Price: $35.00 - $18.51
(as of Aug 10, 2025 02:18:50 UTC – Details)
Emily Henry’s beloved New York Times bestselling novel now in this stunning hardcover collector’s edition featuring:
• A shimmering revamped cover
• Sunset sky art endpapers and sprayed edges
• Gold foil stamped case, and…
• A new introduction from the author and a bonus January and Gus epilogue, “The Layover”
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.
Then 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.
“A tender, thoughtful, and very funny book…it’s not only convincing but infectious.”—The New York Times Book Review
From the Publisher
Publisher : Berkley
Publication date : October 1, 2024
Edition : Deluxe
Language : English
Print length : 400 pages
ISBN-10 : 0593817419
ISBN-13 : 978-0593817414
Item Weight : 2.31 pounds
Dimensions : 6.35 x 1.11 x 9.32 inches
Best Sellers Rank: #16,173 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #9 in Contemporary Women Fiction #19 in Romantic Comedy (Books) #47 in Contemporary Romance (Books)
Customer Reviews: 4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 91,603 ratings var dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction; P.when(‘A’, ‘ready’).execute(function(A) { if (dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction !== true) { dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction = true; A.declarative( ‘acrLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault”: true }, function (event) { if (window.ue) { ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } } ); } }); P.when(‘A’, ‘cf’).execute(function(A) { A.declarative(‘acrStarsLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault” : true }, function(event){ if(window.ue) { ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } }); });
Customers say
Customers find this book to be a great summer read with a charming love story and relatable characters whose struggles feel authentic. Moreover, the book shows real human emotions and touches on various topics, making it heartwrenching and deeply moving. However, the pacing receives mixed reactions, with some finding it quick to read while others say it starts slow. Additionally, the language receives mixed feedback, with some appreciating the appropriate title while others find it wordy about unnecessary details.
Shani –
Perfect Summer Romance!
I’m obsessed with anything Emily Henry writes, and I decided now was as good a time as any to do a full EmHen reread, so I’m starting with Beach Read and going from there. I loved this book. It was funny, angsty, full of banter and snark, tugged on my heartstrings, and had the sweetest romance imaginable. I love books about writers, and this one was so much fun because January is a romance/women’s fiction author and Augustus writes serious literary fiction. They met in a college writing class, where he was pretentious and she resented him for looking down on romance books. They end up being neighbors years later, and challenge each other to write a book in the other’s genre, and it leads to them spending all their time together and falling in love. Their relationship alternated between witty comebacks, simmering tension, and emotional connection, and I adored every second of it. Beach Read is soulful, honest, and emotional, and I couldn’t get enough of it.📔Beach Read✏️ Emily Henry📆 May 19, 2020⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️READ IF YOU LIKE:📚opposites attract📚two writers📚rivals to lovers📚she hates him📚banter📚family drama and secrets
Francine Fee –
Great banter between characters
The banter between the two characters was terrific. The ending of course was pretty much predictable but the premise for them writing their stories was great.
London Eady –
great read
Loved this book! Excellent love story . Made you think about love and life . Always love this authors books
LMS –
Disappointing
This is my third Emily Henry book. My favorite is Book Lovers. Happy Place I also really enjoyed. But this one…I have very mixed feelings about.What I likedI loved the setting of a summer cottage. I love that both Gus and January are both writers. The banter and chemistry between them was top notch. The characters in this book have depth. Their struggles feel authentic. This book is definitely a slow burn. The spice is perfection. Definitely open door, but not overly graphic or explicit. I loved the letters January received from her father.What I Didn’t LikeAlmost every time January and Gus went somewhere, they ended up getting drunk. It got very old after awhile. I also felt like January and Gus used both sex and alcohol to avoid dealing with their issues.Gus is very emotional distant. He has a lot of issues with relationships. He doesn’t believe in happily ever after. He has a complicated relationship with his ex. I feel like he wasn’t willing to take responsibility and truly address his issues. Instead, he isolates, avoids, and wallows in self pity. The way he treated January after the first spicy scene was not okay. I lost respect for Gus more and more as the book went on. January deserved better. But she allowed Gus to continue to hurt and essentially use her. She didn’t stand up to him. She didn’t hold him accountable. She didn’t give him an ultimatum. Their relationship started out very solid and strong. But as the book went on, it got more hollow and toxic. Their relationship felt more like a summer fling than a relationship that was built to last. They had some major issues that were never really discussed, much less resolved.I definitely want to read more Emily Henry, but this one was a miss for me.
