Title: Beach Read
Author: Emily Henry
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Edition/Pages: Hardcover (BOTM), 362 pages
Goodreads page

I received an arc copy of this from Berkley via Edelweiss+ in exchange for an honest review

Summary

January Andrews is down on her luck. Her father just passed away, her long-term boyfriend just dumped her, she’s homeless, and she’s suffering from the worst writers block of her career. She needs to submit a story by the end of summer so she moves into her father’s beach house. But she’s not expecting her long time nemesis Gus to be living next door…

When they meet, sparks definitely do not fly. Gus is just as grumpy (possibly more) as when they were college. But when January confesses her rut, Gus proposes they swap genres. He’ll spend the summer writing romance and HEAs and January learn to write literary fiction and sad endings. On weekends January will take them on rom-com worthy adventures while Gus takes her on intense interviews and research outings.

Whoever sells their book first, wins.

Overview

➸POV: 1st Person from January’s POV

➸ January Andrews: 29, Hopeless romantic, Romance author, Recently got out of a long term relationship, Grieving, Broke & moved into her father’s beach house, Sees Gus as her nemesis

➸ Augustus (Gus) Everett: 32, January’s new neighbor, Curmudgeon, Literary fiction author, Went to college with January

➸ Content Warnings: Cancer, Death of a parent, Cheating, Abuse

My Thoughts

I’m dead. This book blew past my expectations and will for sure be on my list of favorites for 2020.

I know a lot of people are saying it – but don’t be fooled by this title, adorable AF cover, and sweet synopsis. This book takes you on a rollercoaster ride of emotions. I laughed out loud (often (seriously Emily Henry is hilarious)), I swooned, I bawled my damn eyes out. It’s been a long time since a book took me on such a ride.

I was in love with Gus from the moment he was introduced. I’m a sucker for a gummy, curmudgeon hero – and boy did he deliver. The characters were so well developed and layered. They were flawed and relatable and you couldn’t help but root from them.

I really connected to January and felt like I was on the journey with her. This book is about her losing hope in herself and everyone around her (relatable). Her struggles felt so real and raw and when she cried, I wanted to cry along with her.

And their chemistry… was absolutely unreal (in the best way). I bought into their connection so wholly and will stand on this ship forever. Every interaction between these characters just leapt off the page. Their attraction and chemistry was just so believable and palpable. I love when characters and relationships feel like real and alive.

Emily Henry is the new queen of banter. I don’t think I’ve ever laughed out loud so often while reading. The bickering and humor took me to new heights. But more importantly it perfectly balanced out the heavier aspects of this story. Because it definitely had them! I’m in awe of how the author tackled such heavy topics without ever making this book feel heavy. This story never lost it’s hopefully feeling even when everything seemed to be falling apart for these characters.

I am so glad Emily Henry ventured into adult romance – she is a flipping gem to the genre and I can’t wait for her to write more!! This book deserves all of the hype it is receiving. It’s sexy, witty, and heartfelt. I cannot recommend this book enough!

---

♥♥♥♥