Happy Place by Emily Henry on April 25, 2023
Genres: Fiction / Romance / Contemporary, Fiction / Romance / Romantic Comedy, Fiction / Women
Pages: 400
Format: Hardcover
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A couple who broke up months ago make a pact to pretend to still be together for their annual weeklong vacation with their best friends in this glittering and wise new novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Emily Henry.
Happy Place by Emily Henry made me want to call all my friends & tell them how much I miss & love them! This is very much a summer read in the typical style of Emily Henry that I love from her, but just a little heavier than her other books. This has all the angsty romance vibes/beautiful friendship story/finding yourself feels.
Harriet and Wyn join their friend group for one final summer vacation before the house is sold. Sabrina’s father owns the place that feels like home to all of them, but has decided to sell it. Sabrina convinces the six to meet there so Harriet and Wyn have to “fake” still being together. They had been together for many years but didn’t tell anyone when they broke up. Their story was a bit sad and had me madly flipping pages to see what was going to happen. There are also a few steamy scenes, which might be something different for Emily Henry.
The back stories with the friends really made things real and relatable. I felt so invested in these character’s lives. My heart broke when they were going through something and I was happy when they were happy. Harriet’s “happy place” is at the summer cottage with her best friends Sabrina, a lawyer, and Cleo, an aspiring farmer. Sabrina started dating their long-time friend and party boy, Parth, and Cleo is happily farming and dating her extrovert soulmate, Kimmie.
Harriet is the type of person who doesn’t want to upset anyone and is always people pleasing. She hates arguments, so when her relationship with Wyn ends, she doesn’t fight it. I was literally yelling at her when this all happened. I did enjoy the dual timelines so that we got to know her and Wyn’s history and their story. I really enjoyed the mounting tension of these two having to act like a couple and touch/kiss like a couple all week, all while having unresolved feelings. What could go wrong?
Overall, Happy Place by Emily Henry was an emotional roller coaster for me. The themes about self-growth, friendship, love, mental illness, and grief were so inspirational and moving. Happy Place is a little heavier than her other books, but just as enjoyable. Her characters couldn’t be more real. And the setting made me want to take vacation. I highly recommend this one.
I agree with Michele with her four-star rating. This book doesn’t have my favorite romantic relationship in Henry’s multiverse, but the friendships in here are inextricably tender and relevant. What dropped my rating from a 5 to a 4 was the communication with the romantic relationships. It bothered me how they could have such a strong connection but not be able to actually communicate for such a long-term relationship. That aside, great read and lots of love!