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imaginarylizzy's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Cried so much. Related so closely with Harriet, down to the family dynamics. This is my favorite from Emily Henry.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness and Toxic relationship
Minor: Death of parent
jefferz's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I'm stuck trying to figure out if I'm getting fatigue from reading three Emily Henry novels in just over a month or if it's the novel's character drama that wasn't for me, but this one didn't grab my interest and continued to stumble the further it progressed. Focusing a core trio of gal pals consisting of Harriet, Cleo and Sabrina with their plus one's added over the years, Happy Place takes the fake dating trope and meshes it with a second chance at love at a small town, summer vacation retreat.
I suspect it has to do with the plot and concept of the novel, but I found myself inherently less invested in this tight-nit friend group compared to Emily Henry's other novels that I read which are Book Lovers and Beach Read. Maybe it's the lack of literary book elements that I loved or the girl-group friends for life theme that doesn't appeal to me, but I felt like I was quite far from the target demographics of this book. Fake dating is a common and tired trope but Henry is well aware of this and fully commits to putting Harriet and her ex-fiance Wyn through the ringer which are often hilarious. I also appreciate the focal theme of finding what makes yourself truly happy vs others expectations or impressions of it. Harriet's use of "think of your happy place" early-on can feel a bit on the nose at first, but one's "happy place" is eventually discovered at the book's
(rather rushed) conclusion and draws nice connections to a lot of her issues in life.
One of the great things about Emily Henry's novels is her ability to effortlessly weave hard-hitting personal issues and insecurities into an otherwise sarcastic and often hilarious romance novel.
Unfortunately I had a lot of problems reading through the more serious character-focused drama elements in Happy Place. A great deal of the existing and ongoing conflict in the story (both in the flashback pre-breakup memories and in the present week-long vacation stay) is attributed to simple miscommunication which is one of my least favorite plot element. Nearly every single source of unhappiness for all six friends can be traced back to dishonesty or miscommunication which is tiring to read through.
Ordinarily this wouldn't be deal-breaker if not for several of the characters having such weak reasons or motivations behind their actions. Harriet probably receives the best treatment with a lot of her insecurities and character flaws being traced back to her less than ideal upbringing (her uncomfortable family dynamics was one of the highlights for me that felt sadly underused). However some other characters such as Cleo's reasons for detaching herself from her friends I found to be ridiculous in itself and how it was thrown out in a mere two pages or so. Sabrina's conflict also climaxes a mere 30 pages before the ending which affords so little time for development. However Wyn is perhaps one of the most troubling as he also serves as the main (ex)-romantic interest. I found the explanation for his self-esteem issues to be quite lacking Spoiler and one of the main personal fixes for his problems being new anti-depressants feels not only lazy but also mildly insulting at how it appears to be a miracle quick-fix for all of one's issues. Depression is different for everyone and from what I've experienced from watching others who have used anti-depressants, its quick and effective solution with none of the usual drawbacks or challenges is baffling. Emily Henry normally has so much attention to detail and research in her previous works, Wyn's character arc and motivation felt mishandled.
The other big issue I had with Happy Place lies in the core premise of the fake dating set-up. Harriet and Wyn had dated for 10 years, then broke up 5 months prior to events of the summer reunion vacation. The novel alternates between the summer reunion and from the past starting when Harriet met Wyn through their eventual breakup. Their meeting, flirting and romance is to be expected for this book's genre, but to me it came off as inconsequential and quite dry compared to actual summer reunion. I'm inclined to believe this is due to how Harriet and Wyn's relationship is portrayed as a love at first sight and a "everything about this person and relationship is perfect". The rose-tinted chapters feel excessive and a waste of valuable word count for a 380 page book especially when I reached the actual breakup. Countless chapters cover their meeting and the growth of their relationship as they age but then a sudden tragedy, downward spiral and breakup is given a singular chapter treatment. For a book that has its entire plot hinging on their breakup, Harriet's animosity towards Wyn during the reunion and her eventual conflicted feelings for him, this was just not enough to satisfy me. The conflict and friction between friends is also hinted on and slowly grows over the duration of the story, but it's a bad sign when the climax of the conflict hits with only 50 pages left in the book. The resolutions across the board felt rushed and thrown together which is disappointing compared to how well paced and planned I thought Emily Henry's other novels were.
There are a lot of positive elements though. Emily Henry always has witty banter and quality writing (despite how silly the conflict can be, it's always a treat to read), Happy Place was at it's best for me in its comedic moments and goofy dialogue. I also found Harriet to be a distinctive and interesting lead (a lot of these romance novel protagonists are all starting to blend together for me) and there's great chemistry between her and Wyn. I just found the characters motivations and the plot's progression to be lacking which becomes a bigger problem the more I read and despite Harriet having a decisive and satisfying character growth, just about every other character and issue felt disappointing. And unfortunately a book that's technically competent but disappointing ending somehow leaves a worse impression than an a lesser but average book.
