Beach Read
Emily Henry, 2020
A romance novelist who has stopped believing in love inherits a lakeside cottage, a literary rival next door, and one summer to write a book she doesn't want to. Witty banter and a slow lakeside summer carry a warm, thoughtful voice, with grief and family pressing under the romance.
Feels like wonder and grief. About love, family and identity.
Who it’s for
You may like it if you enjoy contemporary romance with rival writers, small-town summer settings, and sharp, funny dialogue. The grief thread around her father’s letter gives it a sadder, heavier undercurrent than the playful premise suggests.
Why read it
It offers sharp banter, creative frustration, and an honest look at grief, making it a warm summer read with more weight than its playful setup implies.
A page from the book
What you lose the moment you finally open the last letter.
Either way, I’d fully intended to read the letter. I’d just been waiting for the right time, hoping the worst of my anger would settle and those last words from Dad would be comforting. Instead, a full year had passed and the dread I felt at the thought of opening the envelope grew every day. It was so unfair, that he should get the last word and I’d have no way to reply. To scream or cry or demand more answers. Once I’d opened it, there’d be no going back. That would be it. The final goodbye. Emily Henry.Beach Read was Emily Henry's first novel for adults after several YA books; it arrived in the first pandemic summer and became the novel readers pressed on each other.
Books that feel like this
More by Emily Henry
People We Meet on Vacation
Emily Henry, 2021
Two best friends who vacation together every summer have one last trip to fix what went wrong between them—and decide what they are.
Funny Story
Emily Henry, 2024
When her fiancé leaves her for his childhood best friend, a librarian moves in with the other person left behind and tries to rebuild.
Happy Place
Emily Henry, 2023
Three college friends, one Maine cottage, and a narrator carrying a secret through the happiest week of the year.
Where to get it
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Questions readers ask
- Is Beach Read for me?
- You may like it if you enjoy contemporary romance with rival writers, small-town summer settings, and sharp, funny dialogue. The grief thread around her father’s letter gives it a sadder, heavier undercurrent than the playful premise suggests.
- What is Beach Read like?
- Witty banter and a slow lakeside summer carry a warm, thoughtful voice, with grief and family pressing under the romance. Feels like wonder and grief. About love, family and identity.
- What should I read after Beach Read?
- If you liked Beach Read, try The Unhoneymooners (Christina Lauren), Mile High (Liz Tomforde) and Love, Theoretically (Ali Hazelwood).
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