I have a bold claim. Happy Place has moved into first place on my official Emily Henry ranking. WOW!

Happy Place follows Harriet and her 5 closest friends in a dual timeline through college and early adulthood. The way they navigate these relationships as their lives ebb and flow was so deeply relatable. The bonds of friendship you form in college is unlike any thing else. Harry and her friend turned lover Wyn soon find that the real world isn't the happy place they began their relationship all those years ago.

While there is absolutely a central love story I would never classify this as a 'romance'. It's so much more. The evolution of the friendship between the three girls as they grow up is so beautiful. I think we all have those friends who defy the label of friend to become more. A sister. A limb. A lifeline.

I also really connected to Harriet's internal struggle over her career. Her academic drive that got her through college and then left her feeling lost once she left those hallowed halls is something I see time and time again amongst the most gifted and focused students. Myself included!

Even if you haven't historically been an Emily Henry fan this book might change your mind. It's for sure her most emotional book that she's ever put out. When I say I started tearing up at 6% in I'm not being hyperbolic. Have some tissues on hand!

I didn't find this story to be a particularly Happy Place. There were too many anxious characters with too many issues and I had a hard time liking any of them. I struggled with sticking with this book but I did finish it and the ending was somewhat satisfying. I usually like Emily Henry stories (Book Lovers was fantastic) but I just couldn't really appreciate this one. Thank you Net Galley for letting me review this book.

Another delightful read by Emily Henry! As always, it was a compelling romance with lots of drama. I love how Emily Henry will slowly reveal crucial information in her works. For example, in this one, you had to keep reading to discover the origin of the relationship, why they broke up, and what the other couples are hiding. Just like her other books that I have read, it was a fun read.

I don’t know how she does it, (when every book she writes is perfection) but Emily Henry has outdone herself again!! I loved this book. Happy Place is deeply romantic, witty as hell, and full of the best relationship/character develop in this amazing group of friends. I usually shy away from “second chance” romances because I hate seeing what went wrong in a relationship, and yet, Emily Henry develops so much nuance and truth within this storyline that you feel cared for every step of the way. And when you take all of this and set it in Maine? That’s pure storytelling perfection!

I read this book in one sitting and already want to go back and read it again. Somehow Emily Henry always manages to write my favorite book of the year, and I’m so grateful for it!

3.5 stars
Look, for a multitude of my own reasons, this book was just not my cup of tea. I don’t think my review would be fair because it really is a beautifully written book. We all have our hang-ups and I guess this one touched on some of mine.

Enjoyed this rom-com. Had a lot of the clever banter we love from Henry, as well as a bit deeper exploration of what it means to commit to someone, the challenges of finding ourselves and what we truly want, and changing as we grow.

I wasn’t expecting to like this because books about broken up couples lack the same spark as books about people who become them. However, I started to get into it around chapter 3 or 4, and I had to admit it was more interesting than most rom-coms, mostly because it wasn’t funny - these people had real problems, which elevated it. Not that I’m planning on giving this an award; the grammar was awkward and there was a lot of whitewashing going on. I didn’t even realize two of the characters weren’t white until like chapter 35, and that’s only because I finally took a good look at the cover (this was digital). I’ve often said people of color need to be seen living ordinary lives in order to be put on an equal creative playing field with white people. However, that does not mean that every ounce of context and experience that goes along with being a person of color in America needs to be erased from their existences. I’ve seen this a bit in contemporary authors, particularly younger ones. It doesn’t make your book diverse to simply throw in a couple people described as nothing more than olive-skinned, or name them with a non-European name. I may catch a bunch of flack for this, because some may argue that with people like me there’s no being satisfied, but I think I can be satisfied, because I have been. Read books by people of color about people of color living ordinary lives still defined in part by their identities. They may not be overloading my personal library, but I think I know a winner when I see one. Maybe nobody’s reading this and maybe people who are wondering how I said that much and still gave it four stars. It happens.

I’ve read all of Emily Henry’s works and so of course I had high expectations going into Happy Place; this book blew all of those expectations out of the water.

Happy Place is a heartfelt, sometimes heart wrenching, novel that touches on love, loss, friendship, found family, generational trauma, and ultimately healing. It’s funny, witty, and so unexpectedly wise. I found myself laughing with the gang and feeling like they’re my friends too. I fell in love with Wyn and his family. The cozy settings began to feel like home to me. This novel felt carefully written and masterfully put together.

I absolutely cannot wait for the rest of the world to get to read this one. In the meantime make sure you pick up this author’s other novels, if you haven’t already. I’m particularly fond of Book Lovers but there are no wrong choices when it comes to Emily Henry.

Thank you to Net Galley and Berkley/Penguin Random House for choosing me for this ARC!

This was wonderfully escapist in its sense of place: in this case, a cottage on the coast of Maine. As with Emily Henry’s other novels with a clearly defined sense of place, this coastal cottage and its environs are depicted more as a Platonic ideal than realistically, but I didn’t mind. Partly because it’s a big part of the escapism of reading an Emily Henry novel, and partly because I grew up spending summers in the northernmost parts of New England myself.

