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challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
It’s easy to like this book, the writing is beautiful, January is an interesting protagonist, Gus plays his part as the love interest very well and the story stays interesting and emotional throughout!
What I’m a little ehh about was Gus’ backstory. January’s backstory is quite heavy on it’s own - slightly too heavy for a book I’ve been frequently been told was a fun romp-y vacation romance - but his backstory? Yeah, that one came very much unexpected and I wasn’t really a fan of the pay off that plot gave us. I probably would’ve liked that part more if Augustus had POV chapters and we wouldn’t have gotten the whole thing solely through January’s eyes. Also … the sex scene that resulted out of exploring his backstory?? I was very hyperaware where they were doing it and for that alone it ranks high in the worst sex scenes I’ve ever read.
What his book did weirdly, for me, was the little amount of time it spend on the vacation/beach part, the title promises and I would’ve expected a lot more discussions about their respective genres or even shallow examination of the genre conventions.
I overall am - still - unsure about the ending. It felt very realistic and grounded in regards to the way the
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Infidelity, Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Vomit
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-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
Fun book! The audiobook narration is great, highly recommend it. My largest complaint with the structure of the story is that there seemed to be both too much and not enough of the plot line outside of the romance—I wanted to care more about the book-research plot line but there just wasn’t enough of it to keep me interested; it didn’t feel connected enough to the rest of the story for its placement to make sense. There were definitely more than a few lines that had me rolling my eyes, but overall, the dialogue was funny and captivating. Fun summer read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent
Moderate: Cancer, Infidelity
Minor: Child death, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
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
Emily Henry is an incredible romance novelist and I have loved each book that I have read and already can't wait to start reading another one of her novels. Without fail, her characters are incredibly written and it is so easy to fall in love alongside them (also the sexual chemistry and content is worth the unbelievable tension throughout the book!) This was a story about family, as well as romantic love, and how to forgive others and yourself for past decisions and re-learn what it means to truly love someone else. The whole book was raw, powerful, heart-warming, funny, and emotional and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it – it also only took me a few days to get through it as I was always itching to pick it back up and read more. It was one of those books that, once I had finished reading, I wished I could read for the first time all over again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Sexual content, Death of parent
Moderate: Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child death
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Death of parent
Moderate: Cancer, Infidelity, Grief, Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Child death, Car accident
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Alcohol
Minor: Child death, Fire/Fire injury
emotional
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:
Complicated
I did enjoy this book and I loved that it had much more depth than most romcoms, but once they actually got together it felt like it was just a constant back and forth of either love on fire or not speaking at all, and it got old quick for me. I also kind of wish it wasn’t such a sticky perfect ending. I think it almost would have been full circle in a sad poetic way if Gus did try to make things work with his wife, just like January’s dad did with her mom
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Infidelity, Death of parent
Moderate: Alcohol
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:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Infidelity, Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship
adventurous
emotional
funny
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
I love books that make me sit with my own sadness while also having me totally engrossed in the romance. I read a lot of romance and sometimes, after a while, I start to feel like Gus at the beginning of the book. Like love and happy endings are only possible in books. January and Gus feel like they could be real people who fall in love . Life can be messy and lovely at the same time and books that can show that duality without seeming unreal are gems to be shared. I don’t think I’ll stop sharing Beach Read for a while.
Also, I listened to the audiobook version and I think the narrator did a wonderful job. Sometimes audiobook narrations can be really distracting from the story and kind of ruin a scene, chapter, or even the whole story. But if you’re like me and you like to feel totally enveloped by an audiobook I don’t think you’ll be disappointed by this one. Several times I found myself startled away from the story when the outside world got too loud and realized I’d been listening for hours. I still managed to finish Beach Read over 24 hours though so it’s safe to say the audiobook is pretty good.
Also, I listened to the audiobook version and I think the narrator did a wonderful job. Sometimes audiobook narrations can be really distracting from the story and kind of ruin a scene, chapter, or even the whole story. But if you’re like me and you like to feel totally enveloped by an audiobook I don’t think you’ll be disappointed by this one. Several times I found myself startled away from the story when the outside world got too loud and realized I’d been listening for hours. I still managed to finish Beach Read over 24 hours though so it’s safe to say the audiobook is pretty good.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Infidelity, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Child death
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Perfection. The characters, the romance, the STEAM...I loved every single word of this book. It wasn't pure fluff, and it wasn't pure filth, but it had a dose of each ;) I thought the main conflicts were realistic, the characters relationship with the outside world realistic, and I just really liked it.
So, just read it. Believe me, it's so good.
So, just read it. Believe me, it's so good.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse