Happy Place

I couldn’t believe it when I got this in my email, I am so grateful to have read this before the release! Words can’t even describe how much I loved this book. If there was a six star rating, this would get it without a doubt. As always, the setting was incredibly described. Reading this book transported me to the cottage and Knott’s Harbour and I wish I could go and visit!

As for the characters, I saw my self so much in Harriet. I absolutely adore her. I would love to be a part of their friendship group, they seem like so much fun! Also, where can I buy a Wyn? I want one please!! He’s possibly my favourite Emily Henry love interest so far! I loved HarrietWyn and their love story <3

I really enjoyed the structure of this book and seeing how the story and their friendship/relationships evolved over the years. The topic of friendship was really well explored and the entire story was so full of feeling and emotion, I even cried at some points. It was extremely well written.

Reading an Emily Henry book is like putting on your favourite comfy hoodie; so comforting and familiar in the best way. I can’t wait to read whatever she writes next.

I made a playlist of songs that I listened to whilst reading, you can find it here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7BoKGGvs9LXQMMqoN5e1iX?si=r4cf6dTbRtuAr1HNUhXOdQ (Taylor Swift is heavily featured, obviously).

Thank you so much to Georgia Taylor and Viking books for the arc!

I would like to offer an official apology to Emily Henry because there was a split second, whilst reading the blurb, that I doubted whether I would enjoy Happy Place. I had panicked that this would be the first of her books that didn't appeal to me. In reality I don't think I have ever been more wrong about anything ever.

Within the first few pages Happy Place latched onto me and I haven't been able to shake it loose since (and quite frankly I don't want to). This book is EVERYTHING to me. It has become my standard. This will be the book that I will compare every single future romance against.

This is one of the most believable relationships I've ever read. Emily Henry so effectively captured the hope, longing and excitement of the start of a relationship, when a couple are in their will they/won't they stage and are just discovering each other. It was so honest and raw and real, that I felt like I was there falling in love with them too. And this is only such a minor part of their story told through flashbacks/memories.

These characters and their relationships and friendships are written so well that I don't think I will ever recover. The layers of past and present so succinctly form the picture of their lives that I feel like I have lived my life alongside theirs and will forevermore.

With every word I could feel Harriets heartbreak as if it was my own. I ached for her when she saw Wyn for the first time, I struggled with her when she realised it would be even harder to walk away from him at the end of the trip and I mourned with her when it became clear that sometimes our parents don't always give us love in the form we need.

This book is comfort and tension and complex and truth and love and hope all rolled into one and I cannot recommend it enough.

Thank you so much to Penguin Random House for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC, you've have made my year and given me a new favourite book all at once.

How is it that every time Emily Henry brings a new book out into the world, I end up loving it more than the previous one (which I always think is impossible)?
Happy Place is a second-chance romance masterpiece. One that will hit you in the feels right from the beginning. Harriet and Wyn have broken up six months and find themselves at their yearly getaway with their best friends, having to pretend to still be together as they have not announced their break-up to anyone. Except, they're not over each other.
There are many layers to who Harriet and Wyn are, and consequently to their relationship. This is shown through the time-jumps between now and the different stages from the time they meet up to the present. And it is a lovely journey, with ups and downs, and poignantly beautiful moments that had tears streaming down my face.
Wyn is so intricately woven into Harriet, that the lack of his pov is not noticeable. Not even a little! I didn't even realise it until a friend pointed it out. Brilliant work by Emily Henry 👏🏼
And the smart, witty banter? Signature Emily Henry. The best friends - Sabrina, Parth, Cleo, Kimmy - all bring their own into the story.
You thought you loved Henry's leading men from her previous books? Brace yourselves because you're not ready for Wyndham Connor.
I know I've said it before about Henry's books, but Happy Place is not only a story, it's an ✨️ experience ✨️. It is outstanding artwork. All the stars for this book. All of them. One of my top 3 reads of 2022, and one of the other two is Book Lovers.

