Beach Read by Emily Henry Book Review

Beach Read is a great title for this book, but it wasn’t my favourite read. The story is about January, a romance author, who spends the summer at her late father’s beach house to finish her next book. There, she meets Gus, a successful author she knew in college. They challenge each other to write a book in a different style – January writes a literary novel, while Gus tries romance.

Despite some reservations about books about books, I was hyped to read Beach Read. However, it could have lived up to my expectations. It was different from what I thought it would be—sometimes in a good way, not so much. It just was not entirely my cup of tea.

Disclaimer

Hey there, readers! Before I dive into my review, I want to give you a heads-up about some heavy content in this book. I expected a light, easy read, but it’s pretty deep and deals with some tough stuff. I appreciate the author’s effort to create complex characters, but I also want to ensure you know what you’re getting into.

In Beach Read, the main characters explore a dark topic – a suicide cult. They talk to survivors and family members of those who didn’t make it and even visit the cult’s old site. On top of that, one of the main characters has a traumatic past involving an abusive parent.

These topics are important to explore in literature, but I know they can be tough to read. You might want to skip this book if you’re sensitive to these issues. I want to make sure you’re prepared.

Review

You’ll probably enjoy this book if you’re a fan of stories about enemies-turned-lovers! January and Gus have a great dynamic, with hilarious banter – especially when teasing each other about their writing genres. But here’s the thing: their backstories are pretty heavy, and that takes the story in a direction that’s way more serious than I expected.

I loved how the author dug deep into their characters, though – that’s not always true in these books. Just a heads up, though: if you’re not into the whole “I’m mean to you because I secretly like you” thing, you might not be sold on January and Gus’s relationship.

Honestly, the relationship between January and Gus was a mixed bag for me. I loved their witty banter, especially when they teased each other about writing. But, I got a bit bored when their conversations started repeating themselves repeatedly, especially in the book’s second half. It felt like the same old thing, making the story less interesting. Also, I wasn’t a huge fan of some of the things they did in their relationship.

I get that misunderstandings happen, but sometimes, it felt like they weren’t fully addressed and were just glossed over with something sweet to make up for it. For me, a good romance needs to make me believe the characters will last, but with January and Gus, I didn’t feel that.

I’m torn about the pacing of this book. It started amazingly strong – the first chapter had a great voice, and the setup was well done. But, as I kept reading, especially in the second half, things started to drag.

Some scenes were unnecessary, and the characters’ interactions became repetitive. I flew through the first half, but the second half felt like a chore. That’s not how I want to feel when reading a book.

SPOILERS: There was one scene in this book that bothered me. I’m unsure if I’m being too sensitive, but it didn’t feel right. January and Gus visit the site of a suicide cult, where remnants of the tragedy surround them. Then, they go off and get intimate in the same general area. Even though they weren’t directly on the cult site, it still felt super uncomfortable and inappropriate to me. It seemed unnecessary and didn’t sit well with me.

If you’re a fan of enemies-turned-lovers and books about writing, you’ll likely love this book. But you might be disappointed if you expect a light, beachy read (spoiler alert: barely any beach time!). This book was a mixed bag for me – some parts I enjoyed, others not. Overall, it was just an okay read, nothing special. I’d give it three out of five stars.