A review by michellesugen
Beach Read by Emily Henry

emotional funny hopeful reflective 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

5.0

I bought three books by Emily Henry and read Beach Read first (since chronologically she wrote this one first). I loved the story, the humor, and January and Gus! I very much appreciated Gus’s pragmatism as a function of

his childhood abuse and neglect

. January’s handling of her parents and their shortcomings really resonated with me, too. Maybe I’m just at the stage of my life where I’m grappling with similar feelings. If I had to critique anything, it would be that

January pushed Gus so hard to open up to her, while she kept so many of her own feelings about her dad’s affair to herself, which struck me as hypocritical, and also that we spent the entire book waiting for the MCs to get together but had the briefest of epilogues to see what they’re really like together

but that really is just a nitpick. I loved the characters—not just the MCs but all the side characters as well (the book club members, the New Eden interviewees, all of them). I loved the journey that January was on and that we got to see her grow,

even getting to see her writing deepen and develop as she writes the traveling circus book

. Ironically, the part that I still find myself thinking about days later is

how wistful and romantic dying from a meteor strike is

. I really get on a cellular level all of Gus and parts of January, such as her ability to see the potential for happily-ever-afters. Great book—you won’t regret reading it. 
UPDATE: I changed my rating to 5 stars after reading all her other books and also after reading the extended epilogue on EH’s website. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Child abuse, Vomit, Grief, and Death of parent