I was intrigued by the premise of The Beach Read and enjoyed the first quarter of the book. However, it went a bit downhill from there and became boring and repetitive. By 75% I just wanted to finish it and didn’t care what happened in the end. I expected a fun romantic feel-good story but unfortunately it didn’t deliver for me.

Billed as a "not-romance" I was disappointed to find it is, in fact, a romance, with the same story arcs and resolutions. However, the meta-quality of the book (two authors writing outside their genres) was super fun!

“Here’s the thing about writing Happily Ever Afters: it helps if you believe in them. Here’s the thing about me: I did until the day of my father’s funeral.”

Beach Read is the first adult novel by American author, Emily Henry. A year ago, January Andrews had a perfect life: “Perfect (cancer-free) parents who called several times a week, tipsy on wine or each other’s company. Perfect (spontaneous, multilingual, six foot three) boyfriend who worked in the ER and knew how to make coq au vin. Perfect shabby chic apartment in Queens. Perfect job writing romantic novels— inspired by perfect parents and perfect boyfriend— for Sandy Lowe Books.”

Now: “I was miserable, broke, semi-homeless, very single, and pulling up to a gorgeous lake house whose very existence nauseated me.”

Having quit Queens, here she is, at her father’s lakeside cottage in North Bear Shores, Michigan for the summer, trying to pack away and sell all trace of her father’s infidelity, while overcoming writers’ block: she has to get her fifth romance novel written or her agent will seriously lose it. But inspiration is lacking: how can you write about something you are no longer convinced about?

While she’s made welcome at the village bookstore, the (so-far) faceless interactions with her grumpy neighbour don’t help. Worse still, she discovers it’s Augustus Everett, writer of serious novels, whose disdain for her genre has been clear since college. And who also seems to be missing his muse. The other little fly in the ointment is the presence of her father’s lover in the little town, an attendee at the bookshop owner’s “Red Blood, White Russians, and Blue Jeans Book Club” to which January and Gus are invited.

How does it come about that January and Gus swap genres? A bet, a dare, a recognition that a change might do the trick and shift their writing doldrums? For five days a week, they each write in the genre they’ve never tried; on the sixth and seventh days, they show how they research their own, familiar work. Gus will “take you through my research process. I’ll help you lean into your latent nihilism” while January will “throw in a rom-com crash course, a Romance Hero boot camp”. Gus’s one condition: “Promise not to fall in love with me.”

This is, of course, exactly what happens: over the weeks they get to know one another and college rivals become friends become lovers and fall in love. While the characters are not entirely convincing, Henry does draw a nice parallel between January’s choices and her father’s, and her comment about “women’s fiction” is so very true.

“I know how to tell a story, Gus, and I know how to string a sentence together. If you swapped out 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.” An enjoyable read.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Penguin Books UK.

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Penguin Books (UK) in exchange for an honest review.
Oh boy. I am a fussy romance reader but damn, did this book knock it out of the park! Beach Read is the story of January (I promise her name is not indicative of the type of book this is) a romance author who is struggling to pen her latest work after a shocking truth about her dead father is revealed. Having lost her faith in love, she goes to her father's secret beach house in the hopes of being able to finish her latest book. Whilst there, she runs into an old college crush/rival, Augustus. Gus pens only cynical literary fiction so in a bid to stimulate her creative juices, January bets him they can't write a book in each other's genres. Hijinks and sexual tension ensue.

The best way I can describe the romance in this book is to compare it to Pride and Prejudice. You have the reserved, somewhat grouchy male love interest and the bright, judgmental female determined that he has already dismissed her and so she has nothing to lose in teasing him mercilessly. It is obvious from the start that January has misjudged Gus but the slow build of their friendship and their sexual tension is utterly delicious. This book made me swoon, cry, turned me on and put me on tenterhooks. In short, exactly what I want from my romance fiction.

