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saskiahill's review against another edition
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Vomit, Death, Terminal illness, Infidelity, Grief, Death of parent, and Cancer
r_oy_s's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-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? No
5.0
Somehow I had a hunch in the beginning that this book was meant to be savored, not rushed through to get to the end. And boy I wasn't wrong.
January Andrews, a popular romance writer moves into a lake house for the summer to spend her days by the water clearing her writer's block so that she can write her next bestseller and meanwhile comes face to face with some family secrets that upended her life. Coincidentally, she comes across Augustus Everett, a famous literary fiction writer as her neighbour who also happened to be her college nemesis. Lo and behold, Gus is also going through a tough writing process. So, together they strike a deal to get out of this rut by switching out their preferred writing genre with each other and help one another to understand the process of writing their newly assigned genre fiction. The only condition is that : they must not fall in love with each other. Righttt.
This was my first time reading an Emily Henry book therefore I wasn't sure what to expect. What drew me in was the promise of good old trope enemies-to-lovers romance. But, it was more than that. There was ample of witty, flirty and humourous banter between Gus and January that sure had me laughing but in between there were also family dramas, insecurities, betrayal, heartbreak, lust, angst, unconditional parental love, battle with terminal illness, abusive relationship, perseverance, friendship that withstand every ups and downs of life, grief of losing a loved one, joy, new found hope, second chance at love, trust, happiness and life - an amalgamation of contrasting experiences of human life skillfully captured by the author between the pages. I could relate with January on a personal level regarding her never ending grief of paternal loss. That's why when she started reading those letters from her father my heart felt like it was breaking into tiny little pieces. It was somewhat a cathartic experience nevertheless.
While January might be sometimes a little awkward, blunt who wears her heart on her sleeves, oftentimes her spurts of contemplation and maturity took me by surprise. Whereas Gus was the broody, mysterious one who prefers to keep his emotions in check and his considerateness proved that he's more than meets the eye. Although their perception of life, values, beliefs might not be the same but somehow they click together perfectly. Both of their journeys of self-discovery intertwined with the process from their disliking for one another to companionship and ultimately towards intimacy was beautifully woven. Even though the entire book is written from January's POV the few inclusion of Gus's POV made it worthwhile. The crackling tension between these two was so palpable that I was about to lose my goddamn mind. Every word coming out of Gus' mouth had me sighing, giggling, blushing and swooning! He's the true gem.
The title mi ht seem to be a deceiving one because it's not your typical fun, light beach read rather it consists of more substance and emotional depth than it suggests. It's another evidence of the author's incisive humour which was present throughout the book and her attempt to make a clever jab at the common perception of women's literary fiction. Even though the ending was wholesome, I was hoping to get more of January and Gus as a couple living together but I guess the author was mindful to pay attention to their need for happy-for-now. Regardless, the rollercoaster ride of emotions, infused with a healthy dose of sarcasm and love written with perfect pace made the journey of Gus and January and unforgettable read and they will always have a piece of my heart.
January Andrews, a popular romance writer moves into a lake house for the summer to spend her days by the water clearing her writer's block so that she can write her next bestseller and meanwhile comes face to face with some family secrets that upended her life. Coincidentally, she comes across Augustus Everett, a famous literary fiction writer as her neighbour who also happened to be her college nemesis. Lo and behold, Gus is also going through a tough writing process. So, together they strike a deal to get out of this rut by switching out their preferred writing genre with each other and help one another to understand the process of writing their newly assigned genre fiction. The only condition is that : they must not fall in love with each other. Righttt.
This was my first time reading an Emily Henry book therefore I wasn't sure what to expect. What drew me in was the promise of good old trope enemies-to-lovers romance. But, it was more than that. There was ample of witty, flirty and humourous banter between Gus and January that sure had me laughing but in between there were also family dramas, insecurities, betrayal, heartbreak, lust, angst, unconditional parental love, battle with terminal illness, abusive relationship, perseverance, friendship that withstand every ups and downs of life, grief of losing a loved one, joy, new found hope, second chance at love, trust, happiness and life - an amalgamation of contrasting experiences of human life skillfully captured by the author between the pages. I could relate with January on a personal level regarding her never ending grief of paternal loss. That's why when she started reading those letters from her father my heart felt like it was breaking into tiny little pieces. It was somewhat a cathartic experience nevertheless.
While January might be sometimes a little awkward, blunt who wears her heart on her sleeves, oftentimes her spurts of contemplation and maturity took me by surprise. Whereas Gus was the broody, mysterious one who prefers to keep his emotions in check and his considerateness proved that he's more than meets the eye. Although their perception of life, values, beliefs might not be the same but somehow they click together perfectly. Both of their journeys of self-discovery intertwined with the process from their disliking for one another to companionship and ultimately towards intimacy was beautifully woven. Even though the entire book is written from January's POV the few inclusion of Gus's POV made it worthwhile. The crackling tension between these two was so palpable that I was about to lose my goddamn mind. Every word coming out of Gus' mouth had me sighing, giggling, blushing and swooning! He's the true gem.
