kaylameaux's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
slow-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
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Death, and Death of parent
Minor: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
fanboyriot's review against another edition
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Read For:
Quick Read
Quick Read
Hurt/Comfort
Summer Read
Author x Author
Beach Read (much like the title says)
Honestly, I wasn't feeling this one as much. The characters were okay but at times really annoying. The relationship felt rushed and a bit too forced. After they admit their feelings it’s revealed they always felt that way since they were in college… it just kinda comes out of nowhere. Then there was the ending. I love romance books as much as the next person but that was way too cliché and just really annoying. I will say I did like some of the banter was pretty good and I did like the cozy summer vibes it had.
(First Person POV)
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Rep: Idk
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Cancer, Cursing, Death, Mental illness, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Minor: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Suicide, Vomit, Religious bigotry, Car accident, and Fire/Fire injury
bg_oseman_fan's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I enjoyed how meta this book was. in many ways it was a book about writer’s block and the process of writing a story. i like that the story didn’t sugarcoat on the one hand and also didn’t exaggerate the characters struggles too far so that they became unsympathetic. i wasn’t much until the way the sexual aspects of the protagonist’s relationship was described. I would have loved to have gotten more of a glimpse of what Gus’s writing had been like and how he would have written his romance novel than the more general look we got. i do plan on checking out more of the authors work in the future, though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity
Moderate: Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Vomit, Car accident, and Alcohol
cmags18's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
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? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Sexual content, and Death of parent
Minor: Alcoholism
sourkiwi's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Cancer, Child abuse, Infidelity, Vomit, and Death of parent
Minor: Alcoholism
annarbpollock's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-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
2.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Sexual content, and Alcohol
Minor: Fatphobia
jessiereads98'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
Beach Read was next to impossible to put down. I love the way she writes characters so you really feel like you know who they are. Typical romance tropes are incorporated without feeling tired, played out, or unnatural. At times I found January frustrating, however this didn’t make me dislike her. Nothing in the book feels unbelievable or like it came out of nowhere as can often be the case in romance novels. No one writes romance like Emily Henry.
The one thing that annoyed and disappointed me was that Gus doesn’t write a proper romcom or romance novel, but just litfic with a romance plot line.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Child abuse, Infidelity, Sexual content, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Alcoholism, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
sophiesometimesreads's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
5.0
I absolutely loved this book - the characters, the writing, the relationships, the depth. I am now officially an Emily Henry stan.
Firstly, these characters felt so real. I felt their feelings and was so connected with them. They were complicated and messy, and their flaws were real. Even when I wasn't reading the book, I was thinking about January and Gus. And not only were the characters great individually, they worked really well together and I could really believe in their relationship.
I also really loved the writing style, it was simple yet poetic at times but never tried too hard to be too poetic or flourished.
The conflict was believable but I appreciated that there were multiple forms of conflict and not one big miscommunication or misunderstanding, and these were resolved relatively quickly and not drawn out.
Overall, an excellent read that I would be happy to reread in the future and I am absolutely excited to read more of Emily Henry's work.
Firstly, these characters felt so real. I felt their feelings and was so connected with them. They were complicated and messy, and their flaws were real. Even when I wasn't reading the book, I was thinking about January and Gus. And not only were the characters great individually, they worked really well together and I could really believe in their relationship.
I also really loved the writing style, it was simple yet poetic at times but never tried too hard to be too poetic or flourished.
The conflict was believable but I appreciated that there were multiple forms of conflict and not one big miscommunication or misunderstanding, and these were resolved relatively quickly and not drawn out.
Overall, an excellent read that I would be happy to reread in the future and I am absolutely excited to read more of Emily Henry's work.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Alcoholism