Happy Place? More like tears and pain place.


I have always believed that Emily Henry is very good at writing people falling in love, so with this book she gave us something new. We got to see Harriet and Wyn first falling in love, then grow apart and finally find their way to each other. This said she can write longing and yearning in a couple that’s estranged just as good as in a couple that’s falling in love for the first time.

I loved the setting and the fact that this book is also about friendship as an adult. What happens in the book felt very real to me. Growing up with your friends and part your ways for your career and life in general is always hard and never easy and I feel like she wrote a beautiful bond between Sabrina, Cleo and Harriet.

Wyn and Harriet. First time that I relate to both main characters. I had some stuff in common with Wyn and some in common with Harriet.
The best way for me to describe their relationship is through songs. I would say that the main song for them in the book is Maroon by Taylor Swift. It fits them perfectly. There are a lot of things unsaid between them and yes there is definitely miscommunication.

I always thought I was going to be a Beach Read forever but apparently Happy Place might have just dethroned it.

Another great EH read--her character set-ups always pull you right in. Six college friends are hit with two great upheavals--a beloved family beach house being sold; and impending nuptials for another couple in the group--that leave already fracturing friendships on the verge of splintering even further. Given those two bombshells, Wyn and Harriet certainly don’t want to add to it by announcing their break-up.
We go back and forth between Harriet’s “Happy Place”--her years with Wyn, where you see how they meet and how their relationship blossoms--and “Real Life”--her current world without him--seeing the long tee-up (the pacing like “People We Meet On Vacation”) to what at the start of the book looks like a bitter blow of a break-up. Before we finally learn what happened, in “real Life” we see the pining between Wyn and Harriet become so thick we can taste it.

I think we can all relate to the theme of life’s great upheavals.. Jobs, marriages, birth, death--when you see big changes coming, it’s a question of whether you dig in your heels and figure out how to keep things exactly the same (9 times out of 10 you can’t), or scramble over how to figure out a new normal. Henry illustrates with wonderful clarity and great detail these struggles. Another excellent book.

Thank you Netgalley and Berkley publishing for the ARC.

I have read Beach Read and The People We Meet on Vacation from Emily Henry. I enjoyed both of them. Beach Read was by far my favorite.

Book Lovers was DNF for me.

I decided to give Happy Place a try and I was very excited to get approved for the early copy.

I must say this maybe my last book by this author. I was not a fan. I absolutely did not like most of the characters and the dialogues. The lack of communication these so called professionals, was so ridiculous and unbelievable. So many issues and problems could have been solved if people just talked.

I loved the friendship these characters had, and the strong bonds they have created, sadly I guess they just never learned to honestly and openly talk to one another.

I don’t usually post book reviews two months before pub day but my February was so slumpy I’ve got to talk about this gem of a book!

Harriet and Wyn have been the perfect couple since they met in college—they go together like salt and pepper, honey and tea, lobster and rolls. Except, now—for reasons they’re still not discussing—they don’t.

They broke up five months ago. And still haven’t told their best friends.

Which is how they find themselves sharing a bedroom at the Maine cottage that has been their friend group’s yearly getaway for the last decade. Their annual respite from the world turns into anything but. This year, Harriet and Wyn are lying through their teeth while trying not to notice how desperately they still want each other.

In true Emily Henry fashion this first love/second chance/fake dating with a side of one bed romance will have you crying and laughing. Harriet and Wyn’s chemistry is palpable. I was truly invested in not only their relationship but that of their friends Parth, Sabrina, Cleo and Kimmie. The shenanigans these friends go through for each other is endearing.

I can’t recommend this book enough and I’d read the phone book if @emilyhenrywrites wrote it.

Thank you @berkleyromance for the E-ARC!

Im@currently in my Happy Place in Cancun Mexico! Where is your Happy Place?

Happy Place
by Emily Henry
Pub Date: April 25, 2023
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
A couple who broke up months ago pretend to still be together for their annual weeklong vacation with their best friends in this glittering and wise new novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Emily Henry.

Harriet and Wyn have been the perfect couple since they met in college—
They broke up five months ago. And still haven’t told their best friends.

Which is how they find themselves sharing a bedroom at the Maine cottage that has been their friend group’s yearly getaway for the last decade. Their annual respite from the world, where for one vibrant, blissful week they leave behind their daily lives; have copious amounts of cheese, wine, and seafood; and soak up the salty coastal air with the people who understand them most.
tantalizing read!! I recommend it highly.
4 stars

My ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgallery in exchange for an honest review.

