Beach Read | WWS Book Club
Beach Read by Emily Henry is one of those books that I read the digital version of (on Libby), but I NEED to get the hard copy. That’s how much I loved it. I fully intend on taking the physical copy to the beach with me this Summer to read again.
The main characters are both authors, which instantly drew me in, as I’m currently in the middle of writing my own novel- and their constant witty banter with each other kept me grinning throughout the entire novel.
Plot
Beach Read follows 29 year old romance author January Andrews as she heads to a beach house her father left her when he died. The beach house was a secret to January until her father’s funeral, where his secret mistress gave her the key to it.
Out of money and needing somewhere to bunker down while she writes her next great romance novel, January heads to the beach house for the Summer with plans on clearing it out and selling it once her novel is written.
On her second day in town, January discovers that she isn’t the only author in town. Augustus Everett, acclaimed literary fiction author (and January’s college rival), happens to live in the beach house next door. Both bogged down with writers block, January and Gus strike a deal- Gus will spend the Summer trying to write a happy romance novel, and January will work on a darker piece of literary fiction. January takes Gus on field trips to romantic settings like carnivals and drive-in movies, and Gus takes her on trips to interview members of a back-woods death cult.
But- throughout their time together, their pasts begin to catch up with them and they’re both forced to face things in their lives they’ve been trying to avoid, with only each other to lean on.
rating: 5/5
WARNING: The following contains spoilers. If you’ve already read Beach Read (or for some reason want to know spoilers), keep reading!
Discussion
Ahh I loved this book SO much. Lately I’ve been really loving rivals turn lovers plots (similar to The Unhoneymooners), and this one did not disappoint for a single page. I went into it expecting it to be a light beach read (like the title and back cover blurb may imply), but it was so much deeper than that. I immediately loved January and Gus’ interactions with each other. Since they are both authors, they’re both quite wordy, which created some really fun and witty banter between them.
In a lot of ways, January reminded me of myself. She spent her entire life with rose colored glasses on, and when they got knocked off she was forced to deal with the fact that real life doesn’t always have a happy ending. I saw a lot of myself in Gus too- feeling disillusioned by his separation from his ex wife, and feeling like he isn’t the kind of guy that people pick (even though everything we learn about Gus tells us the opposite).
I love the build up that Emily Henry created with January and Gus’ romance. Getting caught making out at the drive-in theatre, being interrupted by the take-out delivery person, etc. Every time they had an intimate moment, they were interrupted, which left me wondering WHEN it was finally going to happen (leading up to an incredible sex scene). I also really liked finding out that Gus had been attracted to January since college, and had read all of her books. At the beginning we think he is this moody dark author who only cares about himself, but as the book goes on we see the real Gus emerge, and his character development was so perfectly revealed throughout the book.
At the end, January finally chooses to confront the mystery of her father’s affair by talking to his mistress and reading letters he wrote to January on all of her birthdays. I love how the letters he wrote her reveal that he was just a human who made some mistakes. It truly showed his love for her, and reveals why he did what he did. Throughout the entire novel, we get a sense that January can never forgive her father for what he did to their family, and that she hates him for what happened- but after reading the letters we see her finally release everything she’s been feeling.
I LOVED the ending- BUT I recently found out that there is an alternate ending based on if you read the US or the UK version of the book! The version I have is the US version I believe where Gus proposes at the end, and that’s the version I prefer (compared to the ending where they’re just sitting on the beach reading each other’s novels at the end).
Overall, Beach Read is somehow both a light hearted and deep novel that makes you want to read more about January and Gus.
Have you read Beach Read? Comment below and let’s chat about it!
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