Jessie –
It’s just so beautiful
Despite being well informed when it comes to how much Emily Henry books devastate others emotionally, I was in fact NOT prepared for my own devastation. There are a few synchronicities between this book and my life right now, which added to my own emotional response. The scenes were crafted beautifully, and the characters are wonderfully imperfect. It was a perfect introduction to her writing.
Suzanne. –
Resolving writers block
By chance two writers recognize that they have met years ago at the University of Michigan while studying writing. Both have previously published books but are currently suffering a writers Block while their agents and editors become increasingly impatient for a promised new book.As next door neighbors, they’re initially antagonistic to each other but eventually settle in sharing ideas and research runs for their books. Their relationship improves as the books progress and soon they realize they’ve always been in love with each other.The book is an easy read, good to read how writers overcome a block and more important how relationships affect creative writing.
JayNikki –
The Kind of Love That Finds You—and Wrecks You, Beautifully
“I’ve never met someone who is so perfectly my favorite person.”Five stars, no question. Beach Read is everything I’ve come to expect (and crave) from Emily Henry—funny, heartfelt, emotionally layered, and utterly addictive. She knows exactly how to take you from giggling to gut-punched in a single chapter, and this book delivers that emotional whiplash in the best way.I connected deeply with January—her grief, her writer’s block, her inner cynic grappling with lost idealism. And Gus? I fell for him right alongside her. Their banter is sharp, their chemistry electric, and their emotional growth so genuine it hurts in the best way. The slow burn was masterfully done, and the intimacy (emotional and otherwise) felt raw and real.If you’ve ever been in love, questioned everything, or needed someone to pull you back from the edge with nothing but a quiet presence and a sarcastic quip—this book is for you.
M o o n ii e –
deep, soft read
this is a lovely soft read. perfect for a solo date outside at the park, laying on a blanket at the beach or a rainy day at home.i was trying to move on from a fantasy series hangover and it took me a while at first to connect with this book but when i finally did i fell in love with the idea of where both January and Gust stayed. the idea of living so close to the beach is a dream.it is a read about love, heartbreak, grief and understanding that your parents aren’t perfect and sometimes in life, we meet our person before we are ready.thank you Emily Henry for this deep, soft read.i look forward to reading more of your books !
Yaneli Chávez Arias –
Even tough it’s a love story, I didn’t feel like it was too predictable and enjoyed the struggles that both of the characters had, things that they dealt with on their own but with the other’s support. Great and light read.
Ali’s Adventures –
REVIEWcw: mentions of cancer, adultery, death, grief, religious cults and violence, child abuse and DVFormer college rivals, now authors Augustus Everett and January Andrews’ novels couldn’t be any different. One writes literary fiction, the other romance. The only thing they have in common? Both have severe writer’s block. When they inadvertently reunite at neighbouring lakeside houses, they strike a deal to force themselves out of their creative ruts: Augustus (Gus) will write a draft of January’s romance novel and January will write an Augustus-style bleak literary fiction novel.This was not the book I thought it was going to be. At all. I mean that in the best possible way. I genuinely thought I was about to read a light-hearted, frothy romance, especially given the blurb (I hasten to add, I also LOVE reading these types of stories), but instead, I was treated to a nuanced examination of overcoming grief, betrayal, childhood trauma, and mistrust.I loved January. My heart broke for her as she had to slowly make sense of her past, alongside the reality of the lies that had been woven by her father. I found these parts so well-written, especially considering this was a debut novel. Cheating is a bit of a trigger for me, so I never expected to feel so much compassion for Sonya, and definitely not for January’s father. While neither she nor Walt’s actions were acceptable, the author allowed us to see their regrets, and I loved how January was able to realise her own fortitude after the revelations. As for the letters? I was sobbing, utterly wrecked reading them alongside January. I also appreciated how she reassessed her previous relationships, particularly this line:He fit so perfectly into the love story I’d imagined for myself that I mistook him for the love of my life.I don’t think I’ve ever identified with a character more! I completely empathised with her mistrust and self-doubt about relationships from the depths of my heart, but I LOVED how she was slowly able to open up to Gus, and the development of their relationship was so moving.I loved Gus immediately. He was such a complicated cinnamon roll with so many layers. My heart broke for him when he revealed some of his past and the way he’d processed his trauma. It’s no secret I ADORE pining, and it was done SO well here. They were so cute together, and their chemistry felt authentic. C.23 was utter perfection, and, even though I’d seen it coming, I was fist-pumping the air when he was finally able to open up to January. And the banter! It was SUBLIME. I loved the shorthand of their conversations as the story progressed as well as all of their notes to each other. I also loved their people-watching stories, as