Like I said, not every post this month for Blogmas is going to be winter-themed. In fact, I am going the complete opposite direction today with a book review of Beach Read by Emily Henry. This is the complete opposite of winter, with summer romance and beach days. It is the ultimate beach read.
So, if you are a summer lovin’ folk, who hates the chilly days of winter, keep reading! This is the book for you. Or you just want to escape the snow for a little while. Or you just love romance, whatever the reason, I have a book review for you!
If you asked me years ago if I was going to choose to read a romance book, I would have laughed. I would have never thought that this would be a book I would choose. But when I was deciding which book to read with my best friend last summer, I kept on coming back to Beach Read.
It was the middle of summer, it was hot, and all I was hearing about was this book. It seemed like everyone was reading this book. But that’s how it usually is with the online book community, isn’t it? A couple people read a book and suddenly, everyone is reading the book. It’s pretty cool if you ask me.
So, with every other post on bookstagram including this book, I decided to fall prey to the hype and pick it up. Here are my thoughts!
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The Basics
Title: Beach Read
Author: Emily Henry
Genre: Romance
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: May 19, 2020
The Book Review
Rating: 3/5 Stars
I haven’t read a lot of romance books in my life, but this one was just about what I expected. Girl meets boy, girl tries not to fall in love with boy, girl falls in love with boy, girl fights with boy, girl makes up with boy, they live happily ever after. If you love romance stories, you will love Beach Read by Emily Henry.
The reason this book appealed to me so much was because of the plot. This book is about January and Augustus, both writers. January writes romance and Gus writes literary fiction. When they move in next to each other, the tension is palpable. Neither of them like what the other writes. That is when they form a deal. Gus will write a romance novel and January will write something darker. Whoever sells their book first is the winner.
I loved the sound of this book. As a writer, I have always loved reading about other writers. It is so easy to connect with characters when you share interests with them. So in an attempt to dip my toes in the romance genre, I thought this was a good start.
And I did enjoy these aspects of the characters. I loved reading about the struggles they had writing in completely different genres. It made me want to switch up my writing. However, despite the shared interest between me and the characters, I was still unable to connect with them because they were both underdeveloped. I couldn’t tell you one thing about these characters other than the fact that they were writers. And maybe some of their relationship drama from the past. But that’s it. It is hard for me to love a story without characters I feel like I can reach out and touch.
This book also uses a lot of classic romance tropes, the main one being enemies to lovers. This is one of my favorite tropes, so I was disappointed that it wasn’t done well. With enemies to lovers, I need good banter and an actual reason they hate each other. Instead what I got from Beach Read was fighting amongst siblings. I didn’t feel any tension between the characters whatsoever, it felt very flat. And their opposition to each other didn’t really make sense, other than some differing opinions from when they were youger. I felt like I needed more.
Overall, I think the writing fell flat for me. I simultaneously felt like each chapter was too long but still missing something. I wasn’t getting the satisfaction I usually get from reading a chapter. Although I can’t place a finger on why this is yet, I will let you know when I figure it out. Maybe it is just some “je ne sais quoi” factor that was missing.
Despite all this, I didn’t completely hate the book, which is why I gave it 3 stars. There were aspects that I liked, and overall it was an enjoyable and easy read.
I really loved the setting of this book. Upon learning the title, Beach Read, I assumed this book was going to take place somewhere on the coast of California, or some other classic beach town. Instead, the setting of this story was on the beaches of Lake Michigan. This adorable fictional town of North Bear Shores was a lot of fun to read about. I loved the small coffee shop/book store that Pete and Maggie own. I find a lot of comfort in reading about places like this.
Another thing I loved with the inclusion of January’s grief surrounding her father. I felt like it added a little depth to the story that I wouldn’t have gotten otherwise. This definitely helped me push through to the end the book. I knew January and Sonya, her dad’s other lover, needed a scene together, and I was curious how it would go. I didn’t care for Gus’s outside drama as much, which I won’t spoil, but it was nice that he had his own depth as well.
Overall, it was a fun read. It took me a while to get into, but once I did I enjoyed reading about January and Gus’s journey. The extra depth added to both the characters made the story interesting and pushed me to keep reading. I am sure lovers of romance will love this book and will easily fall in love with the characters and story.
With all the glowing reviews of Beach Read, I might be in the minority with my average feelings of the book. Although I don’t read the romance genre very often, I have found books that I absolutely loved, such as Get a Life Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert. So, I am going to keep searching for the right one.
What I will give to this book is the cover! Can we talk about how gorgeous this style of cover is? I am also obsessed with Emily Henry’s other book cover for People We Meet on Vacation.
And even better, the book cover for Book Lovers by Emily Henry, coming out May 3 of 2022.
Look at these book covers! They are to die for. There is something about bright, colorful, illustrated books that I love. Also, I might just have to pick up Book Lovers when it comes out. What can I say, I love reading about readers as much as I love reading abour writers.
Have you read Beach Read by Emilt Henry yet? Let me know what your thoughts were in the comments below!
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