While normally I love Emily Henry books, this one didn't strike me quite as strongly as her previous novels. Normally, Henry's books have my emotions in a stranglehold, but HAPPY PLACE struck me as a bit more straightforward than her normal affective nuance, and seems a lot like PEOPLE WE MEET ON VACATION, just less striking. While this is a fun second-chance romance about ex-fiances who pretend to still be together to keep the peace at their annual friends' trip, it isn't the Emily Henry novel I'd recommend.

Visually stunning, second chance romance that captivates! Emily Henry simply has a knack for books that are inventive yet familiar. I highly recommend people to read this and will for sure be pushing this book for my stores customers and co-workers.

I’m unsure what kind of magic this author weaves through her pages as she’s writing, but I am always desperate to get a copy of every new release. When I do, I immediately open and devour every word. Emily Henry is my latest must-read author and I can’t get enough of her voice.

Happy Place is labeled as both a contemporary romance and a women’s fiction novel. And I agree wholeheartedly with those classifications. While ultimately this is a book about a couple stuck in an impossible situation, broken up, but pretending to be together for the sake of their best friends group, it is also about true, long-term friendships and finding authentic happiness and peace.

Our main protagonists are Harriet and Wyn, a couple who have split up after being together for years. The secondary characters, who don’t really feel secondary at all, are a group comprised of college roommates and the people they added along the way. Sabrina, Cleo, Kimmy, and Parth are Harriet and Wyn’s closest friends in the world, the family they chose, and their ride-or-die besties. Afraid to change the dynamic between the group, and ruin the last weekend at their beloved vacation home, they choose to keep their parting a secret. But Harriet is hurting from not knowing why Wyn ended things and Wyn seems to act like he still loves and misses her, but he insists he has his reasons. Can they act like the happy couple convincingly enough to get through this last trip?

This book is told in alternating timelines, bouncing back and forth between Harriet’s happy memories of her friendship with Sabrina and Cleo, and meeting and falling in love with Wyn, and the present situation of the whole group on vacation. I found her to be a reliable narrator, both in the past and present. The reader can feel her love and devotion to the people in her life. I enjoyed these parts of the story just as much as I did the present-day push-and-pull, chemistry between Harriet and Wyn. And they do have incredible chemistry, I never for a minute doubted that they still desperately loved each other even after the breakup. I think this may be Emily Henry’s sexiest novel to date, there is lots of teasing, flirtatious glances full of longing, and hot and heavy “this might be the last time we feel each other’s body against ours so we need to make it good” moments.

Ultimately, this is not just a novel about romantic love, but about friendship. And this author writes those relationships so well. There are so many beautiful moments. It is also about growing apart, finding your way back to each other, and breaking out of the shell you’ve encased yourself in to discover your true happiness, regardless of how you were raised or the traumas of your past. There are some deeper themes, but quite a few fun, lighter moments as well.

Overall, I found Happy Place to be incredibly an incredibly romantic, uplifting read. So looking forward to this author’s next release. Definitely recommend.

Grade- A

Another winner for Emily Henry. Such a great summertime read, with a feel good theme to it. Anyone can wrap themselves in its warmth and sunshine. Thank you Net Galley and and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read the ARC.

With every Emily Henry book, I somehow think I won't love it more than the last. And then I read it. And then it becomes my entire personality.

This book was stunning. It was introspective and easily the funniest book she's written. It was perfect- quite actually nothing I would change. 6 out of 5 stars if I could. Wyn is actually my dream man. He and Harriet had the sweetest moments, the best banter, and their tension gave me all of the butterflies and feet kicks. I was actually sad for this book to be over and I already want to read it again. This might be one of my favorite books of all time.

My thanks to NetGalley for making an eARC of this book available to me.

An enjoyable relationship book, the chapters move back and forth between present and past, giving us lots of backstory to fill in the story of the characters. It has some nicely timed reveals in the final chapters with a nice wrap-up couple and group relationships. Not enough humor to be able to consider this a rom-com, but as long as that doesn't bother you it's a pretty good read.

