'Happy Place' by Emily Henry is a heartwarming story told in dual timelines. In one timeline, a group of friends embarks on their annual trip to a small town in Maine, where the protagonist Harriet and her ex, Wyn, fake being together. The other timeline delves into the past, narrating how Harriet and Wyn met and fell in love. The story revolves around themes of love, vulnerability, miscommunication, and finding happiness, with a setting that includes a beach cottage in Maine, adding a swoon-worthy backdrop to the emotional journey. The writing style is described as emotional, humorous, and engaging, with witty banter between characters that adds depth and relatability to the story.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Content warnings include themes related to mental health issues, breakups, personal dissatisfaction, and financial privilege.
Has Romance?
The romance in Happy Place is a central focus, characterized by its emotional depth and complexity.
From The Publisher:
INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!
"The beach-read master hooks us again."- People
Named a Most Anticipated Book of 2023 by BuzzFeed ∙ Paste Magazine ∙ Elle ∙ Southern Living ∙ SheReads ∙ Culturess ∙ Medium ∙ Her Campus ∙ Readers Digest ∙ Zibby Mag and more!
A couple who broke up months ago 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.
Harriet and Wyn have been the perfect couple since they met in college-they go together like salt and pepper, honey and tea, lobster and rolls. Except, now-for reasons they're still not discussing-they don't.
They broke up five months ago. And still haven't told their best friends.
Which is how they find themselves sharing a bedroom at the Maine cottage that has been their friend group's yearly getaway for the last decade. Their annual respite from the world, where for one vibrant, blissful week they leave behind their daily lives; have copious amounts of cheese, wine, and seafood; and soak up the salty coastal air with the people who understand them most.
Only this year, Harriet and Wyn are lying through their teeth while trying not to notice how desperately they still want each other. Because the cottage is for sale and this is the last week they'll all have together in this place. They can't stand to break their friends' hearts, and so they'll play their parts. Harriet will be the driven surgical resident who never starts a fight, and Wyn will be the laid-back charmer who never lets the cracks show. It's a flawless plan (if you look at it from a great distance and through a pair of sunscreen-smeared sunglasses). After years of being in love, how hard can it be to fake it for one week…in front of those who know you best?
Ratings (147)
Incredible (25) | |
Loved It (55) | |
Liked It (34) | |
It Was OK (28) | |
Did Not Like (4) | |
Hated It (1) |
Reader Stats (227):
Read It (152) | |
Currently Reading (2) | |
Want To Read (65) | |
Did Not Finish (4) | |
Not Interested (4) |
7 comment(s)
5/5⭐️
so raw so real so beautifully written
I enjoyed this overall.
Likes:
- Incredible friend group / found family
- Excellent vibes. Emily Henry has a way of capturing the feeling of a moment, which is everything. An east coast summer vacation has never held any appeal for me, but I found myself wanting to visit Maine in the summer next year.
Dislikes:
- Conversations that needed to be had were too drawn out. Would've liked the book better if it were about 50 pages shorter.
- The main relationship felt like it needed some time to ripen on the vine. I would've loved a different ending, but won't spoil anything here.
- Immaturity. These characters just turned 30, but for the most part acted like they were still in their early 20's.
I liked this book, but it was one of those books where the conflict could easily be solved if the characters just ~ had a normal conversation ~
Happy Place is, in my opinion, Emily Henry’s weakest book to date, which is a real shame considering the potential that this story had. While I appreciated the concept, I found the execution lacking, making it the first book by this author to disappoint me.
One of the biggest issues I had with this book was the heavy use of flashbacks and retrospectives. Personally, I dislike extensive flashbacks in my books, especially in romance novels, so the overall structure of this story did not sit well with me. There were simply too many chapters delving into the past. What’s even worst, I believe that the central conflict between the main characters, Harriet and Wyn, could have been resolved with a single, mature conversation, and that's not something I enjoy in my books.
Another problem I met was struggling to understand the characters' emotions, above all those of Harriet and Wyn. Seriously, why exactly couldn't they be together? I won't even pretend that I fully understood it. The emotions of the main characters seemed to change so rapidly that at times, I couldn't fathom where they were coming from. They would shift from "Oh, I love him so much" to "We can't be together. It's all over" in the blink of an eye. These sudden transitions felt abrupt and confusing.
It's truly unfortunate because this story had potential. I genuinely enjoyed the deep friendship that connected all the characters, both the three women and their partners. It was something that was really nice to read about, and it was heart-warming to see that the main characters shared more than just romantic feelings. However, the more I couldn't grasp what went wrong in their relationship.
In the long run, this is a story about miscommunication in various relationships, among the three main friends and between the main characters, Harriet and Wyn. It's not a theme that resonates with me, and it didn't particularly work for me in this book either. However, if you enjoy stories centred around miscommunication, you might find this book more appealing than I did.
I sincerely hope that Emily Henry's future books will resonate with me more than this one did. This one had potential, but its execution left much to be desired. It wasn’t bad but it didn’t bring me joy that I usually find in the books from this author.
Great beach read involving complicated relationships. Humor, quick wit, and sexy scenes keep the reader's attention. Life can throw us all curve balls. How we handle them changes our lives. This book is fun, deep, and interesting.
The characters were a little over the top for me.
Funny and poignant story about a couple who reasess everythingthey thought they wanted, at a holiday cottage with friends.
What can you read after
Happy Place?
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