Thank you NetGalley and Emily Henry for the advanced copy of this book.

Beach Read has quickly become one of my favourite books I've read this year. It was full of emotion - I laughed out loud, and I cried a whole bunch too - and it also touched on some quite heavy topics for a book that could be considered chic-lit.

I absolutely adored both January and Gus. Their characteristics and their back stories felt very fresh, and they were so lovable. I loved that they were both writers, and that although the plot follows them both writing books, it wasn't the sole focus and allowed me to love them for who they were, as opposed to what they were writing.

If you're looking for a perfect beach read (or quarantine read for that matter!) then this should definitely be top of your list.

Sorry but I could not really connect with the characters. Maybe this is a good holiday read. I can understand why other people liked this book.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Heartwarming, funny, frustrating,romantic, an enjoyable read during this lockdown. January was a character I found hard to like but she grew on me. There were some laugh out loud moments. Enjoyed

Suffice to say, Beach Read is actually a whole lot more than just a beach read.

Gus Everett and January Andrews were rivals at University with very different styles of writing. As adults, they are both accomplished authors, one of romance novels and one of literary fiction. When a series of unfortunate events leads to January moving in next door to Gus (in the beautiful setting of a beach house with views of Lake Michigan), it's inevitable that their paths will cross once more and it's safe to say there is still plenty of spark between them. Helped by an excellent cast of lovable characters (Maggie and her adoration of rocks had me in hysterics), this book has a healthy dose of romance and some truly heart-warming moments.

One of my favourite things about the book was how it felt as though it was almost breaking the fourth wall - the whole concept of reading about authors writing books (including novels with a romantic element) was very meta and added a cherry on top of what was already a really really good cake, with some unexpected layers. It goes far beyond 'chick lit' and has real depth. Woven in between the romantic moments and witty banter is a meaningful exploration of peoples' lives, how they are impacted by their experiences and the people who surround them. At points this means it can be a difficult read, addressing issues of grief, child abuse, loss of a parent, mass murder (in relation to a cult) and domestic abuse. But Henry does it with sensitivity, eloquence and well crafted prose.

Much like the mingling of January and Gus with their different personalities and genres, Beach Read has opened the door to what I would brand LITERARY ROMANCE. I think lots of people see romantic novels as a guilty pleasure but thanks to the confident writing, human characters and above average plot, there's nothing guilty about having picked up this book. I can't wait to see what Henry does next.

So, here's a thing - contemporary romance is not a genre I've read much of since I was in my late teens. There's no particular reason why, it's just not been the thing that's been floating my boat. Until, that is, right now.
Perhaps there's something about being in lock down and starved of physical touch (wow I want a hug so bad) that makes me want to read about other lovely fictional people falling in love. My own happy ever after feels (socially) distant right now, so it's nice to escape into a word where good things happen.

Or maybe I'm overthinking it and I've just been in the mood to read some romance.

Either way, I read Emily Henry's Beach Read recently and oh my goodness I am so enamoured. This book is an absolute delight of a read and it was exactly what my slightly bitter soul needed.

The premise is simple - January is on a deadline and she's in a slump. She's inherited a house in a sleepy beach town and so she heads there, hoping the space will help her to write - her Dad died recently and when he did some long buried secrets came to the fore and she's rather disenchanted with the idea of romance which is, not great for a romance novelist. Her plan is foolproof but her plan does not take into account Gus.

Gus is also a writer, of literary fiction, he's also struggling to get pen to paper and he's living next door.

January and Gus are kind of at loggerheads and end up making what seems like a ridiculous deal - Gus's next book will be a romance; January will try writing in his genre and they'll teach other the ways of the other. Writing her not-romance gives January the chance to really explore her grief and teaching sexy but grumpy Gus how to write romance means she gets to teach him about romance.

And then - spoiler alert - they get it on.

God, it's just so adorable this book. I lapped it up. January and Gus are fabulous, well developed and complex characters with well developed and complex backstories and I don't know what I liked the most, watching these two idiots fall in love, or watching them figure out their individual shit. January's thing in particular, which revolved around the discovery that the person she'd had on a pedestal her whole life was ultimately as flawed as anybody else, was bittersweet and watching her draw Gus out of himself was just gorgeous.

I think that's why I loved it so much if I'm honest - it is a fun sweet enemies - to - lovers type story, lighthearted and full of banter, but it's also more than that, it goes deeper. Some of the stuff in here is heavy - January and Gus have had a run of bad luck and watching them deal with that felt honest and raw and I loved that it had all these different aspects. Paint by numbers romance this was not.

The beach town setting is fabulous, the secondary characters - especially Gus's Aunt / local coffee-bookshop owner and her partner especially - are absolutely delicious and basically this whole book was just exactly what I needed right now. This was the book that I needed.

