A review by xelasrecords
Happy Place by Emily Henry

emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-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

He’s become my best friend the way the others did: bit by bit, sand passing through an hourglass so slowly, it’s impossible to pin down the moment it happens. When suddenly more of my heart belongs to him than doesn’t, and I know I’ll never get a single grain back.

He’s a golden boy. I’m a girl whose life has been drawn in shades of gray. I try not to love him.

I really try.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Reading Emily Henry's books is always an emotional and highly personal experience and this was no different. While I'm still more Nora from Book Lovers than Harriet here, some aspects of her life, like her people pleasing and holding onto a career that she hates because that's what she believes she should do, struck a chord in me. It's like I was reading the past me's experiences, the book validating my hard choices back then. I cried 8 times (I'm a crying tally keeper).

Wyn is so nice and sincere, not just with Harriet but everybody else as well. I appreciate that there's no jealousy among the large cast ensemble and their flaws aren't annoying. I sympathised with most of them and could find bits of myself in Cleo's strict boundaries and Wyn's plummeting mental health. Also, Sabrina, Cleo, and Harriet's friendship reminded me of the film Someone Great! I love reading about trio best friends.

Unlike Emily's other novels, there's a film of melancholia blanketing this since the broken-up couple has to pretend to be together for their one last trip with their best friends. But when the scene is flirty, Emily strikes with her signature banter. I was endlessly in awe of how she transformed mundane interactions into something so charged with chemistry. And props to the safe sex endorsement!

I think her books always make such an impression on me because they're filled with little meaningful life lessons. They're not preachy, rather they're something you can only write because you've experienced them. This is a wonderfully done second chance romance. Sad, heartwarming, realistic and bittersweet. There's so much love within everyone.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings