Book Club Discussion: Beach Read

[ufcasey]

It's the last Wednesday of the month, so it's time for our monthly book club discussion! This month's book is Beach Read by Emily Henry. As always, feel free to answer any, all, or none of the questions or just put your general thoughts about the book.

Optional questions:
1. There’s lots of discussions of the merits of women’s fiction. January feels annoyed she must always defend it and remarks that if women’s fiction were written by a man and featured a male protagonist, it would be considered the Great American Novel. Do you agree/disagree/have thoughts about this?

2. Both January and Gus are suffering from writer’s block and eventually decide to switch genres with both giving lessons on their respective genres to the others. We follow the stories they’re writing in great detail. Would you read either of those stories (Gus's novel based on the cult New Eden or January's novel based on a circus family)?

3. Every time they get too close, Gus runs away (literally). We eventually learn that Gus is separated and his wife cheated on him with his best friend. Did you feel this aspect of Gus's past and how it impacted his current actions was realistic? How did you feel about it?

4. In the end, January is confronted by his father's mistress and she finally reads his letters. How did you feel about her father's decisions/letters? How did you feel about January's reaction to it?

5. The title of the book is 'Beach Read' - do you feel this book is a beach read type book? Do you think the book title makes sense for what the book is about?

[abs]

I read this book last year. It was highly anticipated but it was a huge disappointment to me. I kept waiting for something to happen and it never really did. None of the characters were really likeable. This is generally my favorite genre but nothing about this book worked for me. I think I have it two stars.

[ufcasey]

Tagging people who might have read the book:
sunshineluv, konapoppy, expectantsteelerfan, travella, aurora, ssmjlm, abs, rootbeerfloat, tcu2003, jwright, AJL, mrspez07

[ssmjlm]

I pulled up my Goodreads review from last year:
"Solid 3 stars. The beginning does this book no favors and the whole "millennial woe is me" stuff was almost a DNF. And I'm a millennial! (Although an old one.) I found myself focusing on the lack of communication between the two main characters than their supposed writing. I don't know, for 2 characters who went from "disliking" each other, to spending a lot of time together, to then not spending time together, it was kind of jumbled. I can't say I'm a fan of the way the ending happened, but I honestly think I might be too old for this style of trope."

It says I read this in October and I've basically completely forgotten the whole book.

No, I would not have read any of the books they were supposedly authoring. I also don't get the need to defend women's fiction. It's a huge genre. I also don't get authors that seem to shine their career in a negative light in books, this happens A LOT.

[ufcasey]

So this was a bad book for me to read this month because a large part of the plot centered on January's dad who died and my own father passed away unexpectedly last month. So I'm not being objective on this, but I hated that entire plotline. Why in the world would someone write a letter to their kid every year on their birthday so that their child will understand more who their parent is? I don't know, it just seemed oddly self-centered. Usually it's a parent writing a letter about the accomplishments or fun things the child did in the past year - it's about the kid, not the parent. And even setting that aside, why in the world would you choose these birthday letters as your way of revealing that you cheated on your child's mother to your child? Happy Birthday! LMAO! And 'just in case' you gave a copy of that letter to a lawyer or something to have your mistress give it to your child along with a key to your secret house and secret boat along with all the other birthday letters so far? I just understood approximately 0% how that would have been logical planning for someone who did not know they were going to unexpectedly die before their child's next birthday.

[meowmaps]

For what it was, I thought it was decent. I’m a little foggy on the details because I read it last year and romance isn’t my usual genre. That said, I appreciated the attempt at some depth even if it wasn’t the best presentation. It did take me a bit to warm up to the characters and their storyline. But by the end I was rooting for them and hoping for that happy ending.

I definitely wouldn’t read either of January or Gus’s genre-switching books. I think maybe both of them had inflated egos about their literary efforts.

[aurora]

Overall I thought it was OK. It was a quick and easy read. Not really my usual gene (for some reason I enjoy historical love stories a lot more than modern).

I think my favorite part was her anger over her writing being sidelined into a "women's lit" genre. I have all sorts of feelings around men being seen as the default, which implies men's writing is for everyone but women's is for women.

