A really lovely book. I loved the characters and the journey they went on. It was emtional and laugh-out-loud funny. A rare combination. I look forward to the next from this author.

Two writers, man and woman, both with serious writers block. They need to write bestsellers till the end of summer. Great characters, perfect descriptions and so charming.

I loved this book. Funny and witty.

Why don’t I read rom-coms more often?


For a while now I have been avoiding romances and women’s fiction only because a couple of last books in these genres weren't anything special, and after finishing them I always wished I’d spent my time reading something else instead. But «Beach Read» by Emily Henry is a must-read book for every book lover out there, even if romance is not your favorite genre. It’s such a fast-paced and funny book, that will make you feel the whole spectrum of emotions.

Every single review I read on Goodreads mentioned the hilarious banter between January and Gus, and OMG! it made me giggle and laugh out loud so many times! After reading only a couple of chapters, I wanted to be January, I wanted to have her skill of wittiness and I wanted to be able to deliver the punch lines she did. She basically became my idol.

Honestly, I would have picked this book up just for the funny (if sometimes a little bit cheesy) lines and the opportunity to immerse myself in the story, laughing with and at the characters.

If the “funny banter” part hasn’t convinced you yet to pick this book up, don’t worry! There are plenty of other positive things to mention about «Beach Read».
The first of them is the insight into authors’ work. Both of the main characters are writers. And the major plot point is their challenge / competition to write in unfamiliar to them genres. So of course, there is A LOT of inside information on how it all works, which I found absolutely fascinating. I’ve never wanted to be an author, but just reading about January’s writing progress made me kinda wish I was a writer :D

«Beach Read» is not just a romcom. It talks about so many different subjects - cancer, family, father and daughter relationship, trust, trauma, etc. I loved how well we got to know January and Augustus, and honestly, I couldn’t get enough of them! They were both individually interesting, and then their friendship elevated the story to a new level.

BEACH READ / Verliebt in deine schönsten Seiten
2020 by Emily Henry
Subtitle: „Two writers, one holiday. A romcom waiting to happen….“. I’ve been stumbling over some ethusiastic instagram reviews the last few weeks and thought, wow, I need to read this one! So thanks a lot to @netgalley for this reviewer’s copy 😊. As soon as I got it I discovered that there’s already a German translation available. Already? The German translation was published this March, the original English this May - ??!! Ok, so now that I read the original, I’m stuck with the task of writing a review in English, so please forgive me any linguistic mistakes, as this is not my native language. (and some German remarks at the end of this review).
January is a hopeless romantic author of lovestories, believing in happy ends and true love lasting forever and ever. Her own life currently is less than rose-colored: she’s broke, her boy-friend just dumped her, and she just found out that her beloved father, who just passed away, had betrayed her mother for ages. He left January with a small house on a beach, and when she couldn’t afford the rent anymore, she moved in. Unfortunately this ist he house in which he spend his time with „that woman“, and it’s next door to the house of Augustus, also a writer, also broke and also trying to get his life together again after a break-up….and happening to be Januarys former University crush.
Gus doesn’t believe in romance, he writes the more serious kinds of novels, and so they come up with a bet: is January able to write profound literature? And could Gus produce a lovestory?
From this initital situation we follow the two protagonists through one summer in which everything could happen: writing two ovels, falling in love, stepping out of their comfort zones and forgiving the past.
And no, this is not a light, predictable rom-com. It‘s funnily written, yes, it’s lightheartedly written, but there is so much more to it. All characters are described with vulnerability, and the language is beautiful and partly poetic. Maybe that’s not really obvious for native English speakers, but for me it definitely was, the writing’s really sophisticated, and I could indulge in the words. Reduced the speed of my reading, hahaha, but made it all the more worth reading it!
And so much underlying wisdom, so much love for life – I enjoyed every page. This is not the average romantic comedy i usually read in one or two days. Here’s a bit more to ponder upon, and I loved the underlying message: live in the moment, love this happy moment, and maybe there’ll be a happily ever after. And if not, that’s perfectly ok, too.

Und ein paar Lobesworte in Deutsch: dies ist ein wunderbares Buch mit wunderbaren, echten Charakteren. Das Leben ist nicht immer schön, aber die Kunst ist es, das Glück zu finden – und es hat mir sehr viel Freude gemacht, January und Gus dabei zu begleiten. Und ich empfehle die Originalversion, denn die Autorin versteht es, poetisch und doch mit leichter Feder zu schreiben, Witz zu versprühen und mitzureissen. Ein Vergnügen, mal wieder einen Roman auf English gelesen zu haben!