Thank you to Penguin Books UK and the author for the ARC via Netgalley UK. All opinions are my own.

I quite literally squealed when this hit my inbox, best surprise ever! This book was filled with all the usual warm fuzzies and giggles I've come to expect, and so much more emotional depth. It explored love on so many different levels; how our past experiences bring emotional scars into both relationships and friendships, how this has a consequence so much later in life. The love story was as always beautifully developed and most importantly perfectly paced, unwrapping deliciously slowly intersected with flashbacks of the past. Another fast favourite, can't wait for the next one! Welcome to the Emily Henry Universe Wyn and Harriet ❤️

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

Firstly, I want to say thank you ,thank you ,thank you.Thank you for sharing this masterpiece early with me.I will forever be grateful .

I have no words to describe how much I adored this book. I am forever ruined for all the other authors and other books.Past,present and future. To be honest I feel whatever I say would not be enough .Words can’t do this book justice and could not describe the emotions I have experienced while reading . One needs to experience this on their own as it is an emotionally charged journey. I can’t wait for everyone to experience the roller coaster of emotions that this book takes you on. Absolute perfection . Already preordered the physical copy. I would definitely recommend this book to everyone and would rate it infinite stars if I could.

I am simply convinced that Emily Henry is incapable of writing a single bad book. Happy place is definitely one of the best romance books I've ever read and it will always have a special place in my heart. I loved how it wasn't all about romantic love but also about friendship and how hard it can be to maintain your friendships when u grow up and all go your separate ways. Wyn and Harriet are truly the loves of my life. This book made me cry and smile so much and the ending was just amazing. I adored every single page of it and can't wait for it to come out so everyone can read it and love it too.

I genuinely didn't think I could love an Emily Henry book more than Book Lovers, but surprise surprise I did. This was delicious. Harriet and Wyn are dreamy, the most gorgeous characters and even the friend group as secondary characters were better than some books main characters. It's cute, and romantic and funny and I just loooooved every second of it. SO SO good.

It is currently 01:29am and I have quite literally JUST finished this book and I couldn’t wait a second longer to write about how much I LOVED IT. As someone who doesn’t usually read many second chance romances, I wasn’t sure of what to expect, or how much I’d enjoy the trope, but realistically if it was written by Emily Henry I was guaranteed to fall in love with it. As a couple, Harriet and Wyn captured my heart from the very first flashback, and they definitely still have a pretty firm grasp on it while I sit writing this, fresh out of tears.

I didn’t expect to relate to this book so much, as a twenty-something, freshly graduated and moved to a new city to pursue the career I want, the feeling that you’re slowly slipping away from the people you know are your life-long friends, if not already family, is something that eats away at you, just as it does for Sabrina, Cleo and Harriet throughout the book. No matter what, the love will always be there, and the love of family and friends was portrayed so beautifully in this book I think my heart almost burst on multiple occasions.

All in all, I am absolutely in love with this book, the characters, the writing, all of it, and to finish, this is the start of my campaign for Wyn to be voted book boyfriend of the year 2023.

Getting this advanced copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review made my day!
At this point in time, Emily Henry can do no wrong, I loved everything I read by her and this one is no exception.
Harriet and Wynn broke up 6 months ago, but they haven't told anyone, especially not their closest friends. And now, they don't want to ruin their annual vacation with their best friends, so they decide to pretend they're still together.
There are unspoken truths between them and feelings they are trying to ignore.
I loved the friends relationships and the found family aspect of this story. I wished I was among this group of people, soaking up the coastal air.
I appreciated both Harriet and Wynn's individual journey to find their own internal happiness and their journey as a couple.
This story made me emotional, it made me laugh and cry, it made me happy. I absolutely loved it.

first of all I AM SO GRATEFUL TO HAVE READ THIS EARLY. THANK YOU TO EMILY HENRY + TEAM AT PENGUIN FOR THIS.

i am going to be bold and argue that this is emily henry's best book to DATE. it was absolutely stunning and i literally did not put it down from the moment i started reading it. the characters were so insanely well written, and so VIVID? harriet was so relatable and loveable that i cried for her so many times. i just wanted to reach through the book and give her a massive hug because so much of what she was going through and how she coped with the things in her life were exactly the same for me. her relationship with her friends warmed my heart so much and literally made me YEARN for a group of friends who love and support each other like this. massive shout out to sabrina for being an absolute icon, i was so obsessed with her.

WYN!!! WYNNNN !!! ): WYN <3. i loved wyn so much. so so much. i literally closed the book and immediately decided that yes, he is what i want. i have never read such a sensitive, beautiful, GENTLE man in all my life i literally weeped for him. and HIM AND HARRIET. THE DEFINITION OF SOULMATES. from the moment they were in the room together i immediately needed them to be together. like the YEARNING WAS INSANE. i would get emotional from the love i could feel that they had for each other. and namely in the little things. and that is testament to what an absolutely fantastic writer emily henry is. nobody writes romance like she does. the way her books make you feel is unlike anything i can explain.

the themes of friendship and growth within friendship was done so well, and in such a way that felt so relatable to someone coming out of university and feeling uncertain on how to maintain relationships. i thought a really fantastically done part were the conversations around conflict and how our family really teaches us how to deal with arguments (i admit, i am a harriet when it comes to this. and i need a wyn in my life like her). the found family dynamic of this book was gorgeous and i didn't expect to love absolutely everyone, and root for them all too.

i really thought book lovers was going to be my favourite romance book of this year, but no. it is this. by a mile. i love it so much and it's for sure a book i know i will come back to again and again. there were so many hard hitting quotes that i literally gasped at reading. emily henry you are wonderful. and this book is perfect.

A love story that will be deeply and uniquely personal to each reader, instigating an interesting and timely debate about escapism, happiness, and what it means to live our best lives.

In just a few years, Emily Henry has become one of the most influential romance writers we have ever seen. Her success has a lot of factors, one of them being, of course, her superb writing skills. But, her books always have that something extra. What makes them stand out is usually a combination of relatability, a complex cast of characters and/or locations that bring her story to life, and a promise of well-developed storylines.

Happy place is her debut in a trope that can be very tricky - a second-chance romance. The beauty of this trope is that it is not about a couple falling in love, but rediscovering a love that was lost. It’s usually complicated and messy and full of angst and longing.

And the romance is indeed spectacular. We meet Harriet and Wyn, and are taken on a journey that crisscrosses from their first meeting to their first years of dating, then living together and getting engaged, to the ultimate fallout of their relationship. All while moving backward and forward to the present time, where they share a bedroom together in a friend’s cottage and pretend to still be together.

And although this is very much their story, it also about growing up, about understanding that dreams change, that plans are interchangeable, that you can grow apart from people you love, that it’s difficult to live up to expectations, that is painful to find yourself and to please people as you understand more and more about yourself.

Happy place is raw. A book millennials will definitely see themselves in, but that can also reach across generations, tugging at a space we all carry in our hearts.

To summarize, if you are a romance fan, do not miss this book. But also, if you are a fan of refreshing, well-plotted, hilarious, and authentic stories, this will be the book for you.

Expect to see a lot more about Happy Place in the media, and making top charts on all sorts of lists.

Emily, keep at it. I can’t wait to see what you will bring into the world next.

I wish I could just write 'this book was EVERYTHING'.

Honestly though, I could not put it down. I stayed up until 1am so I could read it in a day and then I ended up laying in bed sobbing towards the end.

Harriet and Wyn are exes, forced into an impossible situation when an annual trip with friends turns into a nightmare.... because no one knows they've broken up. The book is told from various different points in time, from when Harriet and Wyn met, to later in their relationship and also to the trip they are on.

I loved getting to know all of the characters, and not just Harriet and Wyn. They all really add something to the story, fleshing out what's around the broken relationship.

There was SO much tension and sexual chemistry between Harriet and Wyn and I could not get enough of it. It's funny, tense and so incredible hot, all at the same time.

