Scan barcode
sandysmith's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
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
3.5
I enjoyed this book, although it was not what I was expecting. It's about Harriet (Harry) and Wyn, their breakup, and spoiker alert makeup. Their breakup being secrets and miscommunication. Harriet is a people pleaser and has come from a family with parents that are still together but shouldn't be. Wyn comes from in her view a perfect loving family. The book is written with flash backs of how they fell in love and Harry's devastation when the relationship ends. The supporting characters all have secrets and are reunited for a week for a couple in the groups wedding. So it's about friendships, growing apart, grief and grieving, love and loss, relationships, and miscommunication, all beautifully written. I was not so keen on the batter of the head reference to safe sex, how many times the word condom is used and the ending of the book was too neat. But overall, a great fall in and out of love book. It's not smut driven, but there is some sexual content, so if smut is your thing then perhaps go elsewhere. A good read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Mental illness, Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Moderate: Pregnancy
adamparrishlover's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Death of parent
kerrygetsliterary'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
4.0
Look, nothing I say here will be groundbreaking or revolutionary with the 47 gazillion other reviews already out there. But I finished this last night and I'm actually writing a review for it, so applaud me, please.
Happy Place is a second chance romance between Harriet and Wyn, who broke up five months ago, but no one knows. One of their best friends, Sabrina, organizes their annual friend vacation, so Harriet and Wyn are playing pretend for the week.
I hate the miscommunication trope. Despise it. And this book is full of it. Miscommunication, or rather, lack of communication at all, led to their downfall and they're clearly still in love with each other and STILL holding back.
That being said... I somehow still really enjoyed this book? Wyn and Harriet's banter was hilarious and exquisite. All of the friends' adult problems felt real and relatable. The writing was lovely without being overly flowery or pretentious. And despite being a little too long, it's a quick read.
I originally gave it 4, but some things did bug me, so maybe it's more like a 3.5. Do with that what you will. 🤷🏻♀️
Book Lovers is still my favorite EH so far! (Have not read Beach Read or Funny Story yet.)
Happy Place is a second chance romance between Harriet and Wyn, who broke up five months ago, but no one knows. One of their best friends, Sabrina, organizes their annual friend vacation, so Harriet and Wyn are playing pretend for the week.
I hate the miscommunication trope. Despise it. And this book is full of it. Miscommunication, or rather, lack of communication at all, led to their downfall and they're clearly still in love with each other and STILL holding back.
That being said... I somehow still really enjoyed this book? Wyn and Harriet's banter was hilarious and exquisite. All of the friends' adult problems felt real and relatable. The writing was lovely without being overly flowery or pretentious. And despite being a little too long, it's a quick read.
I originally gave it 4, but some things did bug me, so maybe it's more like a 3.5. Do with that what you will. 🤷🏻♀️
Book Lovers is still my favorite EH so far! (Have not read Beach Read or Funny Story yet.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Mental illness, Grief, and Alcohol
Moderate: Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Vomit, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
kailiyahknight's review against another edition
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Moderate: Cursing, Drug use, and Mental illness
Minor: Chronic illness, Infidelity, Vomit, and Pregnancy
capsandclauses's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
“My best friends taught me a new kind of quiet, the peaceful stillness of knowing one another so well you don’t need to fill the space. And a new kind of loud: noise as a celebration, as the overflow of joy at being alive, here, now.”
Look, I haven't been touching Emily Henry books with a ten foot pole. I had a bad (probably COVID influenced) experience reading Book Lovers and haven't felt any desire to pick up a book since. But I saw the audiobook of this was available on Libby, and I thought I'd give it a go.
Happy Place is the story of Harriet Kilpatrick & Wyn Connor. They fell in love in college but for some reason unknown until the third act broke up months before. Now, their friend group trip is coming around and neither one wants to tell their friends about the split. The solution? Fake dating, of course.
This book was a lot more emotional than I thought it would be. It verges on the line between Romance and 'women's fiction.' It explores grief, loss and finding a sense of belonging as you establish yourself as an adult. Changing your mind. Harriet & Wyn are flawed characters for sure. They don't communicate. They make mistakes. But they find their way.
“Like even when something beautiful breaks, the making of it still matters.”
Look, I haven't been touching Emily Henry books with a ten foot pole. I had a bad (probably COVID influenced) experience reading Book Lovers and haven't felt any desire to pick up a book since. But I saw the audiobook of this was available on Libby, and I thought I'd give it a go.
Happy Place is the story of Harriet Kilpatrick & Wyn Connor. They fell in love in college but for some reason unknown until the third act broke up months before. Now, their friend group trip is coming around and neither one wants to tell their friends about the split. The solution? Fake dating, of course.
This book was a lot more emotional than I thought it would be. It verges on the line between Romance and 'women's fiction.' It explores grief, loss and finding a sense of belonging as you establish yourself as an adult. Changing your mind. Harriet & Wyn are flawed characters for sure. They don't communicate. They make mistakes. But they find their way.
“Like even when something beautiful breaks, the making of it still matters.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Grief
literarypenguin's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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
4.0
Happy Place was a very interesting book, I applauded Emily Henry's attempt at trying something different for one of her books. While it might not be one of my favorites of hers it was still a lovely inspiring read!