In summary, everything good you've probably already heard about this book is true. It 100% deserves the hype and I only have the most minor of gripes with it. Firstly, I think the title of Beach Read works well on the surface but the beach setting is almost never used within the story and also they never really make the link in-text to romance novels being 'beach reads' which is a shame. Secondly, it becomes comical how often the characters are interrupted right when they are about to have sex. Apart from these incredibly minor niggles, Beach Read is amazing and I recommend it to anyone who wants a genuinely good, well-written and engaging romance.

Overall Rating: 4.5/5 stars

I really enjoyed this - lighthearted, emotional and lots of fun. Two great characters as well as those round about them. Since January's father died she has been making discoveries that have changed her world. She moves into the house he left her and discovers fellow author, Augustus living next door. They know each other of old, and have a combative relationship. However, they reach an agreement to try each others' writing style and techniques and spend some time together. I was full of envy for the houses and the backdrop, their fun communication and the freedom to let a relationship develop, whether friendship or more. A lovely read. #netgalley #beachread

From the title and the cover I expected a light hearted, stereotypical chic lit (not that this is a bad thing!), but what I found was a brilliant love story with sarcastic, flirty conversations and characters navigating new love that comes with emotional baggage. Having spent time in Michigan I could really imagine the lake side locations and the small town community that Gus and January lived in. The side characters were as equally charming as the main protagonists and if this isn't made into a film I will eat my hat!

Firstly, don’t let the book’s title put you off because this is a romance that will rock your world anytime of the year.

January is still coming to terms with secrets revealed from her own childhood when she moves into her late father’s beach house and realises that college rival Gus is her neighbour. Inspiration for the romance novels she writes comes from her previously held beliefs and she’s struggling to meet a deadline. She’s planning on seeing life how it truly is (without her rose-tinted specs) and the ideal opportunity presents itself at Pete’s Coffee Shop and Book Store’s book club when a deal is sealed with Gus. He’ll show her how he researches his gritty novels and she’ll give him a crash course in writing romance.

How I loved the tension and sparks between these two. The experiences they plan for each other provide the opportunities for the ebb and flow of attraction as their masks are peeled off to the rawness underneath. The conflict tore me apart. The moments of intimacy gave me goosebumps. Sizzling! This is love on a deep level where it affects your core.

Some things play out when they’re apart and it felt right that January’s emotional healing from her family trauma was solitary (those letters – plenty of tears!). I wish I could have been a fly on the wall when Gus sees his ex-wife!
The community has the feel of Chesapeake Shores. Pete is amazing – she knows Gus well and he trusts her judgement, giving him a foundation. I thought January fit right in.

Beach Read is an emotional read on many levels. If you like your romance with sizzle, this is one for you.

Here I go again. This was an absolutely brilliant plot, my genres are murder, mystery, suspense and I don’t usually pick up romcom. However, after joining Netgalley and starting to review different genres I was fortunate enough to receive Beach Read to review. And thank goodness I did. I freakin loved it!

I laughed, cried, got frustrated and just couldn’t put this down. I took pleasure in every word, the style of writing was so easy to read. A magnificent page turner. I could read this again and probably will. I never do that but this was such a great story. Can’t believe this is a debut novel. Well done Emily Henry. I applaud you! We all need to lose ourselves in a book, especially these days.

The banter is so realistic, witty and incredibly sharp. Henry covers some emotional experiences including deceit, adultery, cancer, death and suicide, which she deals with sensitively. However overall there is a great good feel factor. Romance at its best.

I loved all of the characters, two authors, both on a deadline with writer’s block. January moves in next door to Gus, into a house that she found out about after her father’s death, who you imagine is a tad handsome and fit, Gus not her father, would just like to point that out. She writes happy every after, he writes about the darker side and after a night following a few drinks they switched genre, hilarious. Having a bet to each write in the style of the other made it a lot more interesting.

They knew each other from college and to be honest, I thought the attraction between them started back then. It was delightful working my way through the book, each chapter developing the romance between the two main characters.

However, there’s more to it than a developing romance between these two, you’ll have to read it to find out what for yourselves. Great ending!

