Can Emily Henry write a bad book? No, she cannot. Another amazing read that is a romance, but also totally not one in the best way. Her characters are so well thought out and realistic, I feel like they could be someone I know. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

I was given an ARC by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I've been a fan of Emily Henry's since the week Beach Read was released, so it's no surprise that I was very excited to get my hands on a copy of Happy Place early. I came for the romance (and various tropes) and stayed for the friendship and setting.

Our protagonist and her five friends are spending one last vacation at the coastal home they've been visiting for the last 10 years. Oh, and she has to fake date her ex-fiance because her best friends can't know that they're no longer together. Of course, I really enjoyed the banter between Harriet and Wynn, but I also found myself getting emotional at times. Henry takes us through the trajectory of the relationship, which allows us to learn how they met, how they fell for each other, and how they ended things. It was beautiful and sad at the same time.

And of course, the setting was fantastic. If you read The Summer I Turned pretty as a kid and were obsessed with the beachy setting, then you might enjoy the coastal setting in Happy Place.

Really enjoyed this one. Looking forward to more work from Henry!

𝘚𝘪𝘹 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘫𝘰𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘩 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺’𝘷𝘦 𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘥𝘦. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘔𝘊’𝘴, 𝘞𝘺𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘵, 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘢𝘭𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘦, 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘬𝘦 𝘶𝘱 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺’𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘱 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥.

There was a lot to like about this book, but overall, this wasn't my favorite Emily Henry story and I didn't find myself feeling the feels that I've had with her other books.

What I loved: Emily Henry is a master of her craft. She has the most engaging, emotive, and atmospheric writing that really places you in the setting with the characters. The stories feel authentic and the dialogue is so natural and fun.

However, where it missed the mark for me was with the characters. I didn’t find myself caring for them or invested in their motives or relationships. Not to mention, the lack of communication amongst the friend group was super frustrating for characters in their 30’s.

But because this is such a character-driven story and I am a character driven reader, major props to Emily Henry for still keeping me engaged, even though I didn’t connect with that aspect.

So even though this is getting a lower rating from me (torn between 3 or 3.5 stars), I highly recommend you read this one and make a decision for yourself, because I know a lot of people who absolutely loved it. This one just wasnt for me.

I was invested in Harriet and Wyn right of the bat. Their banter was perfection. I also enjoyed the friendship between the 6 friends and seeing how that friendship changes and grows along with the changes and growth in their own lives. A really fun read!

I mean, it's Emily Henry, so what can be said? I love everything she writes, but HAPPY PLACE is my new favorite. At its core, it's a romance, but I also loved the realistic and empathetic pen Henry used to draw the friendships. They only get more complex as we get older and Henry expertly portrayed that. Harriet and Wyn were just heart-wrenching—the longing they both felt for each other was visceral, and I was rooting for them to figure themselves—and each other—out from page one. As always, a masterpiece.

What we’ve all come to expect from Emily Henry - well-drawn, relatable characters, sizzling banter, and all the feels. Just delightful in every way

First, a huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

Emily Henry does it again with Happy Place! Harriet and Wyn seem to be the perfect couple, the one their friends are certain were simply made to be together. But unbeknownst to said friends, the so called "perfect couple" broke up over five months ago. With their annual friend group trip to Maine coming up, Wyn and Harriet agree to pretend to still be together to avoid ruining the trip for their friends with any ensuing awkwardness. Henry switches scenes from the past to the present so seamlessly, readers will be swept into Harriet and Wyn's romance. Another stand out hit from Henry that will tug n readers' heartstrings in all the best ways.

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

As usual, Emily Henry climbed inside my brain and messed around and then climbed back out and left me a shell. This book more than her others really struck me because of the ensemble case and how well-written every character was. I cared about Harriet and Wyn, of course I did, but I also cared about Cleo and Sabrina and their lives. I loved the atmosphere and it made me want to be super rich and buy a lake house right away.

Anyway, this was perfect. 5 stars.

Every time I read an Emily Henry book I think, “this is my new favorite” and Happy Place was no exception. Second chance romance with the banter of enemies to lovers and the only one bed trope are just a few of the amazing elements of this story. The real superstar for me was the emotional vulnerability felt by the main characters. They felt so real and I needed to root for their happiness (even if that meant they wouldn’t be together in the end). Please note, that’s not a spoiler. What I mean is that I loved them each so much that I just wanted them to be happy in the end, whatever that meant.

I loved this book so much and will definitely be reading it again.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

HAPPY PLACE is a candid look at love, relationships, friendship, and the pressures people put on themselves for others. Henry takes these six characters and captures a moment in their lives without the filter of perfection. The internal feelings, the reactions to situations, and the crazy fun antics one can only do with the best of friends are all on display within this book.

Honestly, the book was entertaining from beginning to end. The people the reader meets are flawed and fabulously real, making this type of book better for me. However, there were moments when I wanted more emotion. With all Harriet and Wyn went through, it felt like there was some skirting around a scene where it all came out in a bigger way. There was a moment towards the last section of the book where there is an explosion of pent-up emotions coming from one of the characters, and it was exactly what I wanted. I just wish more of the characters throughout the story had those expressions.

