Reviews with content warning for Cancer - Beach Read

Reviews tagging 'Cancer'

Beach Read by Emily Henry

959 reviews

galaxiesofbooks's review against another edition

2.5

challenging funny relaxing fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

this was my 5 star prediction and ended up being a disappointment, i'm so sad. 😭 as far as the ranking goes, books lovers is still my favourite from emily henry, then funny story and beach read.

i didn't care for the characters nor the romance at all. i was so nonchalant towards them. for some reason i completely failed to connect to them and if you fail to do that with a romance novel—it obviously won't be a good experience.
the dialogue was funny at certain times but that was pretty much it.
i also wasn't a fan of the 3rd person act whatsoever. i hate that in books in general and this was no exception.
also fuck gus for making janurary leave after the first time they had sex and he had a phone call. as a man, you NEVER do that.

the thing that worked for me the best was henry's writing style. it's just something about it that's so easy and witty at the same time.

the writing on boards while being in the houses across of each other reminded me SO bad of taylor swift's mv lol it was cute, i'll give it that.
i also thought this book was way more bookish than what it was. we only had little glimpses of bookish stuff going on when in the synopsis it made it out to be that this writer's block was gonna be a huge part of it and i'm so mad because i absolutely love reading about that or anything to do with writing/publishing industry or books in general.

such a pity that i didn't like this one as much as emily henry's other books, but hopefully this was the last one i didn't quite enjoy cos i know she can write some good stuff!

Content Warnings

lavrka's review against another edition

3.5

relaxing medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Content Warnings

francineh98's review against another edition

4.0

emotional funny reflective 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

Beach Read surprised me—not with sun-soaked scenes or lighthearted escapism, but with its emotional depth and vulnerability. I'm someone who gravitates toward stories with neatly tied, happy endings, and yet I found myself moved by Emily Henry’s more realistic approach. She reminds us that not all endings are perfect, but a “happy-for-now” can be just as meaningful. It's a beautiful reminder that healing, growth, and love often come in imperfect but powerful forms.

Content Warnings

mandiheather13's review against another edition

4.25

emotional lighthearted medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

natekka's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous 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

I found Beach Read harder to get into than Emily Henry's other books, but I still really enjoyed myself. The characters took me longer to warm to, too. The main characters were both messy in their own ways, with tonnes of baggage, though that itself wasn't the issue.

I think it was that I was expected January to be more... well, more of a hopeless romantic. You know, the way she is described in the blurb. But she really, really wasn't. She was more cynical and pessimistic than any other character, including so-called cynic, Gus. It's not surprising considering what she has been through, but still... It was also frustrating watching her self-sabotage time and time again. Like, c'mon, have a conversation BEFORE jumping to conclusions? No miscommunication tropes here, just straight up lack-of-communication and jumping-to-conclusions tropes, if those exist.

There was also quite a lack of beach time for a book named Beach Read.

Content Warnings