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mads1706's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Terminal illness
readwithria's review against another edition
emotional
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
3.5
The more I read of Beach Read, the more I wanted to read. However, I have some issues with the beginning and the end that kept me from loving this book.
Things I didn’t love:
- The cover, the title, and the blurb were all very misleading. All of those add together to market a romantic comedy, which is not what I would call this book. I would not want to read this in the summer on the beach, this feels like a piece of literature with a romance plot more so than a romance book with some other subplots. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it’s not what was marketed to me and also not what I was looking for when I picked this book up.
- The books starts with two chapters of backstory dump. This is not my favorite way for a book to start. It’s not lazy, but it’s not the most creative way to convey all of that information to a reader. I feel like the first chapter would’ve been more interesting if it had been January at the funeral having these thoughts and then encountering Sonya instead of her thinking about all of it. She didn’t actually speak to a human face-to-face until the third chapter, all of the dialogue was in her memories, and that made it really slow for me to get into this book.
- the ending felt rushed. I wanted to spend more of the book with January and guess in a defined relationship. Not necessarily a third of the book, not necessarily earlier in the book, but I wanted more book after they got together before the epilogue.
And now that that’s out of the way, let’s end with the things I did like!
- Gus in January had the most adorable friendship. I prefer the grumpy sunshine dynamic in friendships to in relationships because I feel like it’s not actually true in relationships. Usually the grump isn’t grumpy with her and the sunshine person can be cloudy with their person, but they were genuinely grumpy and sunshine all throughout their friendship and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
- The middle of this book was excellent. The writing style hit its flow, the plot was moving, the fun side characters were there and felt more present, and the pace kept me wanting to read more.
- I like the premises of this book. I wasn’t sure how I would feel about reading a book about authors, because it can (and was) be very meta but I thought it was cute!
What I recommend this book as a pallet cleanse book? No. Would you recommend this book to people who like romantic comedies? Probably. What I recommend this book to people who like women’s fiction? Probably. This book is a little weird and that I can’t tell if it’s a romance book or a piece of literary fiction, which makes it hard to find the right person to read it. But I did enjoy it, though I probably won’t read it again. 3.5 stars.
Things I didn’t love:
- The cover, the title, and the blurb were all very misleading. All of those add together to market a romantic comedy, which is not what I would call this book. I would not want to read this in the summer on the beach, this feels like a piece of literature with a romance plot more so than a romance book with some other subplots. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it’s not what was marketed to me and also not what I was looking for when I picked this book up.
- The books starts with two chapters of backstory dump. This is not my favorite way for a book to start. It’s not lazy, but it’s not the most creative way to convey all of that information to a reader. I feel like the first chapter would’ve been more interesting if it had been January at the funeral having these thoughts and then encountering Sonya instead of her thinking about all of it. She didn’t actually speak to a human face-to-face until the third chapter, all of the dialogue was in her memories, and that made it really slow for me to get into this book.
- the ending felt rushed. I wanted to spend more of the book with January and guess in a defined relationship. Not necessarily a third of the book, not necessarily earlier in the book, but I wanted more book after they got together before the epilogue.
And now that that’s out of the way, let’s end with the things I did like!
- Gus in January had the most adorable friendship. I prefer the grumpy sunshine dynamic in friendships to in relationships because I feel like it’s not actually true in relationships. Usually the grump isn’t grumpy with her and the sunshine person can be cloudy with their person, but they were genuinely grumpy and sunshine all throughout their friendship and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
- The middle of this book was excellent. The writing style hit its flow, the plot was moving, the fun side characters were there and felt more present, and the pace kept me wanting to read more.
- I like the premises of this book. I wasn’t sure how I would feel about reading a book about authors, because it can (and was) be very meta but I thought it was cute!
What I recommend this book as a pallet cleanse book? No. Would you recommend this book to people who like romantic comedies? Probably. What I recommend this book to people who like women’s fiction? Probably. This book is a little weird and that I can’t tell if it’s a romance book or a piece of literary fiction, which makes it hard to find the right person to read it. But I did enjoy it, though I probably won’t read it again. 3.5 stars.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Cursing, Infidelity, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Minor: Car accident
yustawrites's review
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This was a good, pleasant romance.
I enjoyed the realism of it, and the pace as the two characters were falling for each other was quite perfect. It didn't seem forced or out of the blue, and it didn't seem to be dragged on forever either. The chemistry between them was clear, and the car scene was spicy. At the start I almost felt as if I was falling in love with this man. (It went downhill for me after Chapter 20). Even though the author wanted to mention like every rom-com pun in existence this was done nicely, and it was scattered rather than bombed. It wasn't cheesy, it was pleasant and sarcastic.
I really enjoyed the side story about her father, and has definitely hooked me to finish the book and find out why this happened. Without that I would struggle to keep my interest in the book. Even though at the end I was a little disappointed (see: spoiler).
I also enjoyed the plot line about cults, and going to interview people.
This might be petty, but I didn't like her name - January. In fact, I didn't like his name, either. After a while it was very tiresome to be saying "January" over and over in my head as I was reading. I also hated the repetition of what was happening inside her chest. This woman's chest carries all her feelings that burst, spread out, IMPLODED her chest. I had to skip some paragraphs when she was describing her feelings and how her body reacted because it was just... boring.
Other comments/ things I didn't like:
Gus telling January that he had a crush on her back in college seemed very out of nowhere. Why didn't he say anything then? Makes no sense, and it seems a little out of character. I understand why January "hated" (disliked is a better descriptor) Augustus back then, but to have that totally dismissed toward the end felt pointless.