I didn’t think Emily could top “Book Lovers” but she did. I was totally absorbed in not only Harriet + Wyn’s romance but the family of friends that serve as the backbone for this story. It really touches on the possibility of keeping your loved ones close regardless of how much time passes or how each individual within the group changes. Those who love you meet you where you are +,despite the ups + downs these friends faced, they do just that. I can’t wait for people to get their hands on this book come April. They are in for a major treat with a lot of heart.

4.5 stars

This book had the perfect amount of angst and was laugh out loud hilarious. I finished it in under 24 hours and loved it. It totally made me nostalgic for a place I had never been to, and I loved all the characters.

Emily Henry has managed to do it yet again. Another couple that everyone can fall in love with over and over again without question. Henry's new novel follows a group of close friends from college who want one last week vacation altogether, reliving old nostalgic memories and how close they once were. The only problem for the narrator Harriot and her ex-fiance Wyn is they have yet to tell the rest of the group about their breakup. Now, for the duration of the trip, Harriot and Wyn have to pretend to be together to save everyone from the implosion of this news. This, in turn, brings up wounds, not at all healed, and the real reason Harriot was unceremoniously dumped during a 4-minute phone call after an almost decade-long and seemingly happy relationship.

I am the first to admit that I am not a fan of second-chance romances, but this one was done perfectly. Everything I didn't like about this trope was nonexistent. Emily Henry brought in a serious miscommunication element that didn't feel tiring while also being the driving force of the slow burn. Speaking of the slow burn, the tension and banter these two characters give were unmatched. They both showcased their love for each other all the way through but felt it could not last, which aided in the heartbreaking yet satisfying story of Happy Place. Harriot and Wyn are both such unforgettable characters on their own, but together were just so special to see. Wyn has won the title of book boyfriend, no questions asked.

Told in a non-linear timeline, Harriort has to figure out what happened to Wyn's love and what has happened to her as a person due to her upbringing. This gave much more than romance, Like Emily Henry's stories usually do. I find the search for identity and what you want to do with your life into your 30s refreshing. There's also a considerable friendship component throughout the story. We are brought into this group of 6 friends and their conflicts. Our getting to see everyone meet, go through college, move out, get engaged, and break up added to what I love about this story.

Reading Happy Place was a fantastic experience, and Emily Henry could never disappoint. I want to go back and read it for the first time, tearing up with Harriot and crushing over Wyn again and again.

With every new book, I'm convinced that Emily Henry can do no wrong. This was exactly the kind of book I needed to read right now, with such a beautiful exploration of second-chance romance and friendship and family all set within a cozy cottage town that feels like a warm hug. From the very first page I fell in love with these characters and found parts of myself in each one of them. Moreover, I absolutely loved the way that the author explores adult friendships in this book. This is something that I think isn't talked about enough, especially in the context of a romance novel, and it was at once heartwrenching, validating, and beautiful.

Happy Place was amazing! It was emotional, easy to read, nostalgic, and cozy. I would even go as far as to say that it’s Emily Henry’s best writing and my favorite Emily Henry book (and I love them all). The mixture of fake dating and second-chance romance worked so well, and I couldn’t get enough of the dynamic between Harriet and Wyn.

Honestly, the part I enjoyed the most was the friendship between Harriet and her best friends. I thrive on female friendships, so it was beautiful to see a book where that was celebrated, along with the challenges of what happens to friendships as you get older/live separate lives.

I also loved that Happy Place dove into what it looks like to find what makes you happy and how that can change over time. I could relate to choosing a career path to make others proud instead of making yourself happy, so I’ll be thinking about this book for a while!

I’m for sure buying a physical copy when Happy Place comes out!

I cannot express how much I loved this book. I was up until 4:30am reading it and had to force myself to put it down to sleep. I haven't read a lot of second chance romances and wasn't sure how I would feel about it but it was done so well and it was honestly so relatable--and the TENSION omg I couldn't get enough of it. Also, the found family and all the banter were everything in this book. I laughed and I sobbed and I will probably be making this book my entire personality for awhile.

This is Emily Henry taken to the next level. While the diehard rom-com lover might not be as pleased with this book, it’s worth the read. Happy Place is melancholy, complicated, joyful, and aching. It made me snort with laughter and cry. Emily Henry fans rejoice: your new moody favorite is here!