I loved the ending and would wholeheartedly recommend Beach Read.

Thank you to the author, Netgalley and Penguin Books UK for this ARC provided in exchange for this unbiased review.

January is a hopeless romantic who narrates her life like she's the lead in a blockbuster movie. Gus is a serious literary type who thinks true love is a fairy-tale. But January and Gus have more in common than you'd think. They're both broke. They've got crippling writer's block. And they need to write bestsellers before summer ends. Touching, heartfelt and really very funny which I wasn’t expecting – a really great read.

I was completely enchanted from the opening page. I didn’t think I was going to love Beach Read this much, even though I had an inkling that I was going to enjoy this book. I was not expecting it to pull such an emotional punch. My emotions were all over the place — one minute I was laughing the next I was crying. I couldn’t put this book down! The only reason I didn’t finish it in one sitting was that I needed sleep.

The premise of Beach Read is what drew me to this book. College rivals, January Andrews and Gus Everett, meet up again years later when they find themselves in neighbouring beach houses for the summer. Both are struggling to write their next book. Between trying writing, their banter and getting to know each other, the pair decides to place a bet. Gus, the gloomy literary author, will write a happily ever after while rom-com writer, January will try her hand at writing the next literary masterpiece. The pair takes weekly research trips to discover more about each other’s genre. Gus takes January along to interviews with ex-members of a local cult, while January runs a crash course in all things romance.

January loved everything about love. She grew up watching her loved up parents who had the perfect meet-cute and who supported each other through thick and thin. She found herself a dream man and a college romance that was is the stuff of novels. However, family lies and secrets shatter her thoughts on love — her perfect fairy tale life is destroyed.

Emily Henry has created two complex and completely flawed characters. She unravels and challenges them as the narrative unfolds. We get down to the core what makes Gus and January tick, which helped explain their actions and the cause of their rivalry. The story is told solely in January’s point of view, which I loved. It was refreshing since a lot of romances tend to in dual point of view, where you see the story from both love interests. Being solely in January’s perspective helps to build a lot of the tension in their relationship since we can’t know exactly what Gus’ action means or what he’s thinking.

Gus was the perfect mysterious, grumpy hero — and we all know that grumpy heroes who are secretly the biggest marshmallows are my absolute favourite love interests. Gus was not an asshole, despite being the quintessential broody artist and January’s rival. Thank god for that!

There is a slight second chance feel to their relationship. The pair almost hooked up during a college party. Beach Read isn’t your typical hate to love romance. I think Gus’ awkward and blunt nature came across to January that he was dismissing her writing. So she becomes defensive of her work and strives to bet him. There is a lot of banter and heavy tension between the two. While they do snap at each other, it is snarky but good-natured banter.

This book had everything I needed — an enemies to lovers trope, captivating storytelling, complex characters, cults and an intriguing bet. I highly recommend Beach Read for those who love compelling contemporary romance. I adore these characters so much. I will be rereading this story for years to come. I cannot wait to read more from Emily Henry.

Where do I start with this book...? It's beautiful. That's how I would sum it up. Deep, poignant, funny, tragic, irreverent, goofy, intense, unnerving, unputdownable... I couldn't wait to come back to this book every single time I had to stop reading. If sleep hadn't been a necessity, I'm pretty sure I would've devoured this in one sitting. I loved the characters, the complexity of them. Even if it's all in January's POV, Gus was so well-sketched that he existed as much a living and breathing human as she did. Not to mention the secondary characters, which were also given their own depth and quirks and thus making them real. The premise sounded absurd - it could go both ways of good or bad...but it went only good for me. Even the out-there subplot of the cult in there added depth and dimension to the tale. I'm absolutely in love with how the author wove all this in and instead of a jumble, it all made everything else stronger.
Possibly the best book of 2020 for me, and also the best book I've read this year, too

This is a pleasant read. It probably deserves 3.5 stars as it flows with ease and you read it quickly. It's sweet and has a bit more depth to it than your typical rom-com. On the other hand, it didn't quite set my world on fire, but maybe it's unfair to expect it to do so.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest and impartial review.

