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emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
An easy read and by no means bad but overall not as good as I was hoping it to be!
To be completely honest, I went into this book unsure how I’d like it. I thought it would be overly cheesy and over the top but it was the opposite - it was calm in a way and it had a focus other than the development of Gus & January’s relationship (his divorce/childhood and her losing her dad/finding out about his affair) which I enjoyed. It felt more natural and that’s the type of love stories I am drawn to - sparkles within otherwise ordinary tales.
That being said there were a few bits I really didn’t like - Gus didn’t treat January well at times throughout the book. I was yawning and rolling my eyes at the same old trope of ‘he’s mean to you because he likes you!’. And when they slept together for the first time, he runs to the phone without any explanation knowing how vulnerable January is and also how any woman would feel having slept with someone, especially for the first time. He does it again at the book event when Naomi turns up and doesn’t priorities January. I really felt for her in the pages that followed.
Overall though I was drawn in with their flirting and banter and also with the depth of emotion both authors had. I felt the author explored that well.
To be completely honest, I went into this book unsure how I’d like it. I thought it would be overly cheesy and over the top but it was the opposite - it was calm in a way and it had a focus other than the development of Gus & January’s relationship (his divorce/childhood and her losing her dad/finding out about his affair) which I enjoyed. It felt more natural and that’s the type of love stories I am drawn to - sparkles within otherwise ordinary tales.
That being said there were a few bits I really didn’t like - Gus didn’t treat January well at times throughout the book. I was yawning and rolling my eyes at the same old trope of ‘he’s mean to you because he likes you!’. And when they slept together for the first time, he runs to the phone without any explanation knowing how vulnerable January is and also how any woman would feel having slept with someone, especially for the first time. He does it again at the book event when Naomi turns up and doesn’t priorities January. I really felt for her in the pages that followed.
Overall though I was drawn in with their flirting and banter and also with the depth of emotion both authors had. I felt the author explored that well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Grief
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Death of parent
emotional
funny
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Physical abuse, Death of parent
There are a few chapters that talk a lot about cults and the mindset of people within a cult.
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
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
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:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Infidelity, Sexual content, Death of parent
Minor: Alcoholism, Alcohol
emotional
funny
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:
Complicated
It’s been a while since I’ve really been swept away by a book and while initially that didn’t happen here, I found the further I got through the story the more I struggled to put it down. This included the classic “I’ll read for one more hour” at 11pm and the next thing I knew it was 1am.
I love a good romance story but I find I typically struggle in a rut of frustration over the main plot of the book being that the two main characters consistently miscommunicate. What was interesting here is that this book rarely leant into the miscommunication trope, there was a distinct and interesting plot with each individual character where we get to witness two adults struggle through and find each other as comfort and a driving force to move through their own struggles. When miscommunication did occur between the two characters, it didn’t feel like filler to drag the plot along, it was grounded in a sense that it felt very realistic whereby you have those moments of doubts if its all in you’re head when it’s not, you confront the other person, work through the issue and move forward with a solution that you see applied in later conversations between the main characters. It gives the reader that sense of satisfaction and that the characters are truly developing and learning from their experiences were the reader is rewarded later on in the story. All of this was so refreshing to me with my personal gripe of the miscommunication trope and finally reading a book that does it properly. This steady and developing narrative made it easy to become wrapped up in the story the further through the book you read. Overall, the characters had a sense of depth and history where everything added up, there were no random one-off details to mimic depth of character as every detail big and small made sense in the context of the characters and the chemistry between the two love interests was palpable. I found that it was a well written story that does what all good romance story’s should do, leave you happy at the ending but always wanting a little bit more of the happy ever after.
One small gripe I did have with the book can also be pinned down to my taking the title of the book a little too literally. I anticipated a holiday romance or at least a setting by the sea. While I suppose a beach on a lake does in fact still count as a beach, the beach didn’t feel like the setting for the book. It felt like a small-holiday-town romance. As they say though, ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’ and don’t expect the title of the book to explicitly indicate what that book is about. It was in fact a great beach read for a gal wanting not necessarily and easy-read but and easily enjoyable one while on holiday on the beach.
I love a good romance story but I find I typically struggle in a rut of frustration over the main plot of the book being that the two main characters consistently miscommunicate. What was interesting here is that this book rarely leant into the miscommunication trope, there was a distinct and interesting plot with each individual character where we get to witness two adults struggle through and find each other as comfort and a driving force to move through their own struggles. When miscommunication did occur between the two characters, it didn’t feel like filler to drag the plot along, it was grounded in a sense that it felt very realistic whereby you have those moments of doubts if its all in you’re head when it’s not, you confront the other person, work through the issue and move forward with a solution that you see applied in later conversations between the main characters. It gives the reader that sense of satisfaction and that the characters are truly developing and learning from their experiences were the reader is rewarded later on in the story. All of this was so refreshing to me with my personal gripe of the miscommunication trope and finally reading a book that does it properly. This steady and developing narrative made it easy to become wrapped up in the story the further through the book you read. Overall, the characters had a sense of depth and history where everything added up, there were no random one-off details to mimic depth of character as every detail big and small made sense in the context of the characters and the chemistry between the two love interests was palpable. I found that it was a well written story that does what all good romance story’s should do, leave you happy at the ending but always wanting a little bit more of the happy ever after.
One small gripe I did have with the book can also be pinned down to my taking the title of the book a little too literally. I anticipated a holiday romance or at least a setting by the sea. While I suppose a beach on a lake does in fact still count as a beach, the beach didn’t feel like the setting for the book. It felt like a small-holiday-town romance. As they say though, ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’ and don’t expect the title of the book to explicitly indicate what that book is about. It was in fact a great beach read for a gal wanting not necessarily and easy-read but and easily enjoyable one while on holiday on the beach.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Cancer, Death
emotional
inspiring
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:
Complicated
My first Emily Henry read. Definitely not what I expected, took me a bit of time to get into but I think that’s why I enjoyed it. It ended up being deeper than I initially thought.
Content Warnings
Minor: Cancer, Death, Infidelity, Terminal illness, Grief, Death of parent
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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:
Complicated
This was my first Emily Henry book and I can officially say I’m hooked. I absolutely loved both the FMC and MMC in this book. This only thing holding back that 1/2 star is I personally dislike the miscommunication aspect of a novel. So every single time January walked away and Gus stayed quiet just allowing each other to assume the worst I thought, “This whole thing could’ve been avoided if they would’ve just talked to each other.” Still a great read with a HEA and the perfect amount of steamy goodness, funny moments, wittiness, and emotion. 🫶
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Torture, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol