A review by esther_talbdt
Beach Read by Emily Henry

lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

3.75

Beach Read is overall an easily read and enjoyable story. The characters have a story of their own which gives them more dimension. I felt this book made me physically smile a lot when going through it which ultimately is a very pleasant experience. The lesson the book gives is one I connect with:

the whole "happy for now" idea was very heart warming and honestly a good reminder that to worry about tomorrow is to remove beauty from today and that as long as in the present time you are happy, why worry about what might happen to make you unhappy (in the context of romantic love especially).

However, I found that some of January and Gus' romance was cliché and occurred slightly too easily,

I mean how has he married someone when he supposedly was 'pining for her since the beginning' aka for more than 7 years.

I also did have a slight discomfort surrounding January's supposedly literary fiction story about a circus, I don't know if it's because much effort wasn't poured in making the reader connect with her book idea or if just i'm not moved by the plot she develops. I liked the New Eden story line a bit better although

the fact that the characters set up a tent and had a love revelation so close to the site was slightly eyebrow raising.

All in all, Beach Read ends on a lovely reminder and lesson about what to expect of life and of the people you love (romantic, familial) but also at the same time creates a slightly unrealistic romance. That said, i still consider it one of the good ones in the genre because as explained well by the main character of this book, it provides escapism and makes readers feel nice whilst reading.