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4.2 AVERAGE
4.2 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
This book is a beautifully written romantic comedy that is witty, comedic and yet has your heart aching as you see the characters breakdown their defences and begin to open up. We follow Nora a city loving workaholic whose pregnant little sister convinces her to go to the small town of sunshine falls for a holiday to reconnect. There she bumps into her work rival Charlie.
At first I did not like our main character Nora, but after finishing this book I know that we are not meant to when we first meet her. She is controlling with all elements of her life, her emotions are locked up and her work comes first. However, as we move through our story Nora walls begin to fall and we see the weight of her grief, the weight of worrying and caring for her sister and her fear of being left by someone she loves. She is someone who in the face of tragedy continues on because she felt she had no other choice. It was really wonderful to see such a complex character evolve and to see her relationship with her sister shift and change and together understand where they now sit together as adults as their worlds shift.
This is slowly becoming my favourite thing about Henry’s books, yes; these books are perfect romance comedies with wanting and yearning, but the development of her characters and their realness is what makes these books truly magical.
As for our romance; their banter and wit is hysterical and there were many moments of me laughing out loud in public. Nora and Charlie are two forces of nature who are being pulled together even though we see them wanting to pull apart at every opportunity. They are the perfect example of what happens when two people are exactly the same come together.
This book was incredibly easy ready and was just a delight to read. If you’re in a slump or looking for something that will make you laugh go and feel all the emotions at once then this is your book.
At first I did not like our main character Nora, but after finishing this book I know that we are not meant to when we first meet her. She is controlling with all elements of her life, her emotions are locked up and her work comes first. However, as we move through our story Nora walls begin to fall and we see the weight of her grief, the weight of worrying and caring for her sister and her fear of being left by someone she loves. She is someone who in the face of tragedy continues on because she felt she had no other choice. It was really wonderful to see such a complex character evolve and to see her relationship with her sister shift and change and together understand where they now sit together as adults as their worlds shift.
This is slowly becoming my favourite thing about Henry’s books, yes; these books are perfect romance comedies with wanting and yearning, but the development of her characters and their realness is what makes these books truly magical.
As for our romance; their banter and wit is hysterical and there were many moments of me laughing out loud in public. Nora and Charlie are two forces of nature who are being pulled together even though we see them wanting to pull apart at every opportunity. They are the perfect example of what happens when two people are exactly the same come together.
This book was incredibly easy ready and was just a delight to read. If you’re in a slump or looking for something that will make you laugh go and feel all the emotions at once then this is your book.
okay but this was actually so good!! I was initially skeptical since I’m not normally into rom coms, but I was so intrigued with the Emily Henry hype and decided to pick this one up! and i was thoroughly impressed! Henry is a captivating storyteller and writes the most loveable characters. I especially loved the depth, complexity, and anti-hero type qualities of the main characters. I also LOVED the sibling dynamic in the novel paired with their healing from past trauma together. definitely recommend for anyone looking for a happy, sad, but extremely wholesome story!
emotional
medium-paced
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
This felt like a love letter for eldest daughters and breadwinners, and some scenes just hit me right in the gut for being both. There were instances that made me pause and take a breath because the relatability was soul-deep: the feeling of always having to be there for everyone, for not allowing yourself to crumble because you had to be a strong pillar for those leaning on you, for having to put a pause on your own wants in order to deliver on all of the needs of the many.
Nora was me in a lot of her thoughts and insecurities, and I felt like I had a best friend who could understand what I was feeling. I loved her personal development because I could see the transition, given that I also had the same transition through my husband's assistance.
There were some parts of the book that felt too "dragging", but eventually, everything just came together to give me an ending that satisfied without having to be tied up in a neat little ribbon.
Nora was me in a lot of her thoughts and insecurities, and I felt like I had a best friend who could understand what I was feeling. I loved her personal development because I could see the transition, given that I also had the same transition through my husband's assistance.
There were some parts of the book that felt too "dragging", but eventually, everything just came together to give me an ending that satisfied without having to be tied up in a neat little ribbon.
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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
nobody writes dialogue like emily henry, and i’m gonna eat it up every time.
emotional
medium-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
It takes a lot for an almost-exclusively non-fiction reader like me to read romance beach reads, but Emily Henry scratches some kind of itch for me. I love how she writes complicated female protagonists and the world building is excellent.
Pros: I like Nora and Charlie’s dynamic, although it’s definitely not rivals to lovers. The book also takes the piss out of Hallmark movie tropes, which is always fun to laugh at. I rooted for Nora the whole time as well, andthe way she picks her dream job over Charlie felt realistic well played out.
Cons: Libby annoyed the heck out of me. I hated the way she led Nora on and took advantage of her sister’s deep love and care for her, even if it didn’t match her style.If someone took me on a trip to North Carolina for weeks, getting upset about it’s not possible for me to take time off, so yes I have to work on our trip, make me do a Hallmark checklist to live out fantasies, and then announce that surprise! That someone is moving there and they want me to uproot my whole life there too, I’d be mad! .
I can’t get too mad, because the book was entertaining and I was emotionally invested.
Pros: I like Nora and Charlie’s dynamic, although it’s definitely not rivals to lovers. The book also takes the piss out of Hallmark movie tropes, which is always fun to laugh at. I rooted for Nora the whole time as well, and
Cons: Libby annoyed the heck out of me. I hated the way she led Nora on and took advantage of her sister’s deep love and care for her, even if it didn’t match her style.
I can’t get too mad, because the book was entertaining and I was emotionally invested.
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It's more of 3.75-3.8. It was a really cute romance book. It truly feel like the rom-coms of 2000s
It has similar structure to Happy Place, but here it's done better in my opinion
I think a whole spice chapter is a little unnecessary, especially because Beach Read was a perfect book with zero spice. Also, I would prefer that the moment Nora eventually cried, she would have been either alone or with Libby instead of Charlie. I think that way this moment would have been way more impactful
The ending was really cute, but I wouldn't be mad if they wouldn't end up together in the end, because I think their goodbye scene was really good
It has similar structure to Happy Place, but here it's done better in my opinion
I think a whole spice chapter is a little unnecessary, especially because Beach Read was a perfect book with zero spice. Also, I would prefer that the moment Nora eventually cried, she would have been either alone or with Libby instead of Charlie. I think that way this moment would have been way more impactful
The ending was really cute, but I wouldn't be mad if they wouldn't end up together in the end, because I think their goodbye scene was really good
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced