QUICK TAKE: the equivalent of eating an entire birthday cake in one sitting. it's escapist, but these are not real world problems and I couldnt have related less to any of these characters. even their fights were cute. Emily Henry gonna Emily Henry. I understand why she has such a passionate and enthusiastic fanbase, but this one was not for me.

“In every universe, it’s you for me.
Even if it’s not me for you.”

Emily Henry can do no wrong. No romance novel will ever make me feel the way hers do, and I think that's because her characters (or at least their feelings) are always so relatable. I don't want to spoil anything, but you can literally feel the longing and the tension between Harriet and Wyn, which is what makes the book so hard to put down. Also, this book is *so* Taylor Swift Midnights coded.

Overall, 10/10 recommend. Just like every other Emily Henry book I've ever read.

*Thanks to Berkley Publishing Group, Emily Henry, and NetGalley for the ARC, in exchange for my honest review.*

This copy was kindly given to me by Netgalley and the publisher for review. All opinions are my own.

Emily Henry does it again! Ughhhhh, I think she has destroyed me. I could not put this book down.

I won't lie, I have always wanted to take a pottery class. After this book I was even more determined to... I just took a six week course shortly after I finished this book:) I love the setting, both Maine and Montana. The trials of friendships and love, the quest for what is 'happy' and the fear that we feel when change makes things feel as if it is all slipping away.

"The world needs more happy potters, not unhappy doctors" I loved that Henry did not shy away from hard hitting subjects. While I have never been in love like these two characters (we can only hope) and it can sometimes make a sorry a little unrealistic feeling when feelings are that deep *(again, maybe just because I haven't felt that way), the way she tackle the real life problems, it this book depression and communication issues, was spectacular.

This is my favorite work from Emily by far. It's way more women's fiction than her previous romance titles (which I love). Perfect! Emily Henry can do no wrong <3

While I still enjoy Emily Henry and look forward to her future books, this one was not for me. I still enjoyed the setting and supporting character relationships, but I was not a fan of this particular romance and found the book dragging out and becoming a little boring. Overall, I think Henry is still a very strong writer and look forward to her future works as I have greatly enjoyed her previous titles.

This definitely wasn’t my favorite book by Emily Henry. I enjoyed it but I find the cover and title to be very miss leading the story Is fiction not romance.

I really liked the back and forth timeline showing the beginning of their relationship. I do with it was duel POV. I did love the found family.

Cute, but predictable. I enjoyed the settting more than the characters or story. A light summer read, but mediocre.

Not my favorite of Emily Henry's books, but I will recommend to fans of fake-dating romance, the Second Chance trope, and "beach read" novels like those by Elin Hilderbrand, Taylor Jenkins Reid, and "The Unhoneymooners" by Christina Lauren.

Harriet and Wyn broke up five months ago, but haven't told anyone yet. Now finding themselves on their yearly vacation with the friend group, the two decide to fake-continue-dating (and being engaged) to help the week go smoothly.

The reason for their sudden, unresolved breakup isn't revealed until the end of the story, and quite frankly I found this frustrating. Miscommunication tropes are not my fave, and their lack of communication was driving me crazy.

That said, I always enjoy Henry's writing style and still got sucked into the story while on vacation. I have high hopes for the next novel!

Wyn and Harriet were together for eight years and broke up five years ago after a rough few months. Neither have told anyone - Wyn has been wrapped up in caring for his mother, and Harriet is busy with her residency. Both don't get to see their core friend group from college often, but return to their "Happy Place" in Maine for an annual vacation. Harriet expects this year she'll go and take every other year off with Wyn, but when she arrives, Wyn is there. The two pretend to still be together to please their friends as it turns out it's their last summer at the house, which is being sold, and two of their friends are having a surprise wedding.

It's easy for the reader to sympathize with Harriet and Wyn, but Henry drags out the reason behind the break up until towards the end of the book, and ultimately it's frustrating to find out two people who truly came into their adulthood together couldn't communicate to work through some major shit until it was almost too late. The ending falls flat with a romance, with Harriet's thoughts reflecting more on her personal growth than that of her relationship with Wyn.

The conflict within friendships felt off, too. The discussions felt like they were between much younger characters when it came to any sort of relationship dynamic.

The depression representation was well done and the read itself is enjoyable, slightly steamy, and emotionally charged.

Emily henry's best one yet. I loved every second of it. Funny, heartwarming, and includes the pains of growing up even in your twenties.

