by Emily Henry
4.8 · 4 reviewsTwo rival authors. One summer. A bet to write in each other's genre — and the very real risk of falling for the competition.
January Andrews built a career on happily-ever-afters, but lately her own life refuses to cooperate. Reeling from her father's death and a secret that shattered everything she believed about her parents' picture-perfect marriage, she retreats to a Lake Michigan beach house she didn't even know she'd inherited — broke, blocked, and out of ideas for the romance novel her publisher is waiting on.
The last thing she expects is to find Augustus Everett living next door. Once her college rival, now a celebrated writer of bleak literary fiction, Gus is everything January's sunny worldview isn't. When they discover they're both desperately stuck, they strike a deal: she'll try to write something dark and serious, and he'll attempt a love story with a happy ending. Neither believes the other can pull it off.
What starts as a contest turns into late-night road trips, awkward research field trips, and a slow unraveling of the wounds each of them has been hiding. The closer January gets to the truth about her father — and to Gus — the harder it becomes to tell where the assignment ends and real feeling begins.
First published in 2020.
4 reviews
Started here and immediately bought everything else she's written. Sharp writing, real emotional stakes, and a couple you actually root for. Perfect for a long weekend.
Genuinely funny and the chemistry is great, though the marketing as a breezy romcom undersells how much it deals with loss and family secrets. Still a solid read, just go in knowing it has weight.
Two writers betting they can write in each other's lane is such a fun setup, and it pays off. The slow burn had me gripping my Kindle. Gus and January's banter is everything.
I went in expecting a light summer read and got completely blindsided by the grief storyline. Henry balances the banter and the heartache so well. I laughed, I cried on a plane, no regrets.