Beach Read by Emily Henry

Genre: Contemporary Romance Format: Print, Paperback

Format: Print, Paperback

Pages: 358

Start Date: June 12th, 2023

End Date: June 25th, 2023

My Ratings

Overall: ★★★★

Character Development: ★★★★★

Ending: ★★★

Spice Level: 🌶

Pace: Medium

Recommend: Yes

Summary - Goodreads

A romance writer who no longer believes in love and a literary writer stuck in a rut engage in a summer-long challenge that may just upend everything they believe about happily ever afters.

Augustus Everett is an acclaimed author of literary fiction. January Andrews writes bestselling romance. When she pens a happily ever after, he kills off his entire cast.

They’re polar opposites.

In fact, the only thing they have in common is that for the next three months, they’re living in neighboring beach houses, broke, and bogged down with writer’s block.

Until, one hazy evening, one thing leads to another and they strike a deal designed to force them out of their creative ruts: Augustus will spend the summer writing something happy, and January will pen the next Great American Novel. She’ll take him on field trips worthy of any rom-com montage, and he’ll take her to interview surviving members of a backwoods death cult (obviously). Everyone will finish a book and no-one will fall in love. Really.

My Thoughts - 🚨 Contains Spoilers, Continue at Your Own Risk 🚨

This book started out really slow for me - I can never tell if it's because I preemptively think that I won't like the romance, but I stand corrected because I really liked this one. I like Gus in particular, he felt genuine & "real". More real than other male leads in romance novels. I feel like they are always painted to be "perfect" or the ideal man. In this book his flaws or not-so-great qualities still existed & January loved him anyway, that feels more like real life to me. We learn to love people in spite of their imperfections.

I wish we would have gotten more from January's mom on everything that went down with her Father. I know the author was having us experience through January's lens, but I have SO many questions. I did like that Sonya got the chance to give her piece whether January liked it or not & that it prompted January to get it together & read the letters her Father left behind. 

Now let's talk about Gus . . . I actually liked him, he seemed super chill & like someone I'd hang out with. Again with wanting more info, the ex showing up had me thinking that I needed more information on her. But honestly, knowing that she messed up & then having the gall to try & get back with him was more than I needed to know about her, she sucks. 

All in all, I thought this romance was super cute. There were highs & lows, a little bit of smut (but not enough to get me clutching my pearls) just a light little blush. I think it's a super cute, albeit somewhat slow, rom-com that is worth the read.

I'm Curious

1. Do you think January had the right to be upset with her Father over his transgressions? Or do you think that her Mother deserved to have a stronger opinion?
2. Would you forgive a parent that you found out later in life had made a bad choice such a January's?
3. What did you think about Gus? Did you find yourself rooting for him & January?
4. When Gus said he could see himself forgiving his ex, did you want to slap him like I did? 

Next Book: The Perfect Son by Frieda McFadden