Emily Henry really is a go-to for me for a well written romance with a solid characters and a satisfying plot. Romance is not my go-to genre and, for me, Henry's books are a category of their own, a sort of romance-cum-new adult-commercial fiction type of hybrid that hits the sweet spot. Happy Place is set in Maine, in a coastal town where three best friends - Cleo, Sabrina and Harriet - have vacationed every year single college at Sabrina's father's cottage, slowly adding best friends and partners Parth, Kimmy and Wyn to the clan. This year though there's a lot of intensity around the trip as the cottage is being sold and it's the last time the gang will be together. Throw in a few secrets, a wedding and everyone's emotions running on high and it's a recipe for a delicious mess. The action flips between the trip and Harriet's past, mostly charting her relationship and break up with Wyn. Henry is so good at structuring a novel and she knows exactly when to leave you wanting more and when to fill in the gaps. It took me a bit longer than usual with her novels to be drawn in but once I was I tore through the book at speed. I thought all six characters (and the setting) were well-drawn, although I found Sabrina and Parth a little harder to visualise and relate to than the others. Kimmy was a particular delight and Cleo probably the most intriguing character. The relationship between Harriet and Wyn was romance lovers' catnip with plenty of steamy moments, a complicated backstory and just enough miscommunication to facilitate the trademark Henry twisty-turny ending. My favourite aspect of Henry's novels is just how fun and zingy her dialogue is and this book was no exception. Although I'd say that Beach Read is still my favourite of her books, Happy Place is a great read that I'd highly recommend.

Oh wow Emily Henry does it again!
Another 5⭐️ read

This book was everything I didn’t know I needed! I don’t know how she does it but she has managed to make the characters so relatable and loveable. The personal growth of the main characters is amazing but also heartbreaking.

Henry has managed to accurately capture the changes that couples can go through and the impact growing up and graduating college and moving on with lives can be like. She doesn’t just give the character a HEA straight off the bat, she’s realistic and addresses issues that are often overlooked and I think that’s why I love her writing so much!

Parts of this book made me laugh out loud Wyn and Harriet are so quick witted and the banter between the two is like medicine for the soul. They are truly soulmates. I really wish this book didn’t have to end, I think the story and the characters will hold a special place in my heart.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book

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!

I am an Emily Henry super fan!

This didn’t disappoint at all.

As amazing as all her other books!

The group of characters were brilliant and I wish I had my own Wyn!!

The setting, the descriptions, I really felt like I was there with them.

5 stars as always!

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.

Emily Henry’s ‘Happy Place’ was more than just a romance. It was a story about loyal friendships, the tragedy of grief and the hardships of love. It discusses the importance of compromise and miscommunication, but not in the frustrating way that makes you want to pull your hair out. But it was an emotional rollercoaster nevertheless. There’s also a sprinkle of complex family dynamics and dealing with trauma. The writing paints portraits of what it means to know someone so well, nudging towards the notion of silent understanding.

Even though I already knew what was going to happen, the inevitable and unavoidable way romance novels often go, I couldn’t help falling in love with all the characters along the way and enjoying the story just as much. I even found solace in the familiarity of the plot.

The title is almost deceiving, the book seems happy, while it’s actually about finding your own definition of happiness through all the turmoil, after sifting through the motions of people pleasing and the pressure of academic validation, whatever your own Happy Place may be. It reminds you that it’s always there for you, and this book was so cozy and comforting in that way.

I enjoyed that the end wasn’t all rounded. Of course there was still resolution, but there was also more work to be done and more hurdles to face, so it felt more realistic.

Overall, I loved this book. Henry’s characters are deep and complex, and there is always so much more to her stories than surface level love and intimacy. I wish I could meet these characters, and be their friends and visitIng the cottage one last time too. This book constantly reminded and made me miss, as well as look forward to, going back to my own Happy Place.

I recommend this book to everyone. Whether you want to laugh, cry, read something light and familiar, this book has it all. It’s definitely a new favourite to say the least, and will 100% be rereading this multiple times in the near future.

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

my first book from Emily Jenry and definitely won't be the last! the story is so sweet, it made me laugh, made me clench my fist and shed a tear or two.

