Book Review: Beach Read

 

I do not usually read romance novels. This was recommended to me because the premise- the distinction between literary fiction and women's fiction- is endlessly fascinating to me. I think they're the same thing, with the latter undervalued as women's work often is, getting less respect in elite book spaces but making up for it in sales because more book buyers are women.

In Emily Henry's Beach Read, two writers make a bet to trade genres in order to prove their merits. Because the book itself is a romance, the writers fall in love  and the story becomes largely focused on that.

I think of the romance genre as a subgenre of women's fiction, and if that's what you read, you will find these characters smart and complicated and entertaining.If you're a literary/women's fiction reader, you may find the will-they-won't-they takes up too much of the story. I was much more interested in the  main character's struggle to come to terms with the recent death of her father.

Book Review: Things to See in Arizona

 

I think this is the first YA novel I've read since Jodi Picoult, years ago. It's not my usual genre, but since I've loved so many of this  author's adult work, I thought I'd give it a try.

And I'm glad I did. Tuesday is going through some typically age appropriate, post-high school graduation angst: the over-protective parents she's just recognizing as flawed human beings, the hopeless crush that might not be so hopeless, the childhood best friend growing into a deeper, adult connection.

But on top of these things, a recent health diagnosis has her struggling to make sense of the future she's currently planning. As the book starts, she's definitely trying to maintain her self-protective denial. On a road trip designed to find her runaway father, she begins to find the bravery it will take to face the truth.