It's not that often that I choose a book in this genre, but when I do I always wonder why I don;t read more of them. This book came along at exactly the right time in the current climate of Covid-19. It 's funny, snarky, gently takes the piss out of both 'the happy ever after romance novel' and the 'great American literature (written by a male of course)' and has a couple with the best chemistry that only occasionally veers into the saccharine sweet.
When Gus is first introduced he is the brooding outsider so beloved of romance fiction, the one that can only be tamed by the love of a good woman. But this book is so much more than the superficial. As January and Gus re-engage with their college competitiveness and challenge each other to write a book in each other's chosen genre, Gus is gradually revealed to be understandably scarred by his past and has trust issues. This is all revealed through January's narrative, which allows the reader to also see her character develop and grow. If this all sounds a little series, it isn't. There are plenty of laugh out loud moments, some sexual glorious tension as the spark between the pair grows and the cumulative effect is one that warms the cockles and left me with a big grin on my face.

My thanks go to the publishers and Net Galley for the advance copy in return for an honest review.

I unfortunately felt the storyline very predictable- January accidentally? met both her old school rival and her father’s mistress. Continued reading, but eventually decided to not finish this book.

I absolutely adored this book!

Both protagonists are realistic and unique, dealing with their own personal struggles in their lives, while also being extremely likeable and easy to understand (especially January when it comes to procrastinating writing her book). The whole situation, of the moving in next door, the bet and, how it all ended was unique with just a touch of cliche that I think made it even better.

I loved the idea of two authors moving in next to each other, practically rivals yet also ready to tease the other at a seconds notice and betting against one another in who can write the other persons type of book better for a bit of friendly competition. With only one important rule set in place: don't fall in love.

I will admit that i had to take a star off because I felt the book dragging at the start and it took me a good 50 pages to properly get into it, but it was worth it in the end.

It was such a engaging read that kept me feeling giddy and laughing throughout, as well as, biting my nails hoping for the best for the characters at every given second.

It's official, I want a relationship like January's and Gus, or like Pete and Maggie (because yes we love healthy LGBT+ representation) , even a friendship like January and Shadi.

And although I would have loved to be reading this on holiday as planned, a sunny day with nothing to stop me from reading was just as good.

Oh my goodness how I loved it!!

Beach Read exceeded all of my expectations to become my favourite ‘romance’ read of the year so far.

What could easily have been a cliche romance turned out to have a great deal of emotion. The characters were more authentic than I expected; both dealing with difficult emotional circumstances – betrayal, divorce, the death of a family member; struggling to manage their own grief.

January and Augustus two authors on a deadline – one a hearts and flowers romance style writer; the other a darker literary fiction style writer – are both suffering from writer’s block.

Having taken a writer’s course at college together but not seen each other in the 10 years since, they come back into each other’s lives when January moves into the beach house next door to Augustus. What ensues is serious chemistry, EPIC banter and real tenderness.

I loved the character development in this novel and the slow burn romance – both characters learning to love again, healing after loss; and challenging each other to take stock of who they are and what they want out of life.

Perfectly paced and engaging, Beach Read is a perfect way to spend a cosy afternoon. Highly recommend!

P.S. I love the character’s names…half wishing I could have another little girl just so I could name her January.

With thanks to the publisher via NetGalley for this advanced copy in return for an honest review.

EMILY HENRY – BEACH READ

I read this novel in advance of publication through NetGalley in return for an honest review.

A Beach Read is exactly what this romance is: a likeable story with likeable protagonists. Though, as beaches are out of bounds, perhaps a deckchair in the garden read, for those fortunate enough to have both.

The two main characters are writers, who have a long-buried romantic past, who come together when January’s father leaves her a holiday home which she goes to clear out. By massive coincidence, they find their two houses back onto each other. She writes romances, what else? and he writes literary novels that sound pretty bleak, and to create a little competition between them, they agree to swap genres to see who can complete a book first and get it published.

There is also a lesbian couple in the town, who run a café cum bookshop, who, it turns out, helped bring Gus up and conveniently hold book readings. Also lurking in this town is her father’s mistress, to add to January’s distress.

In time honoured fashion, the two writers start out bickering and end up loving, despite obstacles put in their path. They come together sexually towards the end of the book in a blow by blow account spread over umpteen pages which tells you which limb went where, but, for me, held up the story as nothing particularly sensational happened. Enjoyable for them, no doubt, but yawn-making for the reader.

That said, this was a well-written easy summer-weather read, with solid characters and setting, but ultimately easily forgotten too. Recommended to pass the time.

It took me quite a while to get into this book. The story is about two fairly damaged individuals, January and Gus, who are both writers. Gus writes literary fiction and January writes romantic fiction. January’s father has recently died and left her a beach house in Michigan next door to Gus. Coincidentally they knew each other briefly when they were at university together and have some past history. There appears to be a fair amount of antagonism towards each other to begin with and they set themselves a challenge to swap genres for one book, as a challenge to see how easy it would be. Both Gus and January are vulnerable and complex people and the story focuses on their complicated love affair. I found their dialogue slightly unrealistic as every conversation they have is in some sort of code with underlying meaning and I am not sure that anyone would talk in this manner all the time. The descriptions of both characters are good though, although you only ever really get to know Gus and January. Any other characters such as January’s mother and her friend are barely mentioned and therefore it is difficult to get any sort of image about them. I didn’t feel this was really romantic fiction – there was a certain amount of descriptive sex scenes but for me it was too dark to be described as romantic. I found the title quite misleading as although the book is set in a town with a beach it does not conjure up a sunny seaside town. I read this with reasonable enjoyment but not quite my sort of book. Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this.

