Not even a summer romance, this is a much heavier story about grief and growing and writing. A story of humor, heartbreak, and amazing chemistry between two writers (January Andrews and Augustus Everett) who, although on opposing ends of the spectrum, have been challenged in their writing during one unique summer.

But is Beach Read as good as everyone says it is?

This is one of the best romances I’ve read in a long time and a beautiful, emotional read! Let us dive into the things that make this not only a great contemporary romance but an experience.

Plot Overview

January Andrews, a notorious romance novelist hits rock bottom in the worst year of her life. Now, his passing has left behind broken hearts, as well as a secret if not at least one: a lake house in North Bear Shores, Michigan, he co-owned with his mistress.

This throws January into a tailspin and destroys everything she believes she knows about the type of love she writes about. With writer’s block and no faith left in love, January retreats to the lake house to figure herself out—and, hopefully, complete her next manuscript.

Enter Augustus Everett, a literary fiction author infamous for writing dark, sad stories. By some twist of fate or divine intervention, he lives next door. They were rivals in college, and now their lives are intertwined in an unexpected way. The two writers are having a hard time trying to write their next masterpiece.

They plan to shake up their writing by announcing that they will trade genres for the summer. January is trying to write an important, worthy literary novel, and Gus, to get into her head, decide that he is going to write a romcom.

A simple little game morphs into something deeper. Through mutually exploring their creative processes, their walls crumble to expose insecurities, traumas long since hidden, and an attraction neither can ignore. They rediscover the magic of storytelling together through their snarky banter, emotional unpacking, and ruminative dialogue, but they also redefine the possibility of love.

Themes Explored

Love and Second Chances

So, while Beach Read is at its heart a romance, it’s not your typical romance. The story isn’t just about two people falling in love, it’s the tale of two people who have been scorched by life and who are willing to take a chance on love again.

January carries scars of a shattered belief in love because of what her father did to her mother, and Gus has his years of personal misery and past failed relationships. The road takes them learning to trust again, not just each other but well to love also

Grief and Family Secrets

One of the things I find most powerful in Beach Read is the honest take on grief. January loses not only the man who raised her but the idealized version she had of him too. Now that she knows of the affair, it has shattered her world and the illusion of how love and relationships were supposed to be.

It beautifully depicts the wound that sadness can leave—it can sometimes be painful, sometimes confusing, and sometimes completely lonely.

As she deals with the difficult emotions of anger, betrayal, sadness, & ultimately acceptance, we go along for the ride. The emotional reconciliation and journey she takes to reconcile with her father and go on a path of healing only deepens the plot and creates a romantic comedy that is so much more than just that.

The Power of Storytelling

Both are writers and the story examines how writing is a refuge and a way to make sense of life. Suddenly January, who believes in happy endings, cannot believe in a happy ending. Gus, a writer of dark, tragic stories, finds it difficult to write one with more hope.

However, their genre swap experiment is more than a fun challenge, it is an investigation into the ways stories shape the world around us. That is a beautiful metaphor for how people work through their own shit; that often times the only way to understand someone else is to walk in their shoes.

Enemies to Lovers Trope

A major catalyst in the novel is the quintessential enemies-to-lovers trope. At first, January and Gus, coming from very different backgrounds and experiences, are filled with snappy, competitive dialogue, because they are both viewing each other as pretty fierce literary foes.

The intellectual sparring is electrifying, and the reader is held rapt as their relationship goes from competition to emotional intimacy. The way this all occurs is gradual and totally believable, which makes sense in the context of the romance.

Character Development

January Andrews

The novel opens with January as a woman who is devastated, displaced, and lacking inspiration. For her entire life, she looked at the world through these romantic lenses, but its only when she finds out about her father that she begins to question everything that she has centered her career on.

It was a journey of self-discovery, healing and re-learning to believe in the possibility of feeling love. In fact, she evolves from the feeling of being stuck in the past to willing embrace of the future.

Augustus Everett

And then there is Gus, the standard brooding love interest, smart, quiet, and with some personal baggage of his own. But the thing that really sets him apart is his vulnerability. Gradually, we are introduced to his troubled history and the basis for his cynical views toward love. He has to learn to release all of that hurt and to open his heart to hope again. Through January — a character who pushes him to be a better writer and push through the limitations of his talent — he realizes that no matter how dark the story, there is always space for the light.

Supporting Characters

The secondary characters in the book are colourful, but the book mainly revolves around January and Gus. January has her bestie, Shadi to be the comic relief and emotional rock that fit in shocked January and Gus has friends around him to flesh him out a little.

These supporting characters help to ground the world of Beach Read, refusing to let it become a saccharine fantasy.

Narrative Style and Voice

One of those differences were most certainly the amount of humour, emotion and introspection that Emily Henry has infused into her writing. Readers get to experience January from an intimate perspective as the story is written in a first-person narration style, allowing readers to feel her thoughts.

Henry has a sharp and clever writing style and so the level of dialogue between January and Gus is authentic and tasty. And that balance is what makes this book shine — her ability to go from playful to heavy in the blink of an eye.

The Atmosphere: The Ideal Frame

Ideal Background Setting for the Novel: North Bear Shores, Michigan The nostalgic yet tranquil setting of the lakeside town adds to the atmosphere of the book. The lake house, the bonfires on the beach, the solo mumbling over coffees in explorative quiet cafes where January and Gus spend their days in the novel is all these elements that summarize the cozy, yet contemplative mood. It is not merely the backdrop, but rather a key piece of the puzzle, mirroring the mindsets/ feelings of these people.

Is Beach Read A Good Book?

Absolutely. But Beach Read is so much more than a cute romance, as it is a soul-wrenching tale of recovery and the power of love and writing. Which takes familiar tropes and adds layers, making this feel like a real and grounded romance. In this novel Emily Henry combines humour, heart and steam and delivers us an entertaining and heart rending read.

Our thoughts

Beach Read is more than just a love story, and it remains one of the best contemporary romances. Through healing from the sadness, finding the hope, and embracing a fresh start.

January and Gus’s journey will speak to everyone who has ever doubted love, loss, or searched for hope when they least expect it – which feels like pretty much everyone. If you are after a book that will make you laugh, cry, and fall in love all over again, then Beach Read is perfect for you.