How lucky am I to read the new Emily Henry book?! Another warm, funny, insightful novel that warms your heart and stays with you long after you read it. Wyn and Harriet have been engaged for years but recently called it off, and are forced to pretend they are still together on a week with their best friends, in a house in Maine where so many of their best memories occurred. The relationship between the two main characters unfolded beautifully, not withholding information and frustrating the reader (as so often happens with romance novel 'misunderstandings' that would be so easily cleared up!) The friendships at the heart of the book were sweet and real. I enjoyed it all! Send me every one of her new books and I will recommend them far and wide!

So good! A story of love and friendship and found family that leaves you feeling like you are reading about friends and wanting more. Harriet is going to her happy place, the house on the coast of Maine where she has spent time with her closest friends, but this time things have changed and it seems like they are all keeping things from each other. She is, she hasn't told her best friends that she is no longer engaged to Wyn, and Wyn is here. How are they going to tell their friends when this week is supposed to be a celebration? I did not want this to end.

Listen, I don't even know what to say about this. It's an Emily Henry book, _of course_ it's going to be the most fantastic and heartbreaking and romantic read. I devoured it in a day. I preordered my own personalized copy. What else are you going to do when it's a new Emily Henry book?

I love Emily Henry and this book has once again knocked it out of the park. I love how beautifully it depicts how friendships and relationships change and evolve over time and how hard it is to stay connected as adults. The romance and friendships were wonderful. I sat down to start this book and didn't move until I was finished. I was immediately pulled in and I never wanted to leave. An absolutely lovely book.

Thank you so so much to Berkley and NetGalley for my first ever ARC ! I can say, genuinely, truly, frustratingly, and adoringly… Emily, you have outdone yourself. From beginning to end, this book touched the deepest, loneliest parts of my heart and slowly patched them as I went. Emily Henry has an incredible ability to capture things we all might feel but cannot voice, to create characters that we can truly see ourselves in, and to present it all in an adorable, comforting, whimsical background that still feels human, and real.
One of my favorite things about this book was that it wasn’t just about Harry and Wyn. It isn’t just a love story between two individuals, but the love of a friend group who is trying so hard not to let go because it’s so scared when things change and you’re not sure how to change the way you love to adapt to it. I saw so much of myself and my best friends in Sabrina, Cleo, and Harriet. I felt so much of that bittersweet ache of being so close but so far. It was about the love of the happy places that will always hold those happy memories. It was about loving yourself enough to love it all.
I loved loved loved this book. Emily Henry is a god, truly. I’ll never get tired of anything she writes, but this is truly peak for me. I cannot wait to hold this in my hands and read it again and again until it’s falling apart. This book, in its entirety, is my own happy place.

Emily Henry’s new book Happy Place is a read that readers are sure to love. A romance yes, but also a story about the importance of friendship and how it develops over time. Definitely keep an eye out for its release in April 2023!

It will come as a surprise to no one that I loved this. Emily Henry really knows how to transport you with her writing, and I felt like I was right there with Harriet, Wyn, and their friends on the coast of Maine.

I connected so much with both Harriet and Wyn and could see myself in each of them in different ways. This one feels more poignant in some ways than Henry's previous books, but still with plenty of that witty humor we have all come to know and love from her. I loved how there was a lot of emphasis on "found family," and all the places and people we call home. Feeling like you belong and have a place (and people) to feel at home with is so important. We need that connection as human beings. Whether that is with the family we're born with, or the family we create with friends.

Some readers might get irritated that this has quite a bit of a lack of communication trope between our main characters, but I felt like this felt true to life. It's difficult to talk about things sometimes, especially if you're used to gaining love and acceptance by your actions and accomplishments only. It's hard to be vulnerable even when there's the risk of losing what you need and want the most.

I highlighted sooo many lines and am already looking forward to reading it again.

Overall, another stellar book from Henry.

Emily Henry is a prime writer of contemporary romance that has a hard edge. Her latest, Happy Place, is perhaps her best so far. Don't miss it!

