4.5 stars
I cried so much while reading the last 30% of this book that I gave myself a headache. It's definitely a very emotional read that focuses heavily on heartbreak and on the meaning of happiness. Harriet was a very likeable main character and I couldn't help but empathize with everything she went through. The only reason I didn't give this book 5 full stars was because I didn't get enough happy moments. I would have loved to see more of happy Wyn and Har to balance out all that sadness in the rest of the book. Still, I loved the writing, the characters and the setting; and I thought this was a beautiful book.

With still a couple of weeks to go before it’s offical publication day this book has already gone viral over social media and with good reason as Emily Henry has done it again. She has written yet another novel readers is going to go nuts over.

Worth all the STARS ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for kindly gifting me an advanced ecopy of this book.

Way back when I very first saw this book, I immediately requested. Having loved Book lovers I didn't hesitate at another Emily Henry book, (they are good for the soul) until I read the blurb and I instantly panicked at the second chance/ex lover romance trope. I then procrastinated for quite a while super concerned that I wouldn't get into it but when I did pick it up I had to give myself a good hard kick for ever mistrusting this author because MAN did she make it work!

This book was tugging on my emotions the whole way through. I absolutely love the almost mystery element in the history of the romance between the characters, the story is intricately woven to reveal vulnerabilities and events of the couples past with things happening in the present day and I am here for it. I don't think I have ever come across a book that makes me feel cosy one moment and wanting to sad sob the next.

If you love a book driven by characters you will adore this book. We have a small group of friends and dynamic to explore and each bring something brilliant to the atmosphere of the story, from Sabrina's organised and domineering temperament to Kimmy's party girls persona each character is unique and worthy of their part to play in the book.

I love the writing style, the atmosphere and feel of the book, the character arcs and the emotions that were explored and I'm so pleased that I didn't let what is usually a trope that falls flat for me, get in the way of this book.
Emily Henry proved to me that the ex/second chance love trope can actually be just as fulfilling as my beloved enemies to loves, what a time to be alive!!

Massive thank you for the eArc

Happy Place - Emily Henry

I was so excited to get started on this book, Emily Henry is a must read author for me now, I have loved all her previous books and this one is no exception. A fantastic ride of a story, which I found very difficult to put down. I adored Wyn so so much, and found Parth a very entertaining character. I enjoyed the background characters of the families and their history and stories, I thought this added so much more to the reading experience. I cannot wait for her next book....bring it on! Many thanks Netgalley and Penguin General UK for the advanced copy in return for my opinions.

This is a lovely book to read - and hard to review without giving away one of the initial twists - but just think about a longstanding group of friends, all of whom have fallen into couples. You meet every year, you love getting together - but one of the couples splits.
This is the situation Harriet finds herself in - and what's worse, she hasn't managed to tell her friends about the break up. Add in the fact that this is going to be the last time they can get together in their Happy Place in quite the same way, and you have the ingredients for a difficult week.
Well worth reading - perfect for a journey or holiday read.

4.5 stars!
This book had me feeling all the feels friends. I loved it so much. I have never cheered on for a book couple like I have Wyn & Harriet.

We have a past & present timeline here and usually with past timelines I can get a bit bored and just want to skip them to get back to the present but this was actually really well written I loved these chapters. They were Harriet’s “Happy Place” her favourite memories, they were just wholesome.

ONE BED! We love this trope and forced proximity 👏🏼 I also loved how much this story touched on mental health issues and not just from the FMC but from the MMC too.

I WISH this was a duel POV. If we had Wyns pov here we would of learnt so much more of his struggles and why he did what he did, I feel like this would of rounded out the story to a 5 star read for me.

MY HEART 🥹 the dynamic of the friendship group here really had me choking up at the end, This isn’t just about Harriet & Wyn it’s about the group. The bond they have. How they’re all growing individually & finding a way to stay together & not drift apart.

Happy Place is now my favourite Emily Henry book🤍
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Emily Henry can do absolutely no wrong for me when it comes to this genre. The true Queen of Romance has another hot on her hands.

