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emotional
funny
hopeful
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Death of parent
emotional
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:
Complicated
it took me a while to get into it but in the end it was worth it. it was so interesting seeing both of them discover new perspectives and learn how to truly love. can someone write gus’ book bc i want to read it fr??
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Infidelity, Grief, Death of parent
Moderate: Child abuse
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
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
The more I read of Beach Read, the more I wanted to read. However, I have some issues with the beginning and the end that kept me from loving this book.
Things I didn’t love:
- The cover, the title, and the blurb were all very misleading. All of those add together to market a romantic comedy, which is not what I would call this book. I would not want to read this in the summer on the beach, this feels like a piece of literature with a romance plot more so than a romance book with some other subplots. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it’s not what was marketed to me and also not what I was looking for when I picked this book up.
- The books starts with two chapters of backstory dump. This is not my favorite way for a book to start. It’s not lazy, but it’s not the most creative way to convey all of that information to a reader. I feel like the first chapter would’ve been more interesting if it had been January at the funeral having these thoughts and then encountering Sonya instead of her thinking about all of it. She didn’t actually speak to a human face-to-face until the third chapter, all of the dialogue was in her memories, and that made it really slow for me to get into this book.
- the ending felt rushed. I wanted to spend more of the book with January and guess in a defined relationship. Not necessarily a third of the book, not necessarily earlier in the book, but I wanted more book after they got together before the epilogue.
And now that that’s out of the way, let’s end with the things I did like!
- Gus in January had the most adorable friendship. I prefer the grumpy sunshine dynamic in friendships to in relationships because I feel like it’s not actually true in relationships. Usually the grump isn’t grumpy with her and the sunshine person can be cloudy with their person, but they were genuinely grumpy and sunshine all throughout their friendship and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
- The middle of this book was excellent. The writing style hit its flow, the plot was moving, the fun side characters were there and felt more present, and the pace kept me wanting to read more.
- I like the premises of this book. I wasn’t sure how I would feel about reading a book about authors, because it can (and was) be very meta but I thought it was cute!
What I recommend this book as a pallet cleanse book? No. Would you recommend this book to people who like romantic comedies? Probably. What I recommend this book to people who like women’s fiction? Probably. This book is a little weird and that I can’t tell if it’s a romance book or a piece of literary fiction, which makes it hard to find the right person to read it. But I did enjoy it, though I probably won’t read it again. 3.5 stars.
Things I didn’t love:
- The cover, the title, and the blurb were all very misleading. All of those add together to market a romantic comedy, which is not what I would call this book. I would not want to read this in the summer on the beach, this feels like a piece of literature with a romance plot more so than a romance book with some other subplots. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it’s not what was marketed to me and also not what I was looking for when I picked this book up.
- The books starts with two chapters of backstory dump. This is not my favorite way for a book to start. It’s not lazy, but it’s not the most creative way to convey all of that information to a reader. I feel like the first chapter would’ve been more interesting if it had been January at the funeral having these thoughts and then encountering Sonya instead of her thinking about all of it. She didn’t actually speak to a human face-to-face until the third chapter, all of the dialogue was in her memories, and that made it really slow for me to get into this book.
- the ending felt rushed. I wanted to spend more of the book with January and guess in a defined relationship. Not necessarily a third of the book, not necessarily earlier in the book, but I wanted more book after they got together before the epilogue.
And now that that’s out of the way, let’s end with the things I did like!
- Gus in January had the most adorable friendship. I prefer the grumpy sunshine dynamic in friendships to in relationships because I feel like it’s not actually true in relationships. Usually the grump isn’t grumpy with her and the sunshine person can be cloudy with their person, but they were genuinely grumpy and sunshine all throughout their friendship and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
- The middle of this book was excellent. The writing style hit its flow, the plot was moving, the fun side characters were there and felt more present, and the pace kept me wanting to read more.
- I like the premises of this book. I wasn’t sure how I would feel about reading a book about authors, because it can (and was) be very meta but I thought it was cute!
What I recommend this book as a pallet cleanse book? No. Would you recommend this book to people who like romantic comedies? Probably. What I recommend this book to people who like women’s fiction? Probably. This book is a little weird and that I can’t tell if it’s a romance book or a piece of literary fiction, which makes it hard to find the right person to read it. But I did enjoy it, though I probably won’t read it again. 3.5 stars.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Cursing, Infidelity, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol
Minor: Car accident
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a good, pleasant romance.
I enjoyed the realism of it, and the pace as the two characters were falling for each other was quite perfect. It didn't seem forced or out of the blue, and it didn't seem to be dragged on forever either. The chemistry between them was clear, and the car scene was spicy. At the start I almost felt as if I was falling in love with this man. (It went downhill for me after Chapter 20). Even though the author wanted to mention like every rom-com pun in existence this was done nicely, and it was scattered rather than bombed. It wasn't cheesy, it was pleasant and sarcastic.
