It may be titled Beach Read, but don’t pick up Emily Henry’s latest novel expecting a light, fluffy romance. It has its moments, but it’s a story about a woman grieving the loss of her father, and a man who is still looking for people to trust after a childhood of abuse. Henry says, “When friends ask me what  Beach Read is about, I tell them it’s about a disillusioned romance author and a literary fiction writer who make a deal to swap genres for the summer. When other writers ask me what Beach Read is about, I tell them it’s about writer’s block.”

January Andrews watched her father love her mother through two bouts of cancer, and she brought her belief in happily-ever-after to her romance novels. But, her faith comes crashing down at her father’s funeral when “the other woman” gives January the keys to a beach house in Michigan that she never knew her father owned. When January learns her mother knows about Sonya, January’s world falls apart. She can’t write. She has a deadline. She heads to North Bear Shores, Michigan to prepare the house for sale, and to brood. But, her first night there is ruined by a party at the beach house next door.

Maybe her entire summer is ruined when January discovers the grumpy man next door is her college rival, Augustus Everett. She remembers every encounter she ever had with him, and how he challenged and criticized her in writing classes. He went on to write a bestselling literary novel, even then a couple notches above her on the bestsellers list. To make it worse, the owner of the local bookstore invites January to her book club. January finds Sonya there, and Gus arrives before the discussion starts. By the time the odd discussion is over, January is too drunk to drive home, and Gus offers her a ride.

When asked, January spills her guts and tells Gus about her father and her writer’s block, that she can’t write romance. He suggests they swap genres for the summer. He’ll try to write a romance, although he doesn’t believe in happily-ever-after, and she can try to write a literary novel. She agrees, with the provision that they bet on it, and to help the other person, on Friday, he’ll take her places to show her his research style, and on Saturdays, she can plan something that would inspire a romantic comedy.

Sounds cute, doesn’t it? But, January and Gus are both dealing with pain, and it’s not so easy for either of them to reach out, or to trust. It’s those painful elements that add depth to this book, and reality to the characters. While I picked up Beach Read looking for a fun escape, I kept reading it because I liked the voice in the story, and the reality of the characters. Any happily-ever-after in Beach Read will come because January and Gus work for it. The two characters both have issues, but it was January’s issues with her father that finally brought tears.

Oh, and readers? You’ll want to check out the books in Emily Henry’s beach bag. The list includes some of the most popular romances of recent years, such as The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory and The Bride Test by Helen Hoang. They’re right there along with Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca, Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman, and Gabriel Garcia Marquez’ One Hundred Years of Solitude. And, there’s more. My kind of eclectic reader.

Beach Read by Emily Henry. Jove (Berkley), 2020. ISBN 9781984806734 (paperback), 384p.

*****
FTC Full Disclosure – The publisher sent me a copy of the book, hoping I would review it.