A review by sahanasri
Happy Place by Emily Henry

emotional funny lighthearted fast-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

3.5

I fear I enjoyed this book greatly… against my will/expectations… The dialogue between the two leads was just so fun and natural and actually funny! I also really enjoyed the use and subversion of tropes. It starts very enemies to lovers and then leans into fake dating (which i normally dislike/have to suspend a lot of belief for but actually worked decently here) heavily supported by a “second chance” type of trope. This, like any romance book, relies on a lot of miscommunication to move the plot forward but the characters feel more grounded because of discussion of their struggles with mental health and how their families have shaped them. I would normally complain about how having a rich friend just to allow the characters to do implausible things with their money is annoying and out of touch (it is!) but the rich friend character actually has time spent on her development and flaws which helped. I really liked the structure of cutting back and forth between past and present for the relationship specifically, and overall how much their chemistry and existing dynamic informed the plot of the book!