Annnnnnd Emily Henry does it again. With Happy Place, she took me on a beautiful journey where I laughed, cried, and basically had to take a breather at the end of every chapter just to reflect.

I tend to hyper fixate on the romantic interests when I read but this time I really fell in love with the main character, Harriet. I have never related to a character more. Her internal dialogue was so … vast :) Not to be dramatic but this is easily one of my favorite books I have ever read and I have learned so much from it.

What I liked:
•Fake dating trope
•Found family <3
•Second chance romance!!
•Every side character is important and has their own personality and story
•Stunning internal dialogue from our heroine
•AMAZING banter between the love interests
•It’s almost like a coming of age story but as an adult and I completely fell in love with that concept
•Exceptional character growth
•An ending that just makes sense🤍

What I wish there was more of:
•More scenes of Wyn and Harriet in “real life” that showed their love for each other now earlier on
•An epilogue that shows them in the future still together and happy for my piece of mind + I wouldn’t mind seeing little flashes of the other main characters from Emily Henry’s other books like I’m the end of Book Lovers!

A quote that stuck with me:
“I don’t think she’s ever totally understood why I find it easier to fulfill other people’s expectations than to set my own.”

Links to online reviews:
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTR4a4vEg/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/ClwQrzvroT_/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Storygraph: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/1a373745-82bb-4d00-95b9-cbd741a0a39f

THIS BOOK. I am obsessed. I am an Emily Henry stan and this book just reinforced my love of her writing and characters.
The banter. The angst. The friend group/found family dynamic. All the feelings. ALL OF IT.
I read so many reviews about Book Lovers where people related so much to Nora. While I loved Nora, I didn't. Harriet on the other hand? I felt so seen.
Pre-order this book now. Do it. It will be so worth it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the advanced reader copy.

This is my favorite Emily Henry novel to date. The prose is beautiful, the descriptions were vibrant. I felt like I was THERE, jumping in the ocean, on the Ferris wheel. I loved Harriet and Wyn so much. I loved the story woven together between the here and now, and how i never once felt MAD about their conflict. I felt as if it were relatable, something a very real couple would experience. My heart is full.

Once again Emily Henry came and saved the day! The formula of this book is little different than the other books that I have read by this author, despite that, I really loved how serious but often neglected themes like identity crisis, adulting, and adult friendships and personal boundaries were explored throughout the book. I loved the friend’s dynamic. The romance was amazingly fulfilling to read about. Overall in my humble opinion, it deserves 5 star and so much more

I got to the end of this novel and truly didn't know how to feel. I've finished each of Emily Henry’s last three novels with the feeling of "WOW! That was so freaking good! How does her brain work?? Everything was excellent!"

I didn't feel that this time around and I’m still trying to figure out exactly why. Happy Place still had a lot of things that make an Emily Henry novel such as strong relatable characters, an exploration of grief (though this was on the lighter side for sure), questions of self-identity, and an exploration into different familial relationships. But as a whole, the book itself felt undercooked? That's the only way to describe it at the moment. For most of the book I was waiting for the big undertaking that usually comes with Henry’s novels that leave me feeling raw and exposed, but it never happened. Or it did happen a tiny amount but a little too late and then the book was done.

There wasn't enough time with all the topics trying to be explored. (Side note: this book felt a lot shorter than her others too and could’ve benefited from an extra 50 or so pages). We have this friend group that was fractured in so many places that I wanted a deeper dive into. We had Harriet's fractured relationship with her sister that I wanted more from. However, as someone who has a very similar relationship with their own older siblings, I still felt very seen from what we did get.

I also wanted a more in-depth look into Harriet's relationship with her career. For Harriet to have gotten that far into her residency and walk away choosing pottery felt off. I get what was trying to be done but I expected her to switch concentrations or still be connected to the medical field somehow. Why did she even choose medicine in the first place out of all the other prestigious and rigorous careers that would've demanded the same amount of time and money?

I did appreciate the deep dive we had into Harriet’s relationship with her parents. I LOVED the conversation she had with her mother at the end about wanting to be happy but right as it was all coming together then the novel was done.

Now to Harry and Wyn. This was the first time reading an Emily Henry novel where I was kinda rooting for them to stay friends more than I was rooting for them to be a couple. Don't get me wrong they were still romantic as fuck and I'm glad they ended up together! How they fell in love and got engaged had me grinning from ear to ear. But I wanted more time in the nitty gritty dark days of their relationship or more angst surrounding their reunion. Maybe their time apart should've been longer or the stakes around the week they were forced to lie should've been higher. The main reason why I was rooting for them to stay friends was because of how happy Wyn kept saying he was in the present day. I also thought Harriet would try to define her own path for once outside of a relationship or her parents.

Knowing that Wyn had the ring on him and learning that he tried texting her multiple times post-break-up, I thought he would've been there to fight for her and admit that he should've never ended it. Something more dramatic??? That four-minute phone call was hyped up so much and then we only got a recap of it. But like I said earlier they were still so romantic and pulled at my heartstrings many times. I loved how sure Wyn was of his love for Harriet and his need to constantly touch her. I loved that Harriet always encouraged Wyn to believe in himself and taught him not to downplay his own accomplishments. With every Emily Henry book, the steam gets steamier which is amazing!!! Emily Henry writes erotica challenge when???

