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emotional
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
Omg I laughed, cried and cheered for Gus and January! This book swept me up and took me on an amazing journey!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse
Minor: Infidelity, Terminal illness, Death of parent
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Title is exactly what you’re getting.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Infidelity, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent
Moderate: Alcoholism, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol
Minor: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Suicide, Car accident
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
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:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent
Moderate: Cancer, Child abuse, Infidelity
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent
Moderate: Child abuse
Minor: Suicide, Fire/Fire injury
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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
There isnt much I can say about this book that hasn’t been said before. I went in expecting a good time and was it ever, but I also cried really hard over this book. I could relate to so many of January’s pains and wounds. But I could also relate to Gus’. I loved every minute of this book and it stuck to me. There really isn’t much else to say.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Infidelity, Grief, Death of parent
Moderate: Child abuse
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is definitely my favorite book I’ve read by Emily Henry to date. January is one of the most relatable characters I’ve ever met. The books is perfectly paced and has just the right amount of the things that makes you root for the characters. As the title suggests this is a perfect beach read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Death of parent
Moderate: Child abuse, Vomit
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Grief, Death of parent
Moderate: Child abuse, Cursing
Minor: Religious bigotry
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Emily Henry writes her books for me. the way her characters speak to me is insane.
I loved this book so much, it's definitely a new favourite.
I want to keep January and Gus inside my pocket and protect them with my life.
I also want a Gus all to myself. he's so... perfect. I need a man who is as obsessed with me as he is with January.
this book made me cry, laugh, swoon... I literally don't know what else to say. I don't even know what to do with myself after reading this, someone send help.
this may be only my second Emily Henry book that I read, but she's already one of my all time favourite authors.
I loved this book so much, it's definitely a new favourite.
I want to keep January and Gus inside my pocket and protect them with my life.
I also want a Gus all to myself. he's so... perfect. I need a man who is as obsessed with me as he is with January.
this book made me cry, laugh, swoon... I literally don't know what else to say. I don't even know what to do with myself after reading this, someone send help.
this may be only my second Emily Henry book that I read, but she's already one of my all time favourite authors.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent
Moderate: Infidelity, Religious bigotry
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I'm not usually the one to long for major 'third-act conflicts' in romance, but 'twas not the case with this book — the couple got (kind of) together so early and so little happened afterwards that I would have been satisfied with anything tragic :') this book really ticked off every single romance stereotype, and yes, I might not have had the perfect mindset while reading this book, but all the predictability made it all the more boring and harder to submerge myself in as nothing managed to surprise me. Not necessarily a bad book, just awfully average.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent
Moderate: Cancer, Child abuse, Infidelity
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Since Beach Read came out in 2020, I’ve heard nothing but good things about Emily Henry’s first adult romance novel. Years later, Henry has released three more novels in this genre and I still have yet read any of them - until now!
Beach Read follows the story of January Andrews, a published romance writer who recently lost her father. His death opened up numerous wounds when January discovered secrets he has been keeping from her, the aftermath of which sent her into an extreme writers block. Since she hasn’t sold a book and recently spilt with her long-time boyfriend, January moves into a lake house left to her by her dad, hoping write her next novel by the end of the summer.
Upon moving into the house, January “meets” her neighbor, who turns out to be her college rival Augustus Everett, a successful literary fiction writer. The two decide to make a bet, deciding they will each try to write a book in the other’s genre. The terms of their agreement cause them to spend a lot of time together, and sparks may fly…
Saying I enjoyed this book is an understatement. From the moment I started reading, January and Augustus’s story captivated me. I was swept up in the romance, rooting for them the whole way.
What pushes Beach Read into the category of an all-time favorite is the inclusion of difficult themes. I always enjoy books that cover difficult topics, so the discussion of grief and the impact that January’s fathers actions had on her was an element of the book I really enjoyed.
This book also finds our characters researching a cult, something I never expected to see in a romance novel. However, I think it was handled well. The scenes in which this topic was discussed were moving and I found myself getting goosebumps once or twice.
Despite the heavy themes, this book makes for an excellent cute romance. January and Augustus have undeniable chemistry, and the development of their romance was enough to make me giddy.
Emily Henry is an excellent writer who masterfully crafted this novel. I truly can not wait to immediately pick up one of her other books!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Infidelity, Sexual content, Death of parent
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse
Minor: Alcoholism, Suicide, Fire/Fire injury
This book also deals with cults, particularly the fallout of being in the cult on survivors, as well as the family of cult members who died.