Any heroine who loves Veronica Mars as much as I do is a total babe in my book. It shows good taste and better judgement. For that reason alone Beach Read is worth the time. It also has a sort of tall dark and oddly handsome grump as the leading man who turns out to have a heart the size of a football that’s been kicked over the fence one too many times. Poor lad.
Beach Read follows basic romantic tropes but throws in some grief, second family, abuse and cult research curveballs that keep things from being stale. Towards the end it edges in too far into navel gaze territory but the message of the book about being happy in the now is pretty zen and something I can get behind. Hakuna mutata and all that. I also would have liked more from January’s mother and best friend they could have been fleshed out a bit more. But on the whole January and Gus are hot messes in all the best possible ways.

This book has received some well-deserved fanfare online and I anticipate it will top a lot of popular book lists, and I’d go so far as to say it deserves to be a bestseller as well. This is a delightful, joy-filled, fluffy book that has the ability to warm the cockles of any readers heart. I personally enjoyed the sugary sweetness found in the story, and expect that some people may find it cheesy at times, but I think that’s just the nature of the book and the genre. Congratulations to Emily Henry for penning such a fabulous love story!

This was a romance novel about a romance writer who is having trouble getting started on her latest novel. Too many family issues and the need to find answers about a secret house her father owned on a lake at North Bear Shores in Michigan.
When January Andrews' father dies. January travels to North Bear Shores to spend time to write her latest book and get her father's house ready to sell.
January discovers the writer living next door is her rival from many years ago. Gus Everett is also having trouble with his next book because of relationship problems.
This was about writing, family relationships and secrets.
I loved how the caracters evolved and interacted.

I just want to thank Netgally The publishers and the Author for letting me have a advanced copy of beach read to read and review so thankyou.
This book was such a tonic to read I really needed to read this book during these times. Dont be fooled by the title this book is so much more then a Romance book it has it all Romance family secrets and it deals with some pretty hard issues. are main Chractures January and Gus are fantastic they have great Chracture devlopment and I ended up getting emotional thorugh this book. January is dealing with Greif as her dad passed away and she goes for a holiday to get away and to see if she can end her writers block as she is a writer she then meets Gus who is her next door Neighbour who so happens that they went to the same writers collage and these 2 form a love hate realtionship at the start and then towards the end a full on Romance while this is going on they dare each other and bet that they can write each others Genres so Gus writes Romance and January Writes Liteary fiction with some funny results. we find out more about Gus and him dealing with his past. This book and all the Chractures i fell in love with them all I like the complex issues that this book deals with I love the Same sex relationship that Pete and Maggie have they were a great couple. I love Januarys friend Shadi as she reminds me of my best friend so much. This book deffantly deserves all they hype its such a shame that the UK has to wait untill Aug for them to read this lovley book wich really does teach you how to dance in the rain and happy endings come in all shapes and sizes 5 out fo 5

January and Augustus, two authors. They sound so different, almost like winter and summer. And they are: one sees the glass half full, the other half empty- happy endings for January, dark ones for Augustus. It turns out, they are more similar than it meets the eye. Both have gone through darkness and unpleasant secrets, which has caused them both a struggle to come up with the next book. But they really need each other. They decide to swap and twist the genres. The bet turns into a lot more-a sensual, tummy- flipping romance, one that keeps you guessing till the ending - will it be a happy or a dark one this time?

It's the perfect beach read that will make you laugh, cry, tense, relax.

I really enjoyed this book. It's a perfect read for this #lockdown and I thank you @penguinUKbooks as well as #Netgalley

January Andrews, 29, is a romance novel writer and moves from New York to North Bear Shores in Michigan after the death of her father and subsequent discovery that he’d been having affair with a woman called Sonya for years. January’s mum was aware of the affair but refuses to talk about it with her.

Her father leaves her a house on Lake Michigan and she decides to use it to write her next romance novel, which has a rapidly approaching deadline, while sorting out the lakeside cottage and eventually selling it. January feels lonely as she’s not really speaking to her mum and her best friend, Shadi, lives in Chicago.

