This book was such an unexpected treat. I went in expecting a funny, lighthearted romance and that's not quite what it was. It deals with sadness and tragedy, but somehow it still found myself smiling throughout. It was heartwarming. Some may think the title is a bit misleading, but I loved the incongruence of the title. Beach Read questions the expectations that come with reading certain types of novels, whether they are labeled "for women", or "beach reads" and then dismissed. January (and maybe the actual author) sets out to write a beach read, and ends up on a different type of journey. Gus takes a parallel journey, but in reverse. Can he write a book with a happy ending, and how does he define that? The juxtaposition of January's personal and professional journey with Gus’s writing and worldview results in a book that embraces the range of themes from dark to romantic, tragic to lighthearted, the good and the bad, all intertwined. The characters were relatable, the story in itself was full of compassion. A perfectly timed read for this moment where we need something to relate to our common pain and struggle, while we also desperately need something to make us goofily smile. This book achieves both.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is not your average Summer chick lit read! I'd heard some really great things about this title so I just had to request it and give it a go myself. And it did not disappoint!

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin UK for providing me an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
I struggled to get into this book and found it a bit hard going.
"Beach Read" is about two writers that writers block and find each other on a beach side town in Michigan
The story itself, was fine and I particularly liked January and her relationship with her family and how they dealt with the changes that came after the death of her father. It seemed honest and truthful. However saying that something was missing. I do like Romance genres but this was a bit slow.

I was given a free copy of the book in return for a fair review.
I didn’t know much about Beach Read but had seen some favourable early reviews. I wasn’t sure what to expect to begin with, but ended up really enjoying the story and likeable characters. The exploration of romantic tropes throughout the plot made it a refreshing take on the classic romantic novel, with a structure that left me completely satisfied.

What an adorable book !! Don’t expect your usual romance with loads of comedy and certainly don’t get deceived by the cover and the title . This book seems to be light read but it is so much more than that and I love when book surprises me like that . This gives the book so much opportunity to shine and Beach Read just does that . No wonder it is so popular among the readers . Gus and January are the characters that stay with the readers for a long period of time and such is the beauty of the characters .

The book begins as Gus and January as a broken writers and who are on break from life as well but then they meet and they start at a wrong footing but then things escalate and voila readers see them turning into writing buddies and challenging themselves as writers . There interactions is just icing on the cake . January mentions , ‘AS DIFFERENT AS I’D THOUGHT WE WERE, IT FELT A LITTLE BIT LIKE GUS AND I WERE TWO ALIENS WHO’D STUMBLED INTO EACH OTHER ON EARTH ONLY TO DISCOVER WE SHARED A NATIVE LANGUAGE.’ They understand each other at subconscious level . Gus has officially made his way to my book boyfriend’s list. He is grumpy yet so sweet and makes me fall in love with him just like he makes January fall for him . One particular line he says that tugs at my heart , “WHEN I WATCH YOU SLEEP,” HE SAID SHAKILY, “I FEEL OVERWHELMED THAT YOU EXIST.”

I certainly don’t like delving into much details of the book and hence my reviews are short because I believe that we just need a push for a book , rest of the magic the book is capable of doing . But I would definitely recommend you picking up , Beach Read . This is not only one of my favorite books of this year but it is also gonna be my all-time favorite romance books! I’m so happy my great written romantic fiction craving is over!

A very sweet story about January who is clearing out her late father holiday property and bumps into a old friend from college. January is a writer and has struggled to write and even deal with her feelings about her father. There were a few light moments and it had a very satisfying ending. I would seek out more books by the same author.

Thank you to NetGalley & publisher for the copy in exchange for a honest review.

A romance to fall in love with
Beach Read has so many of the elements I’d expect of a light summer read, but there’s a glimpse of darkness within that actually makes this so much more engaging than you might expect it to be.
Our main character, January, has always felt like someone who believes in love and its power to transform us. She writes romance and has always looked for her happy ending. But when we see her things aren’t going quite to plan. She is struggling to write, she is grieving her father and yet trying to reconcile herself to the discovery that her father had a secret second life.
Upon arriving at his second hideaway home, January is nervous about what she’ll find. Nothing could prepare her for the discovery that her new neighbour is an old college acquaintance, Gus.
Like January Gus is a writer. But we quickly see that, like January, things in his life aren’t quite going to plan.
What follows is quite obvious - they slowly form a new bond, breaking down the barriers each had in place and eventually starting a relationship each has secretly harboured dreams of since they first met.
The interaction between these two was great fun. Seeing two such different outlooks and the little bet to each write a book in the style of the other gave it an interesting twist. Not everything runs smoothly, but it always feels like we’ll end up where we hope.
A huge thank you to NetGalley for granting me access to this prior to publication. I loved it!

