Cute, but predictable. I enjoyed the settting more than the characters or story. A light summer read, but mediocre.

Not my favorite of Emily Henry's books, but I will recommend to fans of fake-dating romance, the Second Chance trope, and "beach read" novels like those by Elin Hilderbrand, Taylor Jenkins Reid, and "The Unhoneymooners" by Christina Lauren.

Harriet and Wyn broke up five months ago, but haven't told anyone yet. Now finding themselves on their yearly vacation with the friend group, the two decide to fake-continue-dating (and being engaged) to help the week go smoothly.

The reason for their sudden, unresolved breakup isn't revealed until the end of the story, and quite frankly I found this frustrating. Miscommunication tropes are not my fave, and their lack of communication was driving me crazy.

That said, I always enjoy Henry's writing style and still got sucked into the story while on vacation. I have high hopes for the next novel!

Wyn and Harriet were together for eight years and broke up five years ago after a rough few months. Neither have told anyone - Wyn has been wrapped up in caring for his mother, and Harriet is busy with her residency. Both don't get to see their core friend group from college often, but return to their "Happy Place" in Maine for an annual vacation. Harriet expects this year she'll go and take every other year off with Wyn, but when she arrives, Wyn is there. The two pretend to still be together to please their friends as it turns out it's their last summer at the house, which is being sold, and two of their friends are having a surprise wedding.

It's easy for the reader to sympathize with Harriet and Wyn, but Henry drags out the reason behind the break up until towards the end of the book, and ultimately it's frustrating to find out two people who truly came into their adulthood together couldn't communicate to work through some major shit until it was almost too late. The ending falls flat with a romance, with Harriet's thoughts reflecting more on her personal growth than that of her relationship with Wyn.

The conflict within friendships felt off, too. The discussions felt like they were between much younger characters when it came to any sort of relationship dynamic.

The depression representation was well done and the read itself is enjoyable, slightly steamy, and emotionally charged.

Emily henry's best one yet. I loved every second of it. Funny, heartwarming, and includes the pains of growing up even in your twenties.

3.75

I have mixed thoughts on this one! I loved some parts of it and others I couldn't care less about. I think my main issue is with the tropes in this story, they are not my favorite. So, while I did have some minor issues with this one it was definitely a me thing and not an everyone thing. I'm a huge fan of this author and can't wait to read more from her! Her writing was on point, the pacing was superb, and the characters were flawed but showed growth by the end. I would highly recommend it.

Emily Henry's prose is unparalleled, but the romance in this book fell a bit flat. The heaviness of the main couple's miscommunication weighs the story down.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫⁣
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Do you have a “Happy Place”?⁣
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I love going to our family’s farmhouse! It’s way out in the country where there is zero service, no tv (besides the collection of dvds that has accumulated over the years), and a party phone! It’s a place to go and unwind/relax/rough it a bit and it’s perfect⁣
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I was suuuuuuper excited to get #HappyPlace from @berkleyromance (thank you!) and picked it up ASAP… let me tell you it is SUUUUUCH a great summer read! Emily’s writing is so beautiful and really brings the book to life. It is more poignant than I anticipated, but had so much depth and I completely fell into the story. I think it was a smidge slow in the middle, but even with that it was such a fantastic second chance romance that in my opinion lives up to the hype! ⁣
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Tropes:⁣
found family⁣
Second chance/relationship in crisis⁣
Forced proximity ⁣
Dual timeline⁣
Vacation⁣
Fake dating⁣
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Happy Place is out NOW! Add it to your TBR for a perfect poolside or summer read!

In the most annoying way possible, I spent months ruminating on this book before writing a review.

It would be incorrect to say that I didn't like this book, because I really did like this book. But I was so disappointed by this book in ways I couldn't quite explain. I think my biggest issue is that this book is only sort of a romance novel. This book is women's lit with a romance storyline. The romance between Harriet and Wyn was hardly the most compelling part of this story -- and I felt like the author knew that too.

In fact, immediately after finishing this book, I couldn't remember Wyn's name. I couldn't really figure out why their love was so deep and abiding. I didn't feel like they were some epic love story. And, frankly, I wasn't really rooting for them to be together -- mostly because Wyn couldn't get over himself to just TALK TO HER. In fact, I think everything in this book could have been resolved pretty quickly if people would just talk and communicate. Hopefully Wyn and Harriet can figure this out, because it's a terrible way to start a relationship.

