A review by michelle_lynn_20
Beach Read by Emily Henry

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I despised Happy Place, I adored Funny Story, and Beach Read landed solidly in the middle. It started out as a strong page-turner, but I grew gradually frustrated and ultimately was fully checked out by the end. The sunshine main character had strong "pick me" energy, and I was uncomfortable with her unwisely starting a new relationship while deep in grief (speaking from experience). I found the grumpy love interest compelling but didn't buy how quickly and completely he fell for our narrator. The quick shifts from grief to lust were off - putting.
My hopeful theory that the shithole dad would turn out to have had legitimate explanations -- it just be a misunderstanding! -- proved false. I wanted to throw the book into the sea when it ended with an unwarranted proposal.
Overall a strong premise with moments of great banter that ultimately was underdeveloped and so fell flat.
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