Was so excited for this book but knew I was going to be let down when 50+ pages in, I was really having to make a concerted effort to keep going. The book is about a group of friends founded in college but are struggling to keep the magic alive well into their adult years. The friend group is fractured by time and place, but every year they do a big New England trip to remind themselves how much they love each other. This year’s trip is different because the main character Harriet and her fiancé Wyn have broken up without telling any of their friends. They both show up for their weeklong vacation and have to pretend they’re just fine and still together.

Through Harriet and Wyn, Henry examines the way our parents' relationship with each other shapes the way we think and act in our own relationships. As Harriet’s relationship with Wyn starts to fracture, she falls back on unhealthy coping skills that can be traced back to her parents. There’s also a big spotlight on the way mental health can affect the way we treat our loved ones. While I enjoyed this approach to examining their relationship, I had a difficult time connecting with any of the characters in this story, especially reading it as a romance book. I think this book works much better as a piece of women's fiction instead of a romance book, but overall I felt the the book was overly sentimental for my taste.

Really wanted to enjoy this one more! Book Lovers is still my favorite Emily Henry book.

Thank you Berkley Romance and PRHA for providing me with an ARC in exchange for a review.

It's no surprise, Emily Henry has done it again! The story is told from Harriet's POV as she is still processing her breakup with Wyn. They broke up 6 months ago and they didn't tell their friends. Now, Harriet and Wyn and their group of friends are on their last annual summer vacation together and Harriet and Wyn must fake being together for one week in fear they might ruin the group's last trip together.

HAPPY PLACE has Emily Henry's signature witty humor that we all know and love. HAPPY PLACE is for the people who are closer with their friends than with their family. People are either going to love or hate Harriet. I personally loved her and felt seen through Harriet's anxiety, Like all of EH's main characters, Harriet is emotionally layered and genuinely feels like a real person. Harriet struggles to communicate her feelings because she is a people pleaser and constantly trying to make everyone around her happy. Harriet has always suffered in silence but now everything has been made worse since Harriet and Wyn are no longer together and they have to fake it in front of their friends.

Yes, HAPPY PLACE is a second chance romance. But in typical Emily Henry fashion, Harriet's character development is prioritized which I love. It makes Harriet's relationship with Wyn more believable. Not to mention that Julia Whelan's performance of the audiobook made Harriet feel even more human. Honestly, anything Julia Whelan narrates is gold!

One reason some may not like this book is because it relies heavily on miscommunication. If you hate the miscommunication trope, I wouldn't write this book off right away. Give it a shot and let Emily Henry guide you through. I promise it's worth it.

HAPPY PLACE is NOT a happy book. Harriet struggles a lot. She has never felt like she was enough and is constantly trying to make everyone around her proud. I saw a lot of myself in her and I will always love Emily Henry for writing such relatable heroines. I can't wait for y'all to read this in April!

4.5/5 stars

My favorite Emily Henry book to date (and I've loved them all). I love how friendships were at the heart of this book but we also got a great love story. This book has a lot of depth and I loved all the characters.

No notes, Emily Henry is a master of romance and giving us impossible romantic standards!

Book Lovers still remains my favorite book she’s ever written, but this is my #2 from her! Anyone who loves romance and/or romantic comedies, and second chance romance needs to check out Happy Place. It’s a fun time while also showing the reader grief, mental illness, and the importance of self-growth.

Harriet and Wyn are just perfect for each other. 10/10 would recommend Happy Place and any of Emily’s books in general. Like I said she is a master of romance.

I had received an ARC for "Book Lovers" before and was not disappointed so i was excited to receive Happy Place ahead of its publication date.

I think this is better than "Book Lovers," in terms of storyline and plot. Harriet and Wyn have to put up a front for their friends as they get together for their annual Maine retreat. Unbeknownst to their friends, they had actually broken up, but now they have to put on happy smiles and pretend to be a couple still. But as they confront each other again, the past catches up and they can no longer run from their issues. Will they make it through the summer outing unscathed or will they need to lick their wounds when they each go back to their individual lives?

