A light but smart romantic read, this novel is perfect for fans of The Flatshare and One Day in December.

A fun romantic comedy that I had a great time reading. The characters were realistic and well depicted. Highly recommended!

This book follows January Andrews as she tries to deal with the loss of her father and the secrets that came from this. As a romance writer her fathers death and given her a severe case of writers block and lead to the breakup of her and her long term partner. Now not only is she struggling to write, she is struggling to make ends meet. So January packs up her bags and leaves New York for the beach house her father left for her, hoping the change of scenery will help her writing and the house will give her some answers.

The serenity of the beach house is not all that she hoped for however, especially on the first evening when her neighbour is having a very loud party.

Her neighbour, Gus, turns out to be a lot more than a random annoying person who lives next door and so this book follows the two characters as they each deal with issues from their past, realising it can be interpreted very differently depending on your perspective. 

I wanted to love this book, I had seen so many other people love it and the concept of it really appealed to me.
However some parts of it seemed too forced... I know it was romance and *to be expected* but there were some parts that I just felt didn't flow well and some of the banter between characters just didn't seem right.

It is also worth noting that there were some darker concepts explored in this book and it is not the 'easy read chick-lit/rom-com' that the blurb seems to suggest.

Being in lockdown as it gets closer and closer to the summer months is tough - most of us will likely have had summer holiday plans and trips far and wide to look forward to. For the most part, these are cancelled but my lust for all things summer still runs deep. A book I've been looking forward to reading is Beach Read by Emily Henry - and my goodness, I wasn't disappointed in the slightest.

I received a copy of the Penguin books summer release catalogue last month and was invited to request titles that stood out to me. Beach Read by Emily Henry was on the list and I urgently requested a copy - with everything going on at the moment, Penguin were able to send an e-copy and not a physical copy but I was absolutely fine with that - I've just recently treated myself to a kindle and whilst I wasn't the biggest fan of it at first, it's definitely quickly grown on me. I was eager to read this one as soon as the download hit my device.

Beach Read by Emily Henry follows January, a published author with an impending deadline. After her father tragically dies, very suddenly, she finds out that he has been leading a double life and is handed the keys to his beach house. Skint, uninspired and in need of an escape, January moves herself into the beach house as a last ditch attempt to meet her September book deadline. In the beach house next door lives fellow author Augustus Everett - while January writes romance, he writes literary fiction- they couldn't be more different. Worst of all, January and August know each other. Quite well, in fact. On the same programme at college, spent an evening making out at a party... January's views of Augustus are all negative. With the town intent on throwing them together, a challenge between the two is created - January will write something in the literary fiction genre, while Augustus will try his hand at romance fiction. What can go wrong?

I absolutely adored this book - I fired through it in a single sitting and I loved every aspect of this marvellous book. It was engaging, thoughtful, emotional, romantic and even a little bit raunchy at times - combined to make a perfect contemporary romance. I've read a lot of contemporary romance books during lockdown and they just keep getting better - this one is absolutely no exception. I adored the characters (where do I get myself an Augustus Everett?) and the whole story was the summer read I didn't know I needed. I'm beyond excited to see what Emily Henry does next - surely only good things to come? 

Review on www.hollieinwanderlust.co.uk

This book had so many dimensions that all came together in a subtle, yet powerful way. It makes the relationships seem so true to life, but also above and beyond. Two writers, coming together over shared interests, both with backgrounds that make them super aware of how rough life can be. Makes you think twice about what Happy Ever After means. 5 stars!

Augustus 'Gus' Everett is an acclaimed author of literary fiction.
January Andrews writes bestselling romance novels.
While she pens happily ever afters, he kills off his entire cast.

Their writing styles are polar opposites, and they've been rivals since college. When they find themselves living in neighboring beach houses one summer, both struggling with writer's block, they strike up a deal to swap genres. January will write something dark and gritty, while Gus will write something with a happy ending. They'll even take each other on 'field trips' to help with research.

It seems like the perfect challenge to force them out of their creative ruts. Everyone will finish a book and no one will fall in love... Really.

I requested this book on Netgalley only to realise I'd already bought it on Kindle!

I sometimes find with rom-coms that they go overboard on the romance but are lacking in actual comedy. Beach Read is perfectly balanced. It put a huge smile on my face and there were times where it made me laugh out loud. January and Gus have great chemistry and I loved their playful banter.

Although this is a fun and light-hearted read, it also has some depth. Both characters have experienced pain in their pasts, and it takes a while for their friendship to blossom.

This is the perfect holiday/beach read (it's right there in the title!) and I'd 100% recommend it.

