June 2021 Top Novel: "Beach Read" by Emily Henry

There’s something about a really well-done romance that leaves you feeling light, like someone just handed you a chilled lemonade on a hot day. Beach Read by Emily Henry was that for me: refreshing, a little tangy, a lot honest, and surprisingly tender in all the right places. I picked it up expecting a sweet escape. What I got was a story with more heart and depth than I was prepared for, and I loved every bit of it.

I’m always drawn to books that don’t shy away from emotional messiness, especially when they manage to still offer a sense of hope. This one doesn’t pretend love is easy. It shows you two people, January and Gus, who are bruised in different ways by life and grief and the weight of unmet expectations, learning how to really see one another through it all.

January is a romance writer who’s lost her belief in happy endings. Gus is a literary fiction author who’s too grounded in realism to imagine them in the first place. Both are stuck, both are avoiding, and both end up in neighboring beach houses for the summer, where they make a deal to switch genres and prove each other wrong. It’s a clever setup, but what makes it work is how their writing challenges mirror their inner healing. The banter is sharp, but the vulnerability that emerges feels raw and real.

What surprised me most about Beach Read was how much it explored beyond the romance. There are undercurrents of grief, strained family relationships, career insecurity, and rediscovering self-worth woven through every chapter. And yet, somehow, it still feels like a warm hug of a book, one that reminds you that even the most fractured parts of ourselves are worthy of being loved.

And let’s be honest—I’m a sucker for a beach setting with emotional stakes. There’s something about love stories that unfold in small towns with bookstore dates and late-night confessions that make you want to slow down and believe in the good stuff. I finished Beach Read feeling a little less jaded and a little more open to possibility, which I think is exactly what a good romance should do.

This isn’t just a summer fling of a novel—it’s definitely one that lingers. Whether you're already a fan of romance or someone who tends to roll your eyes at the genre, Beach Read is a story that respects your intelligence while asking you to feel deeply. It’s funny, sharp, heartfelt, and beautifully balanced.