I also can't get behind a girl just leaving behind a multi-hundred thousand dollar investment just because it wasn't fulfilling enough. Sure, but finish your degree? You don't have to be a neurosurgeon, be a phlebotomist or a gp or something. But throwing away your investment and your career just because your man now makes money? Bleh.

But, I also did like this book. I like Emily Henry for smart and insightful women's lit and I liked the way this novel unpacks grief, depression, and adult friendships growing apart (in a way that almost made me feel sick). Just stop pretending it's a romance and focus on the rest of the story. And please give the Parths more personality.

Emily Henry is one of my few auto-buy authors, and after her last two books—PEOPLE WE MEET ON VACATION being my favorite—I have sky-high expectations for her stories. Which is probably not a good thing.

HAPPY PLACE was a letdown for me. The setup. (There was no reason to lie and pretend they were still together.) The second-chance romance. (The was so little chemistry between Harriet and Wyn.) I just didn't buy any of it. And when I finally decided to ignore the romance and enjoy the bigger cast and wacky friendships, those became strange too.

Despite all of this, I still find Henry's writing enthralling. She's *so* talented! I appreciate that she was trying to do something different here. I just wished I'd cared about these characters and their story more.

RATING: C

I cannot describe my reading experience with book as anything other than entirely apathetic. I simply cared for none of it, not Harriet, not her friends, not her ploy to fake date the ex fiancé, nor did I care to find out why they were broken up or how they might find their way back together. It just completely failed to spark even the faintest flames of interest of investment in the story. This is not to say that Emily Henry is some terrible writer or something but I think her approach to romance just does not speak to me, and my deep enjoyment of People We Meet on Vacation was a fluke.

An enjoyable read, but less well done than some of Henry's previous titles. The characterization feels authentic, but comes across as a bit annoying as well. Those looking for a fluffy happy romance won't find it here as the book contains a lot of relationship (platonic and romantic) and personal drama.

Serious and Thoughtful, this was a Heavy rom-com that dealt with more than just rekindled romance. It was well written but definitely sad throughout.

I don’t know why I waited so long to read this book. It was on my Kindle shelf for months. I think I knew it would be amazing and I wanted to save it for a special occasion. I waited until I was on vacation, and as soon as I started it, I could not put it down. I devoured it in two days of car travel. Emily Henry is a suburb storyteller, and this book was no exception.

I recently discovered books by Emily Henry. I first read Beach Read and followed up very quickly with Book Lovers. Reading both of those books was like being wrapped up in a blanket with a glass of wine or a cup of hot chocolate. I inhaled those two books, and immediately wanted to re-read each of them. Happy Place is good. I quickly fell into the flow of the story. I connected with the mix of disfunction and passion of the relationship between Harry and Wyn. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I just didn't love this book as much as I loved the other two. Maybe it was because there were too many other relationships to follow? Except that I really liked the other characters. I enjoyed the flashbacks to the early days of their relationship intertwined with the present day vacation in Maine. I liked this book a lot, I just didn't love it. If you enjoy Henry's books, I recommend Happy Place. And I do plan to re-read this book.

Emily Henry knocked it out of the park again with this beautiful story about love and friendship, the people you grow up with, the ways you grow together, the ways you grow apart, and the places and people that feel like home. Reading this on a cottage vacation in MY happy place, with my longtime adult friends made it extra special. This was beautiful, joyful, tender, and heartbreaking. I can’t wait to read what’s next from the iconic EmHen!

Absolutely charming. Loved the banter and history of the friend group, and the nostalgia they all had for their youth. The secondary characters shine here, especially Cleo and Kimmy! The dialogue was witty and painfully real, and everyone's problems felt relatable and not contrived. The premise was clever, and done well, and while I didn't really swoon over our MMC, I didn't need to in order to thoroughly enjoy this read.

Another perfect book by Emily Henry. The writing and storytelling from the author never seizes to amaze me. The book follows a past and present narration that keeps you on your toes wanting to know more. It’s a second chance romance that has the perfect slow burn but also doesn’t drag on too long. The connection between the characters and seeing how they fell apart and fell back together was immaculate. I definitely recommend Happy Place if your looking for a book that hits deep & written beautifully.

A genuine story about friendship, love, and being true to yourself. Written well and paced perfectly!

Emily Henry doesn't again! She's just the queen of complex, beautiful romances that make you fall in love with the characters and, in this case, the beautiful location.