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emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Death of parent
Moderate: Cancer, Child abuse
Minor: Vomit
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Infidelity, Grief, Death of parent
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Child abuse, Vomit, Alcohol
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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
Graphic: Cancer, Death of parent
Moderate: Infidelity, Sexual content, Grief
Minor: Child abuse, Vomit, Abandonment
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It's got an unputdownable quality as other Emily Henry books possess too. I found it a little twee and very American and sometimes it got on my nerves (it's a little Twilight; big bad damaged wolf boy and innocent little girl next door is the dynamic). But the author actually covers some really dark themes and she manages it really sensitively and with a lot of reality and emotion. And the sex scenes... 🤠So good!
Ultimately I did love reading it, just not as much as I enjoyed People We Meet on Vacation.
Ultimately I did love reading it, just not as much as I enjoyed People We Meet on Vacation.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Infidelity, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Abandonment
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:
Yes
A cynical romance author who no longer believes in love & a brooding literary writer stuck in a creative rut find themselves neighbors for the summer—both broke, blocked, and battling their own disillusionments. Augustus Everett, known for crafting dark, tragic fiction, and January Andrews, a bestselling romance writer with a flair for happy endings, couldn't be more different—until a spontaneous challenge flips their worlds. For 3 months, he’ll write something hopeful, and she’ll attempt a weighty literary novel. She drags him on whimsical, rom-com-worthy adventures, while he pulls her into interviews with death cult survivors. The goal? Finish their books and prove that opposites don’t attract. Falling in love? Definitely not part of the deal.
Did a combo of physical, audio & digital - I finished last night and wanted to sleep on my thoughts before reviewing... Woke up still feeling it was a 5-star read (surprise, surprise). Funny Story & Book Lovers are still tied for 1st place in my ranking of Emily Henry books, with this one next, and then Happy Place. Up next - People We Meet on Vacation, then Great Big Beautiful Life! I got a fair share of chuckles in with Beach Read, and I definitely got in my feels when it came to January's complicated relationship with her father (IYKYK). I'm super close with my dad, so I couldn't help but put myself in our FMC's shoes - as awful as that may sound - but I think that's why this book hit harder than Happy Place. Again, Emily Henry is SO GOOD at writing relatable characters, ones you just fall in love with - even if you promise not to.
Did a combo of physical, audio & digital - I finished last night and wanted to sleep on my thoughts before reviewing... Woke up still feeling it was a 5-star read (surprise, surprise). Funny Story & Book Lovers are still tied for 1st place in my ranking of Emily Henry books, with this one next, and then Happy Place. Up next - People We Meet on Vacation, then Great Big Beautiful Life! I got a fair share of chuckles in with Beach Read, and I definitely got in my feels when it came to January's complicated relationship with her father (IYKYK). I'm super close with my dad, so I couldn't help but put myself in our FMC's shoes - as awful as that may sound - but I think that's why this book hit harder than Happy Place. Again, Emily Henry is SO GOOD at writing relatable characters, ones you just fall in love with - even if you promise not to.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Cursing, Death, Infidelity, Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent
Moderate: Child abuse
Minor: Domestic abuse, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
lovely as usual! i really enjoyed this, and it was great to dive into this world. henry always writes stories that just suck me in and are hard to put down!
my only real gripes with this book is that the title and cover design are definitely misleading; they feel way more ocean and/or destination beach-coded, and frankly, despite it all tying together neatly at the end, there just isn’t enough beach or beach reading time to justify the title. also god i fucking hate the name gus. it just makes me think of gus from cinderella and he is annoying as hell.
overall a fun read tho!
my only real gripes with this book is that the title and cover design are definitely misleading; they feel way more ocean and/or destination beach-coded, and frankly, despite it all tying together neatly at the end, there just isn’t enough beach or beach reading time to justify the title. also god i fucking hate the name gus. it just makes me think of gus from cinderella and he is annoying as hell.
overall a fun read tho!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Cancer, Car accident
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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
Great story. Loved the sort of twist on the “grumpy + sunshine” trope, and how we all can have a mix of both.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death of parent
Moderate: Cancer, Infidelity, Sexual content
Minor: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Vomit, Alcohol
emotional
tense
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:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Grief
Moderate: Child abuse, Death of parent
Minor: Infidelity
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
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:
No
So, Beach Read. Almost as perfect as Funny Story was, and another excellent performance by Ms. Henry.
January and Gus' story is incredibly sweet and relatable. Each with demons that they have to learn to fight, each needing to learn how to open up to each other. It's beautifully written, and all the better for missing the ubiquitous 3rd act breakup.
It's a nice and slow buildup to love between these two, and you just can't help rooting for them to find love, to succeed.
January and Gus' story is incredibly sweet and relatable. Each with demons that they have to learn to fight, each needing to learn how to open up to each other. It's beautifully written, and all the better for missing the ubiquitous 3rd act breakup.
It's a nice and slow buildup to love between these two, and you just can't help rooting for them to find love, to succeed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Cancer, Infidelity, Death of parent
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol