THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER FROM THE #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF PEOPLE WE MEET ON VACATION!“Original, sparkling bright, and layered with feeling.”—Sally Thorne, author of The Hating GameA romance writer who no longer believes in love and a literary writer stuck in a rut engage in a summer-long challenge that may just upend everything they believe about happily ever afters.… upend everything they believe about happily ever afters.
Augustus Everett is an acclaimed author of literary fiction. January Andrews writes bestselling romance. When she pens a happily ever after, he kills off his entire cast.
They’re polar opposites.
In fact, the only thing they have in common is that for the next three months, they’re living in neighboring beach houses, broke, and bogged down with writer’s block.
Until, one hazy evening, one thing leads to another and they strike a deal designed to force them out of their creative ruts: Augustus will spend the summer writing something happy, and January will pen the next Great American Novel. She’ll take him on field trips worthy of any rom-com montage, and he’ll take her to interview surviving members of a backwoods death cult (obviously). Everyone will finish a book and no one will fall in love. Really.
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What a glorious, beautifully-written page-turner about two damaged people trying to believe happily ever after exists.
January and Gus are broken in different ways for different reasons, and I cheered them on through every page. Gus is my favorite kind of tortured hero, and January delivered some of the funniest lines I’ve ever read.
This is the perfect read for now. It will take you to dark places, but yank you back into a world of light and laughter, good people and second chances. Fantastic!
I adore this book! It’s witty and smart, It’s a MUST read in my opinion and the audiobook is fantastic.
I’ve been reading a lot of heavy stuff lately, and with the world being, well, heavy, I really needed to lose myself in a fun book. And this did not disappoint. Two writers, former rivals, living next door to each other for a summer, a bet to try to write the other’s genre and style – so much heart and fun!
This is a touching and heartfelt book about love, betrayal, grief, failure, and learning how to love again. I adored going along on Gus and January’s journey, and I closed this book with a satisfied sigh.
January Andrews has always been a romantic. She loves the idea of love so much – after having witnessed her parents’ beautiful story – that when she decided to become a writer, it was pretty easy for her to figure out what she wanted to write: romance, happily ever after required. After the loss of her father, her beliefs are shaken to the core, and January finds herself battling writer’s block. With a deadline looming, she decides to hole up at a beach house for the summer. Still, the words and the story just won’t form. It also doesn’t help that her neighbor is none other than author, and former college rival, Augustus Everett, pretty much January’s opposite in every way. He too is working on writing this summer, but much like January his story is just not coming together.
Then one night, one thing leads to another and they’ve made a bet to see who can successfully switch to the other’s genre and sell their book first. With lessons on meet cutes, and field trips to interview former cult members, they’re both determined to meet their goal, but falling in love was never in the cards.
I feel like I was equally unsurprised by this book, but still was totally not expecting the nuances of the story. The premise alone sold me on this book and in that regard I feel like it delivered, I was just unprepared for how much depth and emotion Emily Henry would fit into the story, and how much it would shape into this lovely book about love.
Not just romantic love, although January and Gus’s slow-burn towards one another was perfect, but we’re also dealing with the love and loss of January’s father. The idolization we have for our parents and the times when we find them lacking can truly be shocking. On the other side of that you have Gus who grew up in an abusive household.
Gus is like January’s mirror opposite in most everything from their families to what and how they write to their outlooks on life. And you see this and you understand this. But have you ever stared at yourself in the mirror, observing yourself seemingly moving in the opposite way, but in reality it’s the same side? I feel like that’s Gus and January. They both have the same wants and needs, but they don’t bring all of that to the surface level. They’re romance is about getting them to that level with each other. Not Happily Ever After, but at least Happy For Now.
