Happy Place Hardcover – April 25, 2023

“I could get drunk on the sound of you.”4.5★I don't really like second chance, I don't really like friends to lovers, I've heard a lot of mixed reviews for this… And I loved it 🤭Definitely the angstiest of Emily Henry so far (I haven't read GBBL yet), it just really ate for me. I loved the initial set up of like oh snap being forced together with my ex and we have to pretend to everyone that we're still together, and I also really enjoyed the flashbacks of watching them initially falling in love (which I also normally don't like lol).I can see why this wouldn't hit for some people, but it was another knock out of the park for me.I don't think Wyn is my favorite EmHen MMC, but he definitely won me over and I connected a little too well with Harriet lol.Also shout out to the narrator, she acted her butt off 😂Very excited to read GBBL next!

I liked this book, I like the quirky characters and the love they have for their found family. I loved how they all cared for each other and wanted the best for everyone. But there was a lot of selfishness (unintended) and not enough “let’s talk about it.” But I guess that’s why we have the miscommunication trope. I adored the mcs, even if the female mc sometimes pmo she grew on me so I sympathized with her so I knew how she felt about certain things. Also for those who say this doesn’t have romance, it’s a slow burn not right in your face, there is romance there. And to add that many ppl give up a lucrative career for something simpler; see; lawyer gives up career to be baker irl.Anyways 8/10 🏖️ recommend.

Told in dual timelines: a current timeline where a group of friends are taking their annual trip to a small town in Maine. Harriet has recently gone through a breakup (her ex, Wyn, being one of the friends on the trip) but they haven’t told the friends yet about the split. So during the trip they get sucked into faking that they are still together. The other timeline tells the story of how Harriet & Wyn met and fell in love.Emily Henry can tell a story. It wasn’t the most unique bones and of course there were things that were predictable but this story immediately had me by the throat. I kind of couldn’t function all day because I couldn’t put this down. How I could immediately be nostalgic for characters I didn't know yet was beyond me.These two are very quickly drawn to each other and so in tune with each other, yet somehow they are very bad at communicating their vulnerability with one another. Honestly. I could relate to Harriet so much with her insecurities and how she handles stress in a relationship.Wyn was not who I expected at first and I enjoyed the way his character unfolded. He was very insecure about his lack of bookish smarts and his small town upbringing. His feeling of not being good enough for Harriet and not knowing what to do with his life led us to watch the "noble idiot" play out in real time and it was heartbreaking.Harriet’s love for Wyn was just dripping off the pages. It was so clear right from the start that all she wanted was to love him her whole life. It was also so sweet and heartbreaking.This book just felt like EH’s most romantic. Full of sweet love declarations, quiet moments, fierce attraction, and witty banter. Harriet describes Wyn’s childhood room as a museum dedicated to her favorite subject. Wyn tells Harriet he didn’t understand why he went to college but looking back maybe it was so he could find her.Life happens after college, there’s big and little things that lead to them losing each other. Growing pains in a time of life when they were just trying to figure themselves out. There is a degree of miscommunication but it comes from a real and human place. I really was rooting for these two to find a way to be honest with each other.This is a story about love and a story about finding your happiness and I freaking loved that Harriet’s happy place was being with Wyn. Especially because we see that from her in the whole book. She loved him fiercely. It was such a departure from the women’s lit/romance novels of the day and refreshing. Maybe she doesn’t need a man, but this was the man she wanted.I finished this and then immediately wanted to start it over again (and that is not a thing I ever do!)

Full disclosure. I DNF this BUT I did read more than half, so I think I have enough info to make an informed review. I read the first few hundred pages then skipped to the end to read the last few hundred.I think I just prefer stories where the main focus is on the couple. There was a split focus with the friend group and I just wasn’t particularly interested in them. The beginning didn’t catch my attention at all. The first 100 pages were unfortunately boring for me. I’m assuming around midway it gets better because the last 100 pages were actually really good. The drama! I was getting my popcorn ready. But, if I have to read half of a book before it starts getting interesting then I can’t in good conscience say it was a good book for me.So I think that this is worthy of 3 stars because of its relatability. I think people can relate to the heroine in that a lot of her decision making is based on not wanting to let others down. It might even be therapeutic for some. And like I said it does get better at the end.