Beach Read has been very easily one of the best books I read so far in 2020 – not least because 2020 has been an absolute hellscape and most of what I’ve been reading has, unfortunately, been more informative nonfiction than light, fluffy escapism. What I’m saying is, I’ve been exposing myself to a lot more doom and gloom. So maybe part of why I loved this book so much is because I desperately needed to read it right when I did. But more on that in a bit.
Beach Read is a genuinely romantically comedic romantic comedy. (In college, one of my guy friends said he hated the name “rom-com” because they were never funny – while I’m choosing to ignore the inherent sexism and pompousness of that statement, I’m now self-conscious that my rom-coms are verifiably funny.)
January Andrews is in a lurch – she’s broken-hearted, broke, her father recently died and left her with his secret love-nest, and – oh! And to make matters worse, she has writer’s block 🙃
As bad as all that sounds, her grumpy new neighbor is also her college rival and acclaimed literary fiction author, Augustus Everett 😱 Did I say “bad”? What I meant to say was, frenemies to lovers and I’m 1,000% here for it.
January is concerned that Gus doesn’t respect her as a women’s literature writer, by virtue of the fact that he writes very nihilistic literary novels with unhappy endings, and for her – happy endings are literally what pays her bills. Except, with the revelation of her father’s hidden life, January’s faith in love is broken, thereby making her job that much harder. So you see her problem.
And so, a bet is made: the two authors must try writing the other’s genre. They help each other by taking them on field trips meant to inspire and instruct. January’s are cute date ideas: line dancing, Meg Ryan movie marathons, and a kiddie carnival. Gus takes her along to seedy and remote locations to research a defunct area suicide cult.
As these little adventures carry on, the banter and relationship unfolds. O! Such banter. I have a catnip, you guys, and it is witty, snarky banter. It is definitely laugh-out-loud funny, and I don’t give that distinction away easily.
But, thanks to the nature of Gus’ literary interests, and the dark place that we find January, this book has it’s very serious and gut punching moments.
Listen – I wasn’t expecting this novel to be as smart and witty and wonderful as it was, I’ll be the first to admit that. But it was. And I can’t recommend it enough. If there’s one book that you need during 2020, it’s this book: both as it’s antithesis and diversion.
lala poopsie books 