JUST FINISHED: Beach Read by Emily Henry.
Still reeling from her father’s death and the simultaneous discovery that he’d been having an affair, along with an awkward breakup and a serious case of writer’s block, January Andrews has absolutely lost her faith in happy endings… which is a problem, as she needs to submit a draft for her newest romance novel ASAP. But her new neighbour/former college nemesis may have a solution: switching genres for the summer! And forcing the jaded Gus to write a cheerful rom-com is almost as appealing a prospect as indulging her own new worldview with something distinctly the opposite…
This was such a cute romance! I wasn’t expecting (& didn’t get) too many dramatic turns to the plot, but Henry’s subversion of the grumpy/sunshine trope was really interesting, with jaded-but-wanting-to-believe-in-a-better-world Gus, and sunny-but-questioning-everything-she-ever-believed January… and I really loved both characters! January was a sympathetic lead, and Gus was an endearing love interest… and even though I never really doubted that things would turn out well for them in the end, the ups and downs of their relationship were very gripping.
The concept of their writing competition was a lot of fun, too, and I really wish that I could read both of their books! (Though maybe Gus’ more, as we learn less about it over the course of the novel…)
CURRENT READATHON STATUS: Not actually behind – I finished this and The Kingmakers (review to come!) at more or less the same time, so I only actually have one book left to read – but I feel behind. 😓 This book was for the Divine Beast Vah Ruta challenge, to read a book with a water-related word in the title, and also fulfilled the Duelling Peaks Tower bonus challenge, to read a book featuring a rivalry or competition. 😊 My next (& final) read will be The Second Sleep.
Books Read: 4
Pages Read: 1640
Hours Listened: 10:13
Main Challenges Completed: 4/5
Bonus Challenges Completed: 2/3
Nightjar's Jar of Books 