Happy Place needs to be on your pre-order list!

Happy place is the perfect mix of Beach Read, People We Meet On Vacation and Book Lovers. There is the banter of Book Lovers, a similar structure as You and Me on Vacation and the melancholy and nostalgia of Beach read. The one thing that has not changed is Emily Henry’s ability to capture emotions, you will giggle, cry, scream, laugh hysterically and then cry some more (hysterically, because let’s be real this book is beautifully painful). You will relate to the characters and be surprised of how seen you feel.

Here Emily Henry decided to dip into the ex to lovers trope, and as a person who is not the biggest enthusiast of second chance romances I was a bit scared, but I knew I trusted Emily Henry enough to get myself into it. Let me tell you, I was blown away of how much she made the romance believable to me, we actually root for these characters, Harriet and Wyn, to find their way back to each other, we actually believe how much they care for one another, I fell in love with them as characters and as a couple, it was a joy to read this slow burn and to discover how we ended in this place and how to move forward.

As usual, Emily Henry writes characters we could actually find in our own lives, we all know a Wyn or an Harriet, we all had a group of friends like the one in this novel, they even feel like family at the end of the book, it is a beautiful story about love wether it is friendship, romance or found family.

This book is a roller coaster of emotions, and gives us many definitions of a happy place.

Wow oh wow! this was one of my most anticipated reads for 2023 and it did not disappoint! Emily Henry, you are a queen. Not only did this book make me laugh out loud but it also made me sob. I am in love with the characters and all the side characters, feel like I need novellas of the besties just to fill my heart even more! This is going to be the top book of the year, I can feel it!!

My God I love Emily Henry. Every book of hers I absolutely race through, even though I want to savour every page. The most glorious, happy making novel. I loved it. I hope Emily keeps writing a book a year FOREVER.

I LOVE Emily Henry. Honestly she is one of my automatic purchase authors. I didn't even know what this book was about before I preordered it. I have endless faith in her writing and she has never disappointed. This book was absolutely beautiful. I sat down and read the entire thing in one sitting. It was such a heart warming story. I was so worried that these two characters weren't going to find their way back to one another after everything they had been through. The loveable band of characters that make up the found family are also brilliant. I loved how different they all were while perfectly fitting together. It was exactly the kind of story I needed. I will be recommending this book to everyone that asks for reading suggestions. Outstanding.

Emily Henry has done it again! New year, new romance trope fulfilled with expertise in the pen of Henry! Love this ex-lovers to lovers trope, and really liked the Summer setting! An amazing read to transport me to Summer instead of the Winter in the UK.

Emily Henry does not miss.
I LOVED this book. It’s the perfect combination of a fun summer read that manages to explore some tense themes that make it so enjoyable to read.

Henry explores grief, heartbreak, and the complications that come with growing apart from old friends. Under the disguise of a romance novel, this is a a guide book for achieving self-acceptance and ultimately self-love. I really, really enjoyed this and I’m so grateful to NetGalley for the arc.

I’m a huge Emily Henry fan but it felt like this book was a step up, even for her. I was a bit apprehensive because I don’t love a second-chance romance trope but here it was handled beautifully- you still got all the heat, all the slow-burn but also a depth of feeling that made this something special. The romance element was wonderful, but I think the exploration of friendship was even better. I adored the setting and the nostalgia, it was giving me Judy Blume Summer Sisters vibes which is the highest compliment! I laughed, I cried, my heart was warmed. The perfect escape from reality.

At its core, ‘Happy Place’ is a story about found family. The people that make you feel that little bit braver, who make you feel like your insides are made of glitter. The people you can sit with, with no pretence, the people who see all of you and make you better for it. This book made me feel full in a way that exceeds the word wholesome. It was bursting with life and love in all its complexities.

The setting was gorgeous and the characters were loveable, rich, and complex. The dynamics of this friendship group should be studied, and I am processing my paperwork to join this group in their cottage as we speak.