A enjoyable light easy read for a rainy summers day, Is it an all time great, no but well worth taking the time to read with interesting and engaging main characters. A mildly amusing contemporary love story that I would recommend.

Did I enjoy this book? I am not really sure to be honest. I enjoyed bits of it and the premise of it but, and I know I am in the minority here, I found bits of it to be extremely pointless and other bits which I think could have been explored further.

Until last year January had it all - two loving parents, a wonderful boyfriend and a lucrative career as a writer. Today she has nothing or do it seems. Her father died and at his funeral she found out he had led somewhat of a double life and what’s more it appears her mother knew about it. Her boyfriend of six years is no more and she has writer’s block.

Her father left her his beach house in Lake Michigan and it is there she goes when it seems all is lost. However she can’t bear to look in certain rooms for fear of imagining him and THAT woman. She is still struggling to write and is getting pressure from her agent. It turns out her neighbour is a man she used to go to College with, a fellow writer, Augustus Everett. He too appears to be struggling with writers block and they make a bet that each of them write a book in the others genre. This leads to a lot of research which sees them grow closer.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced read copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Emily Henry's novel is a blend of women's fiction and a darker variation of a rom-com, set in small town North Bear Shores, located on Lake Michigan. January Andrews is an author specialising in uplifting, happy ever after romances, a career inspired by her ostensibly rock solid, loving Ohio family, January and her father unstintingly supporting her mother who had twice succumbed to and beaten cancer. She had developed a bright, adventurous and cheerful persona, had the perfect boyfriend, living with him in New York, but everything falls apart with the unexpected death of her beloved and idolised father. It emerges that he was involved with another woman, Sonya, at his lakehouse beach house, a betrayal of January's mother, challenging everything she had believed about him and her family, her mother had known but refuses point blank to talk. Unable to cope, descending into a world of depression and darkness, her perfect relationship sinks without trace with her partner unable to accept the new January. Broke and facing writer's block, how can she peddle her feel good writing when her faith in happily ever ever has been knocked so badly?

January has inherited the beach house with all its memories of her father's betrayal, and having nowhere else to go, she is going to prepare for its sale whilst trying to write the book she is being pressured to produce by her agent, Anya. To her complete surprise, the neighbouring beach house resident is a familiar face and crush from college, the moody and brooding serious literary author, Augustus 'Gus' Everett, who is facing his own trauma and demons, with his own inabilities to write too. Gus had never taken January's writing seriously and apparently looked down on it, viewing it as more frivolous, unlike the dark and bleak themes that inhabit the literary genre. The pair find themselves agreeing to swap genres, promising to support and promote whatever the other comes up with. Gus involves January in his interviews of those involved with the New Eden death cult, and January introduces Gus to the romantic possiblities of the likes of carnivals and line dancing.

Henry writes an unusual rom-com that is well written with protagonists that are likely to capture the hearts of many a reader. However, I have to admit to struggling to get through the book, and the truth is that I am honestly not sure why. I had to make myself labour through it, reading a little every day, the only way I could make it through to the end. I can appreciate the story, the charms of January and Gus, and the skills of Henry in the novel, as can be seen by the many enthusiastic reviews of this novel. I can see many others falling in love with the protagonists and their obstacle strewn path to love, so despite my issues with it, I recommend this to others looking for a heartwarming read with a difference. Many thanks to Penguin for an ARC.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the arc, which I have enjoyed reading.
Beach Read by Emily Henry is an easy read to just snuggle down and pass a few hours on a weekend. The characters of January and Gus are likeable enough and their story is an easy to read romance and is the story of two people finding ‘their happy for today’ Ending.
An easy to read story.
Recommended.

5 stars

This story was everything I enjoyed the book from the beginning. There are two characters named Gus and January who is a romance writer. The fact that they communicated via the house windows was so cute. You get to see the childhood background of our main characters and I enjoy how many of the moments in the book was so hilarious but be aware that it will be emotional too.

thank you net gallery for the lovely arc.

I absolutely loved this book, I couldn't put it down. January and Gus were real, vulnerable, flawed and lovable and made we want to sit down and write my own novel.

I really enjoyed learning the history of January and Gus and what makes them tick. January is a hopeless romantic whose view of the world has recently been knocked off-kilter and she's struggling to find balance in her new world. While Augustus has had a difficult past and writes books that expose the darkest parts of humanity. Their competition sparks new creativity for both of them and between them.

The characters leapt off the page and made me laugh, swoon and root for them to find each other. I wish January's best friend Shadi could have been in the book more as she seemed awesome... maybe she'll have her own book next!