Thank you NetGalley for this advanced copy. I loved this book. Once elin hilderbrand recommended it, I knew I would enjoy it. Anything revolving around a beach is my favorite kind of story! Some parts were confusing with all the back story and trying to keep it all straight, but I really enjoyed this book

Sorry, not my kind of book.
Too much self-flagellation and overexplaining that I found irritating.
Gus' over-description of physical characteristics pretty much every time he was in a scene was over-the-top - there's no need to mention his crooked smile, dark eyes, and ruffled hair every single time. We remember, we get it.

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin UK for providing me an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the discussion of the romance genre that is part of this book, but I didn't really care for the romance itself.

"Beach Read" is a romance about two writers of different genres that are suffering from a block and (re)find each other in a beach side town in Michigan. But it's more than that: it's also a validation of the romance genre, and that was wonderful.

What I mean by validation is that it's discussed as a genre wth value in itself, and not a lesser genre compared to others, such as literary fiction. In fact, it's not a lesser genre, it's just different. And if it makes people happy, if it gives them joy, what's the matter if they would prefer to read a romance over a heavier book? To me, there is none, and seeing that discussed in this book was amazing. Besides being meta, since this is a romance book, which is funny to me, it opens up a great discussion about things that are seen as "for women" being put down, and "why are they for women? men can't enjoy romances as well?", which is important and validating for a romance reader and the romance genre in general.

As for the story itself, it was cute but I was not invested in the romance. I was invested in January, I liked her, her relationship with her family and how dealt with that and all the changes that came with the death of her father. It seemed realistic, and relatable in some way, and I definitely felt for her.

On the other hand, Augustus wasn't all that, in my opinion, and neither was their relationship with each other. I don't really know what was missing for me (maybe less drama?), but it's clearly a personal preference, because so many people loved this book and loved the romance.

In the end, although I didn't really care for the romance itself, I think "Beach Read" is perfect for romance readers, and recommend it.

I enjoyed a lot about Beach Read – the two authors, the small town setting, the hate-to-love romance – but for me, too much was packed into the story, and there was too much back story to the characters that took me away from January and Gus as a couple. It just wasn't for me, personally. I was looking for a cute romantic comedy in the vein of The Flatshare, so perhaps I need to stick to British rom-coms!

Well this book was all kinds of wonderful! I love a good romance and this was exactly that, but it was also two writers and there were bookshop scenes, a bit of a sex and unexpectedly made my sob! Definetely worth the hype this one!

After being rivals at University, both Gus and January become successful published authors; January writing women's fiction/romance and Gus literary fiction. When they meet up some years later, both have suffered heartache and both have changed their outlook on life.
the characters played off each other, showing up their deep faults, lack of trust and shallow depth of emotion and empathy. However, I really enjoyed this book, it read as though the two characters gad joined forces and actually written it themselves; a work of romantic women's literary fiction.
A story which keeps flashing through your mind long after the final page.

Beach Read is marketed as a light-hearted romantic comedy, but it is actually quite hard to place in any particular genre; it’s neither one thing nor the other. The cover, while attractive to look at, is very misleading.
January and Gus end up living next door to each other on the shores of Lake Michigan. Both are published authors having trouble with writer’s block. They hatch a plan to swap genres to see if this will inspire them, and offer to help each other with their research. This is the interesting part of the story, as the writer explores why men can be so snooty about books written by women. I would have liked more on this subject, and less about the ‘Cult’ subplot which felt like it was in the wrong book.
The writing was good, but I did not like either of the main characters, and their romance felt contrived. Part of the problem was that the story was told solely from January’s point of view; in this case it did not work for me. Alternate chapters from both main characters might have given a more balanced view.
The lakeside setting was underused – it seemed strange that they rarely went to the beach – considering the book’s title and cover. There were a lot of repetitive phrases that became a bit annoying, and some of the dialogue was very cheesy. January, especially, did not come across as a mature adult.
Judging by the number of five star reviews for Beach Read, I realise that I am in a minority. Sometimes you just can’t put your finger on why a book does not appeal.
Thanks to Penguin and NetGalley for a review copy.

Thank you Penguin UK and Netgalley for this read! I always try and push through and finish each book I choose, but unfortunately 'Beach Read' is my first DNF in a good while and I feel so bad!!😬

January and Gus were rival writers during college and are now both published authors. January's father died revealing a secret double life with another woman. January moves into the home they shared with a view to selling it. Randomly her next door neighbour turns out to be Gus and as they reacquaint themselves with each other, they find out they want to be very much more than friends

I don't know if I should rate a book that I've given up on😶 I'd probably say 2⭐ to be generous as I've seen a lot of people loving this book and I always say to try something yourselves and not only listen to my experience! Alas, it was not for me. It started out with some really well written humour and so much promise, but for me, it died halfway through when I found the story just became boring and I stopped really caring about the main characters. Again, just for me, it didn't mesh well and felt disjointed and strung out😥

January Andrews is a writer, who loves writing stories where families live charmed lives which end up being Happily Ever Afters. That is, until her dad dies unexpectedly and her life unravels, one happily ever after at a time.