All of Henry’s books have a distinct feel to them, this was no different with its amalgamation of melancholy and warmth. Though this time around the distance between the two felt wider and making 'Happy Place' feel deeper than her other bodies of work. I had such a profound feeling of hopefulness and serenity after finishing this book and I truly wanted the best for all of these characters, the resolution was fantastic!

In the words of Gus Everrett, Henry manages to “make[s] the world seem brighter, and the people in it a little braver.” I have a sneaky suspicion that this book will be even better upon a reread and am very much looking forward to April 25th.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Another great Emily Henry novel! I was immediately invested in all of the characters and their beautiful lives together! The imagery was really vivid. I felt myself wishing I could be in the places they were in! I highly recommend!

Where do I start... I'M OBSESSED. I screamed when I saw I got the opportunity to read this before its release. What can I say about the book besides saying it's AMAZING. Emily Henry will never disappoint. I was already captivated by the first few pages and I couldn't put it down. She has such an incredible way to narrate stories that it makes you feel like it's your friend telling you something. It's fun, it's romantic, it's cute, it's everything you would expect from Emily Henry. Don't get me started on the characters. I LOVE them. This is probably my favourite book she's written. What a masterpiece. Please do yourself a favour and go grab a copy!!

I absolutely fell in love with this book and its characters....All the stars :) Utterly sweet and romantic, a perfect story about friendship and finding what makes one happy.

Emily Henry is magic. I don't even know how to begin writing this review, as everything about this novel was exceptional.

The book is an exquisite exploration of romantic and platonic love, what it means to give and receive in return, to fight and lose. I have not read such an impactful and fulfilling novel in a while.

It has all the qualities found in a good book:
1. Diverse, fully-fleshed-out characters, with the romantic duo of Harriet and Wyn being excellent protagonists.
2. A clear and captivating exploration of human emotions, how we process things and what holds us back (I found this to be the main focus of the book, more so than the romance).
3. Great setting and plot.
4. Well-written dialogue, at times devastating, at times hilarious.

Overall, a novel that goes beyond just being a romance.

I would like to say a huge thank you to NetGalley and Penguin for the opportunity to read and review this book early!

My favourite part of the last few years as a bookseller has been Emily Henry’s new books. I was desperate to read this one, and I was right in assuming she will just continue to get better. This book about Harriet and Wyn, but also their closest family Sabrina, Cleo, Parth and Kimmy is incredibly special. The love is palpable and honest, and the story is wildly funny and brilliant. Emotional moments high on weed gummies on top of Ferris Wheels, outside secluded moss covered showers, and the true difficulty of loving your people from 20 to 30 years old and through all the changes and people you become. I’ll be looking forward to Henry’s new books and if she has one fan in the room that fan is me.

I can't put into words how much I adored this book. I'm a serial multiple books reader but I read this in one sitting and I'm both so glad I did and so upset it's over.

Emily Henry has perfected the art of weaving together a story so that the emotions hit you in just the right way, and from the very start you could feel Harriet's heartbreak and her pain radiated from the pages. Henry's ability to make her characters so wonderfully, painfully, real is again present in this book, and you can't help but to relate and feel like you've lived through Harriet's insecurities and problems in such a devastating way (I truly think Emily Henry sees right into my soul).

I laughed and I cried with this book and I felt like I was right there with Harriet, feeling what she was feeling, the entire time. It was beautiful, and the devotion Wyn and Harriet have with each other was the perfect addiction you read Henry's novels to escape to.

Very upset that I'll have to wait another year or so until Henry's next book, they're always my favourites to read and I feel like they're in a league of their own.

Reading Happy Place was like falling in love five times a day. With each chapter, I grew more and more in love with these characters.

Clearly, Emily Henry is back to doing what she does best: creating intriguing and relatable fictional characters. With a light and charming tone, Emily writes about issues that most of us encounter in relationships, whether romantic or not.

I don't know if it's because I identify with Harriet the most, but Wyn and Harriet are definitely my favorite couple that Emily has ever created. I can see myself returning to this novel time and time again.

