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A review by smsienk
Happy Place by Emily Henry
5.0
Oh my god, I love this book so much. Pretty sure this is my new favorite Emily Henry book AND my favorite book of 2023 so far.
Henry consistently writes such appealing characters with depth and nuance. Who could not fall in love with this entire friend group?! The individuals themselves are so good, but the dynamic overall is the best part.
And Harriet and Wyn. I love them. I love them so much. I feel like Henry took that awful, fraught but somehow sexually energizing tension from That Dream where you and your partner are broken up but you only realize it partway through and wrote a book based off that feeling. She holds the tension so masterfully - the mine-but-not-mine duality was *chef's kiss*. Loved every single thing about this.
Extra points for setting it in Maine and using veiled places I live near and love without making them feel cliche. Extra extra points for engaging in the conversation about finding meaning in life in various ways and how *that* is what it really means to have freedom to choose - not that we all choose the same things, but that we have *options*. As a PhD dropout, I felt so seen here.
Love you, Emily Henry. I have no constructive criticism except that you mixed up your airports in the end and it was supposed to be an hour away (I know this because in my head its the airport up the road from my house). Thank you for putting wonderful, glowy things out into the world.
Henry consistently writes such appealing characters with depth and nuance. Who could not fall in love with this entire friend group?! The individuals themselves are so good, but the dynamic overall is the best part.
And Harriet and Wyn. I love them. I love them so much. I feel like Henry took that awful, fraught but somehow sexually energizing tension from That Dream where you and your partner are broken up but you only realize it partway through and wrote a book based off that feeling. She holds the tension so masterfully - the mine-but-not-mine duality was *chef's kiss*. Loved every single thing about this.
Extra points for setting it in Maine and using veiled places I live near and love without making them feel cliche. Extra extra points for engaging in the conversation about finding meaning in life in various ways and how *that* is what it really means to have freedom to choose - not that we all choose the same things, but that we have *options*. As a PhD dropout, I felt so seen here.
Love you, Emily Henry. I have no constructive criticism except that you mixed up your airports in the end and it was supposed to be an hour away (I know this because in my head its the airport up the road from my house). Thank you for putting wonderful, glowy things out into the world.