January Andrews is a romance author, but what happens if she doesn’t believe in Happy Ever After’s anymore?

Augustus Everett is a serious literary author, but does life always have to be so serious?

January and Augustus are not going to get along, but they might have more in common than they think. Both are struggling with writers block, and both need to have completed best sellers by the end of the summer.

So, ensues a bet. To swap genres, and see who can get their book published first.

Is one summer long enough to learn how to write, and live, a little differently?

This is the first title I have read by Emily Henry, I requested it on NetGalley on a bit of a whim thinking it would be a fluffy romance, the perfect escapism. But what I got was a little more than the usual light heartedness I was expecting.

There was a great connection between the main characters, their conversations were full of quick witted banter which quite often made me laugh out loud. I really enjoyed the dry sarcasm the author used to convey the attraction between January and Gus.

I loved the setting of the house and American lakeside town, Henry described the surroundings so well it was an ease to imagine the beautiful and quaint Hallmark-esque location.

This story is quite different to most in the rom-com genre, it addresses some difficult themes such as grief, mistrust and physical abuse. I felt the author dealt with these sensitive subjects very delicately, they were given the gravitas they deserved with a subtlety that meant the overall story wasn’t weighed down by them and the carefree feeling lost.

I will definitely be looking at reading more from Emily Henry in the future.

This is one of the most dullest boringest books I've ever read. Beach read it was not! It took so long to get to anything vaguely "interesting" and I wouldn't recommend this book. Perhaps Americans like this sort of book but not for us over the pond. January dominated the entire book with her writer's block and she only got her act together after reconnecting with Gus with whom she'd had a sordid date at college. Gus's character could have been much more elaborated upon, but did little to inspire me. Students may connect with this book, but I wouldn't recommend anyone spending any time delving into finding out about this story as there wasn't anything that really stood out. The only character who provided some light relief was Pete (a lady) and Shadi, January's best friend.

Beach read.
I picked this book thinking it would be a light hearted rom com...I don’t think it is.
It is a romance but with lots of angst and emotion.
It was a good love story and it’s well written however I didn’t find it a comedy as the blurb suggests.
Easy to read and a good story

This book follows two writers, January and Augustus who are stuck in a writing rut and decide to switch genres for their next book. It follows their story in getting to know each other and in them getting to learn about themselves.

I loved the chemistry between the two of them. I also really loved January’s character and also her feelings and complex relationship towards her father. This was really heart breaking and this story is just a great mixture of romance, loss and self discovery.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Review also posted to Goodreads.

This is a clever title for a summer book and based on an attractive conceit. A mixed up woman writer who is too sad to write happy love stories inherits a beach house and finds herself next door to a mixed up writer of, allegedly, more literary fiction. There's plenty of opportunities to play around with genre here and after some preliminary exchanges - naturally it turns out that they met before at college and almost had a fling - they agree to swap genres and set themselves a challenge to finish their books over the summer.

It's a good idea but the delivery gets a little bit confused. The female lead, January Andrews, is carrying a lot of baggage from her dead father and realising that her happy family memories are not exactly what she thought they were. Then, it turns out that the male protagonist, Augustus or Gus Everett, is also dealing with his own demons. As they come to build a relationship both of them have difficulties with truth, trust and commitment. At times, these result in misunderstandings but often they involve arguments and stomping off into the night and not talking for several days.

That's where the novel flags slightly. After a while, you stop feeling sorry for these two people and would just like to bang their heads together! Then, things improve but not for long! Gus has an ex-wife and dad's old flame also lives in the same town so, gradually, a real pile of issues accumulate. There's some nice minor characters floating around to give a little diversion but this part of the novel was quite hard work. January seems to be very good at seeing what is wrong with Gus but not so good at analysing what is wrong with her. Of course, as ever, the answer is in front of her nose and everything turns out for the best.

Emily Henry has a nice easy writing style which will appeal to readers and I suppose there are women who melt at the sight of a nicely turned arm with just the right amount of curly hair and are then so turned on they then have to say something nasty to sabotage the moment! January often seems to do the opposite of what she's thinking and Gus does his best to avoid articulating his thoughts altogether.