I suspect it has to do with the plot and concept of the novel, but I found myself inherently less invested in this tight-nit friend group compared to Emily Henry's other novels that I read which are Book Lovers and Beach Read. Maybe it's the lack of literary book elements that I loved or the girl-group friends for life theme that doesn't appeal to me, but I felt like I was quite far from the target demographics of this book. Fake dating is a common and tired trope but Henry is well aware of this and fully commits to putting Harriet and her ex-fiance Wyn through the ringer which are often hilarious. I also appreciate the focal theme of finding what makes yourself truly happy vs others expectations or impressions of it. Harriet's use of "think of your happy place" early-on can feel a bit on the nose at first, but one's "happy place" is eventually discovered at the book's
(rather rushed) conclusion and draws nice connections to a lot of her issues in life.
One of the great things about Emily Henry's novels is her ability to effortlessly weave hard-hitting personal issues and insecurities into an otherwise sarcastic and often hilarious romance novel.
Unfortunately I had a lot of problems reading through the more serious character-focused drama elements in Happy Place. A great deal of the existing and ongoing conflict in the story (both in the flashback pre-breakup memories and in the present week-long vacation stay) is attributed to simple miscommunication which is one of my least favorite plot element. Nearly every single source of unhappiness for all six friends can be traced back to dishonesty or miscommunication which is tiring to read through.
Ordinarily this wouldn't be deal-breaker if not for several of the characters having such weak reasons or motivations behind their actions. Harriet probably receives the best treatment with a lot of her insecurities and character flaws being traced back to her less than ideal upbringing (her uncomfortable family dynamics was one of the highlights for me that felt sadly underused). However some other characters such as Cleo's reasons for detaching herself from her friends I found to be ridiculous in itself and how it was thrown out in a mere two pages or so. Sabrina's conflict also climaxes a mere 30 pages before the ending which affords so little time for development. However Wyn is perhaps one of the most troubling as he also serves as the main (ex)-romantic interest. I found the explanation for his self-esteem issues to be quite lacking Spoiler and one of the main personal fixes for his problems being new anti-depressants feels not only lazy but also mildly insulting at how it appears to be a miracle quick-fix for all of one's issues. Depression is different for everyone and from what I've experienced from watching others who have used anti-depressants, its quick and effective solution with none of the usual drawbacks or challenges is baffling. Emily Henry normally has so much attention to detail and research in her previous works, Wyn's character arc and motivation felt mishandled.
The other big issue I had with Happy Place lies in the core premise of the fake dating set-up. Harriet and Wyn had dated for 10 years, then broke up 5 months prior to events of the summer reunion vacation. The novel alternates between the summer reunion and from the past starting when Harriet met Wyn through their eventual breakup. Their meeting, flirting and romance is to be expected for this book's genre, but to me it came off as inconsequential and quite dry compared to actual summer reunion. I'm inclined to believe this is due to how Harriet and Wyn's relationship is portrayed as a love at first sight and a "everything about this person and relationship is perfect". The rose-tinted chapters feel excessive and a waste of valuable word count for a 380 page book especially when I reached the actual breakup. Countless chapters cover their meeting and the growth of their relationship as they age but then a sudden tragedy, downward spiral and breakup is given a singular chapter treatment. For a book that has its entire plot hinging on their breakup, Harriet's animosity towards Wyn during the reunion and her eventual conflicted feelings for him, this was just not enough to satisfy me. The conflict and friction between friends is also hinted on and slowly grows over the duration of the story, but it's a bad sign when the climax of the conflict hits with only 50 pages left in the book. The resolutions across the board felt rushed and thrown together which is disappointing compared to how well paced and planned I thought Emily Henry's other novels were.