Emily Henry shines brightest when her unique, idiosyncratic characters are all bouncing off each other, so creating a story with a close-knit ensemble feels like a natural step for her. These characters feel real and lived-in, whose deep connections to each other form the stakes for this story. There are no villains here, just people who have grown up, who discover that what they want now at 30 isn't the same as it was at 21. There's so much to grab onto in this book: whether it's the feeling of drifting away from your long-term partner, or the sudden realization that friendships that feel like a part of your body are no longer working. Add onto it a dreamy cottage in a gorgeous seaside town and you've got the perfect vacation second chance fake dating story.

this was literally AMAZING.

i’ll be rereading again & writing a full review in a bit but all you have to know is that this has book lovers’ banter and beach read’s introspection. not so much a huge rom com like her other books but it’s much more mature and melancholy and UGH there are some passages i teared up at. emily henry truly outdoes herself with every wonderful book she publishes.

This one's for the especially emo Emily Henry girlies.

If I am a sucker for anything, it's a second-chance romance. If there's a trope I'm not a huge fan of, it's fake dating. Somehow, this combo was perfect.

Harriet is a hardworking neurosurgery resident who never wants to make a fuss. Living thousands of miles away from her best friends—Sabrina, dramatic heiress lawyer, and Cleo, chill artistic farmer—she hasn't been able to bring herself pick up the phone and tell either of them that she and Wyn, her fiance and the man she's been with for nearly a decade, are over. He dumped her. Months ago. Now, their annual friends trip to Maine is upon them, and Harriet has decided she has to tell them, to explain why Wyn won't be coming. Except when Harriet shows up to their cottage, she finds out two things: one, this will be their final friends trip in Maine because the cottage is being sold, and two, Wyn is very much coming. In fact, he's already there.

This week, this final trip, has to be perfect—for a variety of reasons. Harriet can't upset her friends by telling them about her and Wyn's breakup. She can't ruin this trip like that. Reluctantly, she and Wyn strike up an agreement to keep the news to themselves until the week is over. What transpires is a tense one-bed situation, a You-Deserve-Each-Other-esque battle between the two, and a whole host of unresolved feelings and unanswered questions.

Based on early descriptions, I was worried I wouldn't connect as well with these characters, but I found them to be deeply relatable. Harriet is a people pleaser who never learned how to fight with her loved ones, to deal with conflict. She shrinks her own needs to suit others. Wyn is a charmer who uses that charm to cover up the fact that he doesn't feel like he's good enough, has never felt like he was good enough. I love them. I love them so much. I want to curl Wyn up in my arms and rock him back and forth. I want to hug Harriet so tight. These two are soulmates, which is obvious from the get-go.

Stylistically and thematically, Happy Place resembles People We Meet On Vacation far more than Beach Read or Book Lovers. Stylistically because for a solid chunk of the novel, we are treated to flashbacks of Harriet and Wyn's relationship—how they met, how they got together, what their life was like. Thematically because I think Harriet struggles with many of the same issues as Poppy—she's achieved the exact thing she's wanted career-wise, and yet she's feeling unfilled; she had this person she cared so deeply about in Wyn and then suddenly that relationship was over; she's struggling between the past and the present, struggling with old friendships and how they change with time. Also, I found Happy Place, while still being a work of women's fiction AND romance, focused more on the romance than the women's fiction aspect (which imo is another similarity with PWMOV and difference from Beach Read and Book Lovers).

What sets Happy Place apart from Emily Henry's other novels is its cast of characters. There is such a solid group of friends in this book! Their desperation to stay together, to remain unchanged even as they all DO change (as people inevitably do with age), is so realistic and relatable.

I loved this book. I read it as an ebook and tend to really struggle with focus when it comes to ereading, so I think I'm going to love it even more when I finally get my hands on a physical copy and reread it.

