Reviews tagging Cancer

Beach Read, by Emily Henry

416 reviews

_alyssar_'s review

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes

4.25


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alyssadavis's review against another edition

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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

2.0

I thought - think it's brave to believe in love. I mean, the lasting kind. To try for that, even knowing it can hurt you.

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vanesst's review

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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


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lcvemaze91's review

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dark emotional medium-paced

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gennabean13's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted 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

4.25


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mjwhitlock18's review

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emotional funny medium-paced

4.0

This book has plenty of the things I enjoy in a romance (rivals to lovers, feelings of second chance romance, witty banter). I don’t love the third act conflict hinging on miscommunication but it still managed to not turn me off. It also deals with some heavier topics like death, cancer, and suicide, but shows the lives of the main characters in the midst of that, which lends it a more realistic feel. Not my favorite of Emily Henry’s novels, but definitely worth the read.  


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khymihr's review

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hopeful lighthearted sad 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? Yes

3.75


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hannibanani29's review

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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


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wilyfox's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful 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

2.0

To start with, for a book marketed as a romance I don't really feel like there was enough time spent on the actual romance. We spent more time internally monologuing about January’s dad and learning about a cult than we did on the actual relationship development. When I pick up a contemporary romance book I’m here for the romance. I don't mind side plots, but the ones in this book took up way too much page time and felt like the central plot more than the romance did. It feels like I was sold a romance and got something else instead.

Secondly, I was really not a fan of the way that the romance genre was discussed in this book. January would defend it one second and call herself a romance writer and then the next be like, ‘oh I don’t write those type of romance books, mine are women’s fiction.’ Women’s fiction isn’t romance, so... what does this mean? She puts down those other types of romance books several times in the narrative and seems rather contemptuous of them, more so than Gus himself, and that’s supposed to be part of his character. It wouldn’t be so bad if this was a character arc or some moment of growth for her, but nothing changes by the end of the book. In fact, the whole premise of the book is that Gus is supposed to write a romance novel which he doesn’t even do because there’s no HEA!! On top of that, you have all these litfic authors and books namedropped and referenced throughout, but not ONE romance author or book despite January’s claim to love the genre? Not even a Nora Roberts mention?? Come on.

Anyway, now that I’ve got that little rant out of the way... the romance that was there, I was not a huge fan of. 
Spoiler Gus emotionally withdraws every time they have sex or even come close to it, constantly ghosts her without even a cursory text (meanwhile she just lets him... where is your spine girl?!), and contemplates getting back with his ex-wife at the END of the book. He even asks a still-naked January to leave immediately after sex because he gets a phone call from said ex-wife. That is so insulting and not a satisfactory romantic arc! Also, having sex at a cult massacre site?! I know it's fictional but it read as hugely disrespectful to me.


I enjoyed January's friendship with Shadi and I thought the writing was solid. I really liked the prose despite how annoying it was to constantly be in January’s head; she was so whiny and insecure that she read like a teenager at times, rather than an adult woman approaching her thirties. And there were so many pop culture and brand references, which I always hate as a non-American because I have to Google these brands and places and people I've never heard of before and it takes me out of the story.

Honestly, while reading this I just kept thinking that it comes across like the ‘not like other romance books’ of romance books (if it even is a romance book). But I like the other romance books!


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spaghettireads's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted 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

4.75


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