Look, I know. There's nothing as annoying as seeing a review of a book you're dying to read but can't because it's not out until 2023 (April 27th to be precise), but when you get an e-mail offering you the upcoming Emily Henry release, YOU SAY YES THANK YOU.

In 'Happy Place', we meet Harriet and Wyn. They're perfect for each other, they're soulmates, they were destined to be together. Every Summer, they meet up with their best friends and spend a few weeks at an idyllic seaside summer home. This year will be the last - the house is being sold, so their friends want to have one last hurrah and wrap it up in style. Only - Wyn and Harriet broke up six months ago.

They have a decision to make - do they break their friends hearts, or do they suck it up and fake it for a week?

I loved it. I loved it so much. I loved their relationship, I loved the friendships, I loved the setting. I do think that April will be a great time for this book to be released, because the whole Summer vibe didn't quite hit as hard as it could have while wearing a Christmas jumper, but it's lovely. I loved the look at difficult family relationships too, and the elements of found family in the friendships. Sometimes your friends can give you more than your parents ever did, and that's not something we often see in books like this.

I don't think fans will be disappointed with very much (is it okay to say I really dislike this cover?!) - maybe the communication could've been better at times, and maybe they should've just flat out told their friends they weren't together anymore, but then we wouldn't have this glorious slice of escapism.

Thoroughly enjoyable and eternally thankful to @penguinrandomhouse & Georgia Taylor for the opportunity to read it early. The April UK release will also be in Hardback for the first time, which will no doubt delight a lot of Bookstagrammers!

It's lovely.

Ever since I read Emily Henry's second book, I've claimed that she get better with every single one, and this is so exception. I rushed through this in a day because I could not put it down. Told in two narratives, of what was, and what is, we get to follow Harriet and Wyn as they fall in love and then back in it.
This felt like such an adult love story. One where it isn't easy, where you have to make hard choices, where relationships take work, take consideration. But one where love is important, where who you are and who you want to be sits front and centre.
Did it break my heart? Absolutely! But it also built it back up, stronger, and better, and more beautiful. This books is like Kintsugi, repairing the broken broken ceramic with gold. Yes, it was broken once, but you have made an effort to fix it, and now it isn't what it was before but it is better. It's new, and this time the way it fits together is because you've done this on purpose.
Long story short, this is my new favourite book and I will happily scream that from every mountain-top.

Alas, not my favourite Emily Henry, but I have rarely been a fan of second chance romances, so anyone that may be a fan of this trope will likely find it easier to dive into this story. I also think that in terms of Henry's previous work, this skews closest to PEOPLE WE MEET ON VACATION/YOU AND ME ON VACATION, which also happens to be my least favourite of her romance trio, but, again, people who enjoyed that more than me will likely enjoy this as well. While Henry put so much work into estalishing the characters' individual shortcomings and the journeys they had to go on individually before being able to commit to romance once again, I couldn't get behind the reason of their initial breakup enough to appreciate the overall arc of the romance.
What I loved most about the book was the found family aspect and the way all of the relationships in this, beyond the romantic, evolved over the decade they've known one another. I loved seeing them all in their happy place as their lives grow and the real world starts seeping into this fantasy. I'll also add that this was really easy to fly through, and the A++++ banter between the characters made it all the more enjoyable.
Not a bad read overall, but not my favourite Emily Henry.

*Thank you to Penguin Random House for the early access!*

If I had the time to read this book in one sitting, it absolutely would have been completed the day I received it.

Emily Henry continues to outdo herself somehow. This book was so beautifully written and I absolutely love and appreciate the importance that is given to the protagonists’ non-romantic relationships as well. Every character introduced or mentioned is so far from one-dimensional which is so refreshing to read.

Harriet’s relationship with Wyn, her parents, and her found family was detailed in the most gut-wrenching-knot-in-the-pit-of-your-stomach yet nostalgic kind of way. Every chapter had a moment that made me have to stop and take a second to just think - or have a quick cry.

Happy Place is far from being just a romance book and, like Book Lovers, is one that I will continuously look back to as something that changed the way I perceive every day life.

📚 r e v i e w 📚

My happy place is curling up with an emily henry book so imagine my excitement when her latest, happy place, arrived in my inbox!
Much like her other romances, this one featured top notch banter (seriously all i want is someone to verbally spar with) and characters that instantly feel like friends.

Happy Place has so much more substance than your average romance, and this one in particular hit a little hard in places, its about growing up, growing apart, endings, beginnings and everything in between. Its also a little different because instead of two people meeting or frenemies becoming more, our couple are exes in forced proximity for one last trip to their happy place with their besties.

