Scan barcode
marmalade_and_books's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- 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
This might be recency bias speaking, but it’s possible that Happy Place is my new favorite Emily Henry novel. Harriet’s character resonated with me the most out of all the EH heroines. Her instinct to please others—even to her own detriment—and commitment to her career path was all too familiar. I found myself questioning my intentions of pursuing my career field several times over the course of the book.
Wyn’s character was not at all what I expected—he was better. He’s the doting, thoughtful, and loyal flirt we all wish we knew and could call our own (as least that’s true for me).
And what would an EH book be without some sort of parent-trauma? That part hits home every time…maybe I should try therapy!
I loved this book’s theme of found family and holding on to the people that matter most to you even if that relationship changes over time. I wanted to text my friends several times while reading this to tell them that I love them.
“I wish I could swallow the sound, that it would put down roots in my stomach and grow through me like a seed.”
Wyn’s character was not at all what I expected—he was better. He’s the doting, thoughtful, and loyal flirt we all wish we knew and could call our own (as least that’s true for me).
And what would an EH book be without some sort of parent-trauma? That part hits home every time…maybe I should try therapy!
I loved this book’s theme of found family and holding on to the people that matter most to you even if that relationship changes over time. I wanted to text my friends several times while reading this to tell them that I love them.
“I wish I could swallow the sound, that it would put down roots in my stomach and grow through me like a seed.”
Content Warnings
Minor: Blood, Chronic illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Terminal illness
positivenoodles's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I loved it being set in Maine but a fictional town. It felt like Maine without having to be like "I don't think that is a place in that town". It felt true to Maine without pulling me out of the story. They did mention a place at Acadia national park that has amazing popovers and that is a real place that I go to when visiting the area.
The characters felt real to me and how I would banter with my friends. The fact that they were all so different but they loved each other like family. The found family is Soo well done in here.
The romance was done well but there were times that I was YELLING out loud hey just kiss!
I recommend this book and it is a perfect summer smut read.
The characters felt real to me and how I would banter with my friends. The fact that they were all so different but they loved each other like family. The found family is Soo well done in here.
The romance was done well but there were times that I was YELLING out loud hey just kiss!
I recommend this book and it is a perfect summer smut read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Chronic illness, Mental illness, and Medical content
Minor: Sexual harassment
isacarvalho91's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Grief, Drug use, Bullying, Chronic illness, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Death of parent
bringmybooks's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
you’re either gonna love it or hate it and idk what to tell you
B̷R̷I̷N̷G̷ ✨ 𝗕𝗢𝗥𝗥𝗢𝗪 ✨ B̷Y̷P̷A̷S̷S̷
I honestly & truly don’t think this book is going to be for everyone, and I honestly & truly don’t think all of Emily Henry is for everyone (4 starred her first two, lukewarm on them in retrospect, DNFed Book Lovers, don’t @ me). All of that being said, I honestly & truly loved this book.
(Also, did I finally break down and decide to read this because the MC loves Murder She Wrote? no comment)
There are some books that I think have universal appeal, and others that hit harder because of the life you’ve lived and the experiences you’ve had, and I think that was a huge part of why this hit so well for me. I can totally understand why people would look at this and go “miscommunication trope at it’s finest, yawn” but (as someone who’s not typically a fan of this trope) I felt this was a super realistic portrayal of trying to figure out who you are and what you want as you grow older, especially as you try to do it in a relationship with someone you love who is growing up alongside you.
One of my gripes with some of EH’s work is that it’s too … quippy. Nobody can be “on” 24/7, zinging barbs back and forth with whomever they come across from the moment they open their eyes until the moment they go to bed. Sometimes even the quippiest person just calls their partner and says, “Hey, do we need milk?” without there being a joke attached to it, you know?
That being said, I felt that that the characters in this book were way more realistic, and I actually believed in them, which made it a lot easier to stay invested in the story & in their relationships. It’s got so much heart in the way that growing up in a friend group is described, especially as we start to want different things that don’t align with how our friends or partners are growing up.
tl;dr this one brought me back to EH and I’ll be giving her next one a read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Cursing, Alcohol, Death of parent, Mental illness, Drug abuse, and Pregnancy
Minor: Toxic relationship, Infidelity, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, Vomit, Sexual harassment, Dementia, Chronic illness, and Drug use
stardustandrockets's review against another edition
5.0
I don't understand why people cried reading this book. I will say that I relate a lot to Sabrina's want to not get married because she didn't have good views on it growing up. And I relate a whole heck of a lot to Harriet and her family. My parents got pregnant with my sister before they got married and they were incredibly poor for a long time. Then my brother happened. Six years after that I came along and 3 years after that, my younger sibling. There's a 12 year age gap from oldest to youngest and all that time my dad worked two jobs just to barely make ends meet. My parents fought all the time and I used to wish they'd just get divorced. Though, as a kid, I didn't realize what that would mean for either of them. My dad would be fine (probably), but my mom would have nowhere to go and no job to fall back on. It seemed they were in a marriage of convenience with no real way out. Did they love each other? I'm not sure. I think things started out under shit circumstances and they made the best of what they had. So yeah, I relate a lot to Harriet and what she was going through. Not asking for help when she very much had several people in her corner. Wyn also hit home a bit because of his undiagnosed depression. He didn't realize anything was wrong until it was really wrong. Functioning at less than optimum your whole life, you don't realize that that's not how everyone goes through life. That was me. Being undiagnosed AuDHD and thinking I was just lazy at school work and not realizing I was actually struggling. But I didn't have the words to say "Hey, I really want to do these things, but I can't make my brain do these things."
