I am thrilled about this series!! I’m going to read GBBL based on this review and I can’t wait to hear what you think of the other buzzy picks. I would also love to hear your thoughts on some of these winking/meta/basic??? titles. Did this start with Beach Read? How did we end up at a book literally called Problematic Summer Romance? Do we like this? I know nothing!
I think romance is a genre that's always enjoyed a little nod to itself but it's gotten much more winking as culture as a whole has gotten a lot more winking and self-reflexive and that it really accelerated with Beach Read. And I...do not love it, haha. I love an occasional clever reference but I'm not a fan of "can you believe we're doing this trope in real life?" bits. Let me relish my tropes wholeheartedly!
I also appreciated Emily Henry doing something new! I wonder how she really felt about it too…if she felt it was risky since people are so into her standard fare, if she was bored with the stuff she usually writes…I don’t think we’ll ever get that kind of candor from her but I’d be interested to know. I also liked this one because I found it a little less “banter-y” than her previous romances.
Based on the interviews I've read with her, I think she wants to keep on trying things? She used to write speculative YA before she went into adult romance so definitely the kind of writer who's unafraid to try something new.
I loved this new one by Emily Henry; it might be my favorite of hers, honestly. Everything about it interested me from the setting to the setup of the romance, the reclusive artist, the backgrounds of the two leads, etc. At first I was thrown by the inclusion of Margaret's story, but I found it to be so intriguing and added so much to the whole story. It reminded me a bit of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo with the older woman looking back on the challenges and effects of her privileged (?) life and the choices she made along the way. I don't know that I want every Emily Henry book to do exactly this from now on, but I do hope she keeps trying new things and introducing new types of storylines.
Great review and fun series! I always save the new EmHen for our summer beach vacation because her books are exactly what I want to read over the course of a single, lazy vacation day. I've been a fan since Beach Read came out.
I see someone else has already mentioned her, but I think Annabel Monaghan deserves to be a buzzy summer romance author even if she's maybe a little bit more under the radar than some of these other authors. I haven't read her newest title yet, I'm saving it for Memorial Day weekend, but her previous titles are perfect summer romance reads!
I've only read Nora Goes Off Script but I'm intrigued by her new one and the former child star heroine! I find people who've recovered from child stardom *fascinating*.
I loved GBBL for all the same reasons you wrote about. I'm so excited for EmHen to continue in this direction (and for her books to continue to be on the longer side...?? Haha). Can't wait to read more of your summer romance series!
Yes, I can't wait to see what she does next! I'm usually a firm "contemporary romance should be under 400 pages" person but this had me reconsidering my stance.
I so appreciate your thoughts and can't wait for the rest of the series! I enjoyed GBBL and thought the parts about Alice's family were particularly strong. And reading Henry's latest release always makes me dive back into her backlist which is comforting in its own way.
Yes, I found her relationship with her mom to be so nuanced and interesting! And I really liked that Henry lets that family relationship be complicated and imperfect, but still loving.
I am thrilled about this series!! I’m going to read GBBL based on this review and I can’t wait to hear what you think of the other buzzy picks. I would also love to hear your thoughts on some of these winking/meta/basic??? titles. Did this start with Beach Read? How did we end up at a book literally called Problematic Summer Romance? Do we like this? I know nothing!
I think romance is a genre that's always enjoyed a little nod to itself but it's gotten much more winking as culture as a whole has gotten a lot more winking and self-reflexive and that it really accelerated with Beach Read. And I...do not love it, haha. I love an occasional clever reference but I'm not a fan of "can you believe we're doing this trope in real life?" bits. Let me relish my tropes wholeheartedly!
I also appreciated Emily Henry doing something new! I wonder how she really felt about it too…if she felt it was risky since people are so into her standard fare, if she was bored with the stuff she usually writes…I don’t think we’ll ever get that kind of candor from her but I’d be interested to know. I also liked this one because I found it a little less “banter-y” than her previous romances.
Based on the interviews I've read with her, I think she wants to keep on trying things? She used to write speculative YA before she went into adult romance so definitely the kind of writer who's unafraid to try something new.
I loved this new one by Emily Henry; it might be my favorite of hers, honestly. Everything about it interested me from the setting to the setup of the romance, the reclusive artist, the backgrounds of the two leads, etc. At first I was thrown by the inclusion of Margaret's story, but I found it to be so intriguing and added so much to the whole story. It reminded me a bit of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo with the older woman looking back on the challenges and effects of her privileged (?) life and the choices she made along the way. I don't know that I want every Emily Henry book to do exactly this from now on, but I do hope she keeps trying new things and introducing new types of storylines.
I love this, Natalie! Looking forward to reading your thoughts on the other big romances of summer.
Great review and fun series! I always save the new EmHen for our summer beach vacation because her books are exactly what I want to read over the course of a single, lazy vacation day. I've been a fan since Beach Read came out.
I see someone else has already mentioned her, but I think Annabel Monaghan deserves to be a buzzy summer romance author even if she's maybe a little bit more under the radar than some of these other authors. I haven't read her newest title yet, I'm saving it for Memorial Day weekend, but her previous titles are perfect summer romance reads!
I've only read Nora Goes Off Script but I'm intrigued by her new one and the former child star heroine! I find people who've recovered from child stardom *fascinating*.
I loved GBBL for all the same reasons you wrote about. I'm so excited for EmHen to continue in this direction (and for her books to continue to be on the longer side...?? Haha). Can't wait to read more of your summer romance series!
Yes, I can't wait to see what she does next! I'm usually a firm "contemporary romance should be under 400 pages" person but this had me reconsidering my stance.
I so appreciate your thoughts and can't wait for the rest of the series! I enjoyed GBBL and thought the parts about Alice's family were particularly strong. And reading Henry's latest release always makes me dive back into her backlist which is comforting in its own way.
Yes, I found her relationship with her mom to be so nuanced and interesting! And I really liked that Henry lets that family relationship be complicated and imperfect, but still loving.
Loved the review and I’m excited to read your series!
Thank you so much!
I am so excited for this series! I also have the Annabel Monaghan on my TBR for this summer. Would love to know what you think of that one.
I really liked GBBL, and loved your review of course too.
Thank you! I've only read Monaghan's first novel but I'm curious about this one, especially with the Hollywood elements!