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A review by marisacarpico
Beach Read by Emily Henry
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
The concept is what drew me to this and the execution was ultimately disappointing. Think I'd have preferred more of a literary fiction vibe than a romance vibe here. The actual act of writing and how these two people differ is barely explored and this leans too heavily on romance tropes instead.
The dark and broody male lead who's actually a soft muffin struggling with his damage underneath feels cliche here. Ditto the constant and mind-numbing descriptions of how handsome he is. The only writing tick that was more frustrating was how often Henry had to break in and tell us how much the female lead's heart fluttered anytime the guy did anything. There ultimately feels like there's so little substance here despite some really compelling plot and emotional threads.
Was really interested in exploring both his trauma and her grief, but it ultimately feels like we never do in any real way. I will say, I do appreciate that this mostly avoids the misunderstanding as plot motivator up until the very end, where it makes no sense and feels forced considering how open and honest the relationship is before that.
This is a quick and relatively fun read, which I guess is all you can expect from the title, but I do wish this had more to it.
The dark and broody male lead who's actually a soft muffin struggling with his damage underneath feels cliche here. Ditto the constant and mind-numbing descriptions of how handsome he is. The only writing tick that was more frustrating was how often Henry had to break in and tell us how much the female lead's heart fluttered anytime the guy did anything. There ultimately feels like there's so little substance here despite some really compelling plot and emotional threads.
Was really interested in exploring both his trauma and her grief, but it ultimately feels like we never do in any real way. I will say, I do appreciate that this mostly avoids the misunderstanding as plot motivator up until the very end, where it makes no sense and feels forced considering how open and honest the relationship is before that.
This is a quick and relatively fun read, which I guess is all you can expect from the title, but I do wish this had more to it.
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Suicide, and Murder