After Chapter 20 and after - story goes downhill. Where I previously thought January is quite a good, realistic character, she throws a massive tantrum and I can't really understand why she started acting like she's 16 years old. JUST TALK TO HIM. Why is she so upset that Naomi came to talk to him and he did? They are adults. They are married. This is something that is normal/ predicable to happen. January thinks her life is falling apart - again - without a good reason.
I just hate that January was so stubborn to read the letter or even talk to her father's mistress. Yes, it was a little traumatic. I understand it was hard. But I would definitely AT LEAST read the letter from him. Of course if she read the letter before she did, this storyline would be killed off at the beginning and we wouldn't have to wait XXX pages for it to finish.
I enjoyed the realism of it, and the pace as the two characters were falling for each other was quite perfect. It didn't seem forced or out of the blue, and it didn't seem to be dragged on forever either. The chemistry between them was clear, and the car scene was spicy. At the start I almost felt as if I was falling in love with this man. (It went downhill for me after Chapter 20). Even though the author wanted to mention like every rom-com pun in existence this was done nicely, and it was scattered rather than bombed. It wasn't cheesy, it was pleasant and sarcastic.
I really enjoyed the side story about her father, and has definitely hooked me to finish the book and find out why this happened. Without that I would struggle to keep my interest in the book. Even though at the end I was a little disappointed (see: spoiler).
I also enjoyed the plot line about cults, and going to interview people.
This might be petty, but I didn't like her name - January. In fact, I didn't like his name, either. After a while it was very tiresome to be saying "January" over and over in my head as I was reading. I also hated the repetition of what was happening inside her chest. This woman's chest carries all her feelings that burst, spread out, IMPLODED her chest. I had to skip some paragraphs when she was describing her feelings and how her body reacted because it was just... boring.
Gus telling January that he had a crush on her back in college seemed very out of nowhere. Why didn't he say anything then? Makes no sense, and it seems a little out of character. I understand why January "hated" (disliked is a better descriptor) Augustus back then, but to have that totally dismissed toward the end felt pointless.
After Chapter 20 and after - story goes downhill. Where I previously thought January is quite a good, realistic character, she throws a massive tantrum and I can't really understand why she started acting like she's 16 years old. JUST TALK TO HIM. Why is she so upset that Naomi came to talk to him and he did? They are adults. They are married. This is something that is normal/ predicable to happen. January thinks her life is falling apart - again - without a good reason.
I just hate that January was so stubborn to read the letter or even talk to her father's mistress. Yes, it was a little traumatic. I understand it was hard. But I would definitely AT LEAST read the letter from him. Of course if she read the letter before she did, this storyline would be killed off at the beginning and we wouldn't have to wait XXX pages for it to finish.
Overall I would definitely recommend this if you like romance, or want an introduction to the genre. It was a quick and relaxing read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Infidelity, Terminal illness, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Child abuse and Vomit
katiecharlesworth's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Infidelity, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Vomit, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Child abuse, Sexism, and Murder
marybsimp's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Medical trauma, and Death of parent
rebeccamm's review against another edition
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Dead, philandering parents rarely make an appearance in romance books, and as someone whose own philandering father recently died, I'm not sure this was the right choice for me. Also, I found the main character, January, relentlessly neurotic. Again, I relate, but I have enough hand-wringing and anxiety in my actual life. I read romance for a bit of escape. I think my issues were mostly ones of expectations management. The title is misleading. This is a novel with some romance tucked into it, not a breezy beachy read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity, Terminal illness, Vomit, Medical trauma, and Death of parent
bookiewithacookie's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Funny and emosh and loveable x 10 million
I'd heard a lot about Beach Read from friends and fellow bookstagrammers, so went into it with medium-high expectations. It delivered in several different ways, including:
- Laugh out loud moments
- A weird yet surprisingly emotional storyline, armed with local cults and emotional familial betrayal
- A good level of spice
- Loveable characters that you'll still think about years later
For me, January was definitely a more relatable and enjoyable character to get to know. Gus had his moments, and I really enjoyed the ending - but this book very much felt like an exploration into January's mind and grief more than your typical romance book.
I'd definitely recommend, and will no doubt read again one summer in the future!
I'd heard a lot about Beach Read from friends and fellow bookstagrammers, so went into it with medium-high expectations. It delivered in several different ways, including:
- Laugh out loud moments
- A weird yet surprisingly emotional storyline, armed with local cults and emotional familial betrayal
- A good level of spice
- Loveable characters that you'll still think about years later
For me, January was definitely a more relatable and enjoyable character to get to know. Gus had his moments, and I really enjoyed the ending - but this book very much felt like an exploration into January's mind and grief more than your typical romance book.
I'd definitely recommend, and will no doubt read again one summer in the future!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness and Grief
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Sexual content
Minor: Abandonment
sydnaayy's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Terminal illness, and Death of parent
Moderate: Infidelity and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Child abuse
samisreadinq's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
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? It's complicated
5.0
I truly loved this book so much. It was everything I wanted it to be and more. It definitely lives up to the hype. I don’t have any words for how much I love this one. Gus and January are everything. They felt so real. My favourite thing about this book wasn’t even the romance. Which I did love. But how complicated the characters were. They weren’t black and white. There was so much complicity going on. With January’s grief and Gus’s childhood. It was so beautifully written. I just can’t wrap my mind around this story. I love it so much.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Infidelity, Terminal illness, and Violence
sofiavilla's review against another edition
emotional
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Cancer, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Terminal illness, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury