A review by littlecitycorner
Happy Place by Emily Henry

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad fast-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

I’m going to try to find the words to describe how much I love this book, though I’m not Emily Henry so my use of literary devices isn’t as incredibly earth-shattering. Before I do, however, I need to claim that after I finished the physical version in a puddle of snot and tears, I listened to the audiobook. Because I just couldn’t get enough. 

As soon as I read the first chapter and got introduced to the friendship between Harriet (the main character), Cleo, and Sabrina, I knew I would deeply connect to the intense nostalgia and longing for home portrayed in this book. Off the get-go, they three, along with Wyn (the love interest), Parth, and Kimmy are seen as real people with such unique and distinct personalities just getting to know them made my heart hurt in the best way. I understood the community they built and how they share a “happy place” so well that it felt like the story had been pulled out of my heart directly onto the page. I can’t pick a favorite element of this novel, but their kinship forged throughout the years and the comradery they share are definitely towards the top of that non-existent list.

Getting to know Harriet and Wyn was as wonderful as it was pure overwhelmedness because I saw so much of me in them, especially in Harriet’s deep-rooted insecurities, yearning to please and be loved by the people she loves, and desire always to be part of something and someone who sees her and loves her. Their romance flourished in the past memories and re-flourished in the present-day story with intense heightened tension and a love so solid I could paint a picture with it and see it reflected in my own relationship with the love of my life. They embody the real human experience of what it means to love so deeply that you miss your person even when they’re just on the other side of the wall.

As always, Emily’s use of prose, metaphors, dialogue, and descriptions took my breath away, sometimes leaving me too stunned to continue reading and definitely making me wish I could pour out words in the same way that she does. Her understanding of what it means to feel is reflected so well in the way she crafts her scenes, those taking place inside Harriet’s own head and the ones in which relationships and the plot are developed. I sobbed multiple times while grappling with the emotions she so beautifully describes, especially when she details grief, desolation, and joy.

No other romance novel will ever come close to any single one of Emily’s for me. And no other place will ever be my favorite as my own happy place is, which is wherever her work takes me, which is always a Taylor Swift song.