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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
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really liked this book at first. I'd been in a reading slump and heard a lot of praise for this book so I picked it up, thinking it would be a fast, light-hearted book. It didn't exactly turn out that way, but I usually like to go into novels without knowing where they're going.
To me, this book felt very...full. About 75-80% in, I kept wondering when it was going to end. I would've liked things to happen concurrently rather than one after another because the momentum just died suddenly in the last third. Also I really wished the book hadn't been so myopic by focusing on two male characters: the love interest and the deceased father. I think the women/women relationships were lacking, and in general the side characters weren't fleshed out as much. They remained pretty steadily in the background.
Overall not a terrible read, but the ending left me feeling a bit lukewarm.
To me, this book felt very...full. About 75-80% in, I kept wondering when it was going to end. I would've liked things to happen concurrently rather than one after another because the momentum just died suddenly in the last third. Also I really wished the book hadn't been so myopic by focusing on two male characters: the love interest and the deceased father. I think the women/women relationships were lacking, and in general the side characters weren't fleshed out as much. They remained pretty steadily in the background.
Overall not a terrible read, but the ending left me feeling a bit lukewarm.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Infidelity, Sexual content, Death of parent, Abandonment, Alcohol
Minor: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Vomit
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
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:
Complicated
Def one of my comfort books now! The storyline is sooo well developed which really makes you fall in love with all these characters. The banter between the two of them is SO good !! & basically, they both said allll the right things :))))
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Death of parent
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
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
It’s funny, lovable and can give you chills about the cult part. Loved the characters and their development through the novel, the main characters father and their complicated relationship is a great teaching for daily life.
Would absolutely read it again because yes I admit it, it is my confort read. Now please send an Augustus Everett for myself. Thank you Emily Henry for making me fall in love and then breaking my heart only to re-build it again, this is amazing (also I’m about to start reading people we meet on vacation, can’t wait!)
Would absolutely read it again because yes I admit it, it is my confort read. Now please send an Augustus Everett for myself. Thank you Emily Henry for making me fall in love and then breaking my heart only to re-build it again, this is amazing (also I’m about to start reading people we meet on vacation, can’t wait!)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Emotional abuse, Grief, Death of parent
emotional
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:
Complicated
I really enjoyed this book, I definitely did not find it hard to fall in love with the characters, but I liked that they acknowledged that they were human and that January’s thoughts were actually pretty relatable. I did find myself second guessing whether or not I loved Gus or if I found him maybe a bit creepy, just when he was saying that he was like in love with January during college and stuff. I also throughout the whole book was questing whether the book would end in a happy or sad way bc there is so much talk about that within the book but overall I really enjoyed it and read it in like 3 days. I was having a hard couple days and it was the perfect book to escape into bc it wasn’t complicated but there was enough going on to keep me distracted.
Content Warnings
Minor: Emotional abuse, Suicide
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Cancer, Child abuse, Emotional abuse
Minor: Suicide
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-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
A truly spectacular romance book, "Beach Read" gets my five-star rating for the following reasons:
1. Despite being a romance book, it doesn't feel like eating pure sugar. By including Gus's character, Henry creates a world that is, at times, truly awful -- and yet the characters manage to earn their happy ending anyway.
2. A spectacularly creative premise, grounded in realistic experience
3. The wonderful emotional hurt/comfort scenes that hit all the notes
1. Despite being a romance book, it doesn't feel like eating pure sugar. By including Gus's character, Henry creates a world that is, at times, truly awful -- and yet the characters manage to earn their happy ending anyway.
2. A spectacularly creative premise, grounded in realistic experience
3. The wonderful emotional hurt/comfort scenes that hit all the notes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Vomit, Death of parent
Moderate: Cancer, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Suicide, Torture
Minor: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse
The premise of the book starts with the death of a major character's parent, and one major character arc is on reconciling that character's adultery. Main characters discuss a parent's previous battle with cancer, but the cancer remains in remission throughout the entire book timeline and said character only shows up a couple of times.
A side plot on the book focuses on investigating a suicide cult; multiple side characters interview with the main characters, describing specifics (though not graphically) and at one point the main characters visit the site of the cult. Physically and emotionally abusive practices of the cult are discussed, though again, not graphically.
A major character has a backstory of emotional and physical abuse from a parent which largely forms their character arc. The abuse itself is never depicted, but is discussed and consequences are clear in the character's actions. Said major character admits to having a mental health disorder, taking medication and being in therapy; it's a one-off line, and the specifics of this and diagnosis in question are never discussed.
A major character vomits in the carnival scene, prompting the other major character to admit they are emotophobic. Said emetophobia is brought up a couple more times (sometimes in a teasing fashion), but usually handled respectfully. If a reader skips a few lines, they can get past the part of the vomit scene that is potentially triggering.
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
soooo cute. read all but the last 50 pages in one day. 🥺
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Cursing, Infidelity, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Grief, Death of parent
Minor: Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Vomit
emotional
funny
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Grief, Death of parent
Minor: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
“It was just another good day. A perfect day. A Happy for Now so vast and deep that I knew—or rather believed—I didn’t have to worry about tomorrow.”
January was one who always believed in the good in life, in the happily ever afters. That was until her father passed and she realized he had been lying to her for years. January now saw only the pain in life, so of course she struggled to write the romance novel her publisher was asking for.
In comes Gus for the second time in her life. January’s sworn enemy from college. He always balked at her happy endings in every story and his story’s were always so gloomy. So when January moves in next door in the tiny town where her father grew up, they strike a deal. January will write a gloomy realistic book and Gus will write one with a happy ending.
They teach each other weekly about their genres, while getting to really open up and know the other at the same time.
January was one who always believed in the good in life, in the happily ever afters. That was until her father passed and she realized he had been lying to her for years. January now saw only the pain in life, so of course she struggled to write the romance novel her publisher was asking for.
In comes Gus for the second time in her life. January’s sworn enemy from college. He always balked at her happy endings in every story and his story’s were always so gloomy. So when January moves in next door in the tiny town where her father grew up, they strike a deal. January will write a gloomy realistic book and Gus will write one with a happy ending.
They teach each other weekly about their genres, while getting to really open up and know the other at the same time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Infidelity, Vomit
Minor: Cancer, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Death of parent