Reviews with content warning for Grief - Beach Read

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Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Beach Read by Emily Henry

647 reviews

lallagray's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful 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

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luna_98's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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

my first emily henry book and it was so good. i really loved the depth of gus and january and how they balanced each other without attempting to “fix” each other. it made me giggle and made me cry and overall just made my heart happy.

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stellahadz's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

As someone who's not typically a big romance reader, I honestly liked this book more than I expected to! It struck a good balance between fluffy, funny, and serious. At first I was worried that the story would lean too heavily into the "grumpy/sunshine" trope, but I actually really liked how the relationship between Gus and January developed. The way they interacted and spoke to each other was realistic and fun, and made me actually smile and laugh a couple of times. I also thought the steamy scenes were well done. No overly cringey synonyms for genitals - we love to see it!

There were some aspects of the book that didn't feel quite right to me (like the subplot of

Gus's divorce

), and I think if those had been shortened or removed altogether, there would have been more space to flesh out January's relationship with her mom, or for Shadi to get more airtime. I also wasn't a fan of the last chapter, but I understand that it's difficult to wrap up a romance story in a way that doesn't feel predictable or tropey. Still, the things I didn't like about the book didn't ruin it by any stretch - I thought it was a sweet story. This is the second Emily Henry book I've read (the first being Happy Place, which I think I liked a little more than Beach Read), and I love that her stories are never *just* about romance. There's always an underlying theme of family dynamics, or friendships, or some other form of love that the MCs embrace in addition to their romantic relationship, and I think that's a lovely message.

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_meganrose's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

Dare I say my favorite contemporary romance read of 2024? Bonus points for it taking place in a beach town in West Michigan AND including a scene watching the sunset over Lake Michigan (aka my personal favorite pass-time). This felt like a breath of fresh air. Even with some of the cancer stuff hitting a little too close to home, this truly felt like an escape for me. I laughed. I cried (both happy and sad tears). I absolutely loved this. My personal perfect summer read.

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jenniferbowman's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted relaxing 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? No

4.0

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one_more_chapter96's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
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

Just like every other EH book, this story left me utterly heartbroken at so many points whilst also being so full of light and sweet and happy moments. January was very relatable and I adored Gus and the mystery and complexity of him and her trying to figure him out. The twists and turns and the complexities of all the relationships in the book were so bittersweet but this story was beautiful. Made me laugh and cry and swoon.

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