August 2020 Standalone BOTM - Beach Read, by Emily Henry

[Alaina]

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.

Until, 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.

[Agne]

Chapter 1-9
(view spoiler)[ So far I don't know how I feel about the book.. I do enjoy my time reading it, but I am not to the point where I am so invested that I can not put the book down. But I have a feeling it will just get better.
I think January will learn more about her dad and what his real life was. Maybe she will forgive him?
Can't wait to see how good of a romance book Augustus will write when he doesn't believe in HEA. (hide spoiler)]

[Alaina]

OMG HI AGNE! Haven't started this but I have super excited to do so

[Jammin Jenny]

Book 1 Chapters 1-10

I really liked the opening line of the book. This book is teaching me a lot about Korean culture and Asian prejudices.

[Agne]

Alaina wrote: "OMG HI AGNE! Haven't started this but I have super excited to do so"

Surprised to see me here? LOL I feel like im a book slump that's lasting a million years. But I'm trying...trying.

[Alaina]

Agnė wrote: "Alaina wrote: "OMG HI AGNE! Haven't started this but I have super excited to do so"

Surprised to see me here? LOL I feel like im a book slump that's lasting a million years. But I'm trying...trying."

Omg why am I just seeing this comment now! Also yes I am so happy that you are back! I’m super excited to dive into this book. Hoping to do so sometime this week.

[Nicole]

Chapter 1 (view spoiler)[ A lake house where 56.6% of romance novels begin I really hope that this is not going to be the typical beach romance. girls meets boy. boy is not who girl thinks. girl overreacts. everyone gets over it and happily ever after (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 9 (view spoiler)[So this will be interesting to see who wins this bet....and i like how they threw in stuff about A Walk to Remember that movie does not get nearly enough credit for how good it is (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 14(view spoiler)[ The chemistry between these two is out of this world. Their banter back and forth is also cracking me up! (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 21(view spoiler)[ I think she is freaking out about nothing I don't think they are going to be a one time thing. Their chemistry is just too much to be a one time thing I know it (hide spoiler)]

[BabyLunLun]

35% (view spoiler)[I am actually kinda bored with this. This whole lecture each other to write about their genre thing doesnt interest me.

It says Beach Read. I was expecting something really cute. A summer romance. But January is boring and whines a lot (hide spoiler)]

[BabyLunLun]

56%

(view spoiler)[ Took so long to get good oh. Finally some angst. I dont care much about all their plotting adventure haha. Lets see how Gus explain why he didnt told her about his divorce (hide spoiler)]

[BabyLunLun]

79%

(view spoiler)[Nice that they made up again and having sex (hide spoiler)]

[BabyLunLun]

Finished

(view spoiler)[Fucking book feel like it never end. I dont want to hear about January's daddy issues (hide spoiler)]

[Kelly]

Chapter 6: (view spoiler)[Her father having another life is horrible. And finding out after his death, even worse. And then the woman talked to her, arg I would hate to be January :(

So the neighbor we first met was Augustus or did I get that wrong? How come she didn't recognize him then? -I'm confused- (hide spoiler)]

[Kelly]

Chapter 14 - (view spoiler)[I really like the banter but I'm a bit nervous that she seem to fall in love when he's never been serious with a woman and had plenty of casual sex. (hide spoiler)]

[Alaina]

I think I'm going to dive into this tomorrow!

[Kelly]

Nicole wrote:"
Chapter 21[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[I think she had a good reason to worry. He was acting colder starting with that phone call and knowing his past but yeah it's a romance so we know it won't be just a one time thing :) (hide spoiler)]

[Kelly]

Alaina wrote: "I think I'm going to dive into this tomorrow!"

