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.
"Readers are sure to fall hard for this meta, heartfelt take on the romance genre." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"A heartfelt look at taking second chances, in life and in love." —Kirkus Reviews
"This will still sweep readers off their feet. January's first-person narration is suitably poetic and effervescent, the small-town beach setting is charming, and the romance is achingly swoony." —Booklist
"That Henry can manage to both pack a fierce emotional wallop and spear literary posturing in one go is a testament to her immense skill." —Entertainment Weekly
"Reader, I swooned! Beach Read is a breath of fresh air. My heart ached for January, and Gus is to die for—a steamy, smart and perceptive romance. I was engrossed!" —Josie Silver, #1 New York Times bestselling author of One Day in December
"This is a touching and heartfelt book about love, betrayal, grief, failure, and learning how to love again. I adored going along on Gus and January's journey, and I closed this book with a satisfied sigh." —Jasmine Guillory, New York Times bestselling author of The Proposal
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Emily Henry is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of People We Meet on Vacation and Beach Read. She studied creative writing at Hope College, and now spends most of her time in Cincinnati, Ohio, and the part of Kentucky just beneath it. Find her on Instagram @emilyhenrywrites.
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