This book grabbed me by the heart and didn't let go. 5 out of 5.

With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for sending me a copy to review.

A great idea for a story, two writers both with writers block. I enjoyed it. The only thing that jarred with me (and it's a small thing), was the main characters names January and Augustus. Apart from that good.

Firstly thank you to @penguinrandomhouse for an ARC of this novel by @emilyhenrywrites via @netgalley! This is another new author for us this month. I saw this literally all over the online book community so I was eager to get started with it.

The story follows January and Augustus, both are writers suffering from writers block. When they get talking and realise they’re both in the same position they decide to make a bet and swap genres to see who can best the other.

The plot was really original and the story, once I got into it, was fast paced. Although I struggled to get into the book during the first half I found that I was soon swept up in the romance. Not only do we get to enjoy the “research trips” the characters take each other on – which made me feel like we got a sneak peek behind the scenes of writing a book - we also get to enjoy a well developed backstory to each character. The story is very emotional in parts and makes this more than a simple summer romance.

I enjoyed the setting of this book – a beautiful house by a lake – and I felt like the author really transported us to the house January lived in. Along with a cast of great secondary characters – Pete and Shadi – I would definitely picking this up as your next summer read!

I loved this book!!! The romance was a stereotypical romance that would usually leave me bored but something about this book just hooked me and I couldn't put it down.
The beach houses were a great setting for this story and the imagery given by the author of every place was in depth and beautiful.
I love that we get to see more than just a couple of people developing a romance. There's aspects to both of their lives showing that they are more than just two writers but human beings with other things and people in their lives, something a lot of romance books seem to forget.
This book is STEAMY in the best way and so emotional, I'm not ashamed to admit that I shed a tear or two.
I loved this book and can't wait to see more from this author in the future.

So much more than 'just a beach read' - Smart, romantic, funny & real!

Gus and August, will lift you up and sweep you up in their messy romance, that perfectly captures the reality of relationships. The miscommunications, the spark, the rollercoaster of emotions - you will be rooting for them from the start.

The writing is incredible, it is authentic and I didn't want it to end. I had laugh-out-loud tears and brimming with sadness tears.

This novel has it all! - fresh, poignant & laugh-out-loud. I absolutely loved it, whole-heartedly recommend it & I think it is a book that everyone can take something away from.

A huge thanks to Georgia Taylor & Viking Books for sending me a copy in return for an open & honest review.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I waited to 'Beach Read' until the British chill abated and, when the time came, I tore through this sweet, uplifting novel in just a day and a half. Emily Henry delved deeper than I was expecting, but I loved it more for that.

Beneath the layers of January, a writer of romance novels, and Gus, a writer of literary fiction, are two people who are struggling with their upbringings and the influence they have had on their outlooks on life today. When January pens a happily ever after, Gus kills off his entire cast. They're polar opposites.

In fact, the only thing they have in common is that, for the next three months, they're living in neighbouring beach houses. Yes, as fate would have it, January's former college crush turned rival turned almost one-night stand, Gus, is living right next door. Both strapped for cash and bogged down by writer's block, they strike a deal to force them out of their creative ruts. They must write in each other’s respective genres: January will write a book without her trademark 'happy ending' while Gus will try to write a book that doesn’t end in darkness. Whoever sells their manuscript first, wins. The number one rule? They can’t fall in love.

The dynamic between January and Gus made me swoon. Besides some cliches, the dialogue can’t be faulted, and I was giggling along with all their snarky banter and awkwardness. Through the weekly writer’s clinics, research trips, and dates all worthy of a rom-com montage, Henry provides us with a satisfying slow burn and the tension between January and Gus was tangible. And yet, there is so much heart beyond the main relationship. Henry tackles hard-hitting topics with tenderness and the power to make you both laugh and cry. That’s all to say, this is the perfect summer read.

4.5 stars!

I really enjoyed the writing about writing element, but I felt that both characters were a little stock, and therefore I didn't fall for the romance.

Beach Read by Emily Henry is a real rollercoaster of emotions, I really loved this book, I loved the characters and the chemistry that presented itself between the two. I'd been anticipating reading this book for so long and it stood up to most of my expectations and I'm incredibly glad I got the chance to read this book and I can't wait to see more from Emily Henry.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an Advanced Readers Copy in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely adored this book. The chemistry between January and Gus was fantastic, I rooted for them the whole way through the book.

I'm sure many other readers loved this insight into a writer's routine, even if it were a fictional one.

If this is Emily's debut, I am so excited to see what comes next.