I can’t get over how much I loved Beach Read! This book is about January, a women’s fiction writer who has recently lost her father. She finds out at the funeral that he had been having an affair and had a second home in the Michigan beach community he grew up in and he’s left the house to her. Down on her luck, January moves into the house for the summer with the hopes of being able to write the book she’s promised her publisher as well as pack the house up and sell it. When she arrives to the town she bumps into her college nemesis, Gus, who happens to live next door. He writes dark literary fiction and seems to look down on January for her always happy endings. They challenge each other to write a book in the other’s style. Gus must write a happy ending and January must write something sad. What happens next is such a fun and heartfelt read. I couldn’t put it down!

January Andrews writes romance filled with happily ever afters, brave handsome men, and sunshine bright beautiful women. For the last several months she has suffered writer’s block mainly due to the triple shock of losing her father, finding out he had a secret life, and being dumped by her “perfect” boyfriend. To say January was devastated is putting it mildly so recently all she has been doing is staring at blank pages on her computer screen. When January moves to a house she was astounded to learn her father owned on a lake in Michigan, January is surprised to discover her neighbor is none other than an old college writing school rival, Augustus Everett, who has been quite successful penning “serious” books: the often dark and depressing genre of literary fiction. Gus is having his own writing dilemma as well because of some ongoing difficulties in his personal life.

After a rough start, January and Gus, who seem like oil and water as not only writers but in their personalities, agree to a contest: he will write a happy feel good book while January will compose a novel with all the seriousness and dark tone of the literary greats. In order to facilitate their work, January takes Gus on “rom-com” dates while he brings her along on interviews and research trips which are often grim and deeply disturbing to both of them. Gus had been studying a defunct rural cult group who had a horrific ending.

January’s multifaceted angst comes not only from what she sees as her father’s betrayal, but her mixed feelings about Gus, those from college and now as competitors who become immersed in their writing as well as the growing attraction between them. Gus is so enigmatic that January feels she has to peel back his layers slowly to get at the heart of this man whom she has very complicated feelings for that are intertwined with why she writes romance. Gus believes in the bleakness of life; for him, it is about staring into the deep abyss and struggling to maintain against the dark. Gus would have been great drinking buddies with the nihilist writers of the twentieth century.

There are many reasons why I thoroughly enjoyed this book including the witty dialogue, the very clever juxtaposition of the two genres which usually, never the twain shall they meet, as well as Gus and January’s relationship. The Romance genre often gets no respect unless the work also is under the category of Women’s’ Fiction and even then, the work gets criticized for being too angsty and emotionally overdone. This book does a fine job of blending different types of fiction so well I think readers who from several genres would enjoy it. The near metafictional style of two writers working on respective novels about their characters while being characters in a story themselves add interesting layers to the process as well as enjoyment of Ms. Henry’s very excellent book. It is at the heart a romance about how two deeply wounded people can find a home in each other, but the path to that happy is neither light nor fluffy. Their journey is much in tune with real life, which in this case, is a good thing. When I come away from a book a still thinking about it longer after and feeling pleased with the ending, I consider that a very good thing.

Oof my heart freaking H-U-R-T-S!!

I would like to thank Emily Henry for blessing my life with this book. I'd also like to give her a hug and be best friends with her.

Ughh I. LOVE. THIS. BOOK.

The writing? Perfection. The dialogue? Also perfection x10000. That banter was *chefs kiss* and I DIE LAUGHING. The characters? LOVE THEM TO PIECES!! The plot and premise? Heck yes, it was fantastic.

The way that this story feels so three-dimensional and full of layers. It's just my favourite kind of romance and I'm here for it.

I shipped our two characters so dang much ahh!! Their chemistry is just... SO GOOD? What even is life rn? Their lives feel so real and I genuinely felt like I was there with them at the beach. I loved how their backstories intertwined. The development was perfect. I just loved it all okay.

Also, I almost cried. That was a thing. I just always get sad when characters have to go through grief and loss. I LOVED how Emily Henry put that into the story, it felt really personal. This whole book felt very personal and real, which was WOW. Anyways, yeah, even though it sucks, I still loved how it was a part of the story.

Can I just go and bury my own grave now? Because WOW WAS THIS AMAZING?! *insert all the exclamation points to portray my emotions*

I,,, don't know what else to say, send tweet. Actually no, SEND HELP.

Loved loved loved loved.

