Source: Purchased
Audible, 10+ hrs.
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Beach Read by Emily Henry, narrated by Julia Whelan, is laugh-out-loud funny, but also deeply serious. While both January Andrews and Augustus Everett are struggling with writer’s block and personal traumas, there’s a quirkiness to their interactions with people. Henry has a knack for creating oddball situations. How does one broke romance author find herself broke and living her her father’s house on Lake Michigan where he romanced another woman while married? And how does a curmudgeonly literary fiction author find himself in such a small town where his friends take over his house once a year to throw him a birthday party he doesn’t want? Oh, did I mention they are now neighbors?

What do writers who don’t have anything particularly in common do? Why they make a bet that they cannot write a book in each other’s genre! Typical writers, challenging each other with seemingly insurmountable tasks.

I’m not going to share much more than this about the book because I want you to discover all the quirkiness for yourself. My one quibble was that the writing challenge seemed to fizzle out and the reveal was not quite as good as the other resolutions. But this did not detract from my enjoyment of the banter between these two writers and the unraveling of their past hurts and more.

Beach Read by Emily Henry, narrated by Julia Whelan, is a fun summer read that will have you laughing, shaking your head at these two, and smiling all the way to the beach. But you won’t catch me jumping into a cold lake for anyone.

RATING: Cinquain

Other Reviews:

• People We Meet on Vacation

About the Author:

Emily Henry writes stories about love and family for both teens and adults. She studied creative writing at Hope College and the now-defunct New York Center for Art & Media Studies. Find her on Instagram @EmilyHenryWrites.