Genre: Chick Lit

If a book is billed as a romance novel but the romance isn’t the most memorable part of the novel, either the romance sucks or the story is so well developed that it punches much higher than typical for its genre. For me Beach Read falls into the latter category with such strong characterization and plot development that the romance sits comfortably in the backseat for most of the ride. There’s certainly a lot of romantic beats and some spicy scenes, but I found myself far more engrossed with both characters’ narratives and how they play off and almost heal from their broken pasts together. The plot is genius pairing off two authors with polar opposite styles and reversing them both in their professional work and in their personal lives. While there’s plenty of hilarious hijinks, Emily Henry’s sarcastic and snappy character banter elevates the material while still keeping the dialogue smart and witty (which I’m learning is the norm after also reading Book Lovers last month). I also thought the leads are both well-developed with elaborate backstories and upbringing and have great chemistry. I often find romance leads to either be too emotionally volatile and dramatic or stereotypically too…

A solid 4.5 that I’m tentatively rounding up as a nod to how well crafted this novel is. The dialogue between the various characters is snappy and the back and forth snark between Nora and Charlie is amazing (while also giving me uncanny valley to how I talk and respond at times). What I love about Book Lovers is it’s realist satirical tone poking fun at the common romance book tropes delivered via Nora’s first-hand expertise as a literary book agent; it’s so refreshing to read how it throws in a common trope and then runs with it as a self-aware joke. While it’s not categorized as a comedy per say, I often found myself chuckling thanks to the witty dialogue and smart humor (+some purposefully cringy business pun names). The last plot sequence in the last 70 pages or so is where the narrative started to stray from my personal taste. I was fully sold for majority of the story but I found Nora’s perspective and character to be a little off-putting. This is entirely a me thing; her character development and internal growth is excellent and relatable for many but is not something I connect or empathize with…

Am I going soft or slowly becoming a romcom fan? We’ll revisit this another day but here today I loved the The Bodyguard. Right out of the gate Hannah Brooks is a stellar protag that’s hilarious to read. I tend to be critical of romance novels as I often have problems with tone and the internal character voice being gratingly overdramatic, but The Bodyguard had me constantly chuckling and smiling. Hannah is still overdramatic but her self-awareness of how dumb she’s acting coupled with snappy humor keeps things fresh and engaging. The first half reminded me of a hypothetical modern cross between Miss Congeniality and the Proposal (the fish out of water tale of competent and professional woman and the fake dating for family tropes). And that alone would make it a fun yet cliched read. What really sold me on this book is the perfect balance between the focal romance between Hannah and Jack and the overarching plot of the personal protection service and threats made against Jack’s life. I often find romance novels have an uneven emphasis between the two parts or ping pong back and forth abruptly, however this one effortlessly incorporates both. The personal protection bodyguard…