A review by dalmavatai
Beach Read by Emily Henry

emotional funny hopeful reflective 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

4.5

I'm convinced that Emily Henry can do no wrong. While I didn't love this quite as much as Book Lovers and didn't find January and Gus as great of characters as Nora and Charlie, I still loved this book. I love how Emily Henry makes her MC & LI go through a lot of shit & have a lot of trauma in their past, but then they process & address it together and help each other heal, it's the most beautiful shit ever 😭 I also enjoy the author's meta writing style where she writes about books and writing and being an author, and the things her characters write in their books are also happening in the actual book that we're reading! In this book, I wanted just a bit more of January and Gus and perhaps a bit less of the other elements going on, but I did really appreciate January's whole process of grieving her dad but also being mad at him for what he did, such a complex but beautiful and beautifully human process! So again, not quite Book Lovers but still probably among my favorite books of the year. I am simply obsessed with Emily Henry's writing style and plotting and the way in which she makes two broken characters come together and make each other slightly less broken. 
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