This was the ultimate romance book. It had all its usual cheesy cliches and falling in love dynamics. I really enjoyed it as it was exactly what I wanted to read this weekend to take my mind off things. It had very funny dialogues, and it had a bit of a more profound layer on family relationships (father/son, father/daughter, betrayal) and it touched on some traumatic events of their characters (including a cult!). I think it's the perfect read if you are looking for something light but not completely shallow!

Thank you for an ARC, in exchange for an honest review. This is the best book I have read since COVID Lockdown. It was just what I needed, an enjoyable easy read that got under my skin and begged to be read. The female protagonist is an author of chick-lit romance novels and the story tells what happens when she tries to swap her genre rather than staying true to herself. I loved the location, but I wished the author had made more of the beach. Overall this a great book that will appeal to the masses and the perfect read for lounging in your garden on lockdown.

A very readable book to wile away lockdown hours, with the things I like the best: relationships and romance. It was pleasant to read with a few surprises and the characters were generally believable.

As a first time reader of Emily Henry, I had heard such good things about her writing and I was not disappointed! She has a wonderful way of writing a steady pace with thoughtful descriptions and realistic, deep characters so I was hooked, despite being used to race through fast-paced YA and thrillers.

January is a romance writer, Gus a literary writer. Rivals in college (according to January), the pair find themselves reunited as neighbours and form a bet to write in the other's genre for the summer.

As well as forcing me to slow down, Beach Read had some interesting discussions on writing and publishing, from writers' block to happy endings and sexism in the industry. I loved how these discussions ran throughout the book, as the characters grew and their ideas on these topics developed.

*I'm not sure if it was my Netgalley copy or otherwise, but the formatting of the ending in the ebook was very confusing and I had to read it several times to understand what was happening which was a shame! But this book did also teach me that endings don't matter.

**I vlogged my experience reading the book which will be posted on my YouTube channel on 15th May. I will also be discussing this book in my May Wrap Up on my channel

This book is a “does what it says on the tin” kinda book. I would definitely describe this as a Beach read. It’s passionate, steamy and packed full of content. Perfect for a long afternoon read in the sun. Fabulous story and fun characters

I've had to sit on this for a minute or two while I gather my thoughts.

I love nothing more than reading a book about authors who describe the books they're writing. The only thing about it is, I get so distracted by the book the character is writing, I want to add it to my tbr ha.

This is not your everyday chick-lit book. It has some reasonably heavy topics, it can be a little dark in places but also, can light your world up with a second chance romance.

I adored Gus and January. They're both so damaged and broken in their own ways and trying to find their feet again.

There wasn't a single thing about this book that I didn't like, and the more I think about it, the more I think this one will sit with me for a very long time.

So beautifully written and so impactful. Emily's writing style is amazing and I will definately be picking up more from her in the future. In fact I plan on going back and reading everything else she's written.

Outstanding, 5 stars.

I absolutely adored this book. It was witty and heartwarming yet also heartrending at times. The character development in this book is fantastic, the author spends time crafting and developing both January and Gus until you feel like you know them, even though this book was single POV from January (which I prefer as it really added to the tension of the story). I was so invested in this story that I didn’t want to end! Such a beautiful story.

I found this book really hard to get into but once I did I loved it. January and Gus are adorable and it is so sweet that their history goes back to high school. Life is hard for January following the death of her father and her subsequent writers block. Gus is also grieving and somehow they manage to help each other. Life has some interesting turns for them both but happiness is just around the corner.

Beach Read is about a romance writer called January Adams and a more serious literary writer called Augustus Everett (Gus), both of them have been writing rivals since college. Years later they find themselves in neighbouring beach houses for the summer, working on their latest novels. Both are fighting creative demons and decide to change genres to try to switch it up a bit. Whoever writes the better book will help the other to promote it.

This book is a little more than the usual light-hearted romance novel and also deals with some serious aspects of January’s and Gus’s past. The author explores this sensitively and balances it perfectly with some very humorous and heart-warming moments.

The beach town setting in North Bear Shores, Michigan, is perfect and I enjoyed reading about some of its quirky characters. The story is written from January’s point of view, which worked really well.

The romance between January and Gus develops slowly over the course of the research for their books and their surprise ‘dates’ were so lovely to read about. I really looked forward to finding out where they were going to take one another. I loved the humour and clever and witty word-play between them and giggled to myself on more than one occasion. The slow unravelling of the characters and their pasts was brilliantly executed, particularly Gus who was initially a very closed book.

Beach Read is the perfect summer read, I enjoyed it tremendously and I found this author’s writing style, with the snatches of humour, a delight.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Books (UK) for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.