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A review by tashasbooks
Beach Read by Emily Henry
emotional
funny
fast-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? It's complicated
5.0
This is by far my favorite Emily Henry book and I can't believe it was one of the last ones I read! I will say, I still don't quite understand the title haha, but it was such a fun read.
We follow January as she moves to a lakehouse her father left her after his death. She is a romance writer who has writer's block and is trying to use the summer to write and provide her agent with another manuscript. This is after she found out her father had bought this house for his mistress while her mother and his wife had cancer. January is reeling from this and doesn't feel she believes in love enough to write a happily ever after. Enter Augustus (Gus) who writes books that are the opposite of happily ever afters. He was her college rival and he ends up being her new next door neighbor. They decide to make a bet where each writer writes the opposite genre. January will write an existentialist book with a sad ending, and Gus has to write a happily ever after.
More than any of her other books, I feel like this couple just truly fits in a relationship together and I could believe easily in their romance. Outside of the romance, this book just handles tougher subjects so well. Knowing her father was a cheater, but having so many good memories and loving him outside of that is hard for January. It really delves into the themes of what love is and how we accept other the parts of people that are inherently bad.
The supporting characters were great and provided a lot of the lightness and comedic relief in this novel. I really enjoyed the setting and fast pacing. For me, I really like reading about how writers write and how they get their inspiration/writing process. Regarding the romance, it was pretty slow and we are more than halfway before the characters even kiss.
Altogether, I really enjoyed this one!
We follow January as she moves to a lakehouse her father left her after his death. She is a romance writer who has writer's block and is trying to use the summer to write and provide her agent with another manuscript. This is after she found out her father had bought this house for his mistress while her mother and his wife had cancer. January is reeling from this and doesn't feel she believes in love enough to write a happily ever after. Enter Augustus (Gus) who writes books that are the opposite of happily ever afters. He was her college rival and he ends up being her new next door neighbor. They decide to make a bet where each writer writes the opposite genre. January will write an existentialist book with a sad ending, and Gus has to write a happily ever after.
More than any of her other books, I feel like this couple just truly fits in a relationship together and I could believe easily in their romance. Outside of the romance, this book just handles tougher subjects so well. Knowing her father was a cheater, but having so many good memories and loving him outside of that is hard for January. It really delves into the themes of what love is and how we accept other the parts of people that are inherently bad.
The supporting characters were great and provided a lot of the lightness and comedic relief in this novel. I really enjoyed the setting and fast pacing. For me, I really like reading about how writers write and how they get their inspiration/writing process. Regarding the romance, it was pretty slow and we are more than halfway before the characters even kiss.
Altogether, I really enjoyed this one!