Lastly, it was nice to finally see featured people of color in an Emily Henry adult novel. However, I didn't enjoy using context clues to identify their races. For instance, we're told that Cleo has box braids, deep brown skin, and sleeps in a bonnet, but it was never explicitly stated that she was Black. The same goes for Parth who we never really got a super detailed physical description of but based on his name and the cover of the book I'm assuming he's South Asian. But that's the thing, I shouldn't have to assume. If you can describe the color of the ocean in great detail and the precise weather in this small town in Maine then it should be an easy lift to say "This is Cleo, she's Black, has box braids, etc etc." The lack of these definitive statements allows people to easily whitewash characters even with the context clues provided.

Overall I really enjoyed this book but it didn't alter my brain chemistry the way her previous work has. If this had been my first Emily Henry novel I would've immediately run to read her other work because the writing was still amazing and I still felt seen throughout. I don't consider this a letdown but rather an “Okay solid. When is the next one coming out?” Because at the end f the day Emily Henry and I are locked in for life.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkeley for the advance copy of this book, I was so excited to read this!

I am a big fan of Emily Henry, I think that she hits it out of the park with all her contemporary romance titles that she has put out and Happy Place instantly became one of my most anticipated books of 2023 as soon as it was announced. I was so glad that Happy Place was just as good as Emily Henry’s previous romances.

In comparison to Emily Henry’s other books, this one is a bit on the heavier side. I found myself relating a little too much to what Harriet and Wyn were feeling, so much so that I would have to put the book down at times. I really enjoyed the exploration of these feelings of insecurity and depression in juxtaposition to the “happy place” in the story.

I also really enjoyed that this book was a romance, but it was also a friendship story. At the center of this book, is a group of friends who care so deeply about each other coming together. Often in romances, the side characters are not so fully developed as these and it was very nice to see.

Let me just start by saying how thankful I am to have been given the chance to read this book! Emily Henry is one of the authors that I will automatically read! With that being said, Happy Place was not one of my favourites. All in all, this book was just okay. It tells the story of a couple who broke up and has to tell their friend group they broke up but didn't. Thus the story starts with the friend group going on their yearly trip and Harriet and Wyn need to pretend they are still together.
The writing was great, as always but the story was flat. It only got better in the last half. It took a while to get interested in the story.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Publishing for the E-ARC!

I have read everything Emily Henry has written and Happy Place might just be my favourite so far. I love second chance romance and I loved this romance. I couldn’t put this book down. Thank you to Netgalley for my advanced copy.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC of this title.

Classic Emily Henry! She is one of my new favorite authors, and this one does not disappoint. Actually, I'm disappointed in myself that I didn't save this for the summertime, as this is the perfect beach read! The novel jumps back and forth between past and present, between the happy beginnings of Harriett's relationship with Wyn, and the current stress of having just broken up. When forced to spend time with their friends at a beach house, pretending to be the perfect couple, of course there will be mishaps and romantic fun!

I really, really loved this story! Emily Henry is rapidly becoming one of my favorite authors. I already have patrons in mind who are going to devour this novel, so we are buying a few copies for sure.

Emily Henry does it again. I loved this book so much! the miscommunication was a little annoying at points because you just wanted the characters to sit down and work it out. But I found it didn't overwhelm the story. I'm a sucker for second-chance romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for this gift of an ARC!

Emily Henry is quickly becoming a favorite romance author. Her characters are so relatable and the stories keep you hooked until the end.

The dynamic of the 6 friends is what keeps this story moving. I wish there was more about Harriet, Sabrina, and Cleo. It felt like the trio got lost in the overall group until the very end. I wanted more of Harriet's family, more progress with her sister, or at least a little more interaction between the two of them.

The structure makes sense for the story but it's my least favorite part of this book. There are flashbacks/memories in the present/real life chapters. A lot of the story is told in flashbacks/memories and I think some of that could be spent exploring more of the dynamic between Harriet and her family or Harriet, Sabrina, and Cleo.

***Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***
Emily Henry is an automatic read by me. The wit and banter between her characters are always top-notch and the romance is almost tangible. Happy Place had all of that, but there was an undercurrent of grief and realness that resonated with me. Growing up and finding yourself is a serious theme in this novel. it almost made the novel sadder than I wished it to be, but Henry always gives us what we want, so I am extremely happy with this novel!

If you are an Emily Henry fan, you will recognize the author's sense of humor, depth of character building, and penchant for nostalgia in Happy Place as seen in Book Lovers, People We Meet On Vacation, and Beach Read. With evocative, sensory-based writing, emotionally layered characters, and heavily developed backstories for Harriet and Wyn, this book is quite the emotional journey. As I read this, I was dying to be on this beautiful Maine vacation. A born-and-raised New Englander myself, I was easily swept up in the talk of fresh blueberries, seaside fairs, salty beaches, and seafood dinners. Those descriptions were certainly a high point of this book for me, as were Harriet's and Wyn's character development and the overall theme of questioning whether you are "good enough" - be that for family, friends, or even yourself.
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Though it took me a while to get used to the alternating chapter style between the flashbulb "happy place" memories and the present day (the chapters are on the short side and I felt some reader whiplash) and the desire to learn some more about the side characters, this was well done. With classic tropes such as found family, dysfunctional friends, and forced proximity, Happy Place will really hit you in the feels, especially if you are a New Englander!

