January Andrews may be a bestselling romance novelist in Beach Read by Emily Henry ($7), but she's currently dealing with some major writer's block. Not so fortunately for her, her temporary next door neighbour just so happens to be her nemesis, acclaimed author Augustus Everett. A little friendly competition never hurt, so the two decide to spend the summer challenging each other to take on the other's genre. Best case scenario: they each find some creative inspiration and finish their respective novels. Worst case scenario: they fall in love.
Why It's Memorable: My love for this book has been well-documented, but I can't talk about sex scenes without mentioning the first one in it. Emily Henry has this ability to document urgency through her writing, so the scene between January and Gus feels frenzied in the best way. It's also funny, which I feel like is rare. The sex scene in her sophomore novel People We Meet on Holiday has similar vibes and is also a good one!
Favourite Line: "'I've wanted you for so long,' he hissed, hands tightening on my ass.
A thrill rippled through my chest at the rasp of his voice. 'I have too,' I admitted in a hush. 'Since that night at the drive-in.'
'No,' he said firmly. 'Before that.'"
Spice Level: 🔥🔥