As I have only read one of Emily Henry's books, and currently own "Book Lovers," which is awaiting the moment to be read in my bookcase, I was extremely excited for a chance to read "Happy Place". This was absolutely outstanding, and I devoured it in a matter of days. It tugged at my emotions, from happy, too sad, to a little bit heartbroken, it left me complete by the end. I adored the main character, as well as Wyn. They complete each other, and for the length of the novel, you hope by the end they make their way back to one another.
From distance lovers, to friends that have grown apart, to a job that makes you miserable. It's all extremely relatable, and provides such outstanding, heartwarming, and eye opening advice. This novel makes me want to go conquer all my underlying dreams, and ignore all those basic jobs. Do something in the end that will make me happy, and pursue the passions that make me, me.

It gives you this underlying strength that you've had buried for awhile, and it's finally been awoken.
When this novel gorgeous novel comes out on April 25th, I will pick up a physical copy, just to annotate and adore it again and again. Then buy copies for my friends, because it has such a beautiful message that needs to be passed along.

"Another head rush. A belly flutter. Warning bells clanging through my nervous system."
"Our love is a place we can always come back to, and it will be waiting, the same as it ever was. You belong here."

Thank you so much for this opportunity. :)

I posted it on Goodreads, but the website is not loading unfortunately.

Emily Henry writes really compelling and complex romance books. However, this one was not totally for me. I understand why the flash backs were included, but I didn't enjoy those parts of the story as much as the present time, which was about half of the book.

This is my first Emily Henry book and while it was ok, I clearly am not a rom/con fanatic. I will purchase the book for our library and appreciate the ARC from the publisher and NetGalley

While I always enjoy Emily Henry books, I was thrilled to read this one! Besides the witty romance and repartee that I expect from Henry's novels... this included a moving story about friendship and how relationships evolve.

I would recommend Henry's books to romance lovers and readers who enjoy their romance with a bit of substance.

Thanks for letting me read this in advance.

This was definitely a more somber book from Henry, but I think it will do wonders to help readers process loss and change. I know it personally hit home with me as I'm 32 and have dealt with the fact of growing apart from friends and loved ones due to life's circumstances. I truly felt uplifted and comforted by the end, and felt like it really took the opportunity to present change as a necessary -- not evil -- but potentially enriching fact of life.

This cliche of misunderstandings and second chances in love doesn't really work for me. I got tired of the repetitive storyline. The whole book could have been a talk. It was unbelievable that people can't have conversations and refuse to just talk it out before ending everything. Initially fascinating, this quickly grew tiresome. Moreover, there's the matter of everyone's hidden agendas. Besides the cover, not much of this book really appealed to me. I continue to not get the hype with this author, but I will probably read every book by her because my friends continue to like her.


Thank you #netgalley and the publishers for this advanced reader's copy for an honest review. 2.5 rounded up.

Romance is not my typical genre, but I really enjoyed Emily Henry's Book Lovers and when I saw she had a new book coming out I decided to give it a shot. I think it's good, solid, romance writing. The end is (somewhat) predictable but the path to get there is at least a little windy and rocky. The timeline goes back and forth between the present and past and each time it does, we get more insight into the relationships between each of the characters and how they wound up where they are in the current. In addition to the romance storyline, there is also plenty of self-reflection and growth as these young adults learn to accept change, and how to stay friends after the bubble of college is popped. Recommended for fans of Emily Henry and readers who enjoy contemporary romance.
I was given a copy of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

What a down-to-earth book. I chose to review this book before it officially was published because in the past I have found this author to be really interesting to read. This book was original in the way the that the characters perceived family. Some of the characters used their college/life-long friends as family; others had wonderful families growing up and they just tried to find themselves and if they pleased their family then it was a plus. I understand why the author chose to bounce from the present to the past to give the reader the background that was needed; I just wished a little for a deeper emotional present instead of just sticking a toe into the emotional ocean. I will be suggesting this books to many friends and fellow book readers. I will continue to follow this author.