I could not have loved this book more. Emily Henry has such a unique way of looking right into my soul. I laughed, I cried, and adored every page

To see that I was approved by netgalley for a book written by Emily Henry was insane, I'm so thankful for this opportunity. Happy Place was such a fun summery read, where our main character Harry meets up with her old bestfriends in their 'happy place' which was somewhere they had spent alot of time together growing up. However, she has to pretend she's still happily engaged with her ex fiance Wyn. I really enjoyed reading this, the characters were well planned and excellently executed. The friendship dynamics were brilliant and the last chapter brought tears to my eyes. The chapters were short and the pace was relatively fast, but that is completely fine as the timeline is quite short. I highly recommend reading this in the summer!!

Emily Henry’s stories are always emotional rollercoasters and this did not disappoint. I could not put this down. Felt myself emotionally swinging between the joy at the beautiful love and friendship of these characters and near on blubbing at the angst and pain of their relationships. This was a story about friendship and found family as much as anything else. Harriet, Cleo and Sabrina’s bond ran throughout this story. The author did a great job of showing that as much as things change and people grow in different directions real and true friendship endures. The trio and the whole friendship group that formed around it with the additions of Parth, Wyn and Kimmy made me happy. The descriptions of the “last trip” really made me want to go on a trip to Maine!!

As for the main plot of Harriet and Wyn. That took me through the emotional wringer. As they fell for each other I fell for them and in between the blubbing I was raging as to why they weren’t together. Loved them, was frustrated with them for not communicating their pain, loneliness and insecurities to each other despite their vast love, and was desperate for them both to be happy in the end in whatever form that would take. One of my favourite reads this year 5 ⭐️.

Happy Place by Emily Henry is an emotional book about growing up, finding yourself, found family and of course true love.
Three couples who have been friends since their college days get together every Summer to spend a week drinking wine, chilling out and catching up in a Maine cottage owned by one of their parents. No matter how busy they are or what is going on in their lives, this time is special and sacred , and this week is more special than ever because it will be the last one at the cottage, which is being put up for sale.
Harriet is dreading coming clean to her friends , but she and Wyn, one of their sextet, have actually broken up, and haven't been together for six month. At least this way she can tell everyone at once and not have put herself through the heartbreak over and over again. The last thing she expected was to find Wyn at the cabin, and when their friends Sabrina and Parth confess that they plan to get married at the cabin at the end of the week, both she and Wyn agree that they will have to keep their secret for just a little longer. Fooling these people who have known them for years will not be easy , and Wyn and Harriet soon find themselves in all sorts of compromising and awkward situations.
While the love story between Wyn and Harriet is at the heart of this story, there is also a real focus on friendship. We see how the friendship between three such different characters as Harriet, Sabrina and Cleo began by chance but becomes stronger over time and expands to include Parth, Wyn and Cleo's partner Kimmy. We also see how time changes the friendships as the characters grow older and grow apart in certain ways while remaining close in all the ways that really matter. The real strength of this book is how wonderfully Henry has created and developed her characters, making them relatable and believable. The second chance romance between Wyn and Harriet is nuanced and dynamic, with ups and downs that really take the reader on a journey before we get our happy ending,
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher ,all opinions are my own,

This is my third Emily Henry and it is my favourite by a mile.

I loved this story so much, from the found family to the love story to finding and understanding oneself. Henry’s writing remains as charming as ever, if not more so than I’ve read so far.

At first, I didn’t really know why I was so invested in this story, until, close to the end, I realised how much Harriet resonates with me. I have never read a character who, on a deeper level, I can quietly whisper to “You’re like me”. I can’t really say more than that because the things I recognised about myself in Harriet are not things I talk about or admit for the most part - thus the reason why I bursted into tears at one point.

I will cherish this little book for a long time.

I think this book will sell well, given the success of Emily Henry's previous success.

For me personally this was a miss. The plot felt a bit weak, the intention was for these friends who had recently broken up to go on a trip with their friends and essentially have a "fake romance" storyline as they dealt with also getting over their previous romance that had just ended.

My biggest issue with the book was the secondary characters were weak to the point of non-existent. None of them stood out as memorable, I actually can't recall any of their names writing this.

