A review by rosseshelf
Happy Place by Emily Henry

emotional hopeful 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? Yes

5.0

❝ I imagined them all thinking it was worth it. Telling me how much they loved me. All my life, when I thought of my future, that was what I pictured. Not a career. The things I thought would come with it. Happiness, love, safety. And that dream had been enough for a long time. What was school if not a chance to earn your worth? To prove, again and again, that you were measurably good. One more deal I struck with a disinterested universe: If I’m good enough, I’ll be happy. I’ll be loved. I’ll be safe. ❞

I always fall for Emily Henry’s books, like— always. And this one? I can’t believe that Emily Henry wrote Happy Place with her genius mind and she expected me to continue with my life as a normal human being. I cannot. I can safely say that Happy Place ( and Book Lovers ) hit too close to home for me, so it was really hard for me to continue reading this book ( I even finished it in two weeks ) even tho this book is sooooooo good. Congratulations on shattering my heart into a million infinitesimal chunks and glued back together again, because I feel so comforted by the entire story.

One thing of my favourite things about Emily Henry’s writing is she knows how to put in words that love heals without going too far in a very wonderful and thoughtful way. To observe how her characters deal with and get through their most severe traumas. Emily Henry made me believe that love is the most powerful healer, but you must be able and willing to change. Love is a healer, but no one person can make you whole. It doesn’t resolve any of the problems you are attempting to avoid. If anything, it makes it more difficult to flee because the things you are fleeing from are frequently the causes of your inability to fully commit to the person you want.

Although, I always despise the miscommunication in her books, but on the other flank, I always feel that it’s common in rom-com books or movies for characters to misscommunicate out of fear and misunderstanding. They hold secrets from both themselves and others, that’s totally normal. And it made her writing incredibly realistic because they are to these characters, the stakes feel particularly high. The battle they are currently in isn’t just about whether will they or won’t they of it all, but rather what hard truths people are ready to confront and overcome in order to be together. In this book, every setback feels so important and real. I’ll be forever Emily Henry’s fan.

I relate to Harriet at every level and my narcissistic self keeps convincing me that Emily Henry has written her books just for me. I love how far you’d go to make yourself whole for love that allowed you to feel secure enough to think that healing would be an option at some point. Through this book, I learned that in relationships, we aren’t supposed to try to fix each other but instead let the other one heal and love them through that process.