What happens when two authors of different genres live next door to each other, and challenge each other to write in each other’s genre? You get – BEACH READ!

FIRST IMPRESSIONS:

My first thought in picking up this book was that this would be a light and fluffy read. You know – like a beach read! I had just finished watching a Hallmark movie about 2 writers that push each other and fall in love, the Hallmark way, and I felt it would be just like that. Silly me.

SUMMARY: A romance writer who no longer believes in love and a literary writer stuck in a rut engage in a summer-long challenge that may just upend everything they believe about happily ever afters. Augustus Everett is an acclaimed author of literary fiction. January Andrews writes bestselling romance. When she pens a happily ever after, he kills off his entire cast. They’re polar opposites. In fact, the only thing they have in common is that for the next three months, they’re living in neighboring beach houses, broke, and bogged down with writer’s block. Until, one hazy evening, one thing leads to another and they strike a deal designed to force them out of their creative ruts: Augustus will spend the summer writing something happy, and January will pen the next Great American Novel. She’ll take him on field trips worthy of any rom-com montage, and he’ll take her to interview surviving members of a backwoods death cult (obviously). Everyone will finish a book and no one will fall in love. Really. 

WHAT I LOVED: This book is so much more than the light and fluffy beach read that the title and cover led me to believe. Sure, there are pieces of Hallmark movie threaded throughout the story, but there’s also the information about January coming to terms with her father’s death, and learning what secrets lie beneath her parents marriage. The rivalry between the authors. Learning all about Gus, piece by piece. The passion that simmers underneath. It all ties in together so well and makes a masterpiece of a story. Don’t let the light and fluffy summary fool you – this story has heart, excitement, and a bit of a mystery thrown in as the cherry on top of a great story!

WHAT MADE ME SCRATCH MY HEAD: The author, Emily Henry, is a fabulous writer. But I couldn’t help but notice how every scene when someone hugged, kissed, or did anything in the affection or sexy arena did something with their hips. Hips were grabbed. Hips were swiveled. Hips hips hips hips hips. My hips don’t lie – there are many other body parts to throw in there. Bit of a distraction for me. (If that’s the worst thing about this book, then you must run out IMMEDIATELY and read this book!

FINAL THOUGHTS: READ THIS BOOK! It comes out today and you will not be disappointed! I also want to buy a house on a beach. This is the second book in a row I have read about this. I miss the beach.

WHERE DID THIS BOOK COME FROM: I ordered this book from my Book of the Month subscription! So worth it.