Ok
So Emily Henry plus characters who are in the book business = a contemporary romance I actually enjoy ( )

I went into this book nervous because of all the praise that I had heard about it. Usually, I find that when books have been talked highly often they do not deserve the praise so I was very pleased to see that with Beach Read, this was not the case.

There’s something about rivals to lovers that I can’t help but enjoy. This book showed the perfect example of that trope that had me almost bouncing at the walls.

“Sometimes—sometimes good, or at least decent, people do bad things.”

I wanted to include this quote because I think it’s really important to highlight and I want the chance to come back whenever I can to look at it.

“I was always looking for the secret code, the rules I could follow so he wouldn’t freak out. That’s how you keep yourself safe, you know? You pay attention to how the world works. But there was no secret code for him. It was like our actions were entirely detached from his reactions to us. ”

I wanted to include this because as I read it, I actually audibly went “oh”. I was in an abusive relationship for five years and I understand all too well the desperate need to learn the patterns and rules that came with the abuse so it could be avoided. As soon as I read this quote, I felt like I had grown so much closer to Gus and that I could understand him as a character completely.

This book is exactly what you love and expect from a romantic comedy. You could feel absolutely everything that occurred during the book. I could feel the pain, the pining, the heartbreak, the angst… everything. It was so easy to become invested.

I couldn’t help but giggle at January and Gus’ banter and their interactions. They were both so sarcastic and refreshing to read. They felt so real and were definitely characters that people can easily see themselves in.

“You’re so fucking beautiful, you’re like the sun.”

This line…. If someone said this to me? Yeah.

“When I watch you sleep,” he said shakily, “I feel overwhelmed that you exist.”

This book both broke and healed my heart. It quickly became special to me and was mentally put away as a comfort read. ( )

This was my first read for Emily Henry and I have a couple more to follow on my TBR shelf. Where it wasn't the fastest pace plot line it kept me interested. I love trying to figure out how people write books because it is something I would never be able to do! I think the ending was good but a little flat. That's the only reason I left off the last star. I'm looking forward to reading more by her. ( )

A romance writer who no longer believes in love and a literary writer stuck in a rut engage in a summer-long challenge that may just upend everything they believe about happily ever after.

January writes romances, but her faith in happily ever after has been shaken when she has to face the less than happy reality of the family she thought she had. Gus writes literary fiction and is January's "evil college rival" who has nothing but disdain for happily ever after. While the hook to this story promises fun and flirty, the reality is two people coming to terms with the trauma in their personal lives and the recognition that they really don't know each other at all and there is more between them than either would have guessed. I really liked the deep dive into character. ( )