A big win for Emily Henry fans! This one is different from her other books in a way I can't quite put my finger on but I cannot wait until this book is released to the world.

Emily Henry strikes again with a perfectly balanced rom-com about whether or not you should let the expectations of others rule your life, or allow yourself to live on your own terms with Happy Place. Harriet and Wyn have broken up for nebulous reasons, and they certainly don't want to go over those reasons with their best friends, who have gathered for one last summer vacation in Maine. Not wanting to rock the boat, Harriet and Wyn pose as the couple they've been for eight years, only to discover all the reasons they broke up, and why they might want to get back together, all while their friend group is growing up, growing apart, and maybe fracturing for good.

Emily Henry's books are fabulously layered, with rich character arcs and entertaining side characters that never fail to disappoint.

Emily Henry did it again, every new book she writes is my favorite until her next. I LOVED Happy Place, the friend group is amazing, each character is fully realized and flawed but lovable. I saw some of myself in both Wyn and Harriet. The fake dating plot line was taken to a whole other level with this book. I loved the switching timelines so we could see where they are now but it was slowly revealed how they got here. Thank you Emily Henry, for your amazing banter, it's always delightful to read your sharp witted characters.

Emily has some big shoes to fill after Book Lovers and while this didn't totally live up to Book Lovers for me, I still really enjoyed it. I loved the setting and all of the characters. You really grow attached to them with the way the story is laid out. It's enjoyable to read and I know it will literally fly off our shelves!

I am so grateful to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me this arc to review.

I want this review as vague and spoiler free as possible because it is such a highly anticipated release. I do not want my thoughts to give anything away so no mentions of tropes I love or dislike other than the one we already know about.

My abbreviated thoughts on this one:
-First and foremost mental health is a big part of this narrative. As someone who is currently dealing with and managing my own mental health diagnoses similar to those of the characters in this book I truly appreciate the broaching of this subject and how the author wrote about and handled it.
- It rivals Book Lovers for my favorite Henry book if not actually surpasses it.
- There was so much emotion and feeling in this one than the others and is why it may win out in the favorite list.
-The fake dating trope, which we know about from the blurb, was executed perfectly even if I did have an early inkling about some stuff.
- I was legitimately near tears during several scenes because of how well Henry wrote the emotions.
- All characters are relatable and I got invested in everyone’s stories not just the MCs.
- Emotional rollercoaster and I loved every minute of the ride!
- Three words: Harriet and Wyn!

I can’t wait for everyone to read this one!

Happy Place is a fun romp of friendship and rediscovering love. Emily Henry always hits a home run, and readers will be pleased with Happy Place!

My ideal romance experience is when I'm so into the story that it's physically impossible for me to stop reading. This has been the case with every Emily Henry book and Happy Place is another shining example of her hypnotic writing—I didn't move from my couch for 4.5 hours and stayed up 3 hours past my bedtime (no regrets). It's a fast read thanks to the dual timelines, and all of the standard EH ingredients are in place: a dreamy/moody dude, complicated heroine, an enviable friend group, witty banter, angst galore. What stood out to me is Happy Place's potential to appeal to a wider variety of adult readers; we get to know the characters both in their easy-breezy early twenties as well as a decade later, when their personal and professional lives are far more complicated.

I am not a massive fan of second-chance romances like I was not a fan of friends-to-lovers before “people we meet on vacation,” but Emily Henry’s writing is so clever I knew she could make me enjoy this trope too.

I don't think Happy Place is as strong as her previous books; it starts a little slow, but then it picks up and it gets better.. Still, Henry is excellent at dialogues. I am always surprised by how easy it is to feel like I’m in the room with the characters when there is a section heavy on dialogue.

Emily Henry has done it again! Sometimes the past to present trope in books is overdone BUT I really liked this one. The question I consistently asked myself while reading this book was, “Where is my happy place”? Is it a person? It is a literal place? Just good food for thought.

This book is my second favorite of hers that’s been written! Predictable as most love story are BUT a lovely novel of redemption, realize mistakes, friendship, change and forgiveness.