The title mi ht seem to be a deceiving one because it's not your typical fun, light beach read rather it consists of more substance and emotional depth than it suggests. It's another evidence of the author's incisive humour which was present throughout the book and her attempt to make a clever jab at the common perception of women's literary fiction. Even though the ending was wholesome, I was hoping to get more of January and Gus as a couple living together but I guess the author was mindful to pay attention to their need for happy-for-now. Regardless, the rollercoaster ride of emotions, infused with a healthy dose of sarcasm and love written with perfect pace made the journey of Gus and January and unforgettable read and they will always have a piece of my heart.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Medical trauma, and Death of parent
Moderate: Infidelity and Sexual content
Minor: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Physical abuse
amirasarchive's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
i can see why this is such a favourite for so many people! the writing was so good and i love being inside january’s head. seeing her grow and heal throughout the book was beautiful. i wish we got more of gus and his life. it felt a bit unfinished in that aspect. i wish we got to see more of his healing process, similarly to january
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, Infidelity, and Cancer
Minor: Child abuse
catolaeclectica's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Este libro es excelente y tiene todo lo que tiene que tener un libro de romance, le saqué 25 puntos porque no hay foreplay y me hubiese gustado que las escenas sexuales fueran un poco más largos y desarrolladas.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity and Sexual content
Moderate: Death of parent and Child abuse
pibbit's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Sexual content and Infidelity
escsmith's review
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Not Emily Henry's best book in my opinion.
This was an entirely predictable book for me, and there wasn't enough added to get away from that. I didn't feel like I knew Gus well enough and wanted more depth.
I felt a bit confused at times to the setting of some scenes and had to go back and reset myself before continuing.
This is very much an easy Beach Read.
This was an entirely predictable book for me, and there wasn't enough added to get away from that. I didn't feel like I knew Gus well enough and wanted more depth.
I felt a bit confused at times to the setting of some scenes and had to go back and reset myself before continuing.
This is very much an easy Beach Read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity and Death of parent
pgmoon's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
fast-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
4.0
I’m not typically one for contemporary romance, but many people had suggested to me to read Emily Henry, as her character writing was typically well done. After finishing this book, I found myself really enjoying it.
I think both January and Gus seem like very interesting protagonists, and their development together was very engaging and emotional. Often romance books banter makes me cringe, but I really liked their dynamic, it felt very Luke and Lorelai (any GG fans reading this?). Additionally, I liked the side characters, and would have liked to see more of Shadi and even Naomi (for the drama I guess!)
I also loved January’s struggle with the reality of her parents’ relationship. You don’t necessarily have to agree with what happens, and I liked that Sonya and January didn’t have a big reunion or even forgiveness. It felt very realistic to me.
Emily Henry is a very self aware writer, and although the book has a couple of those cliches, the story didn’t suffer in my opinion. I felt anxiety and trauma dealt with fairly well.
This is my first Emily Henry book, and I would totally be open to reading more!
I think both January and Gus seem like very interesting protagonists, and their development together was very engaging and emotional. Often romance books banter makes me cringe, but I really liked their dynamic, it felt very Luke and Lorelai (any GG fans reading this?). Additionally, I liked the side characters, and would have liked to see more of Shadi and even Naomi (for the drama I guess!)
I also loved January’s struggle with the reality of her parents’ relationship. You don’t necessarily have to agree with what happens, and I liked that Sonya and January didn’t have a big reunion or even forgiveness. It felt very realistic to me.
Emily Henry is a very self aware writer, and although the book has a couple of those cliches, the story didn’t suffer in my opinion. I felt anxiety and trauma dealt with fairly well.
This is my first Emily Henry book, and I would totally be open to reading more!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Infidelity
Minor: Vomit
houlaheup's review against another edition
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? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Infidelity and Cancer
Minor: Vomit and Alcohol
readwithkel's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
fast-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
5.0
(reread)
This book is just incredible. Even though this was a reread for me, I fell in love with the characters all over again.
Emily Henry has such a talent for writing deep romance that explores all of the human emotions that stay under the surface; the hard, dark, and difficult things that make real relationships so complicatedly beautiful.
January Andrews will forever be one of my favorite characters (and I’m so glad I read the Layover epilogue this time around!)
This book is just incredible. Even though this was a reread for me, I fell in love with the characters all over again.
Emily Henry has such a talent for writing deep romance that explores all of the human emotions that stay under the surface; the hard, dark, and difficult things that make real relationships so complicatedly beautiful.
January Andrews will forever be one of my favorite characters (and I’m so glad I read the Layover epilogue this time around!)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Vomit, and Infidelity
kaydee_reads's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
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
I wasn’t expecting to love this book as much as I did - I thought it would be a light, breezy read, and in some ways it is, but I adored how deeply it delved into what constitutes love, or a happy ending? Does everything have to be in stasis and perfect? Can a relationship have bumps - even big bumps like cheating - and still count as a happy relationship over the course of a lifetime?
Also Gus and January feel very real beyond the stock character archetypes you expect them to be. The author is skilled at slowly revealing how jaded she is under her bright exterior, and how much of a hopeless romantic he’s always been under his grumpy persona. They’re a much better match for each other than most grumpy/sunshine couples, and I loved them dearly.
Also Gus and January feel very real beyond the stock character archetypes you expect them to be. The author is skilled at slowly revealing how jaded she is under her bright exterior, and how much of a hopeless romantic he’s always been under his grumpy persona. They’re a much better match for each other than most grumpy/sunshine couples, and I loved them dearly.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Infidelity
Minor: Child abuse