Disclaimer – I received a free digital download of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. January Andrews had it all – perfect family, perfect boyfriend, perfect life…until she didn’t. Homeless, single, broke and one parent less – she finds herself moving into her fathers ‘loveshack’. The book touches on some very deep and personal topics through self contemplation of January and through her interactions with the people around her. I couldn’t help but join her in the self contemplation and have found myself coming out of the book with a slightly different mindset than when I entered. The end of the digital download I received had formatting issues with the final chapter which was rather sad for me and I wish it hadn’t been there. Especially I was feeling the loss of the book already, yet was eager to read January and Gus’ ‘happy for now’ happily ever after. Overall this was an exceptional read and I enjoyed the beautifully written storyline. I read in the acknowledgments at the end that the Author was suffering from a bad case of writers block and that ended up being the inspiration for this book, well I’m really thankful for the fruits of this particular writers block and if that is what the author can come up with when struggling to write – I’m eager to discover her other works!

What's your definition of a perfect beach read? Addictive, emotional, humorous and romantic? This story is all of these things with an intelligent pacy plot and believable, relatable characters. January and Gus are successful writers, they met at college but were not friends, now they are both experiencing difficulty writing their next book. January is grieving her father's death and the revelations that followed. Gus carries emotional damage from his childhood. Their first encounter is humorous but bordering on disastrous, but things improve, and they make a bet to write in each other's genre with life-changing results. The story explores genre and prejudices about female writers. It's also an emotional journey of self-discovery for our couple with angst, fun, romance and tears. The perfect beach read. I received a copy of this book from Penguin UK via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

The rivals to lovers dynamic can be hard to get right, but Emily Henry makes it look easy.Her secret probably lies in the fact that her work goes beyond the bounds of your typical rom com, evoking complex topics and feelings that round the book into a three dimensional love story. This book feels closer to the truth than rom coms usually do, and I think that’s why it’s so addictive.I adored everything about this book. Emily Henry is going on my “always buy” list.

January Andrews is in a mess. When her father dies suddenly, she discovers that he’d had a mistress for years and a beach house in Michigan. She’s broke, her boyfriend’s left her and the publishers are waiting for her next book. She heads out to the house to clear it and hopefully write another novel, but instead meets college antagonist Gus Everett, who is also nursing troubles of his own. I loved the Beach Read - it’s a perfect summer story. The fact that the two characters are writers, January of romantic fiction, Gus of more darker material, makes it even more enjoyable. The background characters of Pete and Maggie, trying a little matchmaking alongside their Russian Whites and spy novel book club, would make interesting subjects for a follow up story. A good storyline, good characters and a beach setting, albeit of Lake Michigan rather than the sea, all add up to a cracking read.

January is having a terrible time. Her father has died and left her a house, which would be good except for the circumstances around which she has inherited it and her latest book isn't being written because she can't focus on true love overcoming all obstacles when everything in her life is telling her it isn't true. Worse, she finds herself living next door to her nemesis from college, Gus, who writes serious books and always looked down his nose at her. Or did he? January and Gus form an unlikely friendship and agree to swap genres to get over their writer's block. January finds herself attempting to write a grim, serious novel and Gus has a crack at romance. Each agrees to teach the other the tricks of their trade, but are they getting more than they bargained for? This is a lovely romance with a great deal of heart. I enjoyed it very much. It has a serious edge which I found very appealing and which gave the book some heft.