I didn't care at all about the books they were writing, and the frequently-interrupted romance was pretty unbelievable.

[aurora]

ufcasey, I also thought the letters from her father were terrible, especially his revealing his affair that way. 100% about him.

[aurora]

I do think the cult story could be an interesting read - there is some deep stuff in that - but I worry that Gus is such a terrible communicator that the writing would be bad.

[konapoppy]

I’m so sorry for your loss ufcasey

I didn’t dislike this book as much as others in this thread, but I also didn’t love it. There was both too much going on and not enough.

It did lead to an interesting discussion of “chick lit” with a mixed gender book club that has read everything from Between the World and Me to Fun Home. Only a few of us in the group had read this genre, and most people actually liked the book. I think they surprised themselves. I do think this type of writing is discounted by a lot of men in the surface. But I imagine if heterosexual men read more of these - they might have a better understanding of women and attraction (yes yea, a generalization. But these books are very popular with women, so it can help men understand why. And yes, I know there are plenty of non hetero romance books out there. Just using this as an example).

[konapoppy]

Jun 30, 2021 9:02:48 GMT -5 aurora said:

I do think the cult story could be an interesting read - there is some deep stuff in that - but I worry that Gus is such a terrible communicator that the writing would be bad.

Someone in my club was interested in the cult stuff too! And LOL

[dontlook]

Jun 30, 2021 8:44:55 GMT -5 ufcasey said:

So this was a bad book for me to read this month because a large part of the plot centered on January's dad who died and my own father passed away unexpectedly last month. So I'm not being objective on this, but I hated that entire plotline. Why in the world would someone write a letter to their kid every year on their birthday so that their child will understand more who their parent is? I don't know, it just seemed oddly self-centered. Usually it's a parent writing a letter about the accomplishments or fun things the child did in the past year - it's about the kid, not the parent. And even setting that aside, why in the world would you choose these birthday letters as your way of revealing that you cheated on your child's mother to your child? Happy Birthday! LMAO! And 'just in case' you gave a copy of that letter to a lawyer or something to have your mistress give it to your child along with a key to your secret house and secret boat along with all the other birthday letters so far? I just understood approximately 0% how that would have been logical planning for someone who did not know they were going to unexpectedly die before their child's next birthday.

I’m so sorry for your loss. I completely agree with your comments. Why oh why would any parent do this to a child.

[tacokick]

I read it when it came out so it’s been a while. I remember thinking the end was a little flat. I thought it could make a cute rom-com movie. I thought the title was dumb and didn’t have much to do with the book.

I was interested in the cult stuff lol That added a little depth to his character. I was hoping they’d explore it more, it seemed like a missed opportunity.

I didn’t mind that the dad left those letters. He didn’t sound great and that’s exactly what I’d expect a somewhat self obsessed and oblivious person to do. It wasn’t like he was making it up. He was kind of a jerk and I guess feels like he should give her some sort of an explanation of what was going on. He was a bad parent. Bad parents do dumb things.

I felt like the author was trying to write a book that wasn’t straight up romance and more “general fiction” because there were a lot of details that were interesting enough but weren’t really necessary for the romance plot. The part where they stopped talking seemed really forced and I couldn’t see the point of it at all.

[travella]

I went in not expecting to like this book, but it wasn't bad. I gave it 3*. I found the characters very immature for their ages. I get that the characters are supposed to be broken, but they seemed too immature for being in their 30s. Their complete lack of communication with each other was frustrating. The dad was no better. Revealing his affair in his letters was very immature in my opinion.

The books they were writing seemed really cheesy. It added a level of cheesiness to the book. So, no I wouldn't read either of their books.

I felt that the title of the book was fitting. Especially since January reads the letters from her father at the Beach house.

[aurora]

Jun 30, 2021 11:06:20 GMT -5 tacokick said:

...
I didn’t mind that the dad left those letters. He didn’t sound great and that’s exactly what I’d expect a somewhat self obsessed and oblivious person to do. It wasn’t like he was making it up. He was kind of a jerk and I guess feels like he should give her some sort of an explanation of what was going on. He was a bad parent. Bad parents do dumb things.
...