{Review coming on blog @ www.rubyraereads.co.za}

I'm starting to realize my favorite type of contemporary romance books are like this one. It is full of banter, tension while also focusing on serious topics without feeling like it's being forced.

After her father’s death, January discovers and heads to his secret 2nd house to empty it, sell it, while also riding out a deadline to her next book. A fan of happily ever afters and romance writing, she stumbles upon her college rival (who happens to be the grumpy neighbor), Gus. An author of literary cult fiction. To settle things once and for all, they set on a quest to each write the opposite of what they normally do—January to literary fiction, Gus to romance (despite having no belief in it whatsoever). What unravels throughout this story though... is: SO. MUCH. MORE.

First off, you’re going to want to sip on a gin and tonic when you crack open the first few chapters. Second, the banter was other worldly because it was witty and quick with a bit of snark. Third, I couldn’t even begin to tell you how much I really enjoyed reading January’s story. Yes, there was romance. Yes, there was conflict. Yes, I laughed. Yes, I cried.

Ok. But real talk, in order to find out what happened along the way, you’ve got to read it for yourself! This was an outstanding, well-written, complex yet simple story about understanding and falling in love; the kinks along the way and all their imperfections were what made this story beautiful.

Beach Read - 2 polar opposite writers with a past move in next door to each other. January writes fairytale ending Rom Com's and Gus writes literary fiction.

January's dad has recently passed away and when he did, she discovered that he's been having an affair and owns a beach cottage in Michigan with his mistress. January is devastated but when it's discovered that her dad left her the beach cottage, January decides it might be a good place to finish her next novel. The problem is she no longer believes in love, and writing about it seems next to impossible.

Gus, her rival from college, just so happens to live in the cottage next door. The two become reacquainted and decide to make a plan to each swap genres. Gus is going to attempt a Rom-Com and January will attempt literary fiction. But first, each will teach the other everything they know through a series of "field trips". One thing leads to another and before we know it Gus and January have fallen for each other. The only problem is, troubles from their past may be a dark shadow over their relationship making it difficult for them to truly let go and fall in love.

Beach Read is a little heavier than I would normally choose for a "beach read" but it's still a great, sexy summer read! It's definitely one I recommend picking up this summer for a fun read.

I 👏🏻 Loved 👏🏻 This 👏🏻 This is my favorite read of the year. I was obsessed. These characters were so perfectly my favorite. I want to read it again, right now. I got an early ebook copy from the publisher, but I just preordered a hard copy for my shelves. One of my favorites!!!! The chemistry between these characters was so real and I could feel it all around me. I loved their banter. I want to be BFFs with January. I loved it. Read this!

Holy CUTENESS. I had super high expectations going into this book. Everyone is getting early copies from Book of the Month and my fiends with ARCs have been raving about the story. I love books about writers and readers, so I had a feeling I was going to love this book.

January moves into a beach house and soon realizes that she's living right next door to her nemesis from college, Gus, who also happens to be a writer. I completely connected to January's character when she talked about how romance and women's fiction is looked down upon and not taken as seriously as literary fiction. As a bet, January and Gus decide to swap genres for the summer since they aren't feeling inspired and also agree to go on "research" trips with one another. These research trips were so fun and I loved how they were writing with each other and becoming friends as they spent more time together.

The first half of the book was SO CUTE and I could not stop smiling and giggling as I read. The second half did take a much more serious turn and really looked at how people change because of things that happen in their lives. January and Gus were both dealing with hurt that had happened in their pasts and were trying to navigate that pain while slowly falling for each other.

In the end, this book was just a joy to read and I was obsessed with it the entire time I was reading it. I loved the banter, the pop culture references (not too many- just enough!), and the slow burn of the romance. I definitely recommend picking up Beach Read!

Dirty Love
Just another silly love story but this time about a romance writer who is heart-broken and a literary fiction author from her past, both experiencing writer’s block and spending the summer in neighboring houses on a lake in Michigan. They re-meet-cute, argue, flirt, assume the worst of each other, etc. You know the drill–speaking of, they also get very physical all over the place before they finally do it making for many pages of explicit sex scenes, MANY pages. The handles of gin she moves in to the beach house in the first chapter don’t make enough appearances but still, good times.

Wendy Ward
http://wendyrward.tumblr.com/

Beach Read by Emily Henry is an ideal story to start off your summer reading list!

January inherited the beach house from her recently deceased father and guess who’s her neighbor: Gus (Augustus) who is also her college rival. Yes, it’s a stretch that suddenly they’re neighbors but suspend the believability component on that and just roll with it.