The primary characters, although memorable and well written, didn't make up for the mess of their romance plot. They still loved each other even though they had just broken up and they just hadn't communicated well with each other, any book that relies on miscommunication as a driver for the plot is a miss for me

I will likely read Emily Henry in the future, I think this book wasn't for me

3.5 ☆

This is quite a difficult book to review for me. On the one hand, there was plenty that I liked about it, but on the other it didn't really work for me?

I liked the fake dating, gorced proximity, he falls first, and lovers to enemies to lovers aspects; I found the whole friendship group a bit baffling, but maybe that's on me because I don't have that sort of friendship circle myself. Very codependant anyways. Not a huge fan of the miscommunication trope, at all - so that did fall flat for me. And the whole group were lying or hiding things from each other, and themselves, which drove me insane! Doesn't seem very friendly, is all I'm saying.

I'd still recommend it to others to read, but I wouldn't read it again myself.

✑ HAPPY PLACE, by Emily Henry
rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ stars (5) obsessed!
love for EH’s books: entered a whole new level

Happy Place was one of my most expected releases of 2023, and could not have been better. Emily Henry’s new release has effortlessly topped Book Lovers for me (which I still adore) and made itself a home in my heart.

I easily loved the book's plot just by the summary: a group of friends, found family, one last trip together to their happy place, while also having a second-chance romance with two characters you can’t help but love. I could not have feared getting high expectations about it, because Henry instantly delivered. She just makes you want to be one more of that group of six right from the beginning.

I think I have already mentioned how I could see bits of myself in her other characters, I don’t think I have related to any more than I have with Harriet. In the heartache, in her fears, in her indecision. I just love how Emily Henry does not only focus on the two character’s romance but also on everything around them. What makes their love that way. What influences and shapes it.

So, I loved Harriet, and I absolutely adored Wyn. He was unlike your usual male love interest (and the fact that he isn’t JUST a male love interest), and I think I loved him more for it. For being lost, and for showing vulnerability. For loving Harriet the way he does. I simply could not get enough of him. Of them. He was also all about physical contact, and I adored it.

Harriet and Wyn’s feelings for each other surface the pages and grasp you in a way I could not have prepared myself for. It is PALPABLE how much they love each other, the longing they have for even the smallest things of the other. They made me tear up a few times throughout the book (and Wyn made me sob with his tables).

Overall, I just loved it. The setting, the bonding, the heartbreak and the healing. The love, in all shapes and ways possible. The chance of finding your happy place, or even multiple ones. Miss Emily Henry, you could not have done better. Thank you to Penguin Random House and NetGalley for the chance to read this book ahead of its release. I had the absolute best time with it 💗

A rom-com told in past/present switches detailing a really long winded trip down memory lane. Sadly, it’s not my favourite Emily Henry read. I didn't connect to any characters, I found Sabrina to be particularly annoying…Parth wasn’t much better either!
An easy read but not a great read.

I love love Emily Henry's style of writng. But I must say that this one was not my favorite one, bu it is still sooo good.
This lady just knows how to write. I love the characters they are just so real.
The second chance romance is massy. It is not easy to trust someone who hurt you. And this book just describes it soo good.
For me this is a 4.5 stars read

I really love this author.

Every time I read Emily Henry, she takes me to a place I've never been before and makes me feel like I went there, came back and made a new bunch of friends who I know like the back of my hand.

Happy Place is an apt name for a book like this, as it sure does take you to one while luxuriating in it's pages. I really appreciate her plotwork and direction when she writes and the very human and flawed characters she creates - her romances feel like she's writing about actual people and I think that really resonates here once again (I felt it most when reading Book Lovers).

There's heartbreak and loss and hurt, but there is also alot of hope and humour and feeling packed in these pages that make it such a great book.

Can't wait for the next emotional rollercoaster this author takes me on, it will be one hell of a ride.

Another thoroughly enjoyable book by this very talented author. This genre is one that I’ve recently began to enjoy and is such a breath of fresh air!

Harriet is a surgical resident who spends her life working as a surgical resident. When she gathers with her college friends for one last time at a beloved family retreat, secrets and memories of the past will test her friendships and make her question her life plans.
An entertaining and easy read.