I really enjoyed the side story about her father, and has definitely hooked me to finish the book and find out why this happened. Without that I would struggle to keep my interest in the book. Even though at the end I was a little disappointed (see: spoiler).
I also enjoyed the plot line about cults, and going to interview people.
This might be petty, but I didn't like her name - January. In fact, I didn't like his name, either. After a while it was very tiresome to be saying "January" over and over in my head as I was reading. I also hated the repetition of what was happening inside her chest. This woman's chest carries all her feelings that burst, spread out, IMPLODED her chest. I had to skip some paragraphs when she was describing her feelings and how her body reacted because it was just... boring.
Other comments/ things I didn't like:
Gus telling January that he had a crush on her back in college seemed very out of nowhere. Why didn't he say anything then? Makes no sense, and it seems a little out of character. I understand why January "hated" (disliked is a better descriptor) Augustus back then, but to have that totally dismissed toward the end felt pointless.
After Chapter 20 and after - story goes downhill. Where I previously thought January is quite a good, realistic character, she throws a massive tantrum and I can't really understand why she started acting like she's 16 years old. JUST TALK TO HIM. Why is she so upset that Naomi came to talk to him and he did? They are adults. They are married. This is something that is normal/ predicable to happen. January thinks her life is falling apart - again - without a good reason.
I just hate that January was so stubborn to read the letter or even talk to her father's mistress. Yes, it was a little traumatic. I understand it was hard. But I would definitely AT LEAST read the letter from him. Of course if she read the letter before she did, this storyline would be killed off at the beginning and we wouldn't have to wait XXX pages for it to finish.
I enjoyed the realism of it, and the pace as the two characters were falling for each other was quite perfect. It didn't seem forced or out of the blue, and it didn't seem to be dragged on forever either. The chemistry between them was clear, and the car scene was spicy. At the start I almost felt as if I was falling in love with this man. (It went downhill for me after Chapter 20). Even though the author wanted to mention like every rom-com pun in existence this was done nicely, and it was scattered rather than bombed. It wasn't cheesy, it was pleasant and sarcastic.
I really enjoyed the side story about her father, and has definitely hooked me to finish the book and find out why this happened. Without that I would struggle to keep my interest in the book. Even though at the end I was a little disappointed (see: spoiler).
I also enjoyed the plot line about cults, and going to interview people.
This might be petty, but I didn't like her name - January. In fact, I didn't like his name, either. After a while it was very tiresome to be saying "January" over and over in my head as I was reading. I also hated the repetition of what was happening inside her chest. This woman's chest carries all her feelings that burst, spread out, IMPLODED her chest. I had to skip some paragraphs when she was describing her feelings and how her body reacted because it was just... boring.
Gus telling January that he had a crush on her back in college seemed very out of nowhere. Why didn't he say anything then? Makes no sense, and it seems a little out of character. I understand why January "hated" (disliked is a better descriptor) Augustus back then, but to have that totally dismissed toward the end felt pointless.
After Chapter 20 and after - story goes downhill. Where I previously thought January is quite a good, realistic character, she throws a massive tantrum and I can't really understand why she started acting like she's 16 years old. JUST TALK TO HIM. Why is she so upset that Naomi came to talk to him and he did? They are adults. They are married. This is something that is normal/ predicable to happen. January thinks her life is falling apart - again - without a good reason.
I just hate that January was so stubborn to read the letter or even talk to her father's mistress. Yes, it was a little traumatic. I understand it was hard. But I would definitely AT LEAST read the letter from him. Of course if she read the letter before she did, this storyline would be killed off at the beginning and we wouldn't have to wait XXX pages for it to finish.
Overall I would definitely recommend this if you like romance, or want an introduction to the genre. It was a quick and relaxing read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Infidelity, Terminal illness, Grief, Death of parent
Minor: Child abuse, Vomit
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Death of parent
Moderate: Vomit, Alcohol
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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
This book. Wow. I am not usually someone who is moved to legit tears while reading, but this book broke me and put me back together again about five different times. While the romance is a large part of the novel, there is also a lot of personal reflection and healing that the heroine experiences. I was honestly expecting a fluffy "beach read" of a book, and while this was gushy and romantic and sugary sweet at times, it also delved into some heavy topics, but they matched the characters well, and I'm glad we got to see so much growth throughout the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol
Moderate: Child abuse, Sexual content, Abandonment
emotional
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, Death of parent
Moderate: Child abuse
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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: Infidelity, Death of parent
Moderate: Cancer, Child abuse
Minor: Physical abuse
emotional
hopeful
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
I read this book in a day and loved it! Compelling characters who seem very human with their grief, struggles, and pain. The book as some plot about the two main characters writing books and deadlines that need to be met but it focuses mainly on their enemies-to-lovers relationship building and January dealing with grief. Wonderful book that I will re-read again!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Grief, Abandonment, Alcohol
Moderate: Cancer, Child abuse, Infidelity, Death of parent
Divorce, Cults (characters research cults and their members),
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
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:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Child abuse