Beach Read

By: Emily Henry

Narrated by: Julia Whelan

Brought to you by Penguin.

Binge-watched Normal People and Love Is Blind and now looking to escape into another suitably steamy love story? Look no further....

Two writers, one holiday. A romcom waiting to happen....

January is a hopeless romantic who narrates her life like she's the lead in a blockbuster movie.

Gus is a serious literary type who thinks true love is a fairy-tale.

But January and Gus have more in common than you'd think:

They're both broke.

They've got crippling writer's block.

And they need to write best sellers before summer ends.

The result? A bet to swap genres and see who gets published first.

The risk? In telling each other's stories, their worlds might be changed entirely....

Set over one sizzling summer, Beach Read is a witty love story that will make you laugh a lot, cry a little and fall head over heels. For fans of The Flat Share and If I Never Met You.

©2020 Emily Henry (P)2020 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"The hottest book of the summer." (Josie Silver, author of best-selling One Day in December)

"The perfect escapist romp." (Laura Jane Williams, author of Our Stop)

I love the full circle moments

It was a really fun romcom book. The two characters dived into each other’s worlds as a part of a deal. I was smiling, laughing and crying, in my opinion the best tell that a romcom has done it’s job, I enjoyed her previous book You and me on vacation but I think this one is my favorite out of the two.

Really good fun

I think the narrator is so good it makes good stories great

This one kept me wrong footed to the end. It was engaging and had me hooked. I don’t normally follow this genre but I genuinely like this author.

The narrator combo makes it awesome.

Loved it

Surprising depth in a somewhat predictable story. This is not just a read for the beach!

Finished it in a day

On a nutshell:

Great read
Didn't feel like a typical romance
Funny
Depth in the characters


In more detail:
Going into this I had wanted a cosy escape and this book delivered while still having elements that brought depth to the story and characters. It's my first time reading this author.

The book is funny and sweet which is exactly what I wanted but also had elements of family issues, dealing with struggles and exploring friendship that made the story interesting, but didn't dwell on them in a way that would get you down. These were the elements that gave you insight into the characters rather than being the focus point.

I will say there is one single cringey line in the book. When you do read the book you will spot it (hint: something about a bunny). But other than that single line it was lovely!

I wish I liked this

I am so sad that I disagree with everyone on this one. I just was so bored halfway through I couldn't finish it. I didn't care about the characters. It started off strongly but their relationship was so tepid and the conflict was so forced.