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kelly_e's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Title: Beach Read
Author: Emily Henry
Genre: Romance
Rating: 3.25
Pub Date: May 19, 2020
T H R E E • W O R D S
Fun • Deep • Over-hyped
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Augustus, an acclaimed author of literary fiction and January, a bestselling romance novelist are polar opposites. Each struggling with writer's block and dealing with personal demons, they find themselves living next door to one another for the summer. One evening they strike up a deal: Gus will write something happy, and January will pen the next Great American Novel.
💭 T H O U G H T S
Emily Henry's Beach Read has been absolutely everywhere, and so I fell victim to the hype and finally dove in. An original and deep plot with a side of romance is typically how I like my romance books, yet for me January and Gus lacked chemistry and I was expecting so, so, so much more from this novel.
There's no denying Emily Henry does banter unlike anyone else. It adds a lightness to often heavy content. With this book, there is excellent individual character growth, but I wasn't invested in the romance at all. In fact, I was way more invested in the plot and them writing their books. I felt as thought it started out strong, but faded by the midway point and never really regained traction. A few of the things I really appreciated were the exploration of grief, the east coast setting, and the letters.
For me, Beach Read was simply an average read, one I'll soon forget, which has me thinking Emily Henry's adult romances may just not be my cup of tea. I appreciate the depth of the plots, but the romance and lack of communication just don't cut it. With that said, I'll probably continue to read her books with hopes of finding one I really love.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• fans of the grump/sunshine and/or enemies to lovers trope(s)
• readers who like depth in their rom-coms
• Emily Henry fans
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Bad things don't dig down through your life until the pit's so deep that nothing good will ever be big enough to make you happy again. No matter how much shit, there will always be wildflowers."
"Because I know no matter how long I get to love you, it will be worth whatever comes after."
"It was okay to let a little ugliness into your story. That it would never rob you of all the beauty."
Author: Emily Henry
Genre: Romance
Rating: 3.25
Pub Date: May 19, 2020
T H R E E • W O R D S
Fun • Deep • Over-hyped
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Augustus, an acclaimed author of literary fiction and January, a bestselling romance novelist are polar opposites. Each struggling with writer's block and dealing with personal demons, they find themselves living next door to one another for the summer. One evening they strike up a deal: Gus will write something happy, and January will pen the next Great American Novel.
💭 T H O U G H T S
Emily Henry's Beach Read has been absolutely everywhere, and so I fell victim to the hype and finally dove in. An original and deep plot with a side of romance is typically how I like my romance books, yet for me January and Gus lacked chemistry and I was expecting so, so, so much more from this novel.
There's no denying Emily Henry does banter unlike anyone else. It adds a lightness to often heavy content. With this book, there is excellent individual character growth, but I wasn't invested in the romance at all. In fact, I was way more invested in the plot and them writing their books. I felt as thought it started out strong, but faded by the midway point and never really regained traction. A few of the things I really appreciated were the exploration of grief, the east coast setting, and the letters.
For me, Beach Read was simply an average read, one I'll soon forget, which has me thinking Emily Henry's adult romances may just not be my cup of tea. I appreciate the depth of the plots, but the romance and lack of communication just don't cut it. With that said, I'll probably continue to read her books with hopes of finding one I really love.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• fans of the grump/sunshine and/or enemies to lovers trope(s)
• readers who like depth in their rom-coms
• Emily Henry fans
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Bad things don't dig down through your life until the pit's so deep that nothing good will ever be big enough to make you happy again. No matter how much shit, there will always be wildflowers."
"Because I know no matter how long I get to love you, it will be worth whatever comes after."
"It was okay to let a little ugliness into your story. That it would never rob you of all the beauty."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Grief, and Sexual content
Moderate: Infidelity, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Fire/Fire injury, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Cancer, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, and Addiction
Minor: Cursing, Suicide, Car accident, and Vomit
kaitlynnnng's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This is the first Emily Henry book I’ve ever read, and I’m kind of mad at myself for not reading it sooner. I borrowed a copy from the library, because I wasn’t sure if I’d like it that much, but I’m happy to say that I just ordered my own copy…and a copy of her other books, too.
I’ve only recently started reading non-fantasy romances, and I started feeling like maybe the genre wasn’t for me, but Beach Read changed my mind. While it maybe isn’t the most groundbreaking story out there, there wasn’t anything I didn’t like about it.
I’ve only recently started reading non-fantasy romances, and I started feeling like maybe the genre wasn’t for me, but Beach Read changed my mind. While it maybe isn’t the most groundbreaking story out there, there wasn’t anything I didn’t like about it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Infidelity, Terminal illness, Chronic illness, and Death of parent
Minor: Child abuse, Cursing, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, Vomit, and Alcohol
miggyfool's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death of parent, Terminal illness, and Infidelity
Moderate: Sexual content and Alcohol
fanny_brtl's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
A sweet romance to end summer :)
I really enjoyed reading about January and Gus (even if I can't stand their names), though I preferred the MC of Book Lovers (I found January lacked depth and personality sometimes).
I like how Emily Henry writes about love and how she describes what her characters are feeling. I love her humor and how January & Gus kept teasing each other, building a relationship around inside jokes and rivalry.
My only regret was that the book was slow and flat sometimes, it could have been shorter in my opinion. I still don't understand why the Sonya plot wasn't explored more in the book and not just in the end, I don't want to spoil anything but some subplots were left behind, explaining why my rating did not reach 4 stars.
Some of my fav lines w/o context :
I really enjoyed reading about January and Gus (even if I can't stand their names), though I preferred the MC of Book Lovers (I found January lacked depth and personality sometimes).
I like how Emily Henry writes about love and how she describes what her characters are feeling. I love her humor and how January & Gus kept teasing each other, building a relationship around inside jokes and rivalry.
My only regret was that the book was slow and flat sometimes, it could have been shorter in my opinion. I still don't understand why the Sonya plot wasn't explored more in the book and not just in the end, I don't want to spoil anything but some subplots were left behind, explaining why my rating did not reach 4 stars.
Some of my fav lines w/o context :
"Doesn't it bother you? Having to live in someone else's tragedy?"
"I was on a beautiful beach, in a beautiful place, and I was alone. Worse, I wasn't sure I'd ever stop being alone again. I wanted my mom, and I missed my lying dad"
"'January", he whispered through the dark, like an incantation, like a prayer.
"The thought of never being with him again sent a new ache pinballing through my body, hitting every part of me he'd studied with his eyes and mouth and hands."
"I was on a beautiful beach, in a beautiful place, and I was alone. Worse, I wasn't sure I'd ever stop being alone again. I wanted my mom, and I missed my lying dad"
"'January", he whispered through the dark, like an incantation, like a prayer.
"The thought of never being with him again sent a new ache pinballing through my body, hitting every part of me he'd studied with his eyes and mouth and hands."
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer and Terminal illness
Minor: Child abuse
faythfarrar's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Grief, and Terminal illness
sharlapeggy's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Grief
Moderate: Grief, Terminal illness, and Vomit
bri__'s review against another edition
dark
funny
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
I didnt connect with the characters as much as I would have liked but it was still a cute romcom , definitely some dark moments tho. I also don't remember much content warnings so bare with me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Chronic illness, Vomit, Alcohol, Cursing, Sexual content, and Terminal illness
kcarney86'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Death of parent
Moderate: Abandonment, Cancer, Terminal illness, and Sexual content
Minor: Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Child abuse, and Vomit
coles14_'s review against another edition
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Infidelity, Sexual content, Terminal illness, and Vomit
lit_with_lauren's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Death of parent