Beach Read by Emily Henry

January Andrews arrives at her deceased father’s house on the shores of Lake Michigan with trepidation. All her life, she thought her parents had a stable, loving marriage. Then, at her father’s funeral, she finds out that he had a long term affair in his hometown on the shores of Lake Michigan. Now, she decides to spend the summer at his secret beach house, cleaning it out and hoping to break her writer’s block. January is a best-selling author of women’s fiction and owes her publisher a draft of her next novel by the end of the summer.

It turns out that her writing rival from college (University of Michigan), Gus, lives in the beach house next door. Their competitive, prickly relationship from college resurfaces immediately and their competitive nature arises again. January and Gus decide to write their next book in the other’s genre: January writes a literary fiction novel and Gus writes women’s fiction, and throughout the summer they give each other lesson’s on how they research for their writing.

Beach Read explores the assumptions we make about people and relationships. January and Gus each have their own disappointments, fears and pain that are not obvious to the other. By the end of the summer, January learns that even her assumptions and perceptions of her parents’ ‘perfect marriage’ are an illusion.

What resonated with me in Beach Read is that people are more complex than we realize (or want them to be). January is devastated by the revelation of her father’s infidelity and frustrated by her mother’s refusal to discuss it. Many of us only see our parents through our eyes as children. But they are human, make mistakes, and deal with pain in complex ways – just like all of us. Our perceptions of their relationship are rarely completely accurate.

Gus and January also have their own perceptions of each other and remember their college experiences a bit differently. They make assumptions based on those perceived opinions, feelings and experiences. Only by eventually airing those perceptions and being vulnerable enough to share their fears, do they truly understand each other.

Beach Read isn’t just a ‘beach read’ that glosses over differences and has an easy, happy ending. Henry has created complex, realistic characters and doesn’t tie everything up with a bright red bow. Life doesn’t work like that. But she doesn’t leave us disappointed either.

Happy Reading!