Reviews with content warning for Physical abuse - Beach Read

Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

Beach Read by Emily Henry

168 reviews

juliaaaaaa's review against another edition

4.75

emotional funny hopeful sad 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

the writing style is so beautiful. and it's the most realistic romance book i ever read. i just didn't like how january acted sometimes, pushing gus to talk to her.
besides that, i loved it and cried many times.

Content Warnings

pucksandpaperbacks's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

CW: graphic depictions of child abuse and physical abuse, mention of cults and detailed depictions of cult life, graphic depiction and mention of car accident death, death of a parent, infidelity, cancer, and some ableist language.

I have complicated feelings on this book. I liked the writing and enjoyed the story but it felt like too much was happening at once plot-wise. Also the abuse scenes were very triggering for me. There should've been a warning at the beginning of the book or at least the beginning of those chapters because it was definitely a surprise for me. There are graphic depictions of physical abuse from Gus's father that he recounts and details. It really threw me for a loop and I was unprepared for that to be mentioned at least 2-3 times. There's a way to mention that he's been a victim and survivor of child abuse without going into detail, in my opinion.

I liked January at the beginning but as I read her more, she started to feel like a red flag. I HATED how January just didn't communicate with Gus AT ALL. She would get mad at him but not tell him why and that made me SO ANGRY. Then, toward the end, I thought I knew the characters pretty well but then their choices just confused the hell out of me.

However, I liked Gus a lot. I love a brooding character and his character development was stellar. I just felt like these characters had too much going on mentally & internally that it wasn't the right time for either of them to date which really took away from me rooting for their romance. It was a rollercoaster ride pretty much!

Some word choices were questionable and I felt like the sex scenes writing wise were recycled? She uses the word "skating" so much in every sex scene. Besides that, I really liked the sex scenes and the book was well written.

Content Warnings

mbrunk98's review against another edition

3.75

emotional funny lighthearted 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

rachelreadsrelentlessly's review against another edition

4.0

emotional funny inspiring lighthearted relaxing

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

This was so cute. I've quickly become a fan of everything that Emily Henry puts out. I love that her romance novels tend to have lots of character depth and a plot separate from the romance.

I loved Gus so much and I am a sucker for the "I've had a crush on you all along" trope.

Content Warnings

filipa_maia's review against another edition

4.0

dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring sad 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

This book was really good. And I say it like that because, once again, this is not my go-to genre. But, once again, was a suggestion from my monthly reading group and I decided to give it a chance.

This is not a typical romance in a sense that are some really dark and heavy topics represented: domestic abuse, a cult, death... the kind of themes that are not associated when you ear the genre romance.

I really enjoyed this book. I like how dark and mysterious Gus is and how fragile and hurt January feels. And I like the way both of them decide to give each other a chance (although, sometimes, January frustrated me a lot). The best part about this book is that it shows that two people with completely opposite visions of the world can find common ground.

I really liked this book and will look for more books by Emily Henry.

Content Warnings