I think this is my point: I don't like that he was a bad parent! I do agree that leaving the letters seems true to what we know if him as a somewhat selfish person whose selfishness shows up in his parenting, i.e., it "fits" from a literary perspective.

[tacokick]

Jun 30, 2021 19:27:23 GMT -5 aurora said:

Jun 30, 2021 11:06:20 GMT -5 tacokick said:

...
I didn’t mind that the dad left those letters. He didn’t sound great and that’s exactly what I’d expect a somewhat self obsessed and oblivious person to do. It wasn’t like he was making it up. He was kind of a jerk and I guess feels like he should give her some sort of an explanation of what was going on. He was a bad parent. Bad parents do dumb things.
...

I think this is my point: I don't like that he was a bad parent! I do agree that leaving the letters seems true to what we know if him as a somewhat selfish person whose selfishness shows up in his parenting, i.e., it "fits" from a literary perspective.

I guess the author was trying to come up with a reason to have her go to the cabin and be off romance? I agree that is seemed like a stretch. I remember thinking that the book had a lot of details packed in there IMO in an attempt to make it seem less romance novel-y.

[jwright]

I didn't love this book. I read it last year so I don't recall all the details. I just didn't like the framing of chick lit vs serious authors and the forced activities that fell under each category.

It's interesting, as I'm reading more this past year, I'm realizing how much authors lean on the same devices. I just read Emily Henry's "The People You Meet on Vacation" and it had a similar just friends but maybe more and a confined set of tasks/activities that the characters worked through. I liked People on Vacation much more though, partly because I liked reading about travel.

[abs]

Jul 1, 2021 8:59:42 GMT -5 jwright said:

I didn't love this book. I read it last year so I don't recall all the details. I just didn't like the framing of chick lit vs serious authors and the forced activities that fell under each category.

It's interesting, as I'm reading more this past year, I'm realizing how much authors lean on the same devices. I just read Emily Henry's "The People You Meet on Vacation" and it had a similar just friends but maybe more and a confined set of tasks/activities that the characters worked through. I liked People on Vacation much more though, partly because I liked reading about travel.

I hated People We Meet on Vacation, too.  Possibly even more.  I think this author isn't for me, lol.

[tacokick]

Jul 1, 2021 10:00:26 GMT -5 abs said:

Jul 1, 2021 8:59:42 GMT -5 jwright said:

I didn't love this book. I read it last year so I don't recall all the details. I just didn't like the framing of chick lit vs serious authors and the forced activities that fell under each category.

It's interesting, as I'm reading more this past year, I'm realizing how much authors lean on the same devices. I just read Emily Henry's "The People You Meet on Vacation" and it had a similar just friends but maybe more and a confined set of tasks/activities that the characters worked through. I liked People on Vacation much more though, partly because I liked reading about travel.

I hated People We Meet on Vacation, too.  Possibly even more.  I think this author isn't for me, lol.

I read it and honestly don’t remember a thing about it. It was just a few weeks ago too!

[meowmaps]

Jul 1, 2021 10:09:55 GMT -5 tacokick said:

Jul 1, 2021 10:00:26 GMT -5 abs said:

I hated People We Meet on Vacation, too.  Possibly even more.  I think this author isn't for me, lol.

I read it and honestly don’t remember a thing about it. It was just a few weeks ago too!

I have this in my digital library cart because I figured it would be a quick read. I guess it’ll be a hate read too? Lol

[ufcasey]

Jul 1, 2021 10:00:26 GMT -5 abs said:

Jul 1, 2021 8:59:42 GMT -5 jwright said:

I didn't love this book. I read it last year so I don't recall all the details. I just didn't like the framing of chick lit vs serious authors and the forced activities that fell under each category.

It's interesting, as I'm reading more this past year, I'm realizing how much authors lean on the same devices. I just read Emily Henry's "The People You Meet on Vacation" and it had a similar just friends but maybe more and a confined set of tasks/activities that the characters worked through. I liked People on Vacation much more though, partly because I liked reading about travel.

