Scan barcode
r_oy_s's review
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 is a luring 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 is a luring 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, Death of parent, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Infidelity and Sexual content
Minor: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Physical abuse, and Toxic relationship
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
leannanecdote's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Alcohol, Terminal illness, Sexual content, Mental illness, Infidelity, Fire/Fire injury, Cancer, Grief, and Death
Moderate: Vomit
Minor: Suicide
sophieamreacher's review
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-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
3.5
I enjoyed the characters and the relationship with family but I found this book very slow and also that not a lot was going on.
I enjoyed the characters and the relationship with family but I found this book very slow and also that not a lot was going on.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Alcohol, Cancer, Infidelity, Sexual content, Abandonment, and Grief
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Car accident, Child abuse, Cursing, Physical abuse, Addiction, Alcoholism, Fire/Fire injury, Bullying, and Violence
nutmegandselkie's review against another edition
emotional
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? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Cancer, and Death of parent
Minor: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Infidelity
scifi_rat's review
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Cancer, Sexual content, Infidelity, Alcohol, Death of parent, and Vomit
Minor: Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, and Child abuse
nineinchnails's review
challenging
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
——
23/12/2023
i get something different from this book every time i read it. i don't think i'll ever not sob over gus and january and january's daddy issues. beach read you are very gorgeous to me!!!
----
12/07/2021
this has earned 5 star status
——
first read: 21/12/2020
it was a little too close to home and heavy for me personally as reading is my escape and i wasn’t really expecting it BUT it was amazing otherwise i felt like gus and january were with me while i was reading it and their fears were relatable and made me feel a little less alone
23/12/2023
i get something different from this book every time i read it. i don't think i'll ever not sob over gus and january and january's daddy issues. beach read you are very gorgeous to me!!!
----
12/07/2021
this has earned 5 star status
——
first read: 21/12/2020
it was a little too close to home and heavy for me personally as reading is my escape and i wasn’t really expecting it BUT it was amazing otherwise i felt like gus and january were with me while i was reading it and their fears were relatable and made me feel a little less alone
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Grief, Death of parent, Terminal illness, and Child abuse
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Religious bigotry, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Sexual content, and Abandonment
Minor: Vomit
death cultslisas_leseecke's review
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Grief, Infidelity, Cancer, Death of parent, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, and Child abuse
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Religious bigotry, and Alcohol
witcheslovingwitches's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
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? Yes
5.0
it’s always books with the silly little cartoon character covers that end up shattering your heart. what a feat of the genre.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, Death of parent, and Infidelity
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Cancer, and Physical abuse
Minor: Alcohol and Vomit
tifalockhvrt's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
4.5
At first it was pretty boring but maybe it had to do with the fact that I wasn't in a mood to read a romance book and I felt the writing was too much like a romance YA so I had to drop it and then I just kind of forgot about it, and when I finally felt in a good enough mood to read a romance I decided to give it a second chance... and I am SO glad I did.
It was so good, it was everything I didn't know I wanted in a romance story and all the characters feel so alive it's just wow 🩷
I owe you an apology Emily Henry. I wasn't really familiar with your game
It was so good, it was everything I didn't know I wanted in a romance story and all the characters feel so alive it's just wow 🩷
I owe you an apology Emily Henry. I wasn't really familiar with your game
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Cancer, Child abuse, and Infidelity
Minor: Emotional abuse and Physical abuse