4.75 stars.
Oh Emily Henry, I don't think you can do any wrong. This book might be tied with People We Meet on Vacation for my favorite of hers. She captures an intimacy and honesty with her characters that is hard to come by these days. The amount of heartbreak, love, angst, and honesty that leaps out at you is truly wonderful. We tune in when Harriet and Wyn are reuniting after having broken up after a long relationship during a yearly trip. The only problem is that none of their friends know they have broken up and still think they're engaged. They plan to break the news but when one couple announces they're engaged, they don't have the heart to ruin their last vacation at the cottage.
Harriet and Wyn are deeply flawed characters and they were wonderfully well-rounded. I loved the flow of going back and forth between the beginning and evolution of their relationship to current times. The best thing about this plot is that they already have an established relationship. The build-up is already there and yet, Emily Henry still finds a way to bring in the sexual tension with Wyn and Harriet. They are clearly still so in love with each other my heart ached as the angst poured out of the pages. Their chemistry is intense and so natural. While it takes them time to communicate, it's worth the wait when they do. It's incredibly raw and so private and you just want to hug them both. There is a grief but there is also self-growth in that they finally understand what to do to make themselves happy. Harriet and Wyn may be at the top of the list of couples Emily Henry has written.
I also loved the friendship between the whole group. They have such a close dynamic with each other but you can also see how much has changed between them over the years. You'll connect with one character or another and understand the problems everybody is going through. Time changes relationships and friendships. Sometimes it evolves into something better and sometimes people grow apart. Emily Henry really captured the spirit of all that and I absolutely loved it.
This is another fantastic book by her and I will continue to read everything she writes. If you've loved her other books, I think it will be impossible not to love this one.

I love Emily Henry's stories and her characters! The main characters Harry and Wyn have such funny sarcastic banter, I laughed so many times. The story really choked me up at times and also gave me tons of anxiety but in this case that's a good thing.

Fantastic, real, emotional. Loved it.

Home 🏡 is where the heart ❤️ is!

Thinking of her “happy place” wasn’t helping Harriet (Harri) this time as the small aircraft descended into Knott’s Harbor, Maine. Because normally, time at the cottage with her best friends since college, was her “happy place” and this time she was arriving with a broken heart, and she was about to break theirs too. 💔

Harri and Wyn. Wyn and Harri.

They were the couple their friends aspired to be-and THEY were no longer. She would finally be breaking the news to them. She and Wyn had decided to alternate summers at the cottage from here on out-sharing their friends, and she was taking the first Summer. That left her as the bearer of bad news.

But, when she walks in….she sees….Wyn.

What is HE doing here??

Turns out, the cottage is being SOLD, and this will be the last Summer that the three friends, who have evolved into six couples, will be able to spend there, so Wyn, who had been “temporarily” living at home to care for his ailing “Mom” couldn’t say no.

He and Harri, head to their room to unpack. Of course, THIS would be the year that THEY have been given the suite with the one king sized bed, and the romantic open shower and tub- IN THE ROOM. They form a pact to “pretend” to still be together, so that they don’t spoil the last Summer at the cottage.

It’s just ONE week.

How hard could it be to PRETEND to still be in love with each other, in front of those who know you best?

The story alternates between chapters called “HAPPY PLACE” (the Past) and “REAL LIFE” (the Present) until the two narratives merge (or is that, COLLIDE?)

The “Happy Place” chapters give us an intimate front row seat into the rise and fall of Harri and Wyn’s romance, and the “Real Life” chapters allow us to personally get to know all of their unique and wonderful friends who have all arrived with secrets of their own, as they party for one last JOYOUS Summer together in Maine.

Could their “happy place” be a new beginning for “happily ever after”?

Of course, the always reliable Emily Henry has delivered to us yet another perfect beach bag read, just in time for our Summer. That is, IF you can wait that long!! 😉

Expected publication date: April 25, 2023. Pre-order now.

Thank You to Berkley for the gifted copy provided through NetGalley. It was my pleasure to offer a candid review!