I hated People We Meet on Vacation, too.  Possibly even more.  I think this author isn't for me, lol.

This is good to know! I was wondering if the dad situation is what maybe put me off, but I think I will pass on reading that new book.

[dontlook]

Jul 1, 2021 10:00:26 GMT -5 abs said:

Jul 1, 2021 8:59:42 GMT -5 jwright said:

I didn't love this book. I read it last year so I don't recall all the details. I just didn't like the framing of chick lit vs serious authors and the forced activities that fell under each category.

It's interesting, as I'm reading more this past year, I'm realizing how much authors lean on the same devices. I just read Emily Henry's "The People You Meet on Vacation" and it had a similar just friends but maybe more and a confined set of tasks/activities that the characters worked through. I liked People on Vacation much more though, partly because I liked reading about travel.

I hated People We Meet on Vacation, too.  Possibly even more.  I think this author isn't for me, lol.

I enjoyed People We Meet On Vacation only because the authors note at the end said she purposely made both characters annoying lol. Not her actual words but that was the gist. She wanted them to be people we had to learn to like/love/root for. I read it get fast and laughed out loud serveral times. I’m sure if we did a discussion around it I could pick it apart but my overall I enjoyed reading it.

[abs]

Jul 1, 2021 12:18:50 GMT -5 dontlook said:

Jul 1, 2021 10:00:26 GMT -5 abs said:

I hated People We Meet on Vacation, too.  Possibly even more.  I think this author isn't for me, lol.

I enjoyed People We Meet On Vacation only because the authors note at the end said she purposely made both characters annoying lol. Not her actual words but that was the gist. She wanted them to be people we had to learn to like/love/root for. I read it get fast and laughed out loud serveral times. I’m sure if we did a discussion around it I could pick it apart but my overall I enjoyed reading it.

Oh interesting!  I was so mad that I wasted my time on this book I didn't even read that.  Well mission accomplished in a big way, lol!!  I really think I am just annoyed because rom-com is my genre and I just didn't find anything redeemable about either of her books.

[dontlook]

Jul 1, 2021 12:25:55 GMT -5 abs said:

Jul 1, 2021 12:18:50 GMT -5 dontlook said:

I enjoyed People We Meet On Vacation only because the authors note at the end said she purposely made both characters annoying lol. Not her actual words but that was the gist. She wanted them to be people we had to learn to like/love/root for. I read it get fast and laughed out loud serveral times. I’m sure if we did a discussion around it I could pick it apart but my overall I enjoyed reading it.

Oh interesting!  I was so mad that I wasted my time on this book I didn't even read that.  Well mission accomplished in a big way, lol!!  I really think I am just annoyed because rom-com is my genre and I just didn't find anything redeemable about either of her books.

I love rom-com and I usually judge the book on if I had a good time reading it vs the reality of the situations or holes in the plot line. It’s always fun to analyze them later in book club bc I usually leave with a completely different take on the book, spoiler, most of them are really bad lol.

I warned up to Alex but not Poppy. She seemed so immature.

[mie]

I thought Beach Read was fine and I enjoyed it when I read it last year. I didn't like the storyline with January's dad cheating and his letters to her.

[ssmjlm]

Jun 30, 2021 18:05:29 GMT -5 travella said:

I went in not expecting to like this book, but it wasn't bad. I gave it 3*. I found the characters very immature for their ages. I get that the characters are supposed to be broken, but they seemed too immature for being in their 30s. Their complete lack of communication with each other was frustrating. The dad was no better. Revealing his affair in his letters was very immature in my opinion.

Oh man, I got maybe mid to late 20s vibes. I hope they’re not in their 30s and still that insufferable. We’re even more doomed then!

[expectantsteelerfan]

I went into this one with no expectations, and then I found myself really enjoying it. What made it different and hooked me was the stuff about their books, the genres, the writers block, etc. I agree that the dad storyline was aggravating. I also found the descriptions during the sex scenes to be distracting and awful (I looked up my goodreads review and talked about how he kept 'fisting his hand' INTO actual body parts like her hip and it just sounded painful, and I immediately remembered thinking that as I read it. Hair I could understand, but hip???)