I enjoyed every moment of this, so much so that i dragged it out so i could savour it as long as possible and spend more time with Harriet, Wyn, Parth, Chloe, Kimmy and Sabrina.
If you need a bit more happiness in your life make sure to pick this up in the new year.
Thank you to @netgalley for the early copy. Happy Place is out 25th April 2023.
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"Stupid, stupid, stupid heart. Don't you know he hasn't been yours to cry over for a long time."

That quote. ❤ And then the tears came. I dare you to read this book with dry eyes - but I also dare you to read it without a big smile on your face. Ms Henry is the queen of setting the scenes with palpable and tender emotions, and she is also the queen of quick comebacks and witty banter. And this book had everything.

I was filled with so much longing and aching from chapter one that I thought I couldn't bare it. And I loved every second of it. ❤

I have no more words except to say that if ever there was a five-star-read then this is the one.

I really love Emily Henry’s writing and was so excited for her new book and this was no exception. The writing was amazing and the character development was out of this world

Anything by Emily Henry is an auto read for me… but I can’t help but feel this just doesn’t have the same magic as her others.
The set go… A final friend holiday of a group of university friends before the old holiday house gets sold, reminiscing about the old routine on their once yearly break to Maine. Finding out their best friends are about to get married at the end of the week, the formerly engaged Harriet and Wyn now have to keep up the ruse of still being together…
Most of the characters are likeable and the plot is predictable but this won’t stop the enjoyment, for those looking for a feel good easy read.

I don't know how she does it, but Emily Henry has a knack of taking on a romantic trope and turning into a magical, unexpected, heart warming novel.

In 'Happy Place' we meet Harry and Wyn; the college sweethearts who have split up and and now have to spend a week together IN THE SAME BED. But this is so much more than a second chance at love novel. This is a book about friendship, about family and about growing up. It's about self discovery and knowing when to step outside your comfort zone.
Harry and Wyn's week together made me sad, it made me happy. I felt frustration and satisfaction. All at the same time! Told you Ms Henry was magic!

My thanks go to the publishers and NetGalley for the advance copy in return for an honest review.

Absolutely adore all of Emily Henry’s previous books. Happy Place was fantastic, the characters were beautifully written and the second chance trope was executed so well I couldn’t put the book down. A light read that I would definitely recommend to everyone who loves romance books.

Thank you ever so much to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC of 'Happy Place' by the fabulous Emily Henry.

Anyone who knows me knows that Emily Henry is an author who I would probably sell my soul to, that's how good of an author she is. And 'Happy Place' does not disappoint. As always, Henry's characters are gritty and beautiful and complex - they felt like real human beings to me and I couldn't help but have my favourites. The romance in this story was a new way of romance in terms of Emily Henry's previous works but this was still just as beautiful and I think I preferred this love story. Will it ever beat some other Emily Henry books? No, but it doesn't have to. This book is beautiful in it's own way and I would definitely read it again and again when it comes out in 2023.

Harriet meets her boyfriend Wyn when at college. She also makes lifelong friends with her room mates Sabrina and Cloe.
This book centres around their annual trip to a cottage, owned by Sabrina's father, which is being sold so this is there last trip to their Happy Place. Harriet and Wyn however have failed to tell their friends that they split up 5 months previously, so have to pretended they are still together including sharing a bed.
The story is full of romance and disappointment but will they get their Happy ever after?

emily henry just doesn't know how to miss. i tore through happy place and genuinely out of her four romances, this is the one that struck me hardest. i simply got harriet like nobody else. i'm in shambles. for a preview listen to dancing with our hands tied and maroon by taylor swift. wow. batting 1000

Thank you Netgalley for my copy of Happy Place, in exchange for an honest review.

I really loved this book. It was a refreshing break to read a book that wasn't happy happy all of the time. There were clear fractures within the friendship group from page one, and it was really interesting to see the story develop and unwind as the book went on.

I thought all the characters and their linking stories was well planned, and cleverly linked together. It was interesting to see how the friendships deteriorated as the book went on but it also felt very relatable as that tends to happen to everyone. I actually really enjoyed how relatable this book was, albeit slightly frustrating with the miscommunication trope (though entirely the point, and again totally relatable).

The ending didn't feel rushed at all, and I liked how detailed all of it was. Some contemporary books get totally rushed endings so this was really refreshing!

Safe to say the ending of this book was exactly as I hoped, and I'm really thrilled I had an early copy. Thank you!

Great characters and really well written, I really enjoyed this book. A great insight into people’s lives moving forward. Highly recommended.