However, in the end, it makes for an entertaining read as you see how January slowly sorts herself out. At times, I felt a bit sorry for Gus being on the receiving end of this process but then I'm a man and women might see it differently! There's plenty in this novel to make you think about that kind of thing and that's what's good about it. Take it to the beach and you won't be disappointed but if, peeping over the top of your kindle, you see some attractive man admiring your oiled body just give him a nice smile and try not to scowl. It will make life flow more easily!

I finished this book early hours of this morning after devouring it in 2 days, perfect lockdown escapism.

From the start of the story I knew where it was heading and how it would (hopefully) end, but I really enjoyed the journey there.
All the characters are likeable and I loved the quick wit and banter between January and Gus.

Thank you netgalley and penguin books uk for this readers copy in return for my honest review.

I wanted to love this book: rivals to lovers, romance author and literary fiction author swap genres and compete to see who sells their book first. It just sounded like so much fun.

And it was fun, for the most part. And the book packed quite the emotional punch as well. But I started getting a little bored pretty early on, and that didn't really fade for the remainder of the book. The thing is, I just feel like this book was a lot longer than necessary and it felt quite long-winded because of that. There were parts that felt less relevant to the storyline and parts that I felt didn't get all the attention they deserved in favour of less interesting aspects. I would have preferred if the book had been more structured and more condensed, so it could really focus on the main storyline and the character's development.

Because the character development felt a little like it was secondary to the story at times. Don't get me wrong, there was quite a lot of it, but the execution of it left me wanting. We have a love interest who goes through a lot of development, but that means his personality pretty much makes a 180 turn, and he's almost unrecognizable towards the end of the book. And we have a main character whose main struggle's resolution is left to the very ending of the book, which made it feel rushed.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Books UK for this advanced reader's copy in return for my honest review. This novel was so much more than the 'beach read' that I was expecting. I have to admit that I was a little put off by the title, but boy was I wrong. Perfect escapism during lockdown.

*3.5

This was a much deeper and more emotional experience than I was expecting. I love that it was more than a light and fluffy romance It was a unique story and the ending was great. Both characters were given well fleshed out and unique backstories that gave the narrative a lot more depth than you usually get from romances.

However, at times it was a little cringe in terms of the dialogue though I did enjoy the majority of the banter between the two characters. I just wasn’t as invested in the relationship enough to give it four stars. Still an enjoyable read that tugs at the heart strings.

Review to be posted on my blog in the coming week.

Don't let that cover and title fool you, this is way more than a fun summer read. This is a realistic romance between January and Gus who are dealing with significant emotional troubles such as death, cancer, adultery, dysfunctional families, and abuse.

Despite all this, the author managed to to deliver writing that was easily devourable and a story that was truly witty, entertaining and fun. The connection between Gus and January is so clever with sarcastic, witty banter and the surrounding characters were a delight.

The author really did a fantastic job of interweaving laugh out loud moments, and heavy topics with tenderness and ease.

This book is so much more than a beach read. If I had taken it on holiday I would have just spent two days doing nothing but reading (not that that’s a bad thing). I loved this book and the ending left me wanting to know more about January and Everett but also satisfied.

The book is set in North Bear Shores in Michigan. January Andrews, a romance writer, has came to the lakehouse to try and break her writers block. After her father’s death her whole idea of romance has been rocked and she is lost. Augustus Everett, a serious writer, is in the neighbouring lakehouse he too has writers block and lots of demons in his past. They strike up a friendship and make a bet to write a book in each others genre.

It’s got the perfect amount of romance, humour, friendship, heartbreak, passion and realism.

I just loved the book it satisfied both the romantic and realist in me.

Fantasy Film Cast: Phoebe Tonkin as January and Nathan Parsons as Everett. (I think having just bingewatched The Originals might have something to do with this decision)

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Books for the ARC

I’m giving this book 4 stars because it is well written and a great example of its genre.

For me, it was too frothy. Cinnamon kisses and a repetitive dialogue (how many times can we use the phrase meet-cute without it being overdone? Less than this, I assure you) meant the story was just a bit bland. I was way more interested in the side story with Sonya, but that turned out to be nothing worthwhile. Basically, I’d have enjoyed this story much more if Gus had written it rather than January.

All this said, I did enjoy the writing and the characters and I’m sure this book will do well, hence 4 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for my copy of this book.

