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sophieamreacher's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Sexual content and Medical content
Moderate: Chronic illness, Death, Drug use, Mental illness, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Minor: Vomit and Pregnancy
vanesst's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Alcohol
Moderate: Drug use, Sexual content, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Minor: Vomit and Pregnancy
mallory10100's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Infidelity, Mental illness, Sexual content, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
yvo_about_books's review against another edition
3.5
"Love means constantly saying you're sorry, and then doing better."
There has been such a hype around Happy Place, and I honestly can't believe it has already got over 200.000! ratings on Goodreads. I mean, Happy Place has only been published for two months or so... Anyhow, I can't deny that I've been looking forward to read this one, because I really enjoyed my time with her previous books. I loved the sound of the blurb with the group of friends getting together and the Main cottage setting, and I had high hopes for it. Now that I've read it, I'm not sure if those expectations were actually met though... I'm not saying that it's a bad read and I initially did love my time with this story. There was something about this close group of friends that made me want to spend time with them. The main focus is on Wyn and Harriet of course, and they have the biggest character growth as a result, but I feel that the rest of them are still quite complex as well. I wish more time would have been spent in the present though, because the many flashbacks could get a bit tedious. The miscommunication trope ended up being a bit too much for me as well, because it was just too present not only in Wyn and Harriet, but in the group in general. It distracted from the other issues and only started to make me feel frustrated by the whole situation. Especially when it was not clear why they broke up in the first place and is was way too obvious they still love each other. That said, it was the last 20% or so of Happy Place that really let me down. Not only did I find this particular outcome to be highly unbelievable, but not satisfying at all either. I just couldn't believe that Harriet would make such a big decision on the fly, after only a week in Maine and without considering all her options. A slower build up would have made her decision a bit more credible, but still... This was NOT how I hoped this story would end. I can't deny that there were parts of the story that I loved, but Happy Place also ended up having more issues for me than expected.
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Drug use, Mental illness, Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Moderate: Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Medical content, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship
kayanoelle's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I enjoyed the story, Emily Henrys books are always so funny and have such a cozy vibe.
I didn't like the miscommunication trope or better: the-not-talking-at-all-about-their-thoughts-and-problems-trope because it's just something I genuinely cannot get behind.
BUT overall, it was still a very good, quick read that made me smile and swoon and love the characters.
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Grief and Death of parent
Minor: Mental illness and Vomit
hannahkiwi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.5
Moderate: Drug use, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Minor: Vomit
ewalkergrace's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Grief and Death of parent
Moderate: Drug use, Mental illness, Sexual content, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
Minor: Vomit and Pregnancy
displacedcactus's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
I agree with the many people who I've seen saying this is probably the least romance-like of her books. The dual timeline means we get to see Harriet and Wyn originally falling in love, but it's told in snippets and while it tells us a lot about how we got where we are, it gives us less time in the here and now. The disjointed nature of the story left me feeling not fully committed to their romance. I wanted to know if they would get back together, but I wasn't necessarily sure if they should.
In some ways, this is almost a coming-of-age story, about reaching that point in your 30s or so when you start to lose momentum and have to figure out what you *actually* want out of life, rather than what you've been doing to please your friends, family, SO, teachers, religious leaders, whoever has been shaping and guiding you since childhood. This is primarily Harry and Wyn's story, but we also get to see their four friends grappling with the fact that they're all getting older and it's harder to stay in touch now that they're scattered across the country and pursuing different goals.
If you like your summer reads to have a mix of sun-soaked vacation locales and emotional angst, this is a good one. Or even save it for winter, when you need to remember warmer times.
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Cursing and Death of parent
Minor: Vomit
miggyfool's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
Minor: Mental illness and Pregnancy
readwithria's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Emily Henry keeps getting better and better. Her stories are so full of love in all forms, and Happy Place was no different. The found family was so strong, and I loved all six of our main cast.
I honestly don’t know what to say about this book other than it Mae me feel so seen in so many different ways. I loved it. Read it. 5 stars.
Moderate: Drug use, Mental illness, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Minor: Infidelity, Pregnancy, and Abandonment