One of the parts I loved about Happy Place was its setting. The beach town of Maine and all its shores was truly a beautiful place to imagine being. I could completely understand why our characters loved being there and why the place was so special to all of them. A place can hold a lot of memories for a group of people, it was nice to see those memories come to action in certain chapters.
The characters there was some good and some bad in that. The bad thing for me personally was I felt like some characters were too similar and at time I couldn't really tell the differences between them. I wished we maybe got some more differences so we could tell them apart better. The main couple Wyn & Harriet were really nice and interesting to follow along in this story. It was a refreshing take to read about a couple who were already in a relationship and trying to navigate how to be friends after the breakup. How to move forward after all that they have been through. It showed how their relationship progressed into something truly lovely and heartwarming. The moment where things did seem to get rocky which lead to the breakup. Each of them individually were amazing characters and it was nice to see them grow as individuals especially Harriet. Her personal journey was great to read about, how she had to analyze herself and find what she really wanted instead of what other people want for her.
One of the other things that didnt really sit well with me was the ending, I thought the ending didnt really make much sense. It felt like Harriet had to do most of the compromising in the end instead of both her and Wyn making compromises for each other. I just felt like it could have been written a little bit better, which Emily Henry has such beautiful writing. It definitely shows in this book. That is one thing she excels at in all of her novels, her writing is spectacular and really has whole passages that are in my mind for months after I have read the book.
I was glad to be able to read this book as a part of Emily Henry's current published works. I really enjoyed this one even after its couple of flaws. Can not wait to see her next book!
One of the parts I loved about Happy Place was its setting. The beach town of Maine and all its shores was truly a beautiful place to imagine being. I could completely understand why our characters loved being there and why the place was so special to all of them. A place can hold a lot of memories for a group of people, it was nice to see those memories come to action in certain chapters.
The characters there was some good and some bad in that. The bad thing for me personally was I felt like some characters were too similar and at time I couldn't really tell the differences between them. I wished we maybe got some more differences so we could tell them apart better. The main couple Wyn & Harriet were really nice and interesting to follow along in this story. It was a refreshing take to read about a couple who were already in a relationship and trying to navigate how to be friends after the breakup. How to move forward after all that they have been through. It showed how their relationship progressed into something truly lovely and heartwarming. The moment where things did seem to get rocky which lead to the breakup. Each of them individually were amazing characters and it was nice to see them grow as individuals especially Harriet. Her personal journey was great to read about, how she had to analyze herself and find what she really wanted instead of what other people want for her.
One of the other things that didnt really sit well with me was the ending, I thought the ending didnt really make much sense. It felt like Harriet had to do most of the compromising in the end instead of both her and Wyn making compromises for each other. I just felt like it could have been written a little bit better, which Emily Henry has such beautiful writing. It definitely shows in this book. That is one thing she excels at in all of her novels, her writing is spectacular and really has whole passages that are in my mind for months after I have read the book.
I was glad to be able to read this book as a part of Emily Henry's current published works. I really enjoyed this one even after its couple of flaws. Can not wait to see her next book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Drug use and Mental illness
Minor: Pregnancy
kendal_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- 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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Moderate: Drug use
Minor: Pregnancy
justagirlwithbooks's review against another edition
3.75
“My best friends taught me a new kind of quiet, the peaceful stillness of knowing one another so well you don’t need to fill the space. And a new kind of loud: noise as a celebration, as the overflow of joy at being alive, here, now.”
I think this is my favorite Emily Henry book that I've read. Or, it's tied with Funny Story. It's about friendship and love, and second chances. And I really loved Wyn and Harriet. The way the friend group was felt realistic because it changes as people grow up. This also reminded me of PWMOV because of the past and present timeline.
However, there were some things that really irked me. I don't like miscommunication and I was just begging for them to just talk it out because they really did love each other, and they aren't happy in their current situations. But at the same time, I get how misunderstandings happen. Yet, they could have been easily cleared up.
Current Ranking:
- Happy Place
- Funny Story
- Beach Read
- People We Meet On Vacation
- Book Lovers
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Drug use and Mental illness
the_library_witch's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
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
4.25
I had heard more mixed reviews about Happy Place than any other book by the beloved Emily Henry. While it initially gave me pause around reading it I am pleased to report I found the story to be heartfelt, emotional and layered. The story does forgo some of the summery, flirty fun readers might expect (though this is still present). In it's place we get a deeper exploration of platonic relationships, in particular between Harriet and her long-time best friends, Cleo and Sabrina.
I still recommend this book for romance and Emily Henry lovers, but I think readers should be aware that there are other stories being told here as well. This book does delve into some darker themes, such as personal struggles and life transitions, balancing these with moments of hope and growth. Emily balances these elements expertly, adding a lot of depth to the story.
Personally, I really enjoyed the wider look at the dynamics of the friend group and how all kinds of relationships can shift and grow over time.
I still recommend this book for romance and Emily Henry lovers, but I think readers should be aware that there are other stories being told here as well. This book does delve into some darker themes, such as personal struggles and life transitions, balancing these with moments of hope and growth. Emily balances these elements expertly, adding a lot of depth to the story.
Personally, I really enjoyed the wider look at the dynamics of the friend group and how all kinds of relationships can shift and grow over time.
Content Warnings
Minor: Mental illness
aseel_reads's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This was very sweet, a very cute romance, so much tension, loved it!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Sexual content, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
Minor: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Pregnancy