Beach Read by Emily Henry – a Review

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Description:
Augustus Everett is an acclaimed author of literary fiction. January Andrews writes bestselling romance. When she pens a happily ever after, he kills off his entire cast.

They’re polar opposites.

In fact, the only thing they have in common is that for the next three months, they’re living in neighboring beach houses, broke, and bogged down with writer’s block.

Until, one hazy evening, one thing leads to another and they strike a deal designed to force them out of their creative ruts: Augustus will spend the summer writing something happy, and January will pen the next Great American Novel. She’ll take him on field trips worthy of any rom-com montage, and he’ll take her to interview surviving members of a backwoods death cult (obviously). Everyone will finish a book and no one will fall in love. Really.

Review:

Beach Read by Emily Henry is a fun romantic stand-alone novel focusing on two authors, who are totally different.

January Andrews, our heroine, arrives at her new beach home on Lake Michigan which she inherited from her deceased father.  January is a romance author, who is currently having writers block, and is having money problems.  The house is a surprise, as she discovers the father she always loved, was also having an affair, and owned this beach house with his mistress.  January has problems coming to terms accepting the truth about her father, especially with her mother still alive, having recovered from cancer, and her mother never told her about his other life.  All of this make it even more difficult for her to write happy ever after romance novels. 

Gus Everett, our hero, is January’s next-door neighbor, and the two get off on the wrong foot immediately.  Gus is also a writer, but he writes literary fiction more towards dark story lines, and he too has his own issues writing his next book.  They are both totally opposites, as Gus is more pessimistic and January is an optimist, though things will change. 

In a short time, they begin to get to know each other, and a friendship will develop.  The banter between them was cute and funny, and with both of them unable to write, they decide to help push each other by making a bet.  January will take Gus to romantic field trips, dinners, to teach him how to write a romance novel with a happy ending.   Gus will take January to meet people who have suffered a loss, visit a grave yard or meet someone involved with a cult.  The bet is for them to write something different, and whoever sells their manuscript first will win.

What follows is a romance between two people who had their own issues with family, leaving both of them somewhat damaged.  In a short time, they both will move forward past their friendship to love.  Gus comes off of a divorce, and his fear of getting hurt again keeps him from making the next step toward his relationship with January.  January has her own problems dealing with her feelings of betrayal by her father, and though she knows she loves Gus, she too is scared to move forward. During this period, they enjoy each other’s company, as they do all the things together that require research for each of their novels. There was a lot of fun and bantering between them, and we knew they were perfect for each other. 

Emily Henry has written a wonderful story of two people who deserve happiness and each other, but there was much heart wrenching angst, betrayals, secrets, and pain that made it difficult.  But in the end, happiness, forgiveness and love will change everything.  I wholly suggest that you read Beach Read.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher