A review by oliviasbooktalk
Beach Read by Emily Henry

5.0

Two former college academic rivals (soon to be rivals-to-lovers) not only find themselves as new neighbors, but are both struggling with writers block. Out of desperation and creativity, they make a bet where they switch genres (hers is typically romance, his is typically literary fiction) to see who can write the better book. Of course, they also end up falling in love along the way. I really can't say enough about how much I loved this book, and how it is now an instant favorite of mine. I was impressed with Emily Henry's writing, making it seem like it was the mix of contemporary romance and literary fiction (also, again, the characters' genres), which provided a depth I don't typically find in romances. A book has not had me feel such a wide variety of emotions, so deeply, alongside the main character in quite a long time. Just as January was, I too, was giddy with anticipation on their research dates, blushing when they got together, absolutely sobbing during the letters, and conflicted with the morally grey imperfections of parents. I usually hate how contemporary romances handle the death of a parent (in this book it was off page, before the story started) and think it's an overused, and poorly used, trope plaguing the genre, but it finally handled well in this book. I think The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen walked, so Beach Read could run. I cannot recommend this book enough.  As a personal side note, I find a little "inside joke" in how the title of this book refers to a Midwest lakefront beach, rather than the traditionally thought of oceanfront beach. As someone who is born and raised in Southern California, but now lives in the Midwest, the ocean will always be the beach, not any lakefront.