January arrives at her father's secret lake house after his mistress hands her the key and a letter at the funeral.

A party at the neighboring house keeps January awake; the neighbor ends it when she complains about the noise.

January visits Pete's bookstore, meets the owner, and dives behind a display when her college rival Gus walks in.

January hides in the bathroom with wine at Pete's book club after spotting her father's mistress, Sonya, at the gathering.

Gus drives a reluctant January home from book club, and they stop at a donut shop for their first honest conversation.

On the drive home from the donut shop, Gus admits he remembers January from college and alludes to their intimate frat party dance.

January and Gus shake hands on a bet to swap writing genres, with Gus warning her not to fall in love with him.

Gus takes January to a dive bar to interview Grace, whose sister died in a cult Gus has researched for five years.

January takes Gus to a carnival, and on the drive home she reveals her father had a secret long-term affair.

January and Gus make out in the back of her car at a drive-in before a worker interrupts and kicks them out.

During a book signing at Pete's, January learns Pete is Gus's aunt and that Gus is going through a divorce.

After weeks of building tension, January and Gus have sex for the first time, starting in the lake house basement.

At the abandoned cult site in the rain, Gus confesses every college interaction with January was his attempt to get her attention.

Sonya visits January's porch and reads a letter aloud explaining she did not know January's father was still married.

At a surprise party, Gus pulls out a piece of notebook paper with 'MARRY ME' written on it; January accepts.

January Andrews arrives at her late father's secret lake house — a home he shared with his mistress — broke, heartbroken, and unable to write the romance novel she owes her publisher. She discovers her college rival, Gus Everett, is her next-door neighbor, and after a series of reluctant interactions, the two strike a genre-swap bet: January will try dark literary fiction, and Gus will attempt a romance. Their research outings and mock dates bring them steadily closer, and their physical and emotional walls collapse over the course of the summer. After confronting painful secrets about Gus's divorce and January's father, they fall in love and finish their books. The story ends nine months later with both novels published and Gus proposing to January on a piece of notebook paper, echoing the window notes that defined their summer.

The central romance and plot milestones from arrival to proposal.

January finds a framed newspaper clipping of her bestseller list on the lake house wall, confirming her father shared the home with Sonya.

January steps onto the back deck and unknowingly rants about her life to her hidden neighbor while on the phone with Shadi.

Pete introduces January and Gus at the bookstore, and they exchange pointed banter about their contrasting writing styles.

January and Gus both realize mid-meeting they were unknowingly brought to a book club that reads spy novels, not their own work.

January sits down to write her dark literary manuscript and finds the words flowing freely for the first time in a year.

January and Gus begin flashing handwritten notebook messages to each other through their facing windows while working on their separate manuscripts.

At a gas station after Grace's interview, Gus leans close to January and whispers that he has read all of her books.

January and Gus wait over an hour at Olive Garden for Dave, who never arrives; Gus holds January's hand under the table.

January has a steamy dream about Gus and wakes up needing a shower.

On a beach walk together, Gus opens up about his abusive father, dropping out of high school, and caring for him alone.

Immediately after sleeping with January for the first time, Gus steps away to take a private phone call and his mood visibly shifts.

January emails her completed manuscript to her agent with a note saying 'Please don't hate me.'

At the book event at Pete's, Gus spots Naomi in the crowd and remains tense and distracted throughout the entire interview.

January follows a clue in her father's letter to a marina and discovers his boat with her name painted on the side.

On Gus's birthday, he and January sit on the beach and read each other's newly published novels aloud for the first time.

While January and Gus's relationship builds through their big romantic milestones, it is the smaller, quieter moments that reveal who they truly are. January finds evidence of her father's double life scattered through the house, begins writing a dark manuscript that finally breaks her writer's block, and exchanges playful notebook notes with Gus through their windows. Their research outings and accidental evenings together — a failed Olive Garden interview, a gas station confession, a steamy dream — gradually dissolve the distance between them. As the summer nears its end, January emails her finished manuscript, Gus's estranged wife appears at their book event, and January discovers her father's boat hidden at a nearby marina. Nine months on, the two sit on a beach reading each other's published novels, the bet they made at the start of the summer fully resolved.

The quieter discoveries and shared moments that shaped the summer.

At the funeral, January's mother catches Sonya speaking with January, silently revealing she already knew about her husband's affair.

The partygoers shout 'EVERETT' as the music stops next door, giving January her first clue about her neighbor's true identity.

January reads Shadi's text quoting Gus calling January 'a fairy princess raised by woodland creatures,' revealing he noticed her closely in college.

Gus confesses he broke up with his girlfriend Tessa the night of the frat party dance, implying January was the reason.

January cries alone on the beach about her loneliness and grief; Gus finds her walking back and holds her tightly.

Pete tells January to be patient with Gus because he really likes her, then reveals the party night was actually his birthday.

In the parking lot after line dancing, January confronts Gus about hiding his divorce and personal life from her.

Gus reveals his wife left him for his best man, confessing that no one in his life has ever chosen him first.

While sitting on Gus's porch, January finally tells him the lake house was her father's secret home with Sonya and breaks down crying.

During Dave's mom's interview, January texts her mother saying she loves her and hopes they can someday talk about her father.

Gus and January skinny-dip in the lake at night and confess they love each other for the first time.

After the book event ends, Gus's estranged wife Naomi waits behind to speak with him privately, and January walks home alone.

Using the code found in her father's letter, January opens the safe and discovers annual birthday letters he wrote her throughout her life.

Shadi tells January she has never truly fallen in love — that with Jacques, she marched straight in rather than fell.

Dancing in the rain, Gus tells January he considered reconciling with Naomi but chooses January instead, vowing to love her forever.

Beach Read is driven less by grand gestures than by a series of quiet revelations that force January and Gus to confront what they have been hiding from each other and themselves. From the moment January's mother silently reveals she knew about the affair, to the night Gus confesses no one has ever chosen him first, the story turns on moments of painful honesty. January and Gus each carry deep wounds — her shattered faith in love, his lifelong fear of abandonment — and it is only through these turning points that they begin to heal. Their love confession in the lake and Gus's choice to stay with January over his ex-wife mark the emotional climax of their arc. By the end, January has found closure with her father, repaired her relationship with her mother, and learned that a happy ending is not a destination but a string of brave, honest moments.