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jenbsbooks 's review for:
Beach Read
by Emily Henry
3.5 stars. I really enjoyed this while I was in it ... as I come to review it a few days later, it's already fading though. I had it in all three formats. Audio/Kindle and a physical copy I picked up at a Little Free Library (that pushed it to the top of my TBR, but I had a bit of a wait for digital copies from the library).
The title ... I don't know that I consider this a "beach read" (totally light and fun) and the beach didn't really play enough of a part to make it the title. I don't know, maybe something more about the books? Love vs Literature or something. It was interesting to get some of the backdrop on authors and publishing, some of the process, writer's block. The two books the MCs wrote (as part of the challenge) sounded a bit odd ...
... one little thing I think I'll remember is the connections I had to other recent reads. Just tiny things, a word or thought. Kudzu (is actually in quite a few books/recent Alabama Moon), Alchemy (the book before), Matryoshka Dolls (Molokai), saying "pants with a button/zipper" required (Summer Romance ... AND I feel eyes on me and my elastic waist and no shoes ... and no bra if I'm home alone).
After the "gasping out a swear" and "I screamed the F-word" I wondered if this was going to stay proFanity free, but there were still 20 of the actual F. I'm still attempting to come up with a "labeling" for sex (more for myself, to remember whether or not to recommend to certain people). If it's broken down into five possibilities ... none, talk/closed door, steamy, spicy, smutty ... think I'd put this as steamy bordering on spicy for some scenes.
I went primarily with the audio - Julia Whelan narrating, and she's great, but I do need to space her out because while she can do tons of voices and such, overall, it's the same sound. It had been a while since I'd heard her though, so all good!
First person/Past tense from our MC January's POV.
TOC - I'm a Table of Contents snob. Because I'm moving between formats and looking back on the book to write a review, a good TOC is important to me. Here, there were cute chapter headings and only the audio included them in the TOC. I love looking back at all the chapter headings at a glance and seeing if they nudge me to remember what happened in that chapter (Ch1: The House Ch2: The Funeral Ch3:The Pete-Cute Ch4:The Mouth Ch5: The Labradors ...) Very helpful if looking to re-read a certain spot.
There was a "Behind the Book" author's note (which was included in audio) which I appreciated (would have like it more if it was the author voicing it, would make it more personal), and discussion questions (not included in audio). I really like when discussion questions are provided, it's like a mini book club, making me stop and delve a little deeper and think about things I might not have with just a quick read for pleasure.
The title ... I don't know that I consider this a "beach read" (totally light and fun) and the beach didn't really play enough of a part to make it the title. I don't know, maybe something more about the books? Love vs Literature or something. It was interesting to get some of the backdrop on authors and publishing, some of the process, writer's block. The two books the MCs wrote (as part of the challenge) sounded a bit odd ...
... one little thing I think I'll remember is the connections I had to other recent reads. Just tiny things, a word or thought. Kudzu (is actually in quite a few books/recent Alabama Moon), Alchemy (the book before), Matryoshka Dolls (Molokai), saying "pants with a button/zipper" required (Summer Romance ... AND I feel eyes on me and my elastic waist and no shoes ... and no bra if I'm home alone).
After the "gasping out a swear" and "I screamed the F-word" I wondered if this was going to stay proFanity free, but there were still 20 of the actual F. I'm still attempting to come up with a "labeling" for sex (more for myself, to remember whether or not to recommend to certain people). If it's broken down into five possibilities ... none, talk/closed door, steamy, spicy, smutty ... think I'd put this as steamy bordering on spicy for some scenes.
I went primarily with the audio - Julia Whelan narrating, and she's great, but I do need to space her out because while she can do tons of voices and such, overall, it's the same sound. It had been a while since I'd heard her though, so all good!
First person/Past tense from our MC January's POV.
TOC - I'm a Table of Contents snob. Because I'm moving between formats and looking back on the book to write a review, a good TOC is important to me. Here, there were cute chapter headings and only the audio included them in the TOC. I love looking back at all the chapter headings at a glance and seeing if they nudge me to remember what happened in that chapter (Ch1: The House Ch2: The Funeral Ch3:The Pete-Cute Ch4:The Mouth Ch5: The Labradors ...) Very helpful if looking to re-read a certain spot.
There was a "Behind the Book" author's note (which was included in audio) which I appreciated (would have like it more if it was the author voicing it, would make it more personal), and discussion questions (not included in audio). I really like when discussion questions are provided, it's like a mini book club, making me stop and delve a little deeper and think about things I might not have with just a quick read for pleasure.