I think it was a good thing that Harriet and Wyn called things quits for a bit. Wyn was able to find out what makes him happy on his own, Harriet discovered that she wasn't happy on her own and that her job was making her incredibly miserable. But the whole time she wanted Wyn because he was her happy place. That's how I feel about my partner. It doesn't really matter what we're doing, as long as we're together.
So while I may not understand what made people cry, I think I relate the most to this book. Even if it's still not my favorite. On a personal level, this is the one that hits home the most.
I think it was a good thing that Harriet and Wyn called things quits for a bit. Wyn was able to find out what makes him happy on his own, Harriet discovered that she wasn't happy on her own and that her job was making her incredibly miserable. But the whole time she wanted Wyn because he was her happy place. That's how I feel about my partner. It doesn't really matter what we're doing, as long as we're together.
So while I may not understand what made people cry, I think I relate the most to this book. Even if it's still not my favorite. On a personal level, this is the one that hits home the most.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Classism
Moderate: Death of parent, Mental illness, Abandonment, Grief, and Chronic illness
Minor: Pregnancy, Car accident, Infidelity, and Drug use
bootsmom3's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- 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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Alcohol, Grief, Sexual content, and Abandonment
Moderate: Mental illness, Chronic illness, and Pregnancy
jaydub0221's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- 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
All I can say is that this book had my emotions on xgames mode. The constant up and down had me in DISTRESS (but in a “can’t wait to see what happens next” kind of way). I loved the friendships/found family aspect of this book. Specifically the female friendships, as their love for one another is so thoughtful and intentional. I also LOVE Harriet & Wyn’s love. It is so pure and whole. And idc what anyone says, if it didn’t end the way it did, I probably would’ve committed arson. I love the depth of Emily Henry’s writing in that she delves into deeper, heavier topics and themes like family trauma and anxieties and cracks in relationships. It’s relatable and rocky and that’s what makes it enjoyable for me. Overall, I loved this book. It was wholesome and BOY was it a heartbreaker.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief and Sexual content
Minor: Pregnancy, Drug use, Death, Death of parent, Alcohol, Chronic illness, Vomit, Mental illness, Cursing, and Medical content
bookedandbusy's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I really enjoyed this one. It was sadder and dealt with more real life issues than the other books, but I found myself relating to some of the struggles and just felt SEEN. I will say that the story felt very drawn out, but other than that I enjoyed it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Chronic illness, and Death of parent
Moderate: Abandonment
what_karla_reads's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
3.75/5 stars
1.5/5 spice
Tropes:
Friends to lovers
Second Chance romance
One bed
Forced proximity
Mental health rep
LGBTQIA rep (side characters)
Single POV
Dual timeline
I didn't hate it but also I didn't love it. I had major issues with the lack of communication and misunderstandings by EVERYONE. Was NO ONE capable of having an adult conversation about what was going on...
That being said I did enjoy the deep rooted bonds that the friends had. Which is why it was so frustrating they couldn't communicate with each other. I found myself being annoyed with everyone at some point but also simultaneously lovin their crazy dynamic... it was kinda confusing lol
Overall, I would still recommend this book if you can get past the miscommunication. But it's still written well and has all the angst of a second chance romance.
Trigger/Content warnings:
Depression, grief, death of a parent, chronic illness, miscommunication, sexual content
1.5/5 spice
Tropes:
Friends to lovers
Second Chance romance
One bed
Forced proximity
Mental health rep
LGBTQIA rep (side characters)
Single POV
Dual timeline
I didn't hate it but also I didn't love it. I had major issues with the lack of communication and misunderstandings by EVERYONE. Was NO ONE capable of having an adult conversation about what was going on...
That being said I did enjoy the deep rooted bonds that the friends had. Which is why it was so frustrating they couldn't communicate with each other. I found myself being annoyed with everyone at some point but also simultaneously lovin their crazy dynamic... it was kinda confusing lol
Overall, I would still recommend this book if you can get past the miscommunication. But it's still written well and has all the angst of a second chance romance.
Trigger/Content warnings:
Depression, grief, death of a parent, chronic illness, miscommunication, sexual content
Content Warnings
Minor: Mental illness, Sexual content, Grief, Chronic illness, and Death of parent
infjkiki's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Sexual content, Mental illness, Alcohol, and Death of parent
Moderate: Pregnancy, Drug use, and Chronic illness
Minor: Vomit, Panic attacks/disorders, and Medical content