The book made me smile and even shed a tear or two, but mainly, it just made me so damn happy.
I'm so grateful that Emily approaches the subject of being an adult without knowing your passion/purpose and the uncertainty of being an adult.

I love, love this group of friends! I cannot wait for you to read this book.
Warning:
While reading, you might feel a variety of emotions, such as ou exhilaration, euphoria, trembling, a racing heart and accelerated breathing, as well as anxiety, panic and feelings of despair. - What I meant to say is, prepare yourself for all the feels.

This was much more than a romance; it was a beautifully woven tale about friendship, grief, love and personal growth sprinkled with fun banter and some heart-breaking moments.

Throughout the story, I got to see people with diverse personalities and backgrounds form and develop friendships and relationships and eventually become family. Milestones in their journeys are shown through key moments and events and the characters were relatable, very entertaining and sometimes quirky.

I love a good second chance romance and this one did what it said on the tin and then some. All the emotions; the highs and lows were palpable. This book discusses some serious topics like grief and mental health but the funny moments offered some relief from the heaviness. Despite their challenges, it was obvious that Harriet and Wyn were soulmates and were meant for each other and this was confirmed in a number of heart-warming and heart-crushing scenes in the book.

This is a rich, very well written story with loveable characters. I was sucked in from the beginning and effortlessly breezed through to the end. I would highly recommend this book; it is by far my favourite Emily Henry book.

Huge thanks to author, Penguin General UK and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC; I’m leaving this review voluntarily.

This title was featured in National Book Tokens' '23 books to look out for in 2023':

Happy Place by Emily Henry
Harriet and Wyn are the perfect couple. Except, they broke up six months ago. And they still haven't told anyone. Which is how they end up sharing a bedroom at the cottage that has been their yearly getaway with their best friends for the past decade. Happy Place is another feelgood romcom from the author of Book Lovers and Beach Read.

I had just decided that Book Lovers was my favourite Emily Henry book so far then Happy Place has come along and blown it out the water. I laughed and I most definitely cried! Themes of friendship, love, loss, grief are all present and it’s just a wonderful story. We follow Harriet who goes to her friends cottage for a week for a group catch up holiday. When she gets there , her ex is also there, a bombshell is dropped and now Harriet and her ex are forced to pretend they are still together . A bit spicey and a lot emotional. Loved it!

When I pick up a romance book, I'm looking for something very specific. I'm looking for a vibrant setting I can dive into, a couple with undeniable, sizzling chemistry, a large helping of emotional character development, and that heart-stopping feeling of hope mixed with trepidation that everyone feels in the defining stages of a relationship. If there's humour and found family as well, then so much the better.

This book has it all. Ticks every box. Has now, probably, taken over from Beach Read as my favourite romance book of all time (which is really saying something).

I love the setting – a holiday home visited as an annual tradition by the central friendship group – and the exploration of how much places mean to people because of the memories attached to them. I can't get enough of the found family, either. The central friendships are flawed and strained, but also completely enviable in their resilience, forgiveness and silliness.

The main character, Harriet, is a people pleaser and a keeper of the peace, and I love how her character brings to light the dangers of denying yourself true happiness in a misguided attempt to keep everyone happy or live up to imaginary standards.

I adore the 'second chance romance' and 'fake dating' tropes too, so fully approve of the mixing of the two when Harriet is forced to spend the week pretending she's still dating her ex (and, of course, is all the while falling back in love in the most incredible series of vulnerable and heated moments).

I laughed. I cried. I want to read it again straight away.

This book solidifies why Emily Henry is one of my all time favourite romance writers! I read it in one go and I just can’t wait for her next book already!

Emily Henry is an autobuy author for me, and this novel is no exception. I actually think this is the best yet of her books. I loved everything about this - from the setting, to the friendships, to the feeling that you need to protect your friends from the truth. All the characters have such depth that you feel as though they're people who really exist, who you might be friends with in another life. The exploration of how as adults you come to realise your parents just may not be able (or willing) to give you what you need was also so well drawn. I loved everything about this book.