I liked that it was still a romcom so it was still light, but I also liked the friends factor where the story deals with a group of friends who remained friends after college, and they deal with distance and differing interests. It is a great look-back on our own social groups from high school and college and the inclusion of this, I felt, really made the story "meatier".

I will be honest and say that the one downside for me is the weed-induced scenes. I didn't feel they were necessary and did not add anything to the storyline, I did feel it was a bit of a stretch and maybe the author wanted to include this audience but may turn off others instead. The story could have gone VERY WELL without these. Just my humble opinion.

Nevertheless, fans of Emily Henry will not be disappointed in this well-written and well-thought out plot.

4.5 stars. This book wrung me out. Longtime couple Harriet and Wyn have been hiding from their friends that they broke up several months ago, but now they’re stuck together at the weeklong vacation from hell, pretending they’re still engaged so they don’t ruin the trip for everyone else. (And there’s only one bed.)

This is a romance, but it’s more a novel about friendship. The intense bonds that can form at a young age, but also how much work it takes to keep them strong as you grow up and change.

The half-star off is because I found the narrative a little choppy. I don’t mind books with past/present time jumps, but you’ve got to give readers a clue where you are, especially when coming back to the present. Sometimes after a long flashback, it took me a couple of pages to remember that we were outside a movie theater bathroom and not at the vacation cottage. It was a bit jarring.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC to review. All opinions are my own.

After a 10 year relationship, Wyn ends his engagement to Harriet and returns home to Minnesota to be with his sick mom. Five months later, Harriet is still devastated and going through the motions at her surgery residency. The two are forced back together when they take an annual trip with their best friends and having not told anyone of their breakup, they don't want to put a damper on the trip. They decide to pretend everything between them is fine, despite both of them being miserable.

I really wanted to love this one but honestly, it was kind of a bummer. I'm used to Emily Henry writing rom-com's so I went into this thinking it was just that, but there was nothing funny about it! Probably my fault since I go in blind, but still! What a sad story! It was about two miserable people who desperately want to be together but don't think they can in the long run. Henry clearly is able to write a heart wrenching love story and I was able to relate to them since I experienced similar feelings in a prior relationship but still... can we throw in some comedic release? I feel like I enjoyed Henry's prior books more because of how original and witty they were and some of that hilarious banter would have been welcome here.

I think I would have been more invested had I known why they broke up sooner - it took a very long time for the full story to come out so I spent the majority of the book not even knowing if I wanted them to work it out or go their separate ways. Since I wasn't 100% rooting for them, it made it hard for me to be fully invested. There were no miscommunications which was good, just a lack of communication altogether, which was a little annoying in itself. Just talk it out! The book did cover some heavy mental health topics though and I do like how that was all handled.

Overall it was ok, not amazing for me and at one point I just kind of wanted it to end because it was really bringing me down. I knew where the train was headed and wanted it to arrive to the destination sooner.

*I did really love the found family aspect of the book though! See! It wasn't all negative!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

I'm giving this four stars instead of my usual Emily Henry five. I didn't love this one like I have loved all the rest of hers. Second chance romance is not my thing and the miscommunication issues just got my anxiety going. That said, she nailed the banter and friend dynamics like she always does! Far and away better than most romances I've read--this one was just not my favorite of hers.

A nostalgic, yet impressively fresh romance that is so much more!

Happy Place follows Harriet as she embarks on the annual summer trip to their Happy Place, a rustic cottage in Maine, with her best friends. The problem is no one knows that she's broken up with her fiancé, Wyn, who is also a part of their friend group and at the last minute decides to come on the trip. After only a 4 minute break up call and having not laid eyes on him for 5 months, Harriet can't stand to be around Wyn but when their friends decide to drop some life changing news, Harriet and Wyn must play the part of the loving, engaged couple their friends think they are.

