Title: Beach Read
Author: Emily Henry
Rating: ★★★★★

ARC provided by Berkley through Edelweiss.

“When the world felt dark and scary, love could whisk you off to go dancing; laughter could take some of the pain away; beauty could punch holes in your face.”

January is a romance writer who no longer believes in happy endings. After moving into her deceased father’s beach house, she’s struggling with writer’s block with an impending due date for her publisher. As if matters couldn’t get any worse, she finds out her next door neighbor is no other than Gus, her college crush/nemesis.

The writing in Beach Read is incredible. The dialogue between the characters was smart, witty, and realistic. From the first chapter I was absolutely captivated by the story. The way Emily Henry writes January’s character it’s impossible not to empathize with her and feel her pain and confusion. Beach Read appears to be a cute, heartwarming summer rom-com, but it also has moments of darkness and emotional pain that pulls the reader even harder into the story.

Gus and January were fantastic characters. They’re relatable, complicated, and realistically written. I could not get enough of their amusing interactions and growing attraction. At first they seem like opposites: January has always believed in love and happy ever afters, and Gus has a pessimistic outlook on life, but as the book goes on it becomes clear how much these two have in common. 

“Let me prove I’m right. Let me prove I can love you forever.”

Beach Read is a moving, entertaining, story full of heart. This is beautifully written feel-good book about love and grief. Reading this book was the equivalent of being wrapped in a warm blanket. Do yourself a favor and add this to your summer TBR.