Can I just open this review by saying that this book has easily stepped right up into my favorite books. I have never felt so much joy and been so broken by a book, only to be repaired again. What a ride. What a wonderful, beautiful story of love, grief and everything in between.

Beach Read is the story of January, a romance writer, and Augustus Everett, an author of literary fiction the two opposites who happen to be living next door to one another and are both suffering from writers block, until they decide to strike a deal with each other. Who can write the best book in the others' genre? Augustus can pen a happily ever after, and January can write a dark literary fiction novel.

Firstly, although I anticipated this book and was really excited to read it, I didn't know much more than the basic premise 'two opposite authors swap book genres' and knew it was shelved as 'romance'. I wanted to go in pretty blind, and so I assumed that it was just be an easy, cheesy guilty pleasure romance book that I could consume quickly and never think about again. It was not that, it was not even close to that.

Beach Read is so much more than a romance novel, and yes, whilst romance does play a big part in the story it is also about so much more. It's about secrets, grief, loss, unworthiness, unrequited love, rivalry. It was a lot darker than I expected and had so many layers to it. I loved January, and I loved Augustus too. They were such well written characters, and their development was just brilliant.

What I loved most of all:
-How well the characters were written and how clear their personalities were
-The sorrow, the grief and just how deeply you could feel it
-The delicious conversations between Gus and January. How well they bounced off each other and how witty they both were.
-The setting, the rain, the beach
-How everything wasn't so easy like in most romance books, nothing was easy.
-That last portion of the book. My heart yearned and broke and I could feel everything so clearly.

Emily Henry is brilliant at what she does, clearly. She can make you feel as if she has slowly pulled your heart out of your chest and given it back to you delicately. I can't explain how much I adored this book. It is not one of the best books I've read this year, but I think the best adult romance book I have ever read. How are other ones going to compare now? She had honestly set a new bar for me and I don't think much else will be able to live up to it. Honestly the only thing I don't love is the cover. It's much to bright and happy for how I felt the book was, but that itself is clever. It's the kind of cover I assume January's books would have.

Also, the name? The significance at the end? Chef's kiss.

Read this book, I urge you.

An easy read, perfect holiday reading, Interesting to see the differences in writers techniques- romance or thriller/factual.

I enjoyed this book a lot. The two main characters, January and Augustus are both writers, and are both struggling with creative ruts and the things that life has thrown at them. I enjoyed the evolution of the relationship between the two of them over the course of the book, it felt honest and believable. For me I enjoyed the way their writing was dealt with as much as the romantic element of this book.

One think I will note is that while I like the cover I don't think it does the book many favours, there's a definite mismatch between the sort of book the cover suggests and the book it actually is which is a shame.

Thoroughly enjoyed this! A really enjoyable ~beach~ read exploring many different topics and all of them successfully.

After reading so many thrillers recently, I needed something light hearted and fun and this was perfect!

Beach Read is the story of two authors, going through tough times but the deadline for their next books is looming. January is struggling with her happy ever after endings after discovering her dad has been having an affair and Gus, is going through a divorce, leaving him struggling to get the words out.

Once night, they make a bet with each other, they are going to switch genres, Gus will write his own rom-com and January will write a not so happy ending.

I read this book with a huge cheesy grin on my face! I loved the conversations between Gus and January, they were so funny together and you just knew they were going to get together.

I will definitely be reading more Emily Henry books!

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin for the advanced copy.

Don't be fooled by the bright 'n' breezy cover design and the catchy title. This is a 'women's fiction'-romance crossover with an edge. What do I mean by that? Emily Henry manages to balance cosy and light with razor-sharp flirting, intense love scenes and dark tones, making it much more than a jolly 'romcom'. It's a fiery force to be reckoned with and will be more sizzling than this year's impending heatwave.

The plot is a hate-to-love one (my favourite) with a binding pact. Bestselling romance writer January, suffering from a family upheaval and loss, moves into her father's old beach house to escape the universe and come to terms with the heavy secrets the house symbolises. As it turns out, her next-door neighbour happens to be Gus - THE Gus from college - arrogant acclaimed writer of 'serious' award-winning fiction. The Gus who represents everything she despises whilst also being incredibly handsome and doesn't seem to remember her. They're forced to bump into each other in the adorable small town, with charming indie book store and quirky secondaries included. As sparks are fired (or more like delicious daggers), they realise that they're both stuck with writer's block and dare the other to write their genre by the end of the summer. Gus will write romance and January will do Hemmingway rip-offs.

I read this during the pre-lockdown commute, once upon a time. I remember that the dialogue was so fast-paced and witty, it flew out of my kindle to prod my sleepy face awake against the pale morning sun. I can guarantee it really is 'laugh-out' hilarious. What I love the most are the original jokes that amplify refreshing dialogue. Many authors play it safe for romantic conversations, but Emily Henry seems to have taken the time and care to experiment with new topics. I felt that the pacing did slow down significantly towards the end, especially after the characters have cooled off. As a result, the revelations about her family's past may have arrived too late.