After not loving People We Meet On Vacation or Book Lovers, I'm SO HAPPY I gave Happy Place a chance.
This book was so realistically messy. I loved every minute of it. The characters. The romance. The banter. *Chefs kiss*

I was immediately drawn toward the characters and could immediately understand the conflict. I do think it's weird that we don't truly understand why Wyn and Harriet broke up for the majority of the book as it's not explicitly said until around 75% BUTTT the journey is well worth it.

I fell in love with Harriet and Wyn. They both felt so grounded and relatable. Harriet is tough yet easily affected and it's easy to empathize with her and the way she morphs herself for the happiness of others. And she's also unassumingly funny!? Wyn is the self deprecating, former prom king who really stands out in a good way and shows so much heart. He made me cry TOO MANY TIMES TO COUNT. Peak book boyfriend. I felt their love. I felt their love story. I was rooting for them from start to finish.

And their friend group? Some of the best side characters. Distinct personalities and back stories, relatable AND funny! I loved each of them just as much as Harriet and Wyn if not more.

Happy Place felt immediately relatable and accessible. Found family. Self Sabotage. Grief. Mental Illness. Generational unhappiness. Perfectionism. This book has it all. It is not just another rom com, IT IS MORE.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for the advance reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.

Happy Place was not the usual rom-com Emily Henry is known for. It was a a bit nostalgic with a philosophical kind of way of looking into what are the things and memories that make us happy. Do they stay the same? Can we stop graduating into this thing called adulthood?
There was some banter and a heartbreak, plus the acknowledgement that sometimes our best friends know us better than we think.
I needed more of the funny banter I loved so much in Beach Read, but I also enjoyed this more mature version of a love story.

I started reading the ebook but couldn't resist the audiobook once I found out the narrator was Julia Whelan!

4.5 stars

Thank you Berkley Publishing and Penguin Audio for the advanced copies.

Emily Henry has been my favorite author for a few years now, ever since I read People We Meet on Vacation and promptly fell in love with all of her backlist works thereafter, so to say I was excited for Happy Place would be an understatement. This is my most anticipated book of the year, and I'm definitely not mad at what I got. I rate this book a bit over 4 stars.

I did think the relationship was a bit underdeveloped--I don't really know why Wyn and Harriet must be our OTP, why they /need/ to be together. Still, I really loved both characters individually.

The writing was very typical Emily Henry style of descriptive, jumping off the page, and with tons of banter, which I enjoyed as always.

I will definitely be reviewing this on other platforms in the future.

I don’t think Happy Place is just a romance. Along with the main second-chance romance plot, there was a very strong mental health and self-discovery subplot that worked so well. Due to this subplot, I felt like I related to the characters and was rooting for them and their personal journeys.

I did feel like I wanted more from Wyn, the love interest. I didn't think we got to know him on a personal level, and I think some chapters from his POV would have been a fantastic addition.

All in all, I enjoyed this book! It dealt with heavy topics yet still felt like a warm hug. Emily Henry has a knack for writing romance with a hint of litfic vibes and I'm HERE FOR IT!

Harriet’s Happy Place has always been at her best friend family lake house. Every year Harriet along with her 5 best friends have spent weeks whiling away eating lobster rolls and lounging by the lake. Nothing could possibly ruin this year’s trip, especially not having to pretend to still be engaged to her longtime boyfriend, and best friend Wyn. In an attempt to not ruin the groups trip, Wyn and Harriet are forced to act like their still together. But as the week continues it’s not just Wyn and Harriet hiding secrets. Can the groups friendship survive distance and time?

There are a few big reasons why this one didn’t work for me.

This was less of a rom-com than I was expecting and has a more serious tone than some of Henry’s previous works. This second-chance romance dives deep into the theme of growing up, friendships, and learning who you are. Henry also brings Depression into the mix, though I felt it could have been intrigued into the story better than the way it was. I’m 1000% a mood reader, and so I don’t think I was in the correct headspace to read Happy Place, especially considering I thought it would be more ‘fun’.