well as their conversations with hypothetical storylines. I would definitely read the Ferris wheel operator story, Gus’s cult romance, as well as ‘Family Secrets’, not to mention their entire back catalogue of published books.While this was a gorgeous slow-burn, (kinda) second-chance, enemies-to-lovers romance, aside from the romance and family drama, there was some excellent commentary on creative writing. January was so relatable, and I identified with her writer’s block. Those scenes made me itch with understanding, and even though I’ve never published anything, the anxiety over deadlines was so relatable and engaging. I also loved the research ‘dates’ they went on, and though it was heartbreaking, the interviews with the cult member’s relatives were fascinating. January’s friend, Shadi was hilarious but also wise, and I adored Pete, Gus’s aunt, and her wife Maggie. They were hilarious but also so tender towards both Gus and January. The ending tied everything up perfectly, and I LOVED that they expressly spoke of HFN. And while I ADORED Gus reciting January’s dedication from her first novel, his dedication at the end was truly swoon-worthy.Utter perfection.Overall Rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️Heat Rating: 🔥🔥
popi –
So much of this book was simply wonderful. I loved how much dialogue there was between January and Gus. Good dialogue. Importanr dialogue. I love how they truly got to know and see each other. Emily Henry’s writing style is just beautiful: smart, witty and funny and never at the expense of depth and warmth. The way the author dealt with both January’s and Gus’s trauma felt right to me. All the past and recent experiences that made them who they are were hinted at (in Gus’s case) and full on explained (in January’s) in a way that was meaningful. But there was something missing for me that made the reading experiences less than perfect – true reciprocity. While Gus laid down his heart completely before January, telling her not just how much he felt for how but also how long, why he acted the way he did back when they were in college all those years ago, and generally rendering himself completely vulnerable before her, January never reciprocates in words. While he tells her he was sure she hated him back in college because she never looked at him, and she’s presented with the perfect chance to correct his misconception, she never takes it. We as readers are told that January had had a crush on him back in college and actually had a hard time not staring at him whenever she had the chance, only looking away before he caught her, Gus is never told those truths. Gus makes the great romantic confessions and January responds with single words or a single sentence at most. While he dedicates his book to her with the warmest, most beautiful words, we never learn who she dedicated her book to or what words she chose. And that feels like such a missed opportunity. Why not have the female protagonist be as brave and generous with her words – and not just her thoughts – as the male protagonist? Why have him make promises of forever and generously handing out love and reassurances while hers remain in her mind and are never articulated to the man she supposedly loves just as much as he loves her? I’ll never be able to wrap my mind around this imbalance that sadly exists in so many of the stories within this genre.
Ha2005 –
This book is really hood I liked the characters and everything.
a. lloyd spanton –
Well, it doesn’t look like there’s going to be many beaches in our near future, so I was happy to let Emily Henry bring the beach to me. I have read all of Henry’s books, The Love That Split The World is still one of my favourites and I think about it often. I feel almost like she’s a childhood friend and I am so happy and excited every time she writes a new book.I love it when writers write about writing, even if it’s through their characters. Beach Read gave us two very different writers, but both with their own love and appreciation of the art. And paralyzing writers block. Henry weaves some really great comments and descriptions of writing and reading into these character’s personalities, whether they are her own thoughts or not, and I loved being able to bond with them over my own love of writing.This book felt like a hipster beach read, which I suppose is what it was supposed to be, at least on the surface. There are trendy pop cultural references and Juno-like conversations. But somewhere in the middle, the feel starts to shift and the puffy pink romance gets a bit deeper and a bit darker, asking a lot of the characters as they self examine and try to sort out their messy lives and a boatload of complicated feelings that stem beyond the romance in front of them. Or more specifically, next door.I’m not one to read books that can be described as steamy, but I’m lacking for any other word that could sum up the romantic part of this. I was expecting the romance, thought it would be more of the rom-com type, but boy does Henry know how to write a brooding, sultry love story and it seeped past my cold exterior, filling me with some kind of warmth. This was the kind of book that I didn’t want to end, the kind of book where I’m rooting for a happy ending.I have read all of Henry’s books and there is a noticeable progression in her work; she seems to always write about love and family, usually in an uplifting and light air, but with every new book, she is stretching those themes in different directions, exploring different approaches. Sure, that means that maybe not every book will hit me quite like her first did, but it also makes me feel like I am discovering a new talented storyteller every time I see her name and I love that.