Happy Place is Emily Henry's fourth adult romance novel. It is told in first person from Harriet's POV. The story is a second chance romance following Harriet and Wyn. They are seen as the perfect couple but really they have been broken up for six months. They haven't told their friends or family and end up pretending they are still together. They are forced to share a bedroom at the cottage that their friends go to every year. The cottage and holiday is Harriet's happy place. The cottage is for sale so Harriet and Wyn want to make it the best holiday as it is the last one. Harriet and Wyn have to pretend to be in love but it it hard to pretend in front of the people who know you best. I had a brilliant time with this romance novel. There is just something about Henry's writing that I really connect with and I do think she deserves all the hype she gets. This book had everything. It had elements of friends to lovers and mutual pining. Harriet and Wyn had so much chemistry and I just loved it. I actually got emotional towards the end because I just loved how everything came together and it was beautiful. There was also a beautiful friendship group in this. Reading this actually made me want to re read Book Lovers. I just love this book and I cannot stop thinking about it. This is definitely going to be a hit. I personally think Emily Henry is the best traditionally published romance author out there.

How to even form coherent thoughts after reading this book? Please send me a guide book because I don't know how to do it.

This book. THIS BOOK.

Emily Henry strikes again. She has managed to rip open my chest to look at all my insecurities and inner thoughts and then decided to put them on paper for the world to see. I want to say more but it hurts too much to think about.

I swear that her books are laced with crack because I just cannot get enough.

This book has favourite of all time potential and I cannot wait to reread it over and over again.

I was so excited when I found out I had the opportunity to read this book before the release date. I loved this book because it explored not only the ups and downs of romantic relationships but also friendships. I enjoyed the constant shift between the present day and the various flashbacks, and I felt that the back story was well developed. This book had me hooked from the beginning and I found myself not being able to put it down - hence me reading it in only a day. I am definitely buying this for my bookshelf when it is released!

“This is how I used to think of love. As something so delicate it couldn’t be caught without being snuffed out. Now I know better. I know the flame may gutter and flare with the wind, but it will always be there.”

This. Book. Emily Henry has done it once again, she’s produced yet another book that I’ve rated 5 stars. However, this one was 5 stars in a very different way. 5 stars in more of a literary fiction way than a romance way, but still containing the cute elements of her previous works.

This book took me completely by surprise, I knew it was second chance romance but I had never read one before so had no idea what to expect. This book is founded less on sexual tension and physical attraction/ intimacy, but instead on Harriet and Wyn’s profound and unmoving love for each other. The use of two time periods - past & present - makes this book have the depth I deeply crave, making you understand every intricacy of every character and every situation required.

I highlighted approx 250 quotes (I know, insanity) because I was addicted to this book, and once again addicted to the way in which Henry writes. This book made me cry … multiple times. I am a massive crybaby when it comes to books and films, but I have to feellll what is being portrayed to me, and that’s certainly what I did with Happy Place. The emotions were portrayed so BEAUTIFULLY, one thing I have come to expect from Henry’s books is the main characters communicating in a healthy, deep way.

Harriet and Wyn … all I can say is I adore them and rooted for them every step of the way. Their understanding of each other, and willingness to know each other inside and out is so visceral. You can feel the heart of their relationship palpitating through the screen. Their love is so profound, and they are such beautiful ‘people’. They felt truly like soulmates. I adored Harriet’s narration - it was so vulnerable and raw, delving deep into the impact of childhood trauma.

This book additionally explores the value of friendship, and growing within friendships as we age. Platonic love was just as prevalent as romantic, and the topics explored were equally emotional and meaningful. This was something that made it distinctly different from her previous works, and it was something that worked SO well. It took the book to a whole other level.

I cannot place this book in any Emily Henry book ranking as it felt so different, but it’s equally as special as her previous books. Just in a different way.

This publishes in April, read it 🫶🏼

- Lara <3