Augustus Everett is an acclaimed author of literary fiction. January Andrews writes bestselling romance. When she pens a happily ever after, he kills off his entire cast.
They’re polar opposites.
In fact, the only thing they have in common is that for the next three months, they’re living in neighboring beach houses, broke, and bogged down with writer’s block.
Until, one hazy evening, one thing leads to another and they strike a deal designed to force them out of their creative ruts: Augustus will spend the summer writing something happy, and January will pen the next Great American Novel. She’ll take him on field trips worthy of any rom-com montage, and he’ll take her to interview surviving members of a backwoods death cult (obviously). Everyone will finish a book and no-one will fall in love. Really.
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Contemporary romance novels centered on witty banter, emotional depth, and realistic character dynamics reached a wide audience with the release of Beach Read in 2020. Emily Henry quickly established herself as a prominent voice in modern fiction with a string of chart-topping romance titles, including People We Meet on Vacation and Book Lovers. Her novels frequently feature complex personal struggles alongside romantic storylines, earning both critical attention and high positions on international bestseller lists.
Born on May 17, 1991, in Cincinnati, Ohio, Emily Henry grew up in the American Midwest and attended Lakota East High School in Liberty Township. She pursued higher education at Hope College on a creative writing scholarship after initially considering dance studies, and she completed a writing residency at the New York Center for Art and Media Studies. Before devoting herself full-time to writing adult romance, Henry worked as a proofreader and published young adult novels. Feeling creatively spent in the young adult category, she shifted direction in 2020 to write Beach Read, which became a major breakthrough in adult fiction.
Following Beach Read, Henry published a series of bestsellers that includes People We Meet on Vacation (2021), Book Lovers (2022), Happy Place (2023), and Funny Story (2024), followed by Great Big Beautiful Life. Her books have achieved #1 New York Times and #1 Sunday Times bestseller status. She continues to reside and write in the American Midwest, occasionally interacting with readers on Instagram via @EmilyHenryWrites.
Henry's narratives are known for sharp dialogue, humorous interactions, and emotional vulnerability. Her books frequently feature creative rivals or opposites forced into close quarters, exploring themes of personal identity, family expectations, grief, and mental health alongside romance. By grounding playful romantic tropes in realistic personal struggles, her work offers nuanced depictions of adult relationships.