This was a bit different from Emily Henry’s past romances in that the couple has already gotten together — and broken up — before the start of the book. The novel is written in two timelines: one tracking the development of Harriet and Wyn’s relationship over the course of years and one in the present day at their friend group’s last-ever week at the cottage. So it’s kind of a double romance in that you get to see Harriet and Wyn fall in love twice, working through their misunderstandings and hurt in the present timeline. As usual, though, Henry (thankfully) never lets the characters’ emotions devolve into angst. The friend group has some of their own misunderstandings and hurt to work through, too, though this is resolved much more quickly.

I was glad to see some non-white people finally make an appearance among Emily Henry’s secondary characters, and her writing was as readable as always. I am annoyed by a fairly significant plot hole, though: Harriet and Wyn haven’t spoken for months because she blocked his number… but she doesn’t have email?

Wow I am so glad I discovered Emily Henry as an author, this book had me laughing, crying and feeling like I was with friends. I can't wait to share this book with other people.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Happy Place is everything I could ever want in an second-chance romance. The tension, the longing, the *angst* UGH it was glorious. I knew Emily Henry would never let me down <3

Also, for my Swifties out there, Harriette + Wyn are such a "this is me trying" + "gold rush" duo, and if that doesn't convince you, I don't know what will!

This book had me crying like *I* was the one who got broken up with by their (very hot) perfect boyfriend of eight years and had to act like "I’m fine" (when in fact I’m dying inside from the heartbreak of seeing him again). I was going to make this a concise, straight-to-the-point review but I’m experiencing too many emotions right now to not blurt them all over the place.

I haven’t been this emotionally impacted by a book in ages, there were so many gratifying themes represented that hit really deep with me. Like family relationships and how that affects you growing up. Of lifetime friends struggling to accept that things have changed between them. The fear that everyone’s going to move on, leaving you behind (REAL). The terrifying realization you wasted your life working towards a career you don’t actually want, but being too scared to admit it in case of letting others down. Realizing shoving down your feelings to protect others is only pushing them away and making them think you don’t care. That relationships fail for many reasons and not all of them are your fault, sometimes you just need to be more open with each other. The way Harriet never learned how to properly fight with someone she loved because of the way her family dealt with arguments growing up. And there’s so many more I want to mention, but I’ll refrain for the sake of spoilers <3

Basically, I cried a lot (this is a recurring theme).

Her and Wyn’s relationship throughout the book made me go from excitedly screaming + hitting my pillow in elation to bawling uncontrollably. You can tell from the first moments between them that they’re meant for each other, they’re so sweet with each other it makes my heart hurt. Not necessarily in that “honeymoon phase”, love at first sight way but in the way that only comes through loving someone for so long that their presence is automatically comforting. As they fall back into love (or “re-realize” they still love each other), they become so much more vulnerable and open. Getting to see them uncover why their break up went the way it did was healing in the most painful way (again: I shed lots of tears). But seeing them overcome it was even better, it was raw and honest and so heartwarming (the airport scene?? AHH <33).

As for the plot, I loved how seamlessly the flashbacks were intertwined with the present-day storyline. The context was provided at just the right times and the memories blended in really well. I loved how Harriette called them her “Happy Places”, I thought that was so cute and, obviously, tied into the title really well.

I also appreciated how each of their friends had a strong presence throughout the book and weren’t mildly developed, boring background characters included just for the sake of being there. They each had their own strong personalities that shone through and added so much dimension to the plot. Emily Henry really said: Oh, you feel lonely reading about my main couple? I’m going to add TWO MORE perfect side couples to make you feel even worse <3 I am going to need books on Cleo + Kimmy (sapphic couples for the win!) and Sabrina + Parth right now,

My favorite Emily Henry book to date. I related so much to Harriet. I cried so many times throughout this book, aching for her and Wyn. An absolute masterpiece.

Emily Henry does it again. No one is writing such honest depictions of friendship as Emily Henry. Harriet, Sabrina and Cleo were randomly assigned to be random freshman roommates, little did they know they would become their own family. As they grew up, their family grew to include new friends, including Wyn. Harriet and Wyn fall in love and seem like the perfect couple, but they haven't told their friends they broke off their engagement and now have to fake it for a whole week. Will it be the end of their friendship or the start of something new?

In a perfect world, we all would have a group of friends like Harriet has. Unfortunately, she's keeping this huge secret from them- that she and Wyn broke off their engagement months ago. When they're forced to spend an entire week together, feelings become jumbled and confusing.

I'll be honest, this wasn't Henry's best work. Some of it was soooo slow that I nearly DNF'ed the book. It took way too long to tell their story and dig through all the things they did during the week. Most of it seemed irrelevant for the story.

4.25⭐
Do you have a happy place?
You probably know two of mine just from my profile pictures.

Each year a close-knit group of friends gather for a weekend retreat at a cabin in Maine. This year there will be a few drastic changes.

Wyn and Harriet who’ve been engaged... are no longer a couple. The rest of the group have no idea and they fully intend to keep it that way. But the (unhappy) couple keep getting awkwardly thrown together. Maybe it’s destiny…maybe they aren’t through with each-other just yet!😉

Do you still have the same special group of friends from high school or college? Do you dread the day that the dynamics change?

