Beach Read was the debut adult novel by Emily Henry, published in 2020. Emily Henry is a New York Times bestselling author of contemporary romance novels.
Beach Read is the story of January Andrews, a romance writer who no longer believes in love and Gus Everett, a literary writer stuck in a rut. They engage in a summer-long challenge that may just upend everything they believe about happily ever afters.
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Blurb
Following the death of her father, January Andrews escapes to his secret beach house to overcome writer’s block and recover from personal upheaval. While there, she unexpectedly finds her next-door neighbour is none other than her college rival, Augustus Everett.
Gus is an acclaimed author of literary fiction. January is a bestselling romance writer. When she pens a happily ever afters, 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 neighbouring beach houses, broke, and bogged down with writer’s block.
One hazy evening, January and Gus strike a deal in an attempt to break free of their creative ruts. They challenge each other to break out of their comfort zones and write a book in a genre they normally wouldn’t. Augustus will spend the summer writing a romance novel, 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 on research trips to interview surviving members of a backwoods death cult (obviously). Everyone will finish a book and no one will fall in love. Really.
Beach Read Book Review
I really enjoyed Emily Henry’s Beach Read. I loved the blend of romance and humour with the complex characters with emotional depth.
It wasn’t just a light-hearted romance as it dealt with heavier topics such as grief, suicide cults and complicated family dynamics. Fortunately, the heavier themes don’t weigh down the narrative as there’s so much wit and warmth to balance it out.
The main characters were flawed and relatable. I could particularly relate to January, who so desperately wanted to believe in happy endings. She made the perfect sparring partner for grumpy realist Gus and I loved how they learnt to appreciate the other’s point of view.
I always love the dialogue in Emily Henry novels and this was no exception. The sass and sarcasm and is just up my street! Sparks flew between January and Gus, even when they were arguing and I loved the banter and sexual tension between them.
There’s quite a bit of sadness in this book compared to others by Emily Henry. I also didn’t find it as witty as Book Lovers but I still it enjoyed it nonetheless.
Overall, I really enjoyed Beach Read by Emily Henry. It was a heart-warming, poignant romance with the spark and wit I’ve come to expect from this author.
What To Read Next
Beach Read was the debut novel by Emily Henry and in my opinion her books have only got better and better. I would therefore recommend reading all of Emily Henry’s other romance books after reading Beach Read. My personal favourite was Book Lovers.
If you’re looking for your next book by a different author, I’d recommend Lucy Score and Tessa Bailey. They both write witty and fun romance, but with more spice than Emily Henry’s books!
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