A review by braveprincess11
Beach Read by Emily Henry

emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

You can definitely see the beginnings of the classic Emily Henry style in this one. It was a cute premise, and handles the tropes just differently enough that I could tell whose book it was. 

But, as is the case with all “first books” it needed a bit more polishing. The bones are there, it’s clearly Emily Henry, but it‘a not quite as tight and purposeful as I’ve come to expect from her writing. It leaned into the tropes a bit more than I’d like. 

That being said, I love Gus, I absolutely adore him. January took a little longer for me to warm up to, but I did end up invested in her existence outside of Gus. I understand everyone’s got their fatal flaw, but January’s instinct to start fights with Gus, rather than actually talk about her insecurities made it tough to like her. She needed to cut Gus some slack, especially after she’d heard bits of his past from Pete; if he doesn’t feel ready to talk about his life, give him time, don’t drunkenly confront him because you’re unhappy with his timeline. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings