Beach Read (2020 original; edició 2020)

Fieldnotes:
North Bear Shore, Lake Michigan, Contemporary (p. 2020)

1 Successful Romance Novelist
1 Family Tragedy
1 Case of Epic Writer's Block

1 Not-Quite-As-Unexpected-As-Expected Mistress
1 Lake House
1 Unread Letter
Terrible Coffee
Purse-Wine

1 Grumpy But Attractive College Crush and Rival Writing Literary Fiction about
1 Doomsday Cult

2 Aligned Windows
Signs Reminiscent of a Taylor Swift Video
1 Genre-Based Wager
Literary Lesson Plans ( )

I LOVED this novel. I don't love ROM-COMs or Romance novels, but this book was devious and certainly didn't start out that way, so much so that I couldn't put the book down, and when I did, I couldn't wait to pick it back up.
I definitely gave this novel a 5 star rating- it touched me, seriously it did. Albeit perhaps I'm sentimental right now during these crazy COVID times, or maybe I'm wishing for the same sort of romance to walk up and punch me in the face, but I cried during parts of this story. I surprised myself.
I was skeptical getting to the "boiling point" of the novel, where love blossomed, and then I was cynical waiting for the "tipping point" where somehow the relationship gets messed up, and even more still when the couple finds love again and ends up happily ever after. I was prepared and ready to think that I was going to hate the scenes that the author illustrates because to me, the majority of love novels come across as sappy B.S. love stories that would never happen in reality. But again, I was surprised that Henry dispelled my skepticisms, and made the story so much more engaged and almost, almost.. reality.
It was beautifully written, and I loved the concept of having 2 different authors battling within themselves, writing novels. Two struggling, competitive authors who try to succeed better then the other.
Henry also gave different characteristics to the characters- none of which were prince charming or the Belle of the Ball. I felt that the main characters' personalities were more relatable which certainly added to my love of the novel.
There were parts in this novel, where the banter back and forth between the two main characters made me laugh out loud. It was very refreshing to read a novel that was not only very serious at parts, where I literally had to blow my nose from all the tears, to dark and gloomy and sad.
This novel encompassed all of themes that I love when reading great books.
Cheers Emily Henry- I look forward to reading more of your books in the near future, I only wish reading was my job so I could read them faster and more often. ( )

I usually give any book I finish at least 3, but this was disappointing - January is so stressed and worried and hyper anxious and ... it was a heavy read. We never got into the head of Gus, though he seemed pretty interesting. One of those books where you keep hoping it gets better - the worst kind because ultimately what you are left with is the feeling of wasted time. ( )

4.5 ( )

Fun until it falls apart toward the end.

> I'd started publishing romance because I wanted to dwell in my happiest moments, in the safe place my parents' love had always been. I'd been so comforted by books with the promise of a happy ending, and I'd wanted to give someone else that same gift. Gus was writing to try to understand something horrible that had happened to him. ( )