*4 Stars*

ARC kindly received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really different kind of romance novel, if you can really call it that. It explores so many different themes - grief, romance, truth and lies, moving forward, finding yourself - just so many things.

I liked both our main characters, and I liked that this was so different from the norm in terms of chick-lit or romance novels.

It's kind of hard for me to review this without going to into depth about the storyline, and I think it's really a book that just needs to be read to be experienced. Two authors that have their views challenged and not necessarily, changed, but expanded. Definitely a really interesting experience.

I enjoyed all aspects of this and would definitely recommend.

I don’t even know where to begin with this one. It was so much more than I expected.

First of all the story and the characters aren’t cliched, they’re relatable and likeable and don’t make those annoying decisions that make you want to shake them!

The story itself is emotional and relatable again, it’s complex - like life and family is - and genuinely interesting. It has realistic outcomes and it’s a novel concept in itself.

I really enjoyed Emily’s writing style and loved the plot.

The setting was beautiful but with a back story and I just loved the dynamics between family members and friendships.

This is a brilliant contemporary fiction novel and I’ll 100% be going through the authors back catalogue! Thank you Penguin & NetGalley!

I really enjoyed this book; with the tension and frisson between the two main characters. A fabulous plot with intrigue and secrets, as well as two very likeable characters not only getting together but becoming better people for it.
It is great fun and an excellent read for the summer. I highly recommend.

I was really excited to pick up Beach Read, which has been hyped as one of the biggest rom-coms this summer. And it didn't disappoint!

I loved the premise: January Andrews is a rom-com writer who believes that readers always deserve a happy ending, and Augustus Everett is a literary fiction writer with a stellar reputation but a gloomy outlook on life. I don't understand the names either, it feels very John Green, but we'll just go with it. They were rivals at college and now they end up living next to each other for the summer, both struggling with writer's block. In an attempt to loosen themselves up, they make a bet: they will each try and write in the style of the other, and whoever sells their book first wins.

Obviously this is just a mechanism for them to spend time together and fall in love, but it works really well! There were some things I didn't like about this book: some of the similes and metaphors were just awful, and it occasionally has the style of writing where everything's just a bit too melodramatic like 'my heart shattered into a million pieces', which always really irritates me. And at times I felt like conflict was created just for the sake of conflict, rather than because it felt natural. But Emily Henry has a brilliant ear for dialogue, her descriptions about writing are spot-on (although the book January ends up writing sounds like the worst book I can think of), and the characters were very believable and real. I loved how much time they spent together from the start, and how this definitely was not an instant romance - but something that was built up very gradually over time! It's also, needless to say, very bingeable. I absolutely raced through it. And it used one of my very fave rom-com tropes: people secretly fancying each other and then meeting up years later. It's just the best. 3.5 stars

Firstly lets say, do not pay any attention to the tag line 'The ONLY laugh-out-loud love story you’ll want to escape with this summer'. I was really looking forward to a lighthearted funny read but didn't laugh once, and as much as I tried to like the book I really struggled with this one. I didn't care for the characters and the romance was unrealistic and seemed forced.

If you are looking for a woman's fiction/chick lit romance rather than a rom com then this book might tick a few boxes for you but disappointingly it just didn't do it for me.

I really enjoyed this book.

The setting made it interesting and the characters were well written.

The fact it is based around two writers is a nice touch and some of the story is told through the books the are writing and researching which makes for a slightly different angle.

It’s a well written, believable love story that is aptly named.

Thank you for NetGalley and Penguin Books for the free copy of this book.

Loved it from the moment I picked it to the moment I finished it (2 days later). Written in a way you feel as if you are the main character, not just someone reading their point of view.. There were moments to make you laugh out loud and feel incredibly sad, It ended as I thought it would but I was still pleased it did.

*3.75 stars*
This is not your typical Chick lit. Both main characters, January and Gus, have really relatable personalities! Also, their backstory is more realistic than most characters.
What I liked was, that problems didn't disappear but they worked both through it and were mostly communicating. Especially January showed that showing emotions is totally okay and not a sign of weakness!
So what is keeping me from giving this book 5 Stars?
First of all...not a big fan of the names January and Augustus. Secondly, I found myself skipping text passages sometimes because it could not keep my attention