It drives me crazy when miscommunication or lack of communication is the main plot point. Everyone had so many secrets, and every just avoided all forms of talking about anything. Instead, Wyn and Harriet would rather not be together than voice a single concern. Some of our supporting characters also do the same thing, and it drives me crazy. We spend 99% of the book rehashing how nobody tells anybody anything, and I just got frustrated.

Lastly, the pacing of this book was off for me. Once again this could completely be because I wasn’t in the ‘mood’ to dive into a more serious story, but it felt slow. At 400 pages, I think 50 or so pages could have easily been cut.

As always, Henry has weaved some serious topics into a normally light-hearted genre. She’s proven that she’s great at writing emotional and witty romances. I’m pretty sure this will be an unpopular opinion, but unlike her other books I’ve read (which were easily 5 & 4 star reads) I just couldn’t seem to care about Harriet and Wyn. I’ve been craving mysteries and funny stories lately, so I truly believe this is a ‘me’ problem. I will 100% continue to read books from Emily Henry.


Happy Place comes out April 25, 2023. Huge thank you to Berkley Books for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my instagram @speakingof.books.

Part of me wishes I didn't like this book so I could argue that Emily Henry is over-hyped, but at this point, it's a truth universally acknowledged that Emily Henry is a queen of romance. Some laugh-out-loud moments, a dreamy setting, a dynamic group of friends, and (of course) a to-die-for romance. What more could you ask for?

Also, I want to go to Maine now. And Montana.

Well..... I started this book back in January. This wasn't my happy place.

I have seen raving reviews for Emily Henry's books and I've tried to read ALL of her books and it's the same thing for me every time. I just can't connect and get extremely bored. I DNF the last book that I tried to read of hers and this was also a DNF at 35 percent but then decided to go back and try again. I skimmed a little more and threw in the towel.

I am on my outlier island with this author and officially I think it's time I stop trying to read her books. I am a huge fan of Christina Lauren and Abby Jimenez those are my go to romance girls.

We can't love them all. That's what makes the world a fun place!! :)

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

Pub date: 4/25/23.
Published to GR: 3/19/23

Just when you think Emily Henry can’t get any better, she releases a new book. Happy Place delivers everything that you love about her writing -- impeccable dialogue, page-cutting tension, lovable and relatable characters, and heart wrenching romance. But, to me, this one stood out from her others (in the best way). Happy Place has much more depth and intent than your typical contemporary romance, dealing with serious themes in a relevant way without, thankfully, being too heavy and depressing.
Formerly engaged couple, Harriet and Wyn, have been separated 5 months when they are forced back together at their annual friends’ trip. To outsiders and especially their friends, Harriet and Wyn are soulmates with a relationship everyone strived to mimic, which is why they can’t come clean about this breakup that they have been hiding from everyone. They continue to act like nothing has changed, leaving Harriet and Wyn to face their unresolved feelings during their last bit of time together. This second chance romance is unlike any I have read. The newness and rawness of their breakup is what sets it apart; yet Ms. Henry still manages to give you that slow-burn that engrosses you to a point where you can’t put the book down. Her way of capturing emotions with words makes you truly feel what the characters are experiencing. She also created a cast of characters that you want to spend all of your time with. I just experience these worlds she creates firsthand.
Huge thank you to NetGally and Berkely for this ARC. I highly recommend.

Harriet and Wyn have been the perfect couple since they met in college, everyone in their friend group thinks so. Everyone’s sure that they are a match made in heaven. But here’s the thing: Harriet and Wyn broke up six months ago. And they haven’t told their best friends yet. This is how they find themselves pretending to still be together and happier than ever when they get invited to their best friends’ Maine cottage in an attempt to not ruin their final bash at the place they’ve all called their safe space for so long.

Harriet and Wyn are in for a pickle. They can’t stand to break their friends’ hearts but with every single day they have to pretend they’re still happy, that the things that tore them apart haven’t happened, all their shoved-down feelings threaten to rise to the surface and cause one an epic storm. Can two people who loved each other for years (and maybe still are in love) fake it for one week in front of their best friends?