Being such an avid reader, I loved the concept of bringing together a literary fiction male writer with a woman who never ends her stories on a sad note. Gus, in the beginning, reminded me so much of many male writers that I know: believing literary fiction is much more important than other stories. January tries to emphasize that women’s stories are just as important as male stories and I felt myself nodding along with it! The banter between the two is very entertaining.

Okay, so it’s not a spoiler to say that January and Gus fall for each other. But I think what makes this one stand apart is their journey is not easy and they both have plenty of baggage that they have to work on. It’s not simply an enemies-to-lovers romance but much more is going on there. Despite their feelings for each other, it’s not going to be smooth sailing.

January also must come to terms with learning about her father’s secret that completely changes everything she ever knew about him. This is also a big reason of why she’s suffering from writer’s block as she’s suddenly confronted with the idea of happily-ever-after might be a myth. Or is it?

Second chances show up in the strangest places under the strangest circumstances.

January Andrews is sure that her life cannot possibly get any worse. Her dad died nearly a year before, it turns out he was cheating on her mom (while she was fighting cancer), she didn't know about this until right after the end of the funeral via meeting the Other Woman, her depression led to her boyfriend breaking up with her, she's broke, and--oh yeah--her agent's on her back because she hasn't written anything since her life got turned completely upside down. This is a problem when you make your living as a romance novelist.

In a desperate bid to get her book finished, January heads to Lake Michigan, where her dad left her a beach house. Yes, the one in which he had an affair in. Let's not get into that. But then she embarrasses herself in front of her new neighbor, her first night is spent drunk and listening to "Everybody Hurts" blasting from the house next door, and... That new neighbor? Is her worst enemy from college, Augustus "Sexy, Evil Gus" Everett, author of "serious" literary fiction. Ugh.

January and Gus soon challenge each other and make a bet: they spend the summer writing each other's genre, and the winner will be determined by who gets their book sold first. As part of this, they go on writing field trips to do fabulous things, such as line dancing and interviewing former cult members. You know, the usual. But the more January and Gus spend time together, the more sparks begin to fly. Will they have a finished book by the end of summer, and maybe something more?

For a book titled "Beach Read", this is actually kind of heavy, but in the best possible way. As Henry beautifully states in her author's note, this is not really a romance. This isn't even about writing. It's a book about writer's block. Which I felt on a deep, spiritual level as someone who has frequently experienced writer's block. It sucks. On the other hand, I'm incredibly impressed that someone can write an entire novel about writer's block, especially one this funny, heartfelt, heartbreaking, sexy and powerful. Because, in a way, "Beach Read" is a love letter to writing and for fellow authors it will strike differently, because they will know the pain, the work, the tears, and the gazillion cups of coffee that go into ultimately producing a finished book... and how they'll do it all over again for the love of writing and creating.

And, of course, I love January and Gus, and how they work through their respective issues to do what they love--and find love at the same time. Both are incredibly well written, and both go through their phases of growth both as creators and as human beings. Again, for a book that was written about writer's block and ultimately inspired by writer's block, Henry's mastery in writing every part of this book is breathtakingly astounding and addicting.

Beach read. For me is a no. I just could not get involved in the story. The main characters were shallow and I had no interest in what happened to them. I would leave this one home

I enjoyed this book, It was a little bit more hard hitting than I was expecting but I still enjoyed it. I liked the banter and the growing friendship/ relationship. I loved the premise of writers exchanging genres to write and elaborate on. I felt by digging deeper into the book genre, they learned a lot about each other in the process. Good read !

NetGalley ARC | I am so glad that I had time to squeeze in Beach Read for my May 2020 reading list. Beach Read is the perfect escapist love story about finding yourself in the hardest of times. Not just a sexy love story--which it is--the brilliant writing transports you to a Michigan summer filled with writing and romance. I love the journey of self-discovery, forgiveness, and overcoming loss.

Read my complete review on The Uncorked Librarian here: https://theuncorkedlibrarian.com/currently-reading-may-2020/

**Thank you to the publisher and author for a free advanced copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This book has to be one of my favourite romcoms in a very long time. It had the perfect balance of drama, romance, mystery and humor that had me hooked from the first page. Both January and Augustus were so easy to love and root for and watching them grow together and learn from each other was so fun to read. Anyone looking for a great summer read to get lost in will absolutely love this book.