This was a sweet, contemporary romance that shows the unflinching bonds of friendship.

Once again, Emily Henry gave us an amazing group of characters that you can easily get behind and root for! I’m already looking forward to her next release!

A buddy read with Susanne.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing

This book wrecked me in the best way. Probably my favorite so far? I loved the romance, the friend group, the extravagant beach house, everything.

Okay, let's review this little gem.

First up, thank you to Berkeley for the early review copy of this book. You made my year with this one *kisses*

Happy Place was probably the most personally relatable of Emily Henry's books. I have read her other three adult romances and loved them all. I do dare say that Beach Read is still my favorite, and the banter in Book Lovers is unmatched, by Happy Place takes the cake for poking at my own weak points and shining a lovely little mirror at the struggles I've faced in my friendships and relationships in my thirties.

Happy Place is the story of Harriet. It is also the story of Harriet and Wyn. It is also the story of Harriet, Wyn, Sabrina, Parth, Cleo, and Jimmie. Like Henry's other books, it is all of these things simulaneously: a story of confronting personal issues, a story of a romantic relationship, and a story of friendship. Harriet has been friends with Cleo and Sabrina since they were freshman roommates in college, and three girls spent many summers at Sabrina's dad's lake house in Maine. It become their spot where they built traditions and memories -- even moreso when each fell into long-term relationships and brought their partners into the fold, building the friendship crew to six.

However, all good things must come to an end and two major changes have happened in the friend group this year. First, Sabrina's dad is being forced to sell the lake house, effectively ending their annual traditions. Sabrina helps organize one final week at the cabin, complete with a surprise intimate wedding for her and Parth, and all six friends drop everything to make that happen. Second, unbeknownst to the rest of the group, Harriet and Wyn have broken up. They broke up a few months ago and Harriet didn't have the heart to tell her friends. When she and Wyn end up at the cabin for the last hurrah, neither wants to ruin the vibe be admitting that their romance has come to an end. Instead, they decide to fake date to keep up appearances.

Because we all know how THAT usually goes.

So, basically what we have here is a fake-dating second-chance romance, for those of you keeping track of the tropes at home.

Happy Place is about mature relationships going through changes, which is different from Henry’s other books. Wyn and Harriet have been together for a long time. Harriet, Cleo, and Sabrina (and Parth and Wyn and Kimmie) have been friends for a long time. Sabrina and Parth have been together a long time. Cleo and Kimmie have been together a long time. But maintaining those kinds of deep, life-long relationships includes some ups and downs. There are moments of big change alongside the traditions, comfort, inside jokes, and debauchery. As a person in my 30s, this mirrored my own life in so many ways and the challenges we all face as we hit different phases in life.

This book is about the found family of friendship as much as it is about falling (back) in love. And with found family, we often see the start of those relationships rather than how they weather into extending beyond what could be their natural end. When jobs and geography and babies and mortgages pull you away from the friendships of your twenties, these relationships don't often endure -- and if they do, they must look different. They involve work and planning. And that is equally true for love. We see the start, but the middles and ends are important stories, too. We just don't read about them as often.

At its heart, Happy Place is about finding your happy place, and understanding that only YOU can figure out what that is and make it happen -- whether it be in your career, friendships, romantic relationships, or even vacation destinations. This resonated with me HARD. I don’t cry in books, but this message made me tear up a bit as I think about my thirties and the relationships that have started and ended in the past twenty years of my life.

Happy Place is still a romance, but definitely leans into the the other themes a bit more than Henry’s other books. It’s funny and sexy, yes, but it is so many other things. I’ll be interested to see what readers who read this as their FIRST Emily Henry book will think about it. I’ll be interested to see what readers think in general. The hard part of an early reading of a book is not having anyone to talk to about it and not being able to see everyone else’s reactions! But, for me, this was such a good read. I related so much to Harriet in ways that I haven’t related to other romance leads. I hope others love Harriet and Wyn (and Cleo and Sabrina and Kimmie and Parth) as much as I did.

An easy five stars.

Another wonderful release from Emily Henry. This is another book that exemplifies how beautiful a story can be when you give as much life and depth to your secondary characters as you do to your main characters. And the dual timeline works very well in this novel because the reason for the split isn't obvious, even as we see how the relationship started and blossomed and developed. Henry is a true talent, and this book will live up to (and exceed!) the hype around its release.

Harriet and Wyn have broken up, and they are afraid telling their friends will ruin their last hurrah at their favorite summer cottage. The relationship between all of these friend is really great, and feels real. I really enjoyed learning about how they all came to be. This latest Emily Henry book felt a little more like relationship fiction, and a little less like romance. I still thoroughly enjoyed it, and read it in a day! But I miss the more rampancy part of her writing and storytelling.

Initially seems like quite a departure for this author and took me a while to get through the first third. Very down, depressing vibe with lots of emotional scenes. Personally not a fan of the flashback structure, and the connection between the characters was just sort of assumed due to their prior relationship. I never really found anything that made me believe they liked each other. MC in general was a bit underdeveloped. However, it was entertaining and readable.