In essence, it sets the bar for summer romances this year.

This was exactly what I needed after taking two months to read The Well of Ascension. A quick read that also had some really heartfelt moments besides the swoony romance.

Beach Read follows January, a romance writer and literary fiction author, Gus, her college rival. When they coincidentally find out their beach houses are right next to each other, they become more friendly. Both are in writing ruts so they make a bet to switch genres. Gus will learn all about meet-cutes and happily-ever-afters while January is introduced to interviewing cult survivors and writing about the bleak. The winner will be the first person to sell their manuscript.

January used to be a happy go lucky woman that believed in true love, but she’s a bit more cynical when we meet her at the start of the book. I don’t want to give too much away but her situation has made her not in the right headspace for writing romance. She’s such a fun person to read about but she is also dealing with a lot and feels quite lonely. Besides YA I don’t think I’ve really read about someone that feels lonely.

Gus is also an interesting character. He’s had a rough past which makes him a bit rough around the edges and doesn’t trust easily. He starts out by being quite gruff but when you learn about him you can’t help but understand.

You could consider this a ‘hate to love’ but there isn’t much hate, more disdain and misunderstanding. I adored Gus’s and January’s banter. It’s an instant way that I’ll buy into a romance. They do it throughout the book but the conversations definitely get a lot sweeter and head me melting into a puddle.

I’d recommend to people who want to get into romance but don’t want to read solely about a relationship. A lot of this book deals with grief as well as grappling with memories that are tainted by the truth. I don’t want to say too much more as I don’t want to give it all away, but it added some depth to what is still a phenomenal romance, but makes it stand out a bit more in my mind.

I may even have to buy a copy of this.

An unexpected romance between two very different writers. Romantic novelist January Andrews goes to stay at the peaceful beach resort of North Bear Shores, USA, trying to meet the deadline for her latest book. Her next-door neighbour is Gus Everett, an author who definitely doesn't do happy endings. He was also her college crush. Both having writer's block, they decide to swap genres. As they get to know each other better, they begin to fall in love and the reader discovers why each writes in their chosen genre. An amusing and tender story, well-told. Great summer read.

I enjoyed this book. Would have liked to read a bit more about Sonya though.
Unlike some of the other reviews I understood why it was called beach read after nearing the end of the book out became clear.

Good book which was easy to get into and quick to read. Thanks Netgalley.

[Gifted]
This was such a fun rom-com! I love the set-up - a romance writer and a literary fiction writer challenge each other to write in their genres during a summer of writer's block - which allowed for lots of discussion of the publishing world and literary tropes. Augustus and January had a lot of chemistry, and I really enjoyed spending time with them. I'll definitely be reading more by Emily Henry.

I just loved this book. It was a 'can't put down' one for me. I wanted to be there with the main characters, What a great story. Take it on holiday with you if you're lucky enough to be going away

TW: cults, implied physical abuse

The perfect mix of romance and dark literary fiction. The dark elements were well thought out and creepy enough for the book without becoming a dark book.
The characters were well written, with backstory, history and their romantic relationship was surprisingly steamy!

I've not read any of Emily Henry's books before, but I'll be looking her up to read more based on this.

Thanks for NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of the book, in exchange for an honest review.

Beach Read was a wonderful blend of light and fun aspects you would expect to find in a rom com as well deep and meaningful ones that come when people are dealing with loss, grief and heartache.

This story was everything I didn't even know I was craving and so much more. It had a stong frenemies lovers vibe with a competitive edge. January and Gus we're constantly butting heads and daring each other to step out their comfort zones in their profession lives as well as dealing with their personal ones. Being a story about two writers who have hit a bit of a mind block with their current projects I loved how this seamlessly wove in both their thoughts as writers as well as conveying how readers feel when enjoying a book. This story was about opening yourself up to new possibilities, dealing with hardships and finding ways to forgive as well as understand and opening yourself back up to all the things you once closed off.

Once I started reading this book I found I just could not put it down amd flew through it. I found it so easy to read. I swooned, laughed, cried and swooned some more.

Absolutely loved this - read this from start to finish with a giant cheesy grin on my face. A book to make readers happy! Addictive reading and pure escapism. What's not to love?

Everyone knows the moment that a book says no one will fall in love the exact opposite is going to happen. It's like a rule. But the getting there, each journey is different. And I have to say I love their journey. I can't say that this is a coming of age book, (our characters are a little too old for that) but it is definitely a journey of self discovery for both our main characters
However for a book called Beach Read, there was, for me, a surprisingly small amount of beach. They do however visit the burned out site of the death cult which a little horrific for a romance novel but somehow it also added to the romance of the story. Two people alone in a tent far away from anyone else? Romantic
I wish that we could have seen more of both novels that our characters were writing. I think we only saw Gus' right at the very end. But January's … I wanted to see more of that great American novel that she was penning.
Overall I loved the book. The meet cute was a loud, sobbing mess; the falling in love montage was a perfect mix of Ferris wheels, throwing up and interviewing cult members and when they finally confess their feelings … well, I'll leave that for you to discover.

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!