I loved Emily Henry’s play on the various romance tropes along with her commentary about the never-ending debate between literature vs. romance. Those who disregard the romance genre as fluff when really they’re often anything but. I also love the way that January’s image of herself is so linked to romance, particularly her parent’s love story, that when truths are shattered it actually threatens to break her. Until she realizes that how she feels about love does not and should not hinge on one circumstance. As I said earlier in my review, January’s journey is very nuanced, and I absolutely loved it. I say January, but really both January and Gus discover so much about themselves over the course of the story, but being told from January’s point of view, I feel like her story takes a bit more precedence.
Beach Read is one of those books that you finish and wish you could turn around and read it for the first time again. I loved the journey, I loved the discoveries. Pretty much loved everything about it. Highly recommended. You won’t be sorry.
*ARC provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Emily Henry’s Beach Read is the perfect novel for this unique moment in time. It’s so much more than your average romance, and is full of depth and achingly beautiful moments.
January Andrews has always believed in the power of a happily ever after. A successful romance novelist, January finds herself questioning her outlook after her father’s unexpected death. Augustus Everett is a critically acclaimed writer of literary fiction. His plot lines couldn’t be more different from January’s. But, after discovering that they’re neighbors, a challenge is issued: January will do her best to write a depressing piece of literary fiction, and August will write a romantic happily ever after. And they definitely won’t fall for each other in the process.
Henry is a brilliant writer. Her story and characters are so multifaceted and layered. I expected Beach Read to be a light, airy read that would help distract me from everything that’s going on. What I read instead was a beautifully poignant story about two damaged people who are at a crossroads, and how they start to heal. It’s a little messy and perfectly imperfect. The dialogue is witty and engaging. This story doesn’t shy away from difficult topics like death, divorce, and infidelity but treats them with sensitivity and respect. I would give this novel ten stars if I could.
Add this to your TBR immediately. Mark my words, it’s going to be on all the best of 2020 lists.
Beach Read by Emily Henry is an excellent, hilarious, witty, lol contemporary romance novel.
The age-old story of opposites attract, one half sparking and improving the other half holds true with this gem. Authors Augustus Everett and January Andrews at first seem to be two people who “shouldn’t” like each other and seem to have nothing in common, however through their reintroduction, (they were not fans of one another while in their college days), find themselves side by side in neighboring beach houses and both in similar professional ruts. It is in their agreement to help the other out of sheer desperation where the fun begins.
Despite what one thinks, or expects, out of the ending does not necessarily matter. It is the journey and the process to make it to the end that is the joy. The banter, the witty dialogue, the laugh out loud moments, the chemistry, the underlying passion, and the cute plot gives this book its edge and makes it the excellent novel that it is. It most definitely sets itself above its peers and is one to be remembered.
Excellent romcom. 5/5 stars
Thank you EW and Berkley for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.
4.5 stars
What a refreshing story. This was so well written that I felt every emotion laid out on the pages… and yes, I cried. This is my first time reading Emily Henry and it won’t be my last.
January Andrews has always viewed life with rose-colored glasses in a sense. She thoroughly believed in Happily-Ever-Afters and wrote books that way. But family secrets have knocked her glasses askew. Needing to complete another romance novel she heads to a beach house she didn’t know existed.
Wouldn’t you know that her new neighbor happens to be her college nemesis and fellow famous author, Augustus (Gus) Everett. Their writing genres, as well as personalities, couldn’t be more opposite. But a friendly bet has them helping each other write their respective novels.
I don’t want to ruin the whole book so I will leave my synopsis there. But you should definitely pick this book up. This whole book is fabulous, the writing is thoroughly perfect and will draw you in immediately. It’s been a while since I’ve highlighted books and I highlighted the crap out of it. The descriptors alone put you right there, seeing everything. Grab it now!
Beach Read by Emily Henry a refreshing five-star read. This is one of those stories that will keep you hooked, its witty and funny, and the dialogue is so good you can see the sparks coming off the page. This was not what I was expecting, it turned out to be so much more, this will be the perfect each read, but it will also be a perfect read at other times as well. Gus and January seem like the couldn’t be more opposite of each other, under the surface but as you read you learn the truth. Don’t miss this great story, and I for one will be checking for more from this author as I loved every word.