Emily Henry has proven herself a deft hand at crafting a compelling, lived in romance. Told with an eye to physical and emotional geography, readers are guided through Harriet’s past with friends and her ex-fiancé Wyn, to her present-day vacation at an important cottage in Maine. The dialogue is witty and warm, filled with insightful turns of phrase. Our starring 6 have a wonderful dynamic, and the cast feels like people you know and love. The expanded ensemble enriches the story and creates opportunities for hijinks. Beneath the antics lies a story about two deeply feeling people, trying to make sense of their fractured relationship, life’s ups and downs, and themselves. The pacing was spot on, and the romance tropes never felt stale. Harriet, Wyn, Sabrina, Cleo, Parth, and Kimmy navigate conflict and difficulties realistically given their experiences. Their care for each other is clear on every page.

I know exactly how I’ll pitch this to my customers!

Perfection as always. Emily Henry just knows how to write romantic leads that manage to tear my heart into absolute shreds. Will write more closer to release date!

A warm hug when you need it.

Harriet and Wyn have been broken up for 5 months now, but in an effort to salvage the last annual Maine besties trip, they agree to fake continue-to-be-engaged. What follows is an equal-parts heartfelt and heart-wrenching story of chosen family, lost and found love, and independence.

Every single character felt so dynamic and real; it’s clear how much time Henry has spent with these characters, imagining full lives for them and giving us a long glance into each one. Everyone had such complex feelings and conflicts that propelled them through the story. I love all six of these pals deeply.

The brief timeline shifts felt very successful. It was a useful device for the slow reveal of each friend’s motivations, which kept the immersion alive. Not only that, but it allowed for great callbacks, and I love a good callback.

Henry’s banter is always top-notch, and Happy Place was no exception. The way Harriet and Wyn riff off one another, and how they still find jests in hard conversations, stole my heart. Rooting for y’all always.

Emily Henry romances haven’t always been hits for me, but there’s no questioning that this one is smashing. It’s been ages since I felt so emotionally invested in a text. so much so that I felt I had to savor it. Sometimes a book is presented to you at the perfect time in your life, and Happy Place is one of those for me. I could go on and on about how much I enjoyed this, but I’ll leave it at: Thank you, Emily Henry, for this one. It means a lot.

And thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the eARC. Forever appreciated. ♡

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC of Happy Place by Emily Henry!

This book was a palette cleanser for me. I really enjoyed reading it. This book has second chances, forced proximity, and a great male main character (Wyn). I liked all of the friends, especially Kimmy. The book is told in the present and there are also flashbacks of how Harriet and Wyn got together and how their relationship disintegrated. Everyone who likes romance should pick this up!

Emily henry does it again. This book had me in my feelings more than her previous work. A second chance romance mixed with that perfect life crisis always makes for a great story, The characters in this book were everything. The friend group was everything and it was so good to see them not be these perfect people and realize they're all working through something,

The love story though! Ah! my whole heart. Hariet and Wyn's love story is that all consuming love you're so lucky to have found and at some point one person realizes they may not be enough. The angst, the hurt, the pining, the LOVE, and of course the sexual tension. I just wanted to lock them in a wine cellar together (haha, see what I did there?)

Get ready for Emily to tug at your heartstrings yet again. This is the perfect combination of forever love and women's fiction.

4.5 stars rounded up -- half-star taken off because I'm not entirely sure the structure (happy place flashbacks interspersed with real life narrative) was necessary, especially as the real life bits sometimes had memories in them.

That being said, I loved this almost as much as Book Lovers, my favorite of Emily Henry's novels. I can see readers who come mostly for the banter, swoon, and steam being a little disappointed. Wyn and Harriet aren't quite as sharp and clever as Charlie and Nora, and the steamy bits are restrained. But what I like most about Henry's romances is the layers to the story. Book Lovers, for instance, was about grief and family expectations as much as it was about the romance. This one is about the ways our childhood hurts inform our adult relationships, and about friends who have become family struggling to understand that growing in different directions doesn't have to mean growing apart.

Wyn and Harriet's main conflict is communication, which I know is a pet peeve for many romance readers, including me. (WHY DON'T YOU JUST TALK TO EACH OTHER!? I've been known to yell at a book.) But the lack of communication here is central to what each is struggling with individually. And Henry smartly mitigates the potential annoyance by only writing from Harriet's POV. We can make assumptions about Wyn's feelings and thoughts, but they're never explicitly on the page (beyond dialogue).

The ending feels maybe a little rushed -- though I think that's partially because Henry's characters felt real to me. I know that getting past some of the things they're struggling with probably would take more than one big epiphany, but for the purposes of a HEA, Henry leaves those future fights for the reader to imagine.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy.