This has been a tough year on January. After her father died, she found out he wasn’t exactly who he pretended to be. Then things took a bad turn with her literary work. Now she’s got just a few weeks to turn in her newest book she can’t even seem to get started on. Maybe she’s using it as a distraction, but she decides it’s time to confront her dad’s second life and clear out the lake house she inherited. But even that gets off to a rough start with a few not-so-great run ins with the gruff man next door.
Best-selling author Emily Henry marked her transition from writing Young Adult fiction to adult fiction with the captivating Beach Read. This romcom explores what happens when your life is falling apart and the last thing you want is a romance…but that’s exactly what you get. A Goodreads Choice Award nominee for Romance in 2020 at it’s release, this book was a fan favorite as soon as it hit shelves. Henry will have you swooning for Gus alongside January in these pages!
I give Beach Read 4 out of 5 stars. I will say this is a really high 4 out of 5. I enjoy Henry’s books for the way the imperfect romance seems so realistic, but there are times it verges on Hallmark movie, and I want more with this story. I appreciate the way he uses a cast of supporting characters to move the backstory along and the way Henry writes in the realistic interpersonal drama that pops up. With that being said…this was not my favorite Emily Henry book I’ve read so far – that honor falls to Book Lovers.
If, like me, you missed reading this when it was released and your first foray into Emily Henry’s works was Book Lovers, I would definitely recommend circling back to this book! The small-town setting and literary world are on full display here just like BL. Given some more mature topics of death and adultery, I would direct this book to audiences over 16. I also think this would be a great book club selection with so much to unpack with both January and Gus, as well as the supporting characters!
I chose Beach Read for the Read With Lindsey Reading Challenge Prompt “by a female author”. I have been wanting to read more of Emily Henry’s works for a while now and am glad I did! Many of my favorite authors are women though – Alice Hoffman, Maeve Binchy, Heather Webber…the list goes on an on! If you’re looking for some other great books to read by female authors, check out yesterday’s weekly agenda post!
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What I’m Reading
- Current print book: My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry, Fredrik Backman
- Current audio book: Where the Lost Wander, Amy Harmon
- Book I’m most looking forward to: Tom Clancy Defense Protocol, Brian Andrews & Jeffrey Wilson
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