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A review by aksmith92
Happy Place by Emily Henry
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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
4.0
Oh, a good ole' Emily Henry novel! Emily Henry is one of the few writers who writes romance/rom-com books I enjoy, even with the messy tropes I generally find too annoying. This book is about a group of friends/found family, but it's a lot about Harriet and Wyn, two people who meet and fall in love. We meet them eight-ish years after they meet/date when the group of friends is returning to their "Happy Place" in Maine for a vacation, which they do every year. Except this time, Harriet and Wyn are broken up, and we really only know that Wyn broke things off in a four-minute phone conversation. The book goes back and forth in different timelines, sharing the moment Harriet and Wyn meet and the present day when they are broken up. I thoroughly enjoyed this timeline perspective (which might be different from other reviews) because we saw them fall in love and then fall apart and gauge everything in between, including getting to know their family and friends. Honestly, a lot of this book was sad; it deals with grief, mental health, and growing up. It also shares the complicated process of changing with the people you love.
I must admit, sometimes, with Henry's novels, I struggle to rate them highly because of one of the main characters. Harriet was such a tough one for me in this novel. She was so determined to make everyone happy that she seemed one-dimensional. She rarely showed emotion, always tried to help those around her, and seemed lost. She was a tough character to read. She also was INCREDIBLY in her head. The story is told from her point of view, so there is so much she shares and thinks, but that is NEVER articulated to other people, leading to miscommunication with many of the characters. Her internal thoughts were a whole different game, and there was a WHOLE world inside her narration. Internal and external Harriet didn't seem to be the same person to me, and I honestly struggled with it, even if sometimes that mimics real life. With that said, I appreciated Harriet near the end of the book; I think the growth and introspection I sought came to the surface.
I did enjoy Wyn's character and getting to know him, his family, and his obstacles. He felt slightly more dimensional to me, even if we didn't get his perspective. He was flawed, and we learn way more about that, and he did make some questionable decisions. Although, in typical Henry style, I could've done without the eight billion mentions of his PALE EYES.
I also thoroughly enjoyed the side characters and felt like we saw their personalities shine - which is hard to do in romance novels where the "main event" is generally focused on a couple. Part of me wanted Henry to go even deeper with their characters or explore their experiences.
I enjoyed the plot way more than I expected. I was on the edge of my seat, wondering where it all went wrong with Harriet and Wyn and found myself teary-eyed in some of the sections that describe them struggling. Honestly, it felt incredibly realistic. In addition, Henry's writing just works for me. It is beautiful, poetic, and poignant. I don't find it overly cliché all the time, and there is usually just more than a romance.
The last thing I will mention is that while I was itching for less of a rushed ending, I did like it. I think Henry did a fantastic job wrapping up Harriet and Wyn while concluding their individual growth. Sure, I would have loved to see the group say goodbye to the Happy Place house a little more. Or, I wish I could have read a little more about the group of friends and their lives after that vacation, but I did think Harriet and Wyn's story was nicely polished. Thankfully, I was smiling at the end, well-needed after a novel of tough topics. Plus, Emily Henry also always throws some great and funny banter into these novels, which I love.
I must admit, sometimes, with Henry's novels, I struggle to rate them highly because of one of the main characters. Harriet was such a tough one for me in this novel. She was so determined to make everyone happy that she seemed one-dimensional. She rarely showed emotion, always tried to help those around her, and seemed lost. She was a tough character to read. She also was INCREDIBLY in her head. The story is told from her point of view, so there is so much she shares and thinks, but that is NEVER articulated to other people, leading to miscommunication with many of the characters. Her internal thoughts were a whole different game, and there was a WHOLE world inside her narration. Internal and external Harriet didn't seem to be the same person to me, and I honestly struggled with it, even if sometimes that mimics real life. With that said, I appreciated Harriet near the end of the book; I think the growth and introspection I sought came to the surface.
I did enjoy Wyn's character and getting to know him, his family, and his obstacles. He felt slightly more dimensional to me, even if we didn't get his perspective. He was flawed, and we learn way more about that, and he did make some questionable decisions. Although, in typical Henry style, I could've done without the eight billion mentions of his PALE EYES.
I also thoroughly enjoyed the side characters and felt like we saw their personalities shine - which is hard to do in romance novels where the "main event" is generally focused on a couple. Part of me wanted Henry to go even deeper with their characters or explore their experiences.
I enjoyed the plot way more than I expected. I was on the edge of my seat, wondering where it all went wrong with Harriet and Wyn and found myself teary-eyed in some of the sections that describe them struggling. Honestly, it felt incredibly realistic. In addition, Henry's writing just works for me. It is beautiful, poetic, and poignant. I don't find it overly cliché all the time, and there is usually just more than a romance.
The last thing I will mention is that while I was itching for less of a rushed ending, I did like it. I think Henry did a fantastic job wrapping up Harriet and Wyn while concluding their individual growth. Sure, I would have loved to see the group say goodbye to the Happy Place house a little more. Or, I wish I could have read a little more about the group of friends and their lives after that vacation, but I did think Harriet and Wyn's story was nicely polished. Thankfully, I was smiling at the end, well-needed after a novel of tough topics. Plus, Emily Henry also always throws some great and funny banter into these novels, which I love.