A really unique and enjoyable take on the grump who doesn’t believe in love and the rom com writer who has lost her ability to believe in happy endings. Absolutely brilliant.
The story
January Andrews is a writer stuck with writers block. After writing and having her previous happily ever after’s published, she has lost her father and her ER doctor boyfriend dumped her. She also discovered that her father had a whole secret life she knew nothing about. She moves to a small town on the shores of Lake Michigan to her dad’s house (that she didn’t know about) to try write, pack up the house and sell it during the summer months. She soon meets the neighbour Augustus Everett, who she was in college with and who always seemed to sneer at her happily ever afters. Will their challenge to write in each other’s genre help January’s writing and love life slump?
My thoughts
This book was marketed all over during the summer but I didn’t feel like the love was undeserved. Listening to the audiobook brought the witty and cheeky banter between Gus and January to life in the best way. I just loved how the characters each had their preferred genre that linked them to their former lives. January before she knew about her father’s situation and Gus’ reality while growing up. Their lessons to each other (not disguised dates or anything) allowed them to open up to each other and for the reader to share their stories. I listened to the story non-stop and just loved the concept and execution so much. A winner for me!
OK, so this was another cute rom-com!
I loved the characters, January and Gus. It made me laugh, cry and gasp out loud. This was such a great story. This author is going to to go on my one-click list from now on.
There is nothing like a good enemies-to-lovers romance, and Beach Read delivers in spades. I loved the writing, the characters, the twisty plot turns, and the sweet moments. About all I was missing was the beach.
This was the first Emily Henry book I read and I loved it. Her voice and quirky characters made it a fun, wonderful romance.
I really enjoyed this one. Finding I’m really getting into the grumpy/sunshine trope.
Good read.
I picked this up based on the concept for my own personal reasons. That said, I agree with others about it not being as fluffy as anticipated. Sometimes we need a light-hearted ‘”beach read” to whisk us away. This book had plenty of the banter and wit. However, I appreciated the women’s fiction vibe of this story. It’s a new genre, the blend of WF meets Romance, and that’s where I would categorize this book. And I know others fall into that reading niche, too. We like more depth to our characters (usually something emotional and twisted in their backstory) but love that side romance and HEA. All in all, I liked January and Gus’s story. Some weird parts, like the cult and the circus ideas for their novels within this novel, but I enjoyed their romance and the arc of their characters. I listened as an audiobook and highly recommend that. Now, as somebody else said, it would be nice to see a sequel or novella in Gus’s POV!
my heart.
So good! Really loved this book, it is a well-written, cute story with wonderful characters: it made me wish it wouldn’t end so I could keep hanging out with them. Highly recommend.
Henry is a new to me author and from the first passage of this book I was hooked, Fatal flaws are inherently human and this bit of information from our Heroine January immediately endeared her to me. Upon first perusal on the synopsis of this book it seems to be a fun romcom “beach read’ but it is so much more. Henry’s character development is vast and oh so intriguing. Like January I wanted to know all all of the thing about Gus and was just waiting for him to reveal his true self. And January herself is someone I want to know IRL she’s so dynamic. The “journey” of self- rediscovery for this two revolves around feelings of being broken, but that is what makes them so real. It’s not often that I have so many teary moments while reading but Henry characters got me going. The insight into the writing, research process and how words can just elude a writer was so interesting to me. Though is started with a bet I loved how these two pushed and pulled on each other out of their comfort zones only to come together to support one another in their separate but common goals before they even got together. But when they did, damn did they ever set off fireworks. This book is a slooow burn and it works the intrigue of will they won’t they was agonizing at times but oh so effective in driving the story forward. The sex scenes are hot and steamy without being too explicit. I particularly enjoyed the sassy banter this two just can stop throwing at each other even in the throws physical intimacy. This is a 4 star for me. I really liked it but don’t know if I could go back and read it again because of January’s heartbreak over losing her dad, it hits too close to home fro me.