Pages & Pressings

NO SPOILERS

After reading two other books by Emily Henry, I finally have a winner. Once you get past the initial corny-ness (“new phone, who dis”… this is an actual quote), Beach Read was a book that is actually relatable. This is another really great book to experience as an audiobook because it almost felt like a movie, which makes me very excited for the upcoming adaptation.

January Andrews is a women’s fiction novelist who moves into her late father’s lake house in Michigan next to her former college peer (rival) and novelist Augustus Everett. Together they navigate grief and complicated family dynamics while trying to write their next books.

This book does a good job balancing the heavy themes with lighthearted banter that is actually cute and funny (besides the aforementioned quote). It did such a good job that I considered scheduling an appointment with my therapist, which speaks to the quality of the writing. The realism of the characters was so refreshing to read- their thoughts and actions were so realistic, it just made sense. Nothing felt forced and nothing felt fake.

While I generally hate how romance books always need the characters to have tragic backstories, I could personally relate to one of the main themes. That bias is probably what made me rate this book the way I did, but there’s beauty in relatability.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a quick read, needs a cry, or at the very least, want to be entertained.