Beach Read by Emily Henry
- Jan 5
- 2 min read
Did I expect to read the majority of Emily Henry's repertoire in 2025, no I did not. Do I regret. Absolutely no. Other than I'm quickly running out of her books. Beach Read is an Amazon Editor's Pick for Best Romance and has been featured in a bunch of places, including Oprah Magazine, The New York Times Book Review, Entertainment Weekly, and Good Morning America. It deals with cancer, physical abuse, vomit, grief, infidelity, the death of a parent, fire, and substantial alcohol intake.
January Andrews is a bestselling romance novelist who has writer's block. Augustus Everett is known for his literary fiction and he also has writer's block. They've known each other since college, although Gus probably doesn't remember her, January definitely remembers him. And his snide remarks about her "happily ever afters". He looked down on her and her writing and that made him her nemesis - not that he noticed. But now, she's forced to spend the summer living in the house next door to him. After a day of writing struggles and a mistaken book club visit for both of them, they make a deal. A bet. A wager. He will write a romance novel for the ages and she will pen the next great American novel. Whoever can sell their book first, wins.
I know what you're thinking, I can't keep picking every Emily Henry novel as my favorite Emily Henry novel, but I think this might be my favorite. It was emotional, it was snarky, it was hot. I've got no complaints. The characters were great, Augustus might be my new favorite book boyfriend (one day I'll make a pros-cons list of Emily Henry characters to officially pick my favorite, but that day is not today). January was not annoying at all. The secondary characters were fun. The plot was interesting and included small field trips that kept me invested and intrigued. And this book included possibly my most favorite conversation ever: the cotton candy conversation. I loved the whole thing. Emily Henry's writing was great, as always. The setting was lovely and I wish it really existed. I loved it.
I'm giving Beach Read by Emily Henry 5 stars. 2.5 spice rating. I think this might be her most emotional novel and I am here for it. The most disappointing part is that she doesn't have anything new coming out soon, but I know that quality takes time and I'm willing to wait for it.
For more from Emily Henry, check out https://www.emilyhenrybooks.com/
Pairs well with potato salad and having a crush on Esmerelda, the fortune teller in a box.
My favorite quotes:
"'Wow.' he said, 'First of all, I may only weigh 3 beer cans but that's still 3 more beer cans than your ex-boyfriend. He looked like he did nothing but chew wheatgrass while running.'"
"'I don't need you to be Fabio.' I said, voice thick with emotion like it wasn't the single stupidest sentence I'd uttered in my life."
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