There are a lot of positive elements though. Emily Henry always has witty banter and quality writing (despite how silly the conflict can be, it's always a treat to read), Happy Place was at it's best for me in its comedic moments and goofy dialogue. I also found Harriet to be a distinctive and interesting lead (a lot of these romance novel protagonists are all starting to blend together for me) and there's great chemistry between her and Wyn. I just found the characters motivations and the plot's progression to be lacking which becomes a bigger problem the more I read and despite Harriet having a decisive and satisfying character growth, just about every other character and issue felt disappointing. And unfortunately a book that's technically competent but disappointing ending somehow leaves a worse impression than an a lesser but average book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing and Sexual content
Moderate: Mental illness, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
edietz22's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Chronic illness, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Minor: Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Medical content, Pregnancy, and Toxic friendship
greatexpectations77's review
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Julia Whelan just does such a great job narrating, and I think this book may have bored me a bit more without her talents. I do love a slow burn romance, but this one maybe was too slow? I got a little bored in the middle, and I felt like the the "conflict" in the relationship was just as deep as one in a Hallmark movie - just lack of communication. Like, I wasn't rooting for them lol and also! Was I supposed to catch that she hated being a doctor??? That seemed out of nowhere to me! Would probs try Ms. Henry again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship and Grief
Moderate: Sexual content, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Minor: Bullying, Mental illness, Medical content, and Classism
ariana3's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-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
4.5
I've been debating reading this for so long and just kept putting it off, thinking it would be some cheesy, predictably annoying beach read. It is somewhat predictable and it is a beach read, but it was so much better than I expected!!! It's a will-they-won't-they story for sure, but there was so much emotion behind the book. It was so much deeper than I anticipated, exploring relationships with friends, family, friends that truly are family, and romantic ones also. The big underlying feature that felt specifically relevant for me was the relationship of one's self and their identity and happiness being intertwined with their job. Woof that was all too relevant and a doozy to see reflected back to you on paper 😮💨
Plot summary:A group of 3 friends (Harriet, Sabrina, and Cleo) all meet each other while living together in a dorm in college and instantly become family. They become inseparable and eventually add 2 guys to their group, Wyn and Parth. They take yearly vacations to Sabrina's ridiculously huge and nice family "cottage" in Maine and it becomes Harriet's "happy place." Harriet and Wyn begin dating and it's an instant connection. They fall in love and he eventually moves out with her to San Francisco where she's completing a grueling residency for neurosurgery. The grow apart, fight (or lack thereof), and just arent communicating effectively, so Wyn abruptly ends it, leaving Harriet in the dark and with no closure. 5 months later, Sabrina invites them for one last trip to the cottage before her dad sells it. Harriet doesn't know Wyn is there until she shows up...they haven't told anyone that they've ended their engagement and are no longer together (turns out Sabrina knew the entire time but she didn't tell them and concocted an entire plan to get them back together). So they fake being together, there's chemistry, confusion, they talk it out, etc. Already long story short, the friends fight then come back together because they know they're family. Wyn and Harriet don't get back together because Harriet needs to figure out what she truly wants and to not just do what other people tell her she should do. At the airport on her way back to SF, she realizes she hates her job and she was only doing it to please her parents. In the process, she's pushed away everyone she loves, including the love of her life. So she decides to run out of the airport to leave, only to see Wyn running into the airport 🥹 she says that she wants to be with him where she's happy, she withdraws from her residency and moves to Montana with him and his mom, and she works at a pottery studio doing what she loves!
Plot summary:
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Sexual content, and Grief
Moderate: Cursing, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
Minor: Pregnancy
nitar8's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
johall7's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Toxic relationship, and Death of parent
Moderate: Cancer, Terminal illness, and Alcohol
Minor: Drug use and Suicidal thoughts
brandie_abbie19'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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship and Abandonment
Moderate: Pregnancy
Minor: Addiction and Murder
trips's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
As per my 3 year Christmas tradition, I read the Emily Henry book that was published that year.
This year was Happy Place...and I kinda wish I went back and read Beach Read instead...
Ok look, I actually think what Henry was trying to achieve in this book was very ambitious. In my opinion, too ambitious. There are a lot of interconnecting relationships and not all of them pay off.
Parth in particular comes off as just like...existing...he hardly has a character other than being exasperated or excited. Sabrina as well seems to be parsed down to the trope she seems to be embodying. Cleo and Kimmy are fine, we love mostly unproblematic lesbians.
The relationship between Harriet and Wyn is sweet at times, especially the scenes in the past. In the present, I found myself being angry with both of them the entire time because holy shit, just have 1 single conversation about how things actually are between you two and you would've been fine??
I had a hard time with Harriet because she is just so unaware of herself to the point of unbelievability for her age and experience in life and Wyn is just sad puppy hours through the whole book. He kinda made me feel like he wasn't worth it as he didn't want to fight for their relationship in the first place (neither did Harriet at times but at least she came around to it).
I guess I wanted more out of them finally talking their feelings out?
I dunno, I'll still keep up with my Christmas tradition, this one was sadly just not as fun as the other 2 I've read from Henry.
This year was Happy Place...and I kinda wish I went back and read Beach Read instead...
Ok look, I actually think what Henry was trying to achieve in this book was very ambitious. In my opinion, too ambitious. There are a lot of interconnecting relationships and not all of them pay off.
Parth in particular comes off as just like...existing...he hardly has a character other than being exasperated or excited. Sabrina as well seems to be parsed down to the trope she seems to be embodying. Cleo and Kimmy are fine, we love mostly unproblematic lesbians.
The relationship between Harriet and Wyn is sweet at times, especially the scenes in the past. In the present, I found myself being angry with both of them the entire time because holy shit, just have 1 single conversation about how things actually are between you two and you would've been fine??
I had a hard time with Harriet because she is just so unaware of herself to the point of unbelievability for her age and experience in life and Wyn is just sad puppy hours through the whole book. He kinda made me feel like he wasn't worth it as he didn't want to fight for their relationship in the first place (neither did Harriet at times but at least she came around to it).
I guess I wanted more out of them finally talking their feelings out?
I dunno, I'll still keep up with my Christmas tradition, this one was sadly just not as fun as the other 2 I've read from Henry.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Toxic friendship and Alcohol
Minor: Pregnancy
neliadiedenise's review against another edition
emotional
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
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Grief, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting