Beach Read

by Emily Henry

[Jyc]

★★★ // i enjoyed reading this for the most part, especially the kind of “dance” that the two of them were doing — the famous will-they-won’t-they. the history, the hesitations, the desperate attempts to control feelings from bursting out of them right then and there. i appreciate the personal histories of both January and Gus, and how these ultimately shape them as writers. even more, how they remained true to their perspectives even as the circumstances around them showed them that maybe it’s not always rainbows as in the case of January, and not always dark as in the case of Augustus. they just found ways to still accept the other face of the reality they lived in for so long, and these beliefs ultimately pushed them to take a chance.

it just did not really move me in a way that i would be invested in their happiness, or affect me in a way that their problems seem like my problem too. i wasn’t also a fan of its writing. i kept on thinking how there is a better way to seamlessly unravel their conflicts alongside their love story. it’s a shame that we did not get much from January and her mom, or Gus with her ex because they are huge parts of the people they became today. but they’re mostly just mentioned in retrospect. and sometimes i guess i’m just not into this thing where the last few chapters of a book turn very cinematic, heh. admittedly, i had a hard time because some of the lines and events are a little corny/cheesy for me *screams*

”Somehow, I survived, tender human heart intact.”