Beach Read by Emily Henry

Beach Read

by Emily Henry

Two writers. One holiday. A romcom waiting to happen...

-------

'One of my favourite authors' Colleen Hoover, It Ends With Us
'A great love story' Jodi Picoult, Wish You Were Here
'The perfect escapist romp' Laura Jane Williams, One Night With You

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.

The result? A bet to swap genres and see who gets published first.
The risk? In telling each other's stories, their worlds might be changed entirely...

Set over one sizzling summer, Beach Read is a witty love story that will make you laugh a lot, cry a little and fall head over heels. For fans of The Flat Share and If I Never Met You.

-------

'My heart ached for January, and Gus is to die for - a steamy, smart and perceptive romance' Josie Silver, One Night on the Island

'Full of banter, heat, and sexual tension, I felt the thrill of falling in love right alongside January and Gus. A gorgeous page-turner of a novel' Laura Jane Williams, One Night With You

'Funny, and seriously sizzling' Best

'If whipcrack banter and sexual tension is your catnip, you'll adore this book' Sally Thorne, The Hating Game

'Touching and heartfelt . . . I closed this book with a satisfied sigh' Jasmine Guillory, While We Were Dating

'Clever and funny, this is a tender love story' Woman & Home

Emily Henry, Sunday Times bestseller, May 2024

Reviewed by Berls on

4 of 5 stars

Share
3.5 stars

I always seem to enjoy books about writers... perhaps because I dream of living that life someday? Beyond that, there was lots to love about this sweet second-chance (kinda enemies-to-lovers) romance.

I think what I enjoyed most about Beach Read was the internal growth of January Andrews as she grapples with what love means. Someone she loves deeply has altered the very foundation of how she looks at romantic love. Meanwhile, she's a romance author with a book due. How do you write contemporary romance when your heart is broken and you don't know if you even believe in love anymore? Watching January grapple with that, while watching her fall in love with her neighbor, former classmate, and "rival" author (they don't write the same genre) - whom she thought hated her and thus, she kinda hates- was sweet.

Gus (Augustus) comes with his own issues and peeling his layers is also really enjoyable. That being said, this wasn't a profound - blow me away story. It was exactly what I expect of a contemporary romance. Sweet, with some emotional moments, and a HEA.

The narration by Julia Whelan made racing through it just 1 hour before my library ended both enjoyable and possible. I don't think I've listened to her narration before, but I wouldn't hesitate to listen to her again.

Last modified on

Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 21 February, 2021: Finished reading
  • 21 February, 2021: Reviewed