Beach Read
Beach Read by Emily Henry
Published in 2020
Main Couple: Gus and January
The Story: Stuck next-door to her college nemesis in her late father’s secret home, January is trapped deep in a writing rut. In order to make him suffer, she challenges Gus to write a romance novel, while she tries her hand at a more serious work. Little did she know that a little “genre swap” might make her see things in a new way, including Gus.
The Sex: I was led to believe this book was smutty…There is sex. But I think my definition of smutty is different than the person who recommended it. Which is great! I’m here to celebrate and hold space for people who think this book is pearl clutchingly risqué and for those of us who wouldn’t bat an eye at this. It was vanilla, but passionate. There was more realistic and less realistic moments. (Who comes together their first time?) I appreciate the mentioning of safe sex and protection, so many books completely leave that out. PRACTICE SAFE SEX EVERYONE!!!!
Favorite Lines:
“His gaze settled on me again, his eyes nearly as solid and heavy as if they were hands.” Chapter 8 I want a moment like this!!!
“January, January, wherefore art thou, January?” Chapter 11 I will always cheer for a Shakespeare joke.
“I hadn’t felt like this in years - that almost painful weight of wanting, that paralyzing fear that any wrong move would ruin everything.” Chapter 14 This was a very real moment. There are times when the want and the passion is HUGE, but the human emotion of “what if” can fuck it up.
“Again his touch was infuriatingly light, but his gaze was so furiously dark it seemed to dig into me, and I rocked with his motion, responding to his touch.” Chapter 20 This one ticked me. Have ya’ll ever had a moment when the look in your partners eyes said “rough” to you but then the touch was gentle?
Least Favorite Lines:
**What I don’t like is January’s assumptions about Gus. She makes these big statements (in her head) like she’s figured him out instead of just talking to him. Communication people!!!**
“No one had chosen Gus. From the time he was a kid, no one had chosen him, and he was embarrassed by that, like it meant something about him.” Chapter 17 This line without context is fine, but it’s her own assumptions. She’s not really basing it on anything Gus had told her.
“I wanted to scream but all I could do was cry. I’d burned through all my anger, and fear was all that was left. Maybe that was what had been there all along, masked in thornier emotions.” Chapter 24 When I read this, I literally thought “Get the fuck over yourself. Nothing’s fucking happened.” She’s so ridiculous to me in this moment.
Final Thoughts: I was surprised to discover that I LOVED this book. Not just the sex scenes, but the story and the writing. I absolutely devoured it. Even if you’re looking for something a little more scandalous, this book is a fantastic read. I know that this platform is mainly to focus on the sex written about, but if a writer or a story is terrible it’s not likely that the sex will be good. There’s also something so fun about a writer who creates a character who is a writer. There’s a celebration of writing, and in this case, writing romance novels.
Spice Level: 1/5
Kinks Explored: None
Voices Heard: All white
Did I like it? I loved reading this book.
Edit: I loved her writing and characters interactions so much in the book, I’ve read Book Lover, People We Meet On Vacation, and Happy Place since. Let me know if you want posts for those books too!