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funny
hopeful
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Child abuse, Infidelity, Death of parent
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
i was honestly so disappointed by this book :( i really enjoyed book lovers when i read it last year, so i was super excited to read henry's other novels, but this one just didn't do it for me. it took me a while to get invested in the story and characters, finally hit a sweet spot towards the middle of the book where i was interested and thought i might end up liking it, but lost interest again and disliked where it went near the end.
i did not find the characters very likable and i found it especially hard to root for january (also who names someone january? june was right there! ugh). her decisions and attitude seem so immature for someone her age, but i will cut her some slack because of her daddy issues. speaking of which, is anyone else sick of the dead parent trope? i know i am :,) january and gus' family troubles and the cult b-plot definitely made this a much more emotional read when i was totally expecting something light, cute, and summery. i mean, they only read on the beach once!! and it's in the epilogue!! you're killing me, henry.
i think my gripes with the plot/characters would've been easier to ignore if i liked the actual romance, but again, it just didn't work for me. didn't care for their style of flirting (the dialogue was so unrealistic and try-hard), wayyyyy too much miscommunication for two grown adults, and the sex scenes totally caught me off guard in a bad way.
overall, i can totally understand why so many people love this, and if you are one of those people, no shame to you. there were some good parts, i loved the side characters, the main characters were redeemable at times, and i appreciate what the cult b-plot was trying to do as well as what henry was trying to do by tackling some heavier topics in this book. i simply could not suspend my disbelief to go along with the overall plot and the romantic tropes aren't for me. this definitely turned me off a bit to henry's wiritng, but i do not think it will not stop me from checking out her other books. i am definitely still curious about some of them and i think she includes very unique and compelling topics in her stories.
i did not find the characters very likable and i found it especially hard to root for january (also who names someone january? june was right there! ugh). her decisions and attitude seem so immature for someone her age, but i will cut her some slack because of her daddy issues. speaking of which, is anyone else sick of the dead parent trope? i know i am :,) january and gus' family troubles and the cult b-plot definitely made this a much more emotional read when i was totally expecting something light, cute, and summery. i mean, they only read on the beach once!! and it's in the epilogue!! you're killing me, henry.
i think my gripes with the plot/characters would've been easier to ignore if i liked the actual romance, but again, it just didn't work for me. didn't care for their style of flirting (the dialogue was so unrealistic and try-hard), wayyyyy too much miscommunication for two grown adults, and the sex scenes totally caught me off guard in a bad way.
overall, i can totally understand why so many people love this, and if you are one of those people, no shame to you. there were some good parts, i loved the side characters, the main characters were redeemable at times, and i appreciate what the cult b-plot was trying to do as well as what henry was trying to do by tackling some heavier topics in this book. i simply could not suspend my disbelief to go along with the overall plot and the romantic tropes aren't for me. this definitely turned me off a bit to henry's wiritng, but i do not think it will not stop me from checking out her other books. i am definitely still curious about some of them and i think she includes very unique and compelling topics in her stories.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Death of parent, Alcohol
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Alcohol
so much alcohol, oh my god! there are several scenes where characters drink in order to "gain confidence" or "calm themselves down," or similar reasons that make the alcohol consumption feel like a coping mechanism or that they are dependent on it. i am young and have minimal experience with alcohol but i really felt like these people are borderline alcoholics.
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
The title/cover/back are super misleading imo, but I really enjoyed it! It was way spicier than I expected, but it definitely hooked me as I wanted to see where things went with the relationship. I did occasionally find some of the descriptions repetitive or cliché, but I easily overlooked them because I really liked the characters. I will be picking up another Emily Henry book down the road for sure. If you like Vance Joy and "Lay It on Me," you will like this book!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Infidelity
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
it’s an interesting read, not a typical rom book which was fun! in some spots of the book i literally had to pause and audibly gasp!!! def gonna have to read again. not too shabby, not my fav of her books but not bad for sure
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Infidelity, Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent
Moderate: Cursing, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Vomit, Alcohol
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
sad
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
Really really enjoyed this book! This is my first time reading Emily Henry & I understand the hype now.
Beach Read felt like a Sarah Dessen book but all grown up.
I like that it wasn't just a fluffy romance. She dived into heavier topics like death, grief, childhood trauma and abandonment issues. The cult storyline/subplot(?) was really interesting and I liked how it tied intoGus's story.
I'm happy we got actual details about the book January was writing instead of a vague sentence or two. It felt like I got to read 3 books (Beach Read, Janie's book, and the cult interviews (Gus's book) ) in one and I absolutely loved it. I guess the changes in tone and setting was great for my ADHD brain. But it also didn't feel like too much was happening at once.
I enjoyed the slow-ish burn between January andGus . Although this is a romance book, I genuinely wasn't sure if they'd end up together in the end. At some point, I would have been happy to see her (literally) sailing off into the sunset all by herself.
I would have liked to see more sexually intimate scenes or at least make the existing ones a bit more explicit, but that's just me (a girly who grew up reading smutty fanfics 👀🤭).
I have daddy issues so some of this book wrecked me. Looking at you, chapter25 !! I was bawling my eyes out, tears and snot rushing down my face and onto my ereader. But imma be real, that just made me love the book even more lol.
Though I read this book in summer, I didn't have the privilege of reading it on the beach, but I think it would be a perfect beach read. ☀️🏖📖💛 Can't wait for the movie!
Beach Read felt like a Sarah Dessen book but all grown up.
I like that it wasn't just a fluffy romance. She dived into heavier topics like death, grief, childhood trauma and abandonment issues. The cult storyline/subplot(?) was really interesting and I liked how it tied into
I'm happy we got actual details about the book January was writing instead of a vague sentence or two. It felt like I got to read 3 books (
I enjoyed the slow-ish burn between January and
I would have liked to see more sexually intimate scenes or at least make the existing ones a bit more explicit, but that's just me (a girly who grew up reading smutty fanfics 👀🤭).
I have daddy issues so some of this book wrecked me. Looking at you, chapter
Though I read this book in summer, I didn't have the privilege of reading it on the beach, but I think it would be a perfect beach read. ☀️🏖📖💛 Can't wait for the movie!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol
Moderate: Cursing, Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Domestic abuse, Drug use, Vomit, Car accident
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent
Moderate: Cancer, Sexual content, Grief
Minor: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse
challenging
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was fully ‘Taylor Swift - Fearless Album’ coded and I’m not mad at it. The author is a Swiftie with a flair for white woman romance and her pen game shows it. She managed to bring a story that could’ve been a dull trope-y mess to life in a humorous and sweet way.
I’m not the target audience for a book like this so I can’t even lie and say I loved the book. I think people who like quirky girl-sad boy romances but for adults with real world problems will like this. What I will say is the story was great and I’m glad the characters got their HFN ending
I’m not the target audience for a book like this so I can’t even lie and say I loved the book. I think people who like quirky girl-sad boy romances but for adults with real world problems will like this. What I will say is the story was great and I’m glad the characters got their HFN ending
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Cancer, Child abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Death of parent
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent
Moderate: Child abuse
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
challenging
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Slightly cheesy in spots but mostly flawless
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Infidelity, Death of parent
Moderate: Drug use, Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Child abuse, Violence