In Happy Place you can expect to find:
-angst...so much angst and longing
-found family
-evolution of friendships
-fake relationship (kinda)

This book, ugh. I'm pretty sure I had tears in my eyes at like 10% of the book, but I wouldn't expect anything less with Emily Henry. After being together for 8 years, Wyn and Harriet have decided to end their relationship and simultaneously call of their engagement. It's been a hard 5 months since their breakup, but Harriet is set on moving on. Only one problem - neither Harriet or Wyn have told their core group of friends that their relationship is over. When Harriet realizes that Wyn will also be at the summer house in Maine that they vacation at every year, with their entire group of friends in the same spot, it gets super messy super fast. Wyn and Harriet decide to pretend like they're still in their relationship for the sake of their friends. How long will these two be able to fake still being in love before they end up hurting each other again?

I LOVE a second chance romance and the angstier the better. Emily Henry definitely delivered with Happy Place. I loved the back and forth timeline with when Harriet met Wyn and their eventual pulling apart as a couple. The giddiness and butterflies you feel when a relationship first starts vs the bitterness and hurt when one ends - I felt both of these emotions so acutely. I had tears streaming down my face so many times while reading this book.

I also loved the core group of friends and their relationships with one another. While they started off so carefree and fun (typically how it is in college), they got more complex as lives got busier, messier and took these friends to different parts of the country as well as different parts of their lives. This happens so often in real life - when you're friends with someone and think you know them so well only to drift apart and think how well do I really know this person now?

Emily Henry has a way with words and so many sentences of Happy Place are highlighted on my tablet. I already can't wait to go back and reread this lovely book.

If angsty, swoony, second chance romance is your thing - add Happy Place to your tbr.

Ranking Emily Henry books (they're all 5 stars)
1. People We Meet on Vacation
2. Book Lovers
3. Happy Place
4. Beach Read
subject to change at any moment

Emily Henry's fourth book is an absolute charmer perfect for fans of early Kristan Higgins. Darker and more subtle than her previous books it will have you laughing and crying as you read through the layers of Harriet and Wyn's romance.

I ended up really enjoying this book! This definitely gave me more Beach Read vibes, as it was more of an emotional story. I absolutely loved the setting of this book. The summer time, quaint beach town was so perfect and the way our main character Harriet described her love and memories of the town was such a heartwarming thing to read. The friend group and found family aspect of this story was very sweet too! The romance took a little bit of time for me to get into, with the couple already being separated when we first meet them, but there were moments in this book that really just made me clutch my heart at the romance! I also really enjoyed the way Emily Henry dived into the emotions of the main male character, as we don’t always see that, and showed both sides of the scope of the breakup. Overall, I think if you’re a fan of Emily Henry, you won’t be disappointed by this one!

This book made my soul ache. Like two of its characters - Harriet and Wyn - there is a before and a after. And no one is the same after. Emily Henry’s latest novel follows three girlfriends and their partners as they come together for one last hurrah at their beloved summer home. Told from Harriet’s perspective we learn how the group came together, how Harriet and Wyn came to be and everything else that matters.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC of this title. :)

I've pretty much loved every romance Emily Henry has written and they've all gotten progressively better for me, but something about this one was really special. I've seen other reviews mention that it's got a different energy than her last few and I think that's true, probably because of the nature of the relationships that exist within the story. Protagonists finding a second chance with each other is pretty different than two characters exploring a newly unfolding relationship, after all!

I teared up more than once while I read this for a variety of reasons - the descriptions of grief and loneliness, the friendships, and the near-palpable love that existed between Wyn and Harriet despite the conflict all felt like they were reaching out of the book and catching my heart in a vice grip.

This also felt like it veered away slightly from the typical "third act breakup" in a way that felt refreshing. Others may disagree, but I found the route this story took to be an interesting version of that familiar trope! I also loved the fuller cast of characters; the entire friend group was SO fun to read about, but I especially loved Cleo and Kimmy.

I don't want to say a ton but I really loved this. I feel like I say it every time, but this might have dethroned my past Emily Henry favorites. I'm definitely looking forward to any and all future releases.

Emily Henry, how dare you keep hitting me in the feelings like this! I will continue to read everything she writes but I will also continue to be mad about it!

While Happy Place is not my favorite book by this author, which would be Book Lovers, I still very much enjoyed it. It has a great concept; it explores how relationships and the dynamics of a group of friends change over time, which I believe will resonate with many people. It also looks at love in many forms, from the bonds of family and friends to your love for a spouse or lover.

There were many touching moments and some steamy sexy moments. But, the easy banter and dialog between the characters and their vulnerabilities as they faced everyday struggles is what remains with me long after finishing the book. Emily Henry nails the chemistry not just between Harriett and Wyn but also between the group of friends.

I like books that pull me in emotionally with characters that I can relate to, and this book delivered.