On her first night there, her next-door neighbour plays loud music till late and she’s shocked discover that it’s a man called Augustus (Gus) Everett, 32, who was her college rival on the creative writing course at the University of Michigan. They didn’t like each other and he was quite condescending and patronising towards her at college. He’s now a writer too but his books are more serious literary novels than January’s ‘happily ever afters’ books.

In town, she meets a woman called Pete (Posy) who runs the local cafe and bookshop. When Pete hosts a book club one evening, January is horrified to discover that not only is Sonya there but Gus turns up too!

As they can’t really avoid each other being neighbours, January and Gus begin a rather self-deprecating friendship and tease each other about their differing writing genres and styles. They challenge each other to swap genres, with January writing bleak literary fiction and Gus writing a happily ever after. They decide to write during the week then do his research on Fridays and hers on Saturdays.

As the couple grow closer, we learn more about January’s past: how her mum battled cancer twice and how, as an only child, she felt that she had to be strong and happy when she was terrified her mum was going to die. She gave up grad school so that she could spend more time with her parents. Discovering that her dad had an affair shocked her beliefs to their foundations.

We also learn about Gus’ difficult past: his parents’ relationship, his split with his partner, and we also meet his aunt, who lives locally.

As the couple open up to each other, their friendship grows and they get closer, though both are still rather wary and reluctant to share too much. At one point, January says: ‘The bits of life he shared with me were building their framework as we went. I got a clearer picture of him every day …’. There are a few misunderstandings as they suss each other out and their shared past is also brought up a few times.

This novel had an intelligent, thoughtful storyline with some great one-liners and banter between January and Gus. They’d both had a hard time in their lives and were hurting from the past, especially January who feels that the strong unit she built up with her parents was all a lie after her father’s betrayal of the family.

The couple’s friendship and relationship developed slowly, despite a lot of chemistry. They got to know each other again after years apart and sussed each other out, breaking down the barriers. It was good to see them bonding over their shared writer’s block and frantically rushing to finish their novels, setting each other challenges as their deadlines rapidly approached. An interesting and rather brave concept to swap genres!

With a well-plotted and multi-layered storyline, this was an engaging read and I was keen to find out whether January would have her happily ever after. It was an emotional read at times and several difficult themes were discussed in the book.

Overall, I rather enjoyed Beach Read. It wasn’t quite what I was expecting from the cover – I assumed it would be a more lighter read – but I was pleasantly surprised and it was certainly a bit different. Slightly more poignant, darker and thought provoking than I thought it would be. Definitely a story to go away and contemplate, I think!

I’m a big fan of a rom-com but I struggle with them when they are too cheesy or predictable. Urghhh, 🤢 they are just not relatable. I need some sparks, an edge and a storyline that isn’t going to send me to sleep 😴. Hello BEACH READ.... YOU WERE BRILLIANT! Smart, romantic, funny and down to earth. I loved the main characters Gus and January. January the hopeless romantic (that me 🙋🏼‍♀️) and Gus the serious literary type (not me 😂) have a lot in common. They're both broke. They've got crippling writer's block. And they need to write bestsellers before summer ends.
The result? A bet to swap genres see who gets published first. The risk? In telling each other's stories, their worlds might be changed entirely... I mean...what could go wrong?! 🤪

I really liked the storyline as it was fun, fresh and I was invested early on. Gus and January have the best banter. 😁 One liners galore and just full of wit and charm! Some really nuggets of wisdom thrown in too which left me with a positive lasting impression. It has family drama and secrets, which were integral to the story and therefore made the characters feel authentic. A lot of romance and many, many lols. I mean, I snorted with laughter so that’s a good sign!!! 🤣

I really recommend this book if you are looking for a rom-com which not only moves you, but makes you blissfully happy. It’s also pretty hot in parts if you know what I mean.😉🔥

BEACH READ is definitely for fans of THE FLATSHARE and OUR STOP.

January, a bestselling Romance author, writes from the heart, inspired by her parents' infinite love that she has witnessed all her life. Her fictitious heroes are loosely based on her father, who had never failed to turn hard situations into beautiful memories.

When her father suddenly passes away, January's life turns on its axis. Not explicitly because of his death, but because a surprise mistress shows up at his funeral, leaving January the keys to her father's beach house that no one knew about.

Uninspired and broke, January has no where to go but the beach house to try to focus on writing her upcoming novel.