Another great read by this fantastic author. I loved how multilayered the plot was; dealing not only with the main character, Harriet, but also with her best friends and their respective lives. But the thing I appreciated the most, was Henry’s take on the second-chance romance trope. It worked perfectly in this novel, primarily in how it showed that a happy ending is not as easy as you might think. This book was sent to me electronically by Netgalley for review. Thanks to the publisher for the copy. What a gorgeous book! The author has a great gift for characterisation - nuanced, interesting, believable people but created with a charming lightness of touch. Thanks to a great author we have warmth, wisdom and emotional intelligence, this book was a huge pleasure to read!

I ADORED Book Lovers by Emily Henry,which was my first introduction to this author, so I jumped at the chance to read and review her upcoming title Happy Place and thank you NetGalley for the e-ARC!

I do not consider myself a fan ofsecond- chance romances. Honestly, it feels like at some point this trope tookromance readers by a storm and they forgot to tell me about it. And by the timethey did… I just didn’t listen. That being said, Happy Place made me realise why that is: How can I trust the bond between the couple is so strong that it can bring them back together, if I haven’t experienced it form in the firstplace? As in, if I haven’t read about the side- glances and the first moments of touch and how their feelings spilled out and unfurled during a meal or in an argument while driving to meet their friends, then how can I root for them AGAIN? The lack of connection leads to a lack of connectivity. This book gaveus glimpses into the couple’s past and tried to bridge that gap. I’m not sure ifit was not adequate or if just this trope doesn’t fully work for me, but I was nit swept off my feet by this story.

Don’t get me wrong. Emily Henry’swriting will not let you put this book down. What addictive bookish substance do you lace them books with, Emily?! There are some themes in her novels, as faras I can tell (and I have read two of them, so I’m basically an expert now-face palm-), which are like great ingredients to her recipe. For example, long-distance relationship is the feared obstacle that can drive the main coupleapart or cause them to potentially not overcome it. The writing is fun but sad, paradoxically sadder in Happy Place (than in Book Friends, I can’t help but compare, so sue me!). While the first couple of pages did not suck me in, because they start with landscape descriptions, then whoosh- it got me! I was not particularly interested in the descriptions, which were there but a bit superficial, nonetheless. I just cared more for the dialogue and the interaction.I also felt that the stakes were not high. And all that because the friend group… Awkward. Did not see that friendship bond that was so strong yet so fragile that nobody wanted to sayanything lest it may crack. 
Did I read the book in two days: YES.
Would I recommend it? Would notnot recommend it. Make of that what you will.
Did it make me curious to go back to Book Lovers to see if the magic fizzled out a bit for me? Yes and it did feel a bit different, to be honest. It is the kind of book that I am in the zone to read, but potentially only once.
Did I buy Beach Read a few daysafter? DUH.
Did I see a person reading People WeM eet On Vacation, which I took as a sign to order that book? Well, obvs.

Wyn and Harriet broke up five months ago…they just didn’t tell anyone, especially their closest friends. That becomes a bit of a problem when they have to reunite for their friends’ wedding and spend a week away together. They can fake it until they make it right?

As with all other books by Emily Henry “Happy Place” is written beautifully. It’s packed full of the feel good, the friction and the will they/won’t they thatI devoured in her previous books.

I am less enthusiastic about the second chance romance trope than her usual enemies to lovers trope and one of the side characters really irritated me.

Those are minor niggles in a life affirming, page turning book about finding your tribe and the life you want.

Thanks to Emily Henry, Penguin Random House and NetGalley for the opportunity to review an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I have loved Emily Henry's previous books, but this has to be my favourite of them all. I think out of all of Emily's books, this one was the most relatable, with the group of friends all having their own separate lives, but coming back to their happy place one last time to be together. It had me both laughing and balling my eyes out, and once you throw in a close-proximity trope, it was everything I love in a romance! It's very quickly become one of my favourite reads of all time, and I can't wait to re-read it once it's out.

Happy Place is about Harriet and Wyn who have been the golden perfect couple in their friends' circle but all is not as rosy as it seems. They have secretly broken up but now have to pretend to be together in front of their best friends for their annual vacation together.
As usual Emily Henry did not disappoint. She just somehow writes these characters that you can completely relate. Harriet especially felt so close to home that there were times I wondered if Henry hadn't somehow peered into the deepest depths of my mind. She is definitely my favourite heroine from all Henry's books. I felt a little less attached to Wyn maybe because I did not get any chapters in his POV. but the chemistry, the angst, the push and pull between Wyn and Harriet were perfectly captured. I was completely invested in their romance which was a surprise since I am usually not a big fan of second chance romances. I also loved how Henry portrayed the changing dynamic within a close knit group of friends.
If there's one negative in this book, it's the circumstance leading upto the faking a relationship part. That was, maybe a little unconvincing. But otherwise this is another winner from Emily Henry who is now a total auto-buy author.
Rating - 4.5 stars