Summer lovin': a "Beach Read" review
Beach Read is a hilarious and contemplative romance, perfect for the beach or, in the time of quarantine, the backyard pool. Emily Henry's adult fiction debut is frothy but balanced, with excellent writing, fully realized characters, and interesting discussions on the longevity of writer's block, grief, and how the two come in a package deal for our protagonists. Although the couple's angst before their coming together moments gets repetitive and predictable (we know they'll end up together), Henry's genre pivot is fun, full of wonderful sexual tension and an enemies-to-lovers story that readers will be eager to devour.
January Andrews is stuck. Following the sudden death of her father and the unveiling of him cheating on her mother, the women's fiction author feels betrayed, hopeless, and a little jaded. Following the mild destruction of her own life (break-up, her mother not talking about the infidelity, going broke), she finally enters the secret beach house her father owned for the summer, determined to finish the manuscript she's been struggling to write for almost a year. However, she immediately finds herself at odds with her cranky and standoffish neighbor, someone she later finds out is her creative writing college rival, literary author Augustus "Gus" Everett. The two don't like each other but end up together a lot more often than they'd like. Still, perhaps it's time, now that they're living close to each other and will be seeing each other all summer, to put each other to the writing prowess test. How about they swap genres, teach each other what works through trips, and promise not to fall in love? But as the weeks pass, it's easier said than done, especially as the words increase and the connection between Gus and January grows stronger. But will something actually work out between them, or is their romance destined for disaster?
Although following a typical enemies-to-lovers romance trajectory, Beach Read makes it fun in a few different ways.
For starters, Henry's prose is rich and decadent throughout this book, creating beautiful descriptions of light and nature, allowing an intimate look inside January's head, and igniting heady passion between the couple at its center.
Secondly, January and Gus make a great duo throughout the book. As they work through misunderstandings from college, what they thought about each other and one frat party encounter that got particularly steamy, the reader uncovers more layers, January's optimism that rekindles at the thought of getting to know Gus more and uncovering more of her literary debut and Gus's prickly demeanor revealing a man who has never been valued in his life, who's afraid that there's something wrong with him because he's so guarded. Their adventures (classic rom-com montage moments, interviewing people for Gus's cult novel, and showing each other notes through the windows of their respective houses) are all so cute. The development of their relationship feels natural, and I like that it's centered around their work and breaking their conceptions of each other when they were younger. Although part of that is stalled by predictable angst that makes them seem younger than they are, not to mention quite a lot of booze, their bond becomes stronger than before, and that's always nice to see.
There is also a great cast of side characters here. I wish Henry took more time to develop all of them; I adore January's BFF Shadi and bookstore owner Pete and her wife, Maggie, especially. However, the hide-and-seek game with Sonya, the mistress of January's father, provides a great backbone for January confronting her father's past and allowing herself to open up to it. Sonya's presence is pretty minimal throughout the book, but it creates more opportunities for January and Gus to connect over their pasts, so I'll take it.
Overall, Beach Read is a fun romance, full of laughs, heart, and reflections on writing, grief, and reigniting life's spark. Henry wields a brilliant pen as two rival authors fall in love, and although their relationship can feel tropey and take over some excellent side characters, the story itself is sincere and a great escape.