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A review by jesikasbookshelf
Happy Place by Emily Henry
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
If you're looking for a book that sits about halfway between contemporary fiction and a romance novel, this one is probably for you - I'd say this sits somewhere bang in the middle of a Salley Rooney and a Christina Lauren book for some idea of what I mean.
Harriet and Wyn were together for a long time, they were engaged for 4 years, but their loves have changed. Harry is working to the bone in her medical residency in San Fransisco and Wyn, who has always felt a bit less than a his friends, is in Montana, slowly taking over his father's old woodshed and caring for his mum. The distance pulls everything that they aren't dealing with to the surface.
Neither of them have dealt with the resulting break up well, and they're now kind of...accidentally on a couples trip with their friends. Cue angst and confusion and existential crises.
What I loved about this book is the focus on friendships - the found family here is great. These people are flawed and struggling and at the start of the book very much pretending everything is the same as it's ever been. By the end, they are opening up, being more honest with each other and embracing the messier parts of themselves and each other.
I just....struggled with Harry and Wyn. This is very much a personal opinion, I know from other reviews I'm in the minority, but I wasn't rooting for them. I don't think they belonged together, they never seemed to choose each other or communicate with each other. I genuinely wanted the ending to be them realising they weren't right for each other any more. I struggle with second chance and poor communication tropes though, so maybe it's just me!
Harriet and Wyn were together for a long time, they were engaged for 4 years, but their loves have changed. Harry is working to the bone in her medical residency in San Fransisco and Wyn, who has always felt a bit less than a his friends, is in Montana, slowly taking over his father's old woodshed and caring for his mum. The distance pulls everything that they aren't dealing with to the surface.
Neither of them have dealt with the resulting break up well, and they're now kind of...accidentally on a couples trip with their friends. Cue angst and confusion and existential crises.
What I loved about this book is the focus on friendships - the found family here is great. These people are flawed and struggling and at the start of the book very much pretending everything is the same as it's ever been. By the end, they are opening up, being more honest with each other and embracing the messier parts of themselves and each other.
I just....struggled with Harry and Wyn. This is very much a personal opinion, I know from other reviews I'm in the minority, but I wasn't rooting for them. I don't think they belonged together, they never seemed to choose each other or communicate with each other. I genuinely wanted the ending to be them realising they weren't right for each other any more. I struggle with second chance and poor communication tropes though, so maybe it's just me!