Yay

[Kelly]

Chapter 24 - (view spoiler)[Come on... nooo... not the ex-trope where she comes back wanting to get him back :( And then her father's mistress showing up... I knew it was going to happen but I don't really want to hear it. (hide spoiler)]

[Kelly]

Finished - (view spoiler)[I really liked it but I think I had a little too high expectations for this one. (hide spoiler)]

[Nicole]

Kelly wrote: "Finished - [spoilers removed]"

Kelly wrote: "Nicole wrote:"
Chapter 21[spoilers removed]"

[spoilers removed]"
That could be. I went in with no expectations at all if anything they were very low and I loved it so that could be. Was just a fun read and I liked all the characters

[Alaina]

I AM FINALLY STARTING THIS. Ugh, I hate meetings. They ruin everything.

[Alaina]

Ch 6: (view spoiler)[Yikes, that was a lot to find out. Definitely feel bad for January right now.. (hide spoiler)]
Ch 15: (view spoiler)[Wait, why does it matter if he was married before hand? Or am I missing something? (hide spoiler)]

[Alaina]

Ch 22: (view spoiler)[Okay.. not going to lie January is kind of annoying me lol. I get that Gus is giving her constant whiplash but then she gives me that. (hide spoiler)]

[Alaina]

Finished: (view spoiler)[Okay, it was kind of cute.. but at the same time they annoyed me? (hide spoiler)]

[Marissa]

Chapters 1-9 (view spoiler)[
This is actually kind of cute/fun so far. I think January is giving Gus too hard of at time. Maybe he was different when she was in college, but he doesn't seem that bad right now. I can see where this book is going, but I am looking forward to it. (hide spoiler)]
Chapters 10-15 (view spoiler)[
I can't believe how much Pete revealed about Gus's past! He was married?! January shouldn't get that offended that he hasn't told her all this yet, though. They haven't known each other that long. Gus at least told her about his parents. (hide spoiler)]
Chapters 16-21 (view spoiler)[
Ahhhh all of Gus's mixed signals are driving me crazy! I understand that he doesn't like to let people close to him, but his mood seems to flip so unexpectedly. (hide spoiler)]
Chapters 22-28 (view spoiler)[
This wasn't that bad. I was hoping that it would have more cute moments, but the amount of those moments seemed to decrease as the book continued. I liked the ending, though. I still think that Gus and January make a good couple. (hide spoiler)]

[Marissa]

Alaina wrote: "Finished: [spoilers removed]"

I 100% agree!

[Deanie]

Chapters 1-9 (25%)
(view spoiler)[
So, this is one of our group's books of the month, and a special at our local bookstore, so I figure that was fate's way of telling me to read it. Not sure what I think at this point. I'm having a hard time getting into it. Hopefully once the writers get into writing it'll get more interesting. (hide spoiler)]

[Alaina]

Marissa wrote: "Alaina wrote: "Finished: [spoilers removed]"

I 100% agree!"

hahaha yes!

[Deanie]

Chapters 10-16 (50%)
(view spoiler)[So, it's a little bit more interesting with the bet and their attempts to each write a different kind of novel. Still, not much is happening. I hope January at least gets to confront her father's mistress and get closure on that part. (hide spoiler)]

Chapters 17-22 (75%)
(view spoiler)[ I don't think anything in this book needs a spoiler warning, because nothing ever happens. Does their investigation into the cult have anything to do with the rest of the book?
(hide spoiler)]

Chapters 23-28 (100%)
(view spoiler)[ If the rest of the book had been like chapters 23-27, I would have liked the book a whole lot more. I really liked the part where January was dealing with the fallout from her father's affair and his death. That would have made an excellent book. Instead, most of the book is just kind of 'meh.' And it's not a beach read. Is there even a beach in it? Seems like false advertising. (hide spoiler)]

[Alaina]

Deanie wrote: "Chapters 1-9 (25%)

So, this is one of our group's books of the month, and a special at our local bookstore, so I figure that was fate's way of telling me to read it. Not sure what I think at this ..."

Yeah, it did start off pretty slowly.

[Alaina]

Deanie wrote: "Chapters 10-16 (50%)
[spoilers removed]

Chapters 17-22 (75%) ..."

Lol, yeah it had it's cute moments but it also felt like nothing really happened until the end of the book.