Also suffering from writer's block, Augustus Everett writes dark literary fiction, and is struggling to writing the next Great American Novel in January's neighboring beach house. If his characters survive, they usually have very bleak endings.

Struggling to break out of their ruts, the two authors strike a deal: January will write the Great American Novel, while Augustus will write a romance with a happy ending.

Beach Read is exactly the book to read if you're looking to immense yourself in a romance in which I guarantee you'll fall in love with both Gus and January.

I particularly enjoyed (and related to) January's rant about "Women's Literature";
"If you swapped all my Jessicas for Johns, do you know what you'd get? Fiction. Just fiction. Ready and willing to be read by anyone, but somehow by being a woman who writes about women, I've eliminated half the Earth's population from my potential readers..."

*I received this copy from the publisher in return for an honest review.

I quite enjoyed ‘Beach Read’ by @emilyhenrywrites. I wouldn't describe it as transformative but it was certainly a lovely little way to get lost (in the literary sense) if you're looking for something distracting. It is the story of two writers who were once archnemeses at university and become next-door neighbours (and perhaps something more). January writes romance and has always fervently believed in Happily Ever Afters (HEAs). Augustus (Gus) is a writer of Cormac McCarthy-style literary fiction (i.e. stuff I don't like to read). January's faith in HEAs is shaken after the death of her father and her discovery that he had a life-long secret mistress. This in turn leads to a painful case of writer’s block and a perhaps ill-conceived decision to move into the love nest her father shared with this alleged trollop (horrendous interior decoration included). Gus is also having trouble coming up with a conceivable story for reasons in his past and on that front he’s as hard to read as a Cormac McCarthy novel. Cue a competition between these two writers, each has to try the other’s genre and whoever sells their manuscript for publication wins. The other must endorse the winner’s book. January and Gus (former enemies) become each other’s frenemies, book club co-members, writing coaches, friends, July 4 party pals, cult explorers, lovers and Happily For Nows (in that order). (I’m hardly spoiling things here, it is a romcom after all.) The dialogue is pretty great and the banter between January and Gus crackles like tissue paper in a Bookstagram unboxing video. But a lot of the plot felt very trope-reliant to me, so much so that it was almost clichéd. I do wonder if that was done partly ironically and self-referentially given ‘Beach Read’ is a rom com about a rom com, but it wasn’t quite elegant enough to convince me that what was going on was meta. 3.5 out of 5 geologists obsessed with labradorite ⛰⛰⛰Thanks very much to @netgalley and @penguinukbooks for granting my request for an e-ARC.

Sizzling hot a perfect summer/beach read!
The story follows January and Gus over one summer as they race to complete writing books and in the process fall in love. Funny and sad in equal measures a perfect read for a summer evening.

This book was so much more than I expected. I expected a comforting rom com but it was just so much more involved than that. There were some heavy aspects to deal with but never so heavy that it took away from the romantic side of the story.

An amusing read, it is a story about two writers which is an interesting place to start. I enjoyed the book, good characters and a story that did have some twists and turns. But I am sorry to say it lacked just something for me personally.

The title, Beach Read, intrigued me. The blurb even more so.
Two writers, each very different, and struggling with writer's block in their own way, end up in the same place, neighbours. And an old 'rivalry' becomes tentative support for one another, but love?
January is all about the Happily Ever Afters, in life and her writing.
Gus doesn't suffer fools gladly, and his literary preferences mirror his thinking.
Their personal challenges, along with the writing one they set for each other, allows their lives to entwine in a way they never thought possible.
It took me a little while to get into the book, but once I started, I couldn't stop.
I enjoyed the characters and the story, along with the little twists and reveals that are dropped along the way, making you guess which way this story is going to end.
It's not a typical RomCom, but I could definitely see myself reading it on the beach! (Apart from some of the more intimate scenes... Well written, not too tacky, but erotic enough to make you feel...)
Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a nice read but I did struggle with it in places. Sometimes it just didn't flow and I found myself having to re-read bits to understand what the author meant. A love story tangled with secrets.

Enjoyed the story though the ending was quite romantically predictable really. At times it felt odd reading this book, that then had segments of the book the character was writing.

It also had my pet peeve of brackets; I loath authors using them, always feels like an afterthought.

I received this book from netgalley in return for a honest review.

I loved this book. The relationship between the characters was lovely and believable, I was really rooting for them.