I think the fact that it’s been over a month since I read this book and I still can’t talk about it without tearing up speaks for itself.

I don’t think I’ve ever quite been as invested in a couple the way I was in Harriet and Wyn. Through expertly placed flashbacks, we get to see them fall in love and then fall apart—all while watching the consequences play out in real life as they are forced to pretend they’re still happily engaged and just counting down the days to their own wedding. It was absolutely heart-wrecking to see them so broken up and learn in pieces what caused them to break up. My heart hasn’t ached this much while reading in years.

But then we also get to see how Harriet and Wyn met, what made them the perfect couple from the get-go, the devotion and commitment they both had for each other, which was simultaneously so reaffirming but also caused multiple sobbing parties for me. Honestly, the way Henry managed to celebrate romantic love and show all of its facets in such excruciatingly realistic detail absolutely broke me. You’ll cry reading this, guaranteed, but you’ll also be unable to put the story down before you know how it all ends for Harriet and Wyn.

There’s also so much to be said for the atmosphere of this book. We spend much of the story at this cottage that has been the friends’ getaway for over a decade. The memories, the emotions, everything that makes this cottage a home away from home is translated so beautifully onto the page that it almost feels like the cottage is another character. You can’t help but feel like you are right there along with Harriet and Wyn, caught up in the nostalgia and magic of this incredible place that shaped who they are.

And if you think it couldn’t get any better than this, think again: the cast of secondary characters is just as vivid and charismatic as Happy Place‘s protagonists. Harriet and Wyn’s friends are going through their own life troubles but above all, their friendship and deep bond prevails. From the heartfelt discussions of harrowing topics such as grief, loneliness, family baggage and growing apart when you promised to stay the same forever, this book gives platonic relationships the worship they deserve.

If you’re looking for a magical second-chance romance that will make your heart ache and read compulsively to find out what happened to the perfect couple (and whether they’ll get their happily ever after), then Happy Place is sure to keep you up all night!

What can I say? I already adore Second Chance Romances, but with Emily Henry as the author? It broke me and put me back together in a thousand different ways. This was by far my favorite Henry read. I’m sincerely enamored by her and the way she describes emotions, tension, friendship, and love. This novel had me chasing serotonin until the very end. I cannot wait until everyone reads this story.

Hands down my favorite Emily Henry to date. This has everything I love in a book. Humor, amazing side characters, relatable life struggles, romance, and a deeper plot line. I laughed, I swooned, and I cried… hard. To be real honest, this book kinda slapped me in the face with some realizations that our main character Harriet, comes to. Turns out I related to her a lot more than I originally thought. I love that this follows not only the not-so-perfect love story but also the complexities of adulthood friendships as they go through multiple chapters of life. I don’t know how Emily Henry keeps outdoing herself but she truly set the bar with this one, I loved it so much!

Thank you Berkley and NetGalley for the early access!

I want to thank NetGalley and Berkley for providing me with an eGalley of this book to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.
I've become a big Emily Henry fan. I was introduced to her writing through an online book club when I read Beach Read. I subsequently went and read all her novels I had not yet read. She doesn't disappoint. The humor and love stories she writes are fun and light and wonderful. This one did not disappoint with any of that.
I have to say I was a bit skeptic at first. How can you write a breakup to reunited story without it being sappy and boring? Well, Henry did that.
My favorite part of this book was Harriet's growth. All of which happened while she reminisced about her past with the long time friends at their annual gathering place. Drop in the angst that goes along with losing something so close to the heart, and growth is bound to occur. Harriet's struggles are relatable. to just about anyone whose had heart ache, heart break, and love.
Henry threw in a bit of the steamy and sexy to really show the attraction between the characters. There's something to be said about that type of attraction. It's raw and honest.
And let's not forget the friendships in this book. Long term friendships that have endured, and continue to do so. A very important part of life and emotional growth.
Overall, another fun read by Henry who has yet to disappoint me with her writing. Highly recommend to any romance reader.