A review by siobhanward
Happy Place by Emily Henry

lighthearted 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

3.5

 This is my first of Emily Henry's books, and I'm not sure if this book wasn't for me, or if this style isn't for me, but I'm leaning towards the latter. I'm just not a fluff person, I don't think. It felt like almost nothing happened in this book - there was no build up, and less of a plot so much as a series of small events that just kind of happened.

I liked the idea of the book - although I do struggle to believe that groups of friends exist like this. Friendships just kind of naturally ebb and flow and although it can be hard when they start to fizzle out, this one just didn't feel real. I think it might be because there was so much focus on Harriet and Wyn that the rest of the characters just felt underdeveloped.

Harriet and Wyn frustrated me, though - they just didn't seem plausible, and even when they came back together, it didn't feel real. I don't know, this just felt like a book of things that we wish would happen, and not things that actually happen, although I think that is a fault of the genre and not of Henry's writing. I genuinely think this just isn't the genre for me, and while I didn't love the book as a whole, there were some beautiful pieces of writing from Henry, especially her descriptions. 
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