3.75

I have mixed thoughts on this one! I loved some parts of it and others I couldn't care less about. I think my main issue is with the tropes in this story, they are not my favorite. So, while I did have some minor issues with this one it was definitely a me thing and not an everyone thing. I'm a huge fan of this author and can't wait to read more from her! Her writing was on point, the pacing was superb, and the characters were flawed but showed growth by the end. I would highly recommend it.

Emily Henry's prose is unparalleled, but the romance in this book fell a bit flat. The heaviness of the main couple's miscommunication weighs the story down.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫⁣
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Do you have a “Happy Place”?⁣
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I love going to our family’s farmhouse! It’s way out in the country where there is zero service, no tv (besides the collection of dvds that has accumulated over the years), and a party phone! It’s a place to go and unwind/relax/rough it a bit and it’s perfect⁣
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I was suuuuuuper excited to get #HappyPlace from @berkleyromance (thank you!) and picked it up ASAP… let me tell you it is SUUUUUCH a great summer read! Emily’s writing is so beautiful and really brings the book to life. It is more poignant than I anticipated, but had so much depth and I completely fell into the story. I think it was a smidge slow in the middle, but even with that it was such a fantastic second chance romance that in my opinion lives up to the hype! ⁣
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Tropes:⁣
found family⁣
Second chance/relationship in crisis⁣
Forced proximity ⁣
Dual timeline⁣
Vacation⁣
Fake dating⁣
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Happy Place is out NOW! Add it to your TBR for a perfect poolside or summer read!

In the most annoying way possible, I spent months ruminating on this book before writing a review.

It would be incorrect to say that I didn't like this book, because I really did like this book. But I was so disappointed by this book in ways I couldn't quite explain. I think my biggest issue is that this book is only sort of a romance novel. This book is women's lit with a romance storyline. The romance between Harriet and Wyn was hardly the most compelling part of this story -- and I felt like the author knew that too.

In fact, immediately after finishing this book, I couldn't remember Wyn's name. I couldn't really figure out why their love was so deep and abiding. I didn't feel like they were some epic love story. And, frankly, I wasn't really rooting for them to be together -- mostly because Wyn couldn't get over himself to just TALK TO HER. In fact, I think everything in this book could have been resolved pretty quickly if people would just talk and communicate. Hopefully Wyn and Harriet can figure this out, because it's a terrible way to start a relationship.

I also can't get behind a girl just leaving behind a multi-hundred thousand dollar investment just because it wasn't fulfilling enough. Sure, but finish your degree? You don't have to be a neurosurgeon, be a phlebotomist or a gp or something. But throwing away your investment and your career just because your man now makes money? Bleh.

But, I also did like this book. I like Emily Henry for smart and insightful women's lit and I liked the way this novel unpacks grief, depression, and adult friendships growing apart (in a way that almost made me feel sick). Just stop pretending it's a romance and focus on the rest of the story. And please give the Parths more personality.

Emily Henry is one of my few auto-buy authors, and after her last two books—PEOPLE WE MEET ON VACATION being my favorite—I have sky-high expectations for her stories. Which is probably not a good thing.

HAPPY PLACE was a letdown for me. The setup. (There was no reason to lie and pretend they were still together.) The second-chance romance. (The was so little chemistry between Harriet and Wyn.) I just didn't buy any of it. And when I finally decided to ignore the romance and enjoy the bigger cast and wacky friendships, those became strange too.

Despite all of this, I still find Henry's writing enthralling. She's *so* talented! I appreciate that she was trying to do something different here. I just wished I'd cared about these characters and their story more.

RATING: C

I cannot describe my reading experience with book as anything other than entirely apathetic. I simply cared for none of it, not Harriet, not her friends, not her ploy to fake date the ex fiancé, nor did I care to find out why they were broken up or how they might find their way back together. It just completely failed to spark even the faintest flames of interest of investment in the story. This is not to say that Emily Henry is some terrible writer or something but I think her approach to romance just does not speak to me, and my deep enjoyment of People We Meet on Vacation was a fluke.

An enjoyable read, but less well done than some of Henry's previous titles. The characterization feels authentic, but comes across as a bit annoying as well. Those looking for a fluffy happy romance won't find it here as the book contains a lot of relationship (platonic and romantic) and personal drama.

Serious and Thoughtful, this was a Heavy rom-com that dealt with more than just rekindled romance. It was well written but definitely sad throughout.

I don’t know why I waited so long to read this book. It was on my Kindle shelf for months. I think I knew it would be amazing and I wanted to save it for a special occasion. I waited until I was on vacation, and as soon as I started it, I could not put it down. I devoured it in two days of car travel. Emily Henry is a suburb storyteller, and this book was no exception.