Annotation #2: ROMANCE

Beach Read

By Emily Henry

2020

380 pages

Published by Berkley


Synopsis: Broke and suffering writer’s block, January Andrews moves to the shores of Lake Michigan right into the secret house, and painful memory, of her late father’s affair. She plans to live mercifully rent free while clearing out the house’s contents and finishing her overdue novel, but when the next-door neighbor turns out to be her crush/writing nemesis from college the summer takes an unexpected turn. Augustus ‘Gus’ Everett has a “sexy-evil” smile and a pessimistic outlook on life. He writes moody literary fiction and, January suspects, looks down on her romance novels. A bet to see who can finish their book first, written in the other’s genre, prompts the two blocked writers to make shared research road trips that vacillate between the macabre and the cutesy. Amidst the hilarious banter Gus and January slowly grow closer, but how well does she really know him? January must decide how much love is worth and if she still believes in happily ever after.

 Romance Appeal: Beach Read is a hip and well-crafted contemporary romance that manages to blend several classic romance tropes into one relationship taking our couple from rivals to friends to lovers over the course of one shoreline summer that also represents a second chance for these opposites to attract! True to what Wyatt and Saricks call a “character-driven genre” (p. 217) Henry gives us a multi-dimensional heroine with a recently cataclysmic family background along with “everyday woman” qualities who must come to accept the similarly complex Gus and all his faults. Despite their obvious chemistry (seriously, the banter is top-notch, you can feel these characters grinning as they lob the witticisms back and forth) the path of courtship is fraught with misunderstanding, mistrust, and a beautiful ex-wife. The book itself is also a love letter to romance novels; the merits of the genre are passionately discussed by the romance-writing heroine and sure to delight romance readers. 

Setting: Henry delivers the reader to North Bear Shores, Michigan, a quaint town with a university and a bookstore/coffee shop that serves terrible coffee. Like any small town worth its salt the locals are idiosyncratic and the one person you don’t want to see is hard to avoid. The location serves up other charming gems possible in a small-town setting like a drive-in theatre and a country honky tonk- perfectly disarming locales for two worldly writers exiled from the city. Be warned however, there isn’t really much time spent on the beach or in the water as the title might suggest. 

Tone: While there is plenty of humor in this novel the overall tone is thoughtful and moving. January’s inner struggle to reconcile her idyllic worldview with a more nuanced reality, exposed by her father’s family betrayal, leads to contemplation on the nature of grief, relationships, and human nature. Gus’s research into a local cult that ended badly also adds depth to the novel’s thought-provoking quality. 

Language: It’s probably apparent by now but Henry’s style is banter-filled, which quickens the novel’s sense of pacing. All of the characters’ dialogue is well-crafted. Henry’s style is also informal, drawing the reader into Emily’s thoughts, feelings and flaws. 

Read Alikes: 

Evvie Drake Starts Over, by Linda Holmes 

  • Set in coastal Maine this contemporary romance also features neighbors turned lovers who must confront troubling events from their recent past before they can move forward into a happily ever after. The audiobook version, narrated by Julia Whelan and the author, is an excellent option. 
All Adults Here, by Emma Straub 

  • more aptly classified as literary fiction, this novel deals in dysfunctional family relationships, love, honesty, sexuality and self-discovery. Set in a quaint small town in New York. Especially for readers who like a large cast of characters. 
Would Like to Meet, by Rachel Winters 

  • Evie is tasked with getting a temperamental screenwriter to write the happy rom-com long-promised to the studio and subsequently spends a summer exploring classic movie meet-cutes as she attempts to prove that love is real in this contemporary romance. 

Non-Fiction: 

Dangerous Books for Girls: The Bad Reputation of Romance Novels Explained, by Maya Rodale 

  • Readers who loved January’s defense of romance novels in Beach Read can dig deeper into the genre’s historic stigma and uncover its inherent power 
Labor of Love: The Invention of Dating, by Moira Weigel 

  • This book not only explores the historical origins of dating but characterizes the culture of dating as we know it today. Primarily focused on Western white, heterosexual dating.


References:  

Wyatt, N. and Saricks, G. (2019). The Reader's Advisory Guide to Genre Fiction. (#3). ALA Editions

Comments

  1. AlexFebruary 28, 2021 at 11:44 AM

    I have to admit this sounds like something I would love to read! I tend to read light romantic novels when I am in-between books or am going on vacation. I think you did a fantastic job highlighting the book and capturing the "hip and well-crafted contemporary novel" essence of the work. The last line of your synopsis was enough to keep me intrigued and eager to find out her feelings about Gus. You even discuss the banter that occurs between the character in a way that is honest about the material, but is not negative against the author. It sounds like this book is a success that my millennial self would love to read!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Nicole ScurlockFebruary 28, 2021 at 8:22 PM

    Hi Abigail,

    I love witty banter! This novel seems right up my alley. The small-town Michigan setting sounds lovely, and I like the idea of two writers competing to finish a novel written in the other's genre. I'm glad you mentioned that most of the novel does not actually occur on the beach; the title definitely led me to believe it did. Nevertheless, I'd give this a read for the characters alone.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Abigail SmithFebruary 28, 2021 at 8:48 PM

      I would recommend it! But honestly I don't think there is a very good reason for this book to be called "Beach Read."

      Delete
  3. Erin CataldiMarch 3, 2021 at 1:13 PM

    I loved this book!! So charming. You did an EXCELLENT job on this write and really hit the nail on the head with the appeals. Full points!

    ReplyDelete

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