"Happy Place" missed the mark for me. Emily Henry's writing was strong, but I struggled to connect with the characters.. The miscommunication trope—especially when based on shaky assumptions—was frustrating, and I couldn’t root for Wyn and Harriet after an eight-year relationship unraveled like a summer fling. I loved Book Lovers and enjoyed Beach Read, but Happy Place just didn’t do it for me.

This was such a fun book! I really enjoyed the read and I think it's my second favorite Emily Henry at the moment (behind Beach Read).

I absolutely LOVED this book. Emily Henry does not disappoint. If you love Taylor Swift's Maroon you will love this. I enjoyed the setting of the Maine cottage. Not only does Emily deliver a beautiful second chance romance, but she also includes a wonderful friendship group. Friendships as you get older can be so hard and I related to that so much. This book is the perfect summer read.

As always, Emily Henry has delivered! This is the perfect mix of humour, real characters, and a little romance!

I have enjoyed all of Emily Henry's books, and find them to be smart, compelling takes on the rom-com "beach read." But something about HAPPY PLACE just felt off to me from the very beginning! Maybe it's the concept of the plot, or the fact that there are so many more characters, or just the writing style but I could not get into this one the way I have all of Henry's other works. I know she will continue to publish books I can get immersed in, characters I can fall in love with, and plots that will intrigue me...but this was sadly a one-off that didn't do any of the above.

This book will keep you engage, either by intrigue or frustration. Harriet and Wyn have broken up about 6 months ago, and have told their friend group. Now they are at their annual getaway with friends, who still think they are together.

I give this book 3 stars as a romance novel, but not much else. The ending was such a disappointment.

“In every universe, it's you for me. Even if it's not me for you."

tropes:
-second chance
-fake dating
-dual timelines
-found family
-slow burn

I was not expected to cry so much for a book called happy place but I sure did, it was just so emotional!!! (or maybe I’m just so emotional 🙃) but this book makes you feel all the feels. Wyn and Harriet have my heart. in present time, they are broken up but fake being together because they haven’t told their friends and we don’t know what went wrong in their relationship. in the ‘past’ chapters, we see them meeting for the first time, falling in love, and building a life together. it’s really heartbreaking going through it, but your heart is mended at the end. 🤍

I loved it! I listened to the audiobook as I read along with my copy and it was such an experience.

Oh my GOODNESS this is both a heartbreaker and a heartwarmer. Emily Henry never misses and I loved the emotional journey of this one.

4.6 - I really love Henry’s ability to write about friendships and relationships I such an honest, beautiful way, where you come out of it understanding how everyone ticks and everyone’s decisions. It’s rare not to get annoyed at even one character! Love this book that looks into a group of friends that always meet up in Maine and it’s the last year they’ll do so and struggling with the fact that they’re growing apart. Wyn and Harriet’s relationship is so pure and I loved them.

What stands to me is her work is her exploration of profound themes such as self-discovery, the essence of healthy relationships, and the pursuit of inner happiness. Through her beautifully flawed characters, she invites readers to reflect on their own lives, encouraging a journey of self-acceptance and reflection. This not only captivates but also inspires, pushing individuals to consider what it means to truly love oneself and others.

Ultimately her most underwhelming work to date. There are too many character Henry attempted to juggle that feel forgotten or abandoned in their development. I'm also immensely disappointed in the handling of the borderline non-existent sister storyline. We've read Book Lovers and we know she's capable of so much more and by the time solutions were being presented for this couple, I was truly rooting for them to go their separate ways for much longer.

Chaotic and falls flat.

I save Emily Henry books for rainy days because they are 100% guaranteed to make me feel better, and Happy Place was no exception. Henry does such a fabulous job of balancing beloved romance tropes with fresh storylines, all though great characters and top-notch banter.

I loved this book. I’ve read quite a few reviews from people who say this was their least favorite book by Henry and I can see that. This was a lot more poignant and a bit more sad. I think it lacked a little bit of the wit I expect from her books. That being said I still really enjoyed reading this one. It had great characters with a lot of depth.

Loved it! Emily Henry is 4 for 4 in my book. This was a stunning read. It was emotional, heartfelt, and deeply romantic. The premise of this was truly unique and not like anything I’d read before. Fake dating but the opposite of any other fake dating book I’ve ever read. Sort of working backwards in their relationship. Told through then and now dual timelines really worked for me. The angst and nostalgia were on point. The friendships, aging, growing apart, and found family elements were so relatable and touching as a reader also at this stage of life. Not a super light rom com as the cover may imply, so I definitely recommend readers know what they are getting into and check out the content warnings before digging into this amazing book!

It really doesn't matter what I think of this book, Emily Henry has a following and it sells well in our bookstore! This was not my favorite of her books and I can't even put my finger on the why. I just didn't love it. But regardless, it sells well! Can't wait for Funny Story!

This was amazing in all the best ways. It made me cry multiple times but in a good way. It also felt like such a great story of friendship and found family so there was so much more than just the romantic relationship. The main characters just really needed to talk to each other earlier but they still did a good job of eventually letting it all out. I started this as an audiobook but couldn't wait and jumped back into the ebook to read it faster.

I'd like to preface this by saying that while I'm giving this 3 stars, a 3 star Emily Henry book is like a 4 (or even a 5, tbh) star rating compared to a lot of other authors I've read. Even if I don't fall in love with the plot, which unfortunately was the case with Happy Place, I still absolutely adore her writing and end up wishing the book was 500 pages longer. If I had to give a reason for why this one didn't quite click for me the way her previous books have, I would say it probably has to do with the fact that this was easily her saddest book yet, and I, try as I might, am simply not a sad-book girlie. I am a rom-com girl through and through and this one didn't have quite enough of that for my personal tastes. Here's hoping that Funny Story will scratch that itch a little better for me. Fingers crossed!

CW: depression, death of a loved one

Happy Place was not a happy place for me. While Emily Henry’s writing was on point for this novel, I could not connect with the characters. The friendship and relationship struggles are relatable, but they don’t feel meaningful because it was all tell, no show. My biggest pet peeve in romance novels is the miscommunication trope, especially when it comes to bad assumptions. Add on that the relationship lasted 8 years and broke down like summer fling. I couldn’t get behind Wyn’s behavior and wanted Harriet to find some self-respect. I loved Book Lovers and enjoyed Beach Read, but Happy Place is not for me.

This is Emily Henry's best, I've never felt so well represented by a character who's dealt with the same things I have and the same emotions towards it. After people we meet on vacation I was nervous jumping into another one, but Happy People did not disappoint. One of my favourite books I've read this year.

I just have to accept the fact that Emily Henry's books are going to absolutely devastate me and leave me riding high every time I read another one. I'm such a fan of her prose in general, but also the way she approaches the beauty and the agony of most kinds of human relationships — not just romantic, but deep and meaningful friendships too. I really enjoyed the parallel timeline structure on this one, letting us see the highs and lows of Wyn and Harriet's history, which ultimately gives their reunion and reconciliation so much more of an impact. But the friend group is great here too, and I appreciated seeing the growing pains that naturally develop within the circle as people reach different life milestones and have to shift their priorities around. This is definitely one of Henry's angstier books to date, but it makes the journey to their HEA really rewarding.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this edition from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.