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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:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent
Moderate: Cancer, Infidelity
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
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: Infidelity, Grief, Death of parent
Minor: Alcohol
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
All was going well until the tent scene what on earth was that! You can’t convince me that was romantic. Also the speech at the end after him just randomly disappearing was just not it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Suicide
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.
lighthearted
fast-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer
Moderate: Infidelity, Death of parent
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
This was my first Emily Henry book... So fun! It truly is a rom-com as its' adorable, witty dialogue had me smiling.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Cancer, Infidelity, Death of parent, Alcohol
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
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-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:
No
Beach Read is the perfect beach read indeed. As a writer myself, I’m a sucker for books about writers. I loved this novel more than I expected. It’s a good reminder that genres like romance are way to escape from the day-to-day grind. It’s also a good reminder that love can come in the most unexpected ways and rarely looks like the movies. Ironically, the through thread about whether you can really, truly know someone was a key topic of conversation during a Buddhist meditation and dharma group I attend, so that was a surprise for me to find deeper meaning in this narrative arc.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity, Death of parent
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