Yet, looking back at the journey our six friends turned family take, the author allowed them to grow, make realizations about themselves and the group, and even have a bunch of laugh-out-loud moments. HAPPY PLACE will no doubt be a place many readers will want to visit.

Highly Caffeinated Rating of… ☕ ☕ ☕ + 1/2

Emily Henry's books are my "happy place". In this story we follow Harriet and Wyn a couple since college who have recently broken up but have not told any of their friends. Insert a week away with said college friends where they have to pretend to still be together. But as the week pans out and there are surprises around every corner will Harriet and Wyn realizes that each other might be their happy place after all?

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review!

With great happiness, this will be the book that helped me break up with Henry. She just isn’t the author for me. The books aren’t very exciting, the covers don’t seem to fit the contents, the narrator of the audiobooks is the same every time. I tried, really I did as this is book number 4. For those looking for a beach read, she’s your gal. This title just dragged the couple pretending to keep face with their friends and having the guy try to win her back, while the gal just kept dealing with the past. It was dull. 😬#NetGalley #ARC

THE MIRROBALL GIRLY IN ME IS FOREVER CRYING
FIVE COSTAL GRANDMOTHER STARS
STANDING OVATION
ROUND OF APPLAUSE
WYN HAS MY ENTIRE HEART
i cant explain it but in my head wyn is basically connell from normal people but specifically paul mescal playing connell...
at this point EH could put my heart in a blender and i would say "thank you"
anyways, my costal grandmother aesthetic loving heart is happy.
someone pleaaaaase make this into a script and send it to reese witherspoon and nancy meyer

"Happy Place" by Emily Henry is another HEA romance that will keep readers turning the pages into the late hours of the night. I wasn't a fan of the use of the miscommunication trope but that may be more of a personal preference. The book shifts back and forth across the main character's timeline which can be a bit jarring at times.

There is a reason Emily Henry is one of my new favorites! She writes a good story, and it checks all of the boxes for me. Reads quickly, has good characters and a setting that makes me want to visit that location, this time Maine, and I need to now go to a beach house in Maine.

This book is ultimately about change, and how we can accept each other through those changes or lose each other. Really this is a theme that broadly shapes the last few years. The changes in this book test friendships and well as romantic relationships and family relationships. It's wonderful to watch the characters grow, and ultimately come together stronger than they started.

I loved this! I would have submitted it to library reads if I had gotten it read in time.

Thanks to Edelweiss for the advanced copy!

As always, I will read anything and everything Emily Henry writes! Book Lovers will always be one of my favorites. I couldn't wait to read this one! For me, it was hard to connect with this book and the characters. I enjoyed the past and present timelines along with the witty banter that I've come to love from Emily Henry. However, I am not a fan of the miscommunication trope and that seems like what every.single.person. in this book was guilty of doing! I wanted to yell at them to just HAVE A CONVERSATION!

Emily Henry is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. Her books are always humorous with unique plots, yet very relatable, and very emotional! In Happy Place, Henry tells the story of a group of friends who are meeting up at their happy place--Sabrina's father's cottage in Maine--for the final time. Rather than basking in her favorite place, Harriett must now spend the week on edge with her ex-fiance, from whom no one knows she has split. Henry perfectly captures the feelings of growing up while trying not to grow apart from your best friends, as well as the extreme heartbreak of two people who can't be together, despite the love they have for one another. Happy Place is a great read!

As per usual, the banter in Henry's books are unmatched. The story follows two characters, going back and forth between past and present.
There is close-knit friendship in which they meet and how they grow together and do so apart.

This would be a perfect summer read and it will have the reader laughing and feeling all the warm fuzzies.

Happy Place is the latest book by Emily Henry. This one is about friendship and of course love too.

It's about best friends who met in college and who reunite once a year to spend time together in Coastal Maine where so many of their memories have been created.

The main couple is Harriet and Wyn who were best friends first, and after a year, they became more. Later on, engaged but in the present, they are not together anymore. Between two timelines past and present, we learned how they met, fell in love, and why they broke up.

In the present when Harriet arrives, she is surprised to see Wyn there, she never thought she was going to see him there again. She is shocked, to say the least, but the shocks keep on coming, her friend Sabrina is going to marry at the end of the week and the house they have loved for so many years is being sold!! So of course Harriet and Wyn need to fake being still together not to upset the dynamics despite not being a couple for the last six months. Harriet still loves Wyn so she is not sure how to navigate the situation without getting hurt further.

Happy Place had me wanting to go visit Maine right away and follow all the places they enjoyed and the food they ate. It also had me rooting for a happy ending for the main characters and for their friendship between the six to survive the passing of time.

Cliffhanger: No

4/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by Berkley via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A beautiful, nuanced romance that will sweep you away in a tangle of angst, deja vu, and longing. Fantastically written to keep you engaged and looking forward to the next time you have a few minutes to devour more.