Emily Henry's collection of modern romance novels has struck a cord with her readers and now her stories are being treated with the book-to-screen adaptations so many have been waiting for.

One of her bestsellers, People We Meet On Vacation , was the first to make it to our screens — brought to life by actors Tom Blyth and Emily Bader — and it was welcomed with open arms by many Henry fans, reaching the global top ten on Netflix.

It also seemed to mark a resurgence of the classic rom-com era so many of us have been missing.

Now, another of Henry's bestsellers, Beach Read — easily a favourite among her readers — is getting an adaptation from 20th Century Studios.

It has just been announced that Patrick Schwarzenegger will star in the film alongside Phoebe Dynevor and, well … the reception has been mixed.

Watch: Mamamia recommends books to add to your beach bag. Post continues below.

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MMTV Beach Reads

Beach Read, is an iconic rom-com set in — you guessed it — a beach town.

The book follows the story of romance novelist January Andrews, who is in the throes of grief and writer's block after losing her father. She writes rom-coms for a living but no longer believes in love.

January finds herself living next door to Augustus 'Gus' Everett, an acclaimed author who was once her university rival. He's also stuck in a rut.

The pair put their differences aside and work together to pull themselves out of their writing slumps … and, well, you can piece together what happens next.

Patrick meets Augustus.

The book — and its characters — have claimed a spot deep in the hearts of its readers, meaning that they care A LOT about the actors who play it.

The book was released in 2020. January's actor was announced two months ago. But the casting process for Augustus was lengthy. Fans have been waiting months to find out who would play their beloved Augustus.

They were excited to find out. And then they did.

January's rival-turned-love-interest will be played by Patrick Schwarzenegger — the American actor best known for his role on The White Lotus.

While he was the unexpected choice, Schwarzenegger's tape and chemistry read impressed filmmakers and earned him the top spot, beating out other candidates.

But among fans, the overwhelming response seems to be… disappointment.

Since the news was released, many fans have seemed less than impressed, with some airing their frustrations about the casting on social media.

So much so that the film's director, Yulin Kuang shared a post to Instagram that was more of a justification of Schwarzenegger's casting than a run-of-the-mill cast announcement.

"'Patrick is a slow burn'," is what I wrote in my notes after meeting him for the first time," she began a statement on Instagram.

"There was something about the way he talked about his feelings on love and romance that I couldn't forget," she added.

"But I was unconvinced we'd found our Gus, because I knew we had to be exhaustive in our efforts, given how important this character is to readers."

Kuang said they saw a lot of men for the role but the moment Patrick sat across from Dynevor, "there was something electric in the room".

"I checked in with Phoebe after the reads and she said, "It's obviously Patrick, isn't it?" and I thought to myself, 'So she feels it too.'," she wrote.

It may take a while to win the fans over but if Kuang and Dynevor are convinced, we're keen to see what he'll do.

So, who will play January Andrews in the movie adaptation of Beach Read?

The film adaptation is currently in development and its leading role, Deadline has reported, will be brought to life by Phoebe Dynevor.

Yep, Dynevor! The actress who plays Daphne in Bridgerton.

Dynevor is a Bridgeerton favourite. Image: Netflix/ Liam Daniel.

Audiences fell in love with her as she helped introduce the world to the leading Netflix series as part of the first season's cast.

Her most recent role saw her star as Madeline Brewer in the dystopian political thriller Anniversary, which was released last October.

Now, she's sure to capture hearts again as she brings January Andrews to life.

Dynevor's upcoming projects also include a thriller with Netflix and a romantic drama with Warner Bros opposite Jake Gyllenhaal.

Dynevor has been announced as the leading cast member for Beach Read. Image: Getty.

What we know about the adaptation so far?

Yulin Kuang who was a co-writer on People We Meet On Vacation is set to direct Beach Read, which will be a feature film.

In a March 2024 Variety interview, Henry called Kuang's first draft of the Beach Read script "fantastic" and said her take on the story "feels really different and special."

She later told The Hollywood Reporter of the pressure on adapting one of Henry's books.

"It was daunting to see the number of comments on the [film] announcement. I was on Instagram and thinking, 'Oh, people are paying attention.' You get hit with this tidal wave of how much people care, and it's impossible not to feel it," she said.

Neal H. Moritz will be the producer for the new film via his production company Original Films. The film will be executive produced by Karina Rahardja and 20th Century Studios' Sarah Shepard and Catherine Hughes will oversee production.

Emily Henry subtly expressed her excitement for the upcoming adaptation of Beach Read, sharing Deadline's article to her Instagram account.

"More soon," she simply captioned the post.

Within two hours, her post has garnered more than 70,000 likes — proof that this film is likely to capture as much love as her first book-to-film adaptation did, if not more.

Listen: The Spill reviews People We Meet On Vacation. Post continues below.

What other Emily Henry movie adaptations can we expect?

Beach Read is the second book-to-screen adaptation for Henry's portfolio but by no means the last.

After People We Meet On Vacation and Beach Read, fans can expect to see her books Happy Place, Funny Story and Book Lovers take to the screen, all of which are currently in development.

Sarah Heyward, who worked as a writer for Modern Love and Girls, is attached to adapt Book Lovers for the screen while Henry's Happy Place has been optioned by Jennifer Lopez's Nuyorican Productions.

As for Funny Story, Henry herself is working on the screen adaptation. It was announced in January 2026 that, as part of a multi-year deal, the film would also find its home on Netflix.

Feature image: Netflix.