This is my first emily henry, and while I am usually not a fan of second-chance romance, I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised with this one. The tension, drama and back and forth between present (her 'happy place') and past memories all helped to keep me very interested. I liked how detailed each character was, I feel like I actually knew the characters well as if I was apart of this friend group. I also really enjoyed the discussion about growing up and becoming distant from those we previously thought was our forever future. I definitely recommend this title.

I love this author but found the plot here a little slighter than the books set in the publishing world. Her sense of place is excellen however as is her depiction of female friendship

I love Emily Henry, with my fav book of hers being beach read, but this has to be in joint place! I loved it, I thought the tension was perfect and love a second chance romance

Thanks to Penguin and Netgalley for the review copy of this book. I was thrilled to get this book because I have really enjoyed her previous books and this was no exception. Worthy of exclamation marks!! I think it’s her best so far. Very moving, poignant and filled with characters struggling with real life issues.

Harriet and Wyn broke up six months ago, but now, at their favourite place in the world with their favourite people, they have to pretend they’re still together for the Christmas. It’s only a short stay, but in those days, so much is realized about their past and their future that the seemingly short stay filled with fond reminiscences unravels. Their friends, their own lives, that seemed so unshakeable are revealed as something completely different than what they expected and the bonds of friendship shift and mature. And for Harriet and Wyn new realisations form along with understandings of what they truly lost. So heartfelt and moving, and up to the very end the reader wonders if these two will find a way to be together again. Highly recommended.

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 can do no wrong!

I absolutely loved this second chance romance following Harriet and Wyn as they pretend to still be a couple for one last week away with their friends.

As always with Henry’s novels I was hooked from the start and loved the alternate chapters. I would highly recommend.

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.

For starters, I did not expect a book called "Happy Place" to make me cry as much as it did.
I suspect Emily Henry is a deeply empathetic person. She is just so so *so* good at hitting just the right note and stomping me right in the feels. She knows how to describe feelings that everyone has, but no one knows how to put into words.
I loved the idea of the book, of two exes in forced proximity, the book is brimming with longing and making the readers asking themselves: "but WHY?"
I am also very impressed with how each character had a distinctive personality, they were all fleshed out perfectly. Moreover, I think most people recognize a lot of themselves or of their friends in one or more of these characters.
At around 50%, the book started to lag a little bit, but thankfully it quickly gained speed again and the last half was a mix of me crying, swooning and laughing at everything Henry threw at me.

Da ich alle Bücher von Emily Henry verschlungen habe, hatte ich mich schon sehr auf den neuen Titel gefreut.
"Happy Place" war dann aber eine kleine Enttäuschung. Die Story wirkte zu aufgesetzt, Wyn hat meiner Meinung nach recht irrational gehandelt.
Die Protagonisten waren ein bisschen unympatisch und wie aus einem Katalog bestellt.
Die Story zu konstruiert.
Nett zu lesen aber nicht mehr.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I was so surprised and excited to be approved for an e-arc! I truly loved Book Lovers so much and was one of my top reads last year and had been dying to get my hands on Happy Place. Especially as she had previously said it was for ‘mirrorball girlies’, which I am!

I was really intrigued by the description of second chance romance and I think Emily definitely did it justice! I enjoyed the storyline, plot and characters - definitely a book I will be recommending to others.

I liked seeing how Harriet and Wyn's relationship had started through flashbacks was adorable and the mystery of what led them to break up (although I sometimes felt it was a bit too close to crossing the line of miscommunication?). Although I did enjoy their relationship dynamic and seeing how they interacted when stuck together at the cottage, I think I prefer Charlie and Nora's relationship in Book Lovers - but that's just a personal preference of more of a light relationship at the start compared to Harriet and Wyn who have been together for 8 years - which explains why I loved the flashbacks!

I enjoyed the other characters in this book too and the focus on friends and having those connections, although I did find it a bit disappointing that there wasn't too much interaction with the friends (individually with Harriet) at the cottage (as intended and explained at the end) as I think that would have been lovely to see.

I think my favourite part of this book (especially compared to her previous books I read) was the prose and inner monologues for Harriet - I found those quite relatable and thought they were really beautifully written and captured a lot of those emotions perfectly.

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.