Don't you love when a book takes your breath away and is exactly what you need at that moment? I LOVE when I binge read books, because while I read quickly, I usually read in spurts. Sitting down and reading a full novel in one swoop means I LOVED the book and that was Beach Read by Emily Henry.

While Beach Read starts out as a sort of "enemies to lovers" type romance with two "rival" writers as neighbors, it quickly becomes more. January is on deadline for her next book and moves in, because #broke and #breakup, to the house her recently deceased father left her...the house he shared with his mistress, who January found out about AT HIS FUNERAL. That's not enough. She quickly learns her grumpy next door neighbor was the hot shot author she went to college with--and she considers him a real rival. Cue the meet cute in a bookstore, beign pushed together by nosy bookstore owners, and a pact is made: January will try to write serious literary fiction, no HEA, and Gus will try his hand at a happily ever after.

Of course, you know where this is going. It's a beach read-romance. There's a HEA. There's heartfelt revelations about family backstories! There's emotional character depth! There are hot makeout scenes and sex against a bookshelf. I don't know if it's the pandemic, or my emotions, or what, but this book was EXACTLY what I needed right now. Plus, I'm not alone. My friend Amanda who usually isn't drawn to romances loved this book too--and it's gotten SO Many good reviews in the BOTM Facebook groups. Ugh, yes, that's all I'm saying. I laughed, I cried, I loved it.

Risti, clami, amavi (this is my new HEA go-to line LOL. excuse my poor Latin. I swear I took AP Latin...but I did not pass the AP exam lol)

Don’t let the title fool you, Beach Read has a lot of substance and depth. January and Augustus are both authors who knew each other in college. Augustus was January’s arch nemesis, even if he didn’t know it. Now they are living next door for the summer and are both dealing with book deadlines in addition to real-life pain (death of a parent and infidelity). They make a bet to write their next books in the other’s genre and of course, the (love) story unravels from there. I LOVED IT.

This is one of my top reads for the year! I went in without expectations, but was blown away. The character development was great - I really felt sad when it ended and their story was over. It was a romance, but so much more than that. The premise is that a woman, struggling to come to terms with some family drama, absconds to the Michigan vacation home of her father. She needs to write her newest book NOW, and this is a free place to do so.

What she doesn't expect is who she meets along the way.

The relationship between the two main characters, as well as the secondary relationship between Shadi and January, is well-developed. The story isn't cliche, and in fact, critiques many of the typical romance cliches.

I loved it!

Wow! I fell head over heals for this sweet and swoony story. I’ve loved Emily Henry’s books before so I was excited to see her foray into adult romance. I think her time spent writing YA brought something really special to this book. It was incredibly funny, with some cheesy moments which created the perfect escapist read.

For the most part I really liked January as a person. I appreciated how much she grew and changed throughout the story. In the beginning I thought that her notion of love and relationships was a bit immature, but I was happy to see the events in the book give her a more realistic outlook on love while still maintaining some of the sweetness that helped her write her romance books.

This book is told from just January’s perspective which I ended up really liking. I would have loved to see more of Gus’ thoughts and experiences, but really this was January’s story and I felt like we really got to know her well. I also feel like she had enough she had to work through to fill the book and having multiple perspectives would have detracted from this.

Speaking of Gus, I really liked him – however I loved his aunts. I could have a whole side book just about them please! They were just the kindest, funniest side characters and I would love to spend more time with them. Okay, back to Gus. I really liked him as a character, and I loved the relationship development between January and Gus. I really liked the University “nemesis”/rivals aspect more than a strictly “enemies to lovers” which doesn’t always feel as realistic. I liked that they were both quick to correct any miscommunications from that time, and discuss how each of them interpreted situations in University.

The intimate moments in the book weren’t very steamy but were more cute and, in some cases, silly. I think that kind of scene was perfect for me though, and helped me recognize some of my personal preferences with romance. I also think some scenes seemed a bit juvenile (such as the drive-in scene) but I don’t think that was necessarily bad.

This book isn’t all light and fluffy but I feel like the more serious topics were also handled really well. The author can create intimacy and sweetness even in moments when the characters are tackling hard situations which I really appreciated.

I really enjoyed this one and read it in two sittings! I loved the depth of the two main characters. I liked reading a story about writers, because it shows some of the writing process and how hard it is to write a book. I enjoyed the parts about January's father, but I do think sometimes that dominated the story. Thats the only reason for 4 instead of 5 stars. I will definitely read more of Emily Henry's books! Instagram and goodreads review to come.