LIKES:
📝 classically bingeable, hilarious EH writing
⏳ dual-timeline (college through present day)
🌊 set in the coastal New England (Maine)
👩🏻 Harriet is a closed-off, ppl pleasing med student
🧔🏼 Wyn is a self-deprecating, HOT furniture maker
💞 second chance romance (3/5 steam level)
🥸 + fake dating (god tier!!!!)
🗣️ + LITERALLY THE MOST ELITE BANTER
👫 explores the evolution of adult friend groups
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 + family dynamics
🌱 themes of personal growth
🖤 + grief, loss, & betrayal
🎭 + lots of drama!
🥹 emotional & heartwarming
😌 felt mature & realistic
•
DISCLAIMERS:
⚠️ dm me for TW!
🤔 timelines can get confusing
🏊‍♀️ takes a while to get deep (but ends up deep!)
🤷‍♀️ characters felt very real to me but maybe aren’t as exciting as some of EHs others
•
VERDICT: an IMPECCABLE BANTER-FILLED, hilarious, & (ultimately) emotional second-chance, faking dating romance giving New Girl & coastal grandmother vibes - a slower burn in terms of character development & depth but I ended up loving!

Emily Henry does it again! Old college friends gather again in their “happy place” for a week of fun and heartbreak and revelations. While this book does have a classic love story, what spoke to me was the story of friendships. Readers will love the likable characters and want to be transported as well to Harriet’s vacation and friend group.

Everything Emily Henry writes turns to gold and I am constantly in awe of her ability to capture emotions and make every book feel like it was written just for me, like she crawled into my brain to write exactly what I needed to hear.

I am an avid Emily Henry reader and I thought Happy Place, while utterly beautiful and so distinctly ~Emily Henry~ in her voice and diction, stood out from her others because it feels so different than her other stories. That may be in part because its her first true second chance story, or because of the large cast of characters the book centers on, but I mostly think its because, whereas her other books focus on female protagonists who are confident in their dreams and are trying to hold on to and/or find a way back to them, the thing that they know makes them happy, Happy Place is a story about letting go - of inhibitions, of expectations, of so-called dreams, of a life that no longer suits you. And by letting go, that’s when you can find your truest, happiest self. That is a message that spoke to me, that I felt in my heart, mind, and soul.

On a scale of Beach Read (angst) to People We Meet On Vacation (rom-com), if Book Lovers falls in the middle but closer to Beach Read, then Happy Place falls in the middle closer to PWMOV. Happy Place has everything you’d expect and love in an Emily Henry book - witty banter, immaculate chemistry, a lovable hero who you just want to hug and tell them everything will be okay, a strong-willed heroine who feels like was written specifically for you, well thought-out and engaging characters beautifully navigating through struggle, grief, life changes, and complex relationships. It was emotional, it was heartfelt, it was joyful, it was heartbreaking, it was moving. It felt like a true labor of love that Emily Henry is kind enough to gift to us.

Harriet is the most mirrorball girlie to have ever mirrorballed and I cried for the last 30% of this book because of her and her beautiful, nightmare, soft, soft, people-pleaser brain. She deserves happiness more than anyone I know. Wyn, my sweet Wyn, is the ultimate golden boy on the outside (which was such a change for a EH hero, I was thrown at first glance) but was so, SO damaged on the inside (this tracks for Miss Henry - thank you for giving the people what we want). He was a character I both loved and was completely frustrated by because I couldn’t peg him. His character, flaws, demons, insecurities and all, were revealed so slowly, bit by bit throughout the book that it really took nearly the whole story for me to understand him and his actions. But once I did, it was a complete game-changer, like the missing puzzle piece that unlocked Emily Henry’s grand masterpiece and made me see the whole story in a new light. At one point Harriet makes a joke that she’s slow-release hot… Wyn is slow-release TRAUMA (and I obviously loved every second of it).

Emily Henry is truly a master at her craft and, while it hurts a large part of me to feel all the feelings she invokes (something I usually try to avoid), I am grateful to her for capturing certain emotions that I thought were indescribable and seemingly always finding a way to tell me exactly what I need to hear. I look forward to reading everything she writes in the future, including her grocery lists.

Thank you so SO much for Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC of Happy Place!

It’s hard to not like an Emily Henry book, but I did feel that this was the slowest paced and least engaging of hers so far. However, I think that could also be due to the fact that it is a second chance romance. I felt that this book focused less on romance and more on their friendship dynamics and learning to navigate your relationships with other people. I do think that this was the most realistic relationship conflict and breakup reason I have ever read in a romance novel, but I did not feel a propelling romantic thread throughout this book that made me excited to keep moving forward. That being said, I enjoyed this and thought it handled the tropes well, I just don’t think they are the tropes for me.