Review: Beach Read by Emily Henry

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 afters.

Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Published in the UK by Penguin as an eBook on 18 May 2020, and paperback 20 August 2020*, this contemporary adult debut explores themes of grief, creativity and being proud of your work. In a world that still to this day trivialises romance and (so-called) women’s fiction, Henry cleverly uses the genre to explore this very theme.

January Andrews is a bestselling romance writer, and Augustus Everett writes literary fiction – both are struggling to write their next novels. As January and Augustus end up as neighbours for the next three months, they negotiate their rivalry, and challenge each other to pen a novel in each other’s genres.

Funny, playful, and heartfelt, Beach Read is not only the perfect escape during these uncertain times, but it uses such a clever hook to explore why we may steer towards (or away from) certain genres.

Whilst I would have loved to have read this whilst on a beach, or in a pub garden with a large glass of wine, I did really enjoy this book and I can’t wait to hear what Emily Henry brings us next!

Whilst I’m not holidaying this summer, I’ve always been known to bring far too many books on holiday with me – usually a mixture of summery YA and chunky fantasy! What’s your favourite type of beach read?

*Print release date subject to change due to covid-19.