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abbie_ 's review for:
Beach Read
by Emily Henry
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
What I liked about this book:
- The main character January's friendship with Shadi - the fact that they are each other's favourite person is just so lovely! But I do wish there had been more Shadi.
- The bookish/writing aspects of it all - any bookworm will enjoy the inclusion of writer's process, book clubs, book signings, etc.
- The sexual tension - Emily Henry is great at writing the build up to ~the kiss~ or sex, but please see a point in the didn't work section below. Also points for normalising using a condom & not carrying on when you don't have one.
- The banter - sometimes I find banter cringey, but I really liked the interactions between January and Gus.
- January's reflections on her relationship with her father. It's messy and complicated and it did go deeper than I anticipated for a romcom.
- Pete and Maggie. Couple goals.
- General fuzzy feelings
What didn't work so much:
- I feel like Gus and January's relationship moved far too fast from, okay we're doing this to, 'I love you'. I know they have history and everything but really their relationship as a couple is brand new.
- The inappropriate sex on the site of a burned down cult - wtf????
- The actual sex in general. As I mentioned above, Henry is amazing at the build up. But she must use up all of her efforts there, because the actual sex felt lazy. January orgasms via penetration only every time and they often orgasm together. Just felt a bit unrealistic.
- One plot point that I won't mention because spoilers, that felt muddy and then tied up too quickly.
Overall, I liked it! It's a pretty quick read and I'm here for a happy-for-now