A review by flexmentallo
Beach Read by Emily Henry

emotional 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

3.5

This was very charming. The two leads were a bit too quippy for my personal tastes, but their relationship was believable and interesting. Emily Henry is interesting in the way she relies much more on mental health issues/trauma to motivate the romantic tension that causes the third act break, but she doesn't handle it as well here as she does in Happy Place, and I think not getting any of Gus' POV really hurts some of the relationship. It's needed for the "he always loved her" twist, but... that wasn't a terribly interesting twist, in my opinion.