A very engaging story that has more depth than it might seem at first. Once I picked it up I could barely put the book down, even if I had expected something different from the story. But maybe that's exactly why I couldn't put the book down. While Emily Henry still uses quite a lot of cliches, she manages to give them her own turn, and through the development of her story; the cliches are never overbearing or annoying. Instead, the fresh spin on them keeps the reader engaged. Another great thing about the book is the characters. I didn't get the feeling that any of them were one-dimensional. Especially not the protagonists who felt very much real and had a lot of depth to them. Despite the heavy topics, it was fun getting to know them and trying to figure them out.
The only thing that I felt was unfortunate is the fact that the story couldn't reach me on an emotional level. I had expected to feel a lot more emotional than I had in the end. Only towards the last 30 pages, I felt some emotions but they weren't very strong.

I mistakenly judged this book by its title and put it to the bottom of my TBR pile as I was NOT reading on a beach this summer! (Summer 2020 was not the sunbathing exotic beach holiday I had hoped for!)
BUT looking for something to break up my spare of crime thrillers I picked up this and it was brilliant! Whilst it would be equally (or more so?!) enjoyable reading on a sun lounger, it was gripping, sexy, romantic and satisfying.
Two authors from two opposite genres, both struggling with writers block, make a pact to try writing the others style of novel. This was an interesting idea, and raised that common question: why is a book about a woman and her life, and written by a woman, classed as women’s fiction When a novel about the same themes by a man with a male lead is just classed as “fiction”...?! Indeed! Answers please!!
In the course of their “research” into different genres the two authors get to know each other...very well... their increasing relationship is believable and reveals more about each other’s past as events proceed.
An excellent read, some quirky other characters & much deeper darker themes of relationships touched on which will make great discussion points in book club!
Definitely a 5star read!!

In all honesty, I wasn't expecting to end up enjoying this as much as I did. I'll admit I only felt it was ok for the first 25%, but this developed the further in I got - what started as a meandering journey that I thought might be predictable, developed and provided extra turns in the story that fleshed it out to bring it up to be a great read for me. I felt I knew how this was going to end, and in a way - it did end how I thought it might, but without spoiling it for anyone who hasn't read it yet it wasn't quite as obvious the ending I thought I was getting.
Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

The colourful front cover got my attention. An enjoyable read about two writers in the race to get their book published. Good escapism during a pandemic!

A true beach read, if only we weren't in the middle of a pandemic! Easy to read, full of romance, heartache complicated pasts and funny protagonists.

I really enjoyed this book all the way through. It had a really good plot, great main characters and really keeps you hooked on the plot. I would highly recommend this book.

This was the perfect escapist book that swept me away from pandemic Norfolk and landed me in a much more idyllic location.

Beach read is a tale about January, a die-hard romance writer, and Gus, a less romantic type who is living next door to the house Juanry is staying in.
They're both authors with imminent deadlines and they both have writer's block! So they swap genres to see who can get published first.
Great premise, and well written.

Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin for the chance to read and review.

"He doesn't believe in happy endings.
She's lost her faith that they exist.
But could they find one together?"

Thanks to NetGalley for a chance to read and review this book.

I thanked my lucky stars when I got to read this book early. I mean I was already impressed with the cover but the blurb sold me out. 'The career swap with your rival while solving a personal dilemma' in a beach house is simply genius. And personally I loved reading every second of this book. The writing was good, the chemistry between January and Augustus is pretty damn awesome and ofcourse their research is interesting to say the least. As I said before, I can't get enough of these two. It was funny, witty, romantic and very much needed vacation from my day to day life. I finished it in one go and now I am a huge fan of Emily Henry. Can't wait to read more from her. If you are looking for a good romance novel then look no further cause this one is just perfect. I highly recommend it to the fans to Sally Thorne and Sarah Hogle. Hope you like it as much as I did.