She tries to get away from it all by escaping to a small town, bumping into her college nemesis, Augustus ‘Gus’ Everett. What are the chances. Worse, he’s also writing his next book which will be this generation’s Salinger/Franzen.
Without giving too much away, they agree to a challenge – they each sign up to writing a book in the genre of the other one, and the manuscript sold first wins. As a vehicle to a narrative, I forget what they win, if I’m completely honest. Dinner, I think.

Fairly soon, that’s not important as January’s trying to deal with a lot of stuff in her exploded life and remembering the crush she had on Gus a few years ago, too.

Put simply – I enjoyed Beach Read. It wasn’t a typical romcom light hearted story for the beach, and I think the title is there as a bit of an in joke. I can understand how it might irk people expecting a more straightforward meet cute/meet boy and girl as that’s not really how it plays out.

I thought it was really interesting that there was exploration of different styles and genres in the book itself, as well as from the characters. There were excerpts from January’s nihilistic draft, and a description of Gus’ story, which managed to be recognisable as a love story and yet something different. It was easy to see the author drawing from real life – the little bit I know about publishing was well represented, and there was definitely an emphasis on deadlines which sounded familiar!

The characters were well drawn, although there were a few too many mentions of Gus circling his hands and fingers round someone’s skin or hip or back, and quite a lot of ‘his eyes darkened as he thought deeply’, which might be irritating for some. I liked the characters – they were human and made mistakes. Still, they were well rounded and likeable. I wanted to know more about the people in the side. There was a mention of someone near the end who I swear hadn’t come into it before, but popped up without introduction. I may need to re-read the first chapter or two.
January’s conversations with her best friend, Shadi, reminded me of discussions with my best friends. Daft injokes, nicknames, shared experiences and common loves, like food and drink. That felt really natural, and I wished Shadi was in it more. I’d love to see a book with her as the main character, as well as books with some of the other faces too, writ large and drawn sharp.

This is a half way between out and out romance, and something a bit more focussed on human connection and the meaning of life. It might fall in the gap for some people but I enjoyed it, it was thoughtfully written.

I devoured this book. It is a gentle romance which touches on many different social issues delicately. I didn’t enjoy the many references to alcohol but on the whole this is an excellent romance story with many twist along the storyline which left me unable to put down. Well done to this author. Please see blog post. https://www.blogger.com/blog/posts/7097801138930210722?hl=en

This is a romance set mainly in rural Michigan, by the lake shore, between two authors who first met in college, had one hook up at a party, but went their separate ways. Now they meet again about 7 years later, as one is going through a divorce and one getting over the death of her father. The story is slow to begin with, but picks up with humour and great description of characters and convoluted scenarios of family, friends and their novel writing, for which they challenge each other to understand each others style of writing. An engaging read, with an ending that satisfied my romantic heart.

Content warnings: cancer, grief, death, affairs, divorce, cults, domestic abuse

This is not your average Summer chick lit read! I'd heard some really great things about this title so I just had to request it and give it a go myself.

Beach Read follows January and Gus, two rival authors who went to the same college and now live in beach houses next door to one another. After a couple of mishaps on January's part (thinking the book club she was attending was about her book!), the two meet again and strike up a friendship.

Writing notes to each other to hold up through the windows of their houses (yes like the Taylor Swift video as January says), they begin to rely on each other to learn about themselves and grow through writing a book in each other's genre.

So from the tag line on the front cover, I was expecting a sort of Lindsey Kelk-esque read. Don't get me wrong, there were moments that made me laugh but it was darker than I anticipated. There were a lot of moments about finding yourself, forgiving yourself and your family even though you can't speak to them again and a lot of thoughts around death and abuse.

Despite this, there was still a really lovely (hot!) and angsty romance throughout the book. I was really rooting for the two of them as a couple because I could just see they wanted to be together! You know when you're just like "KISS ALREADY?!". Well it was like that for me. There was on page sex though it wasn't too explicit and the kissing scenes were really well described and almost tangible.

I kind of lost my way in the last third of this book after being so excited in the beginning. I think it took me longer to read the end than the rest of the book put together as I kept getting distracted. Maybe I prefer the build up will they/won't they aspect of romance? Also it's told in singular perspective, January's. I love a dual POV and I think hearing from Gus too would have worked so well - it also had that kind of feel to it where you would expect a dual POV.

Overall I devoured this book in around 36 hours and I would definitely read more from Emily Henry! 3.5/5 stars

Beach Read by Emily Henry

Two writers, January and Gus, spend a summer writing a book in each other's genre to cure themselves of writer's block, and get to know each other a whole lot better along the way!

A very enjoyable and fresh take on the romcom genre with great characters. I read it very fast as I wanted to know how January and Gus got on but the story covers so much more - grief, cults, domestic violence, secrets... and some lighter topics too.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book.