Happy Place: The must-read romance for 2024 from the Sunday Times bestselling...

Enjoyed this on holiday . Great read great writer and great story line to help you switch off from the world

My enjoyment of Emily Henry's novels is hardly a secret and so I was excited to receive the opportunity to read her new novel 'Happy Place', coming out April 2023. Get ready to fall for Harriet and Wyn, a couple who have been together since college, initially brought together by their shared tight knit friendship group. The narrative follows the group as they spend the week together at a holiday cottage in Maine, one last hurrah before the cottage they have loved for many years is sold. There is just one small problem with this plan - perfect couple Harriet and Wyn have actually been broken up for 6 months and neglected to tell their friends. Trust Emily Henry to take the fake dating trope to another level with the messy complex history these two share and the spiralling lies. The dual narrative of this novel, exposing the history of Harriet and Wyn alongside the present day, help us to develop an attachment to the central couple and their group of friends. Sabrina, Cleo and Harriet used to be inseparable but the miles between them and adult responsibilities mean that the 'happy place' of the annual trip to the cottage is incredibly valuable to the group. The reality of 'real life' is drawn in a relatable way and it is easy to see why Harriet and Wyn feel like maintaining the façade of happiness is the right thing to do, even if it seems like an absurd premise. The tension between preserving the past/tradition and moving forward to new experiences is well explored, as well as the extent to which someone should compromise within their relationship. There is plenty to relate to in this story which is replete with Henry's absorbing writing style and characters you want to root for. Overall, 'Beach Read' and 'Book Lovers' are still my reigning favourites of Henry's but this a worthy addition to your romance collection. Get ready to feel love, nostalgia and a keen desire to phone your best friend for a long overdue catch up. 4 stars.

I’ve read a few of this author’s novels now and whilst this was my least favourite, it’s still a nice read. The things I really enjoyed about the story was the strong bond between Harriet and her friends that has lasted long after their school days. It’s nice to have a friendship that can carry on with people taking different paths and not seeing as much of each other. Every time they come together though it’s like they have never been apart. I also loved the Happy Place. A gorgeous cottage that is a huge part of Harriet and her friends lives where they spent time together whilst growing up and somewhere they come every year to meet up and relieve their younger years. It felt very much like when you go on holiday and you fall in love with the weather, the people, the sights and sounds. You know it can’t last and that you have to go back to reality but that time away, it can do so much for your soul and the author captured that perfectly. I’m sure we all have a happy place where the weight of the world lifts off your shoulders when there. The story focuses on Wyn and Harriet’s relationship which has hit a stumbling block. We have alternating chapters with present day and in the past when the two get together and and their relationship is at that full intensity stage. In fact their whole relationship is quite an intense one. Maybe I am just an old cynic and I know that this is a romance novel but it was slightly over the top for me. Does all consuming love really exist? I felt at times it was overpowering. Don’t get me wrong, some parts are really sweet and I did like all the characters and whilst I love a good romance, I mean who doesn’t, this was just a bit too sickly for me. Happy Place overall is a nice read which will have you reminiscing about your first love as well as friendships you had back at school. I think depending on whether you look back at that time fondly or not will depend on how much you enjoy this novel. The setting is wonderful and I could easily see why it’s so special to the characters. Everyone needs a happy place in their lives. This was definitely a bitter sweet read for me as yes it’s cute but the romance aspect was just too much which is down to personal preference and I know many others have loved it.

Most authors either burn out after their first great novel or two, or start out tentatively and get better with experience. I began with Emily's last book (to date) 'Great Big Beautiful Life' which was excellent so I kinda assumed that her earlier books would be her finding her feet as a writer and wasn't expecting anything special as I started going back through her bibliography. 'Funny Story' was very good (rather than excellent) so it looked like she might match the pattern. I'm happy to report that I was wrong. 'Happy Place' is a masterpiece. Reviewers describe it as hilarious and, while I wouldn't go so far, it is crammed full of witty dialogue - even during the tenderest moments. The basic premise is not unusual, people making decisions based on the best possible motives, then deceiving the ones they love in the mistaken belief that that will protect them from those decisions. Rarely does that end well, but this is fiction and Emily handles the resolution with aplomb. It will be interesting to see if 'Book Lovers' is in the same, distinguished, class.

This review also features on Diary of an Ink Drinker This book was not what I expected. I picked it up expecting a romance novel. Instead, I ended up reading a story that felt so fractured and detached that by halfway it was almost relegated to my DNF list. It was at this point however that a revelation hit me: I wasn’t reading a romance, but rather a story about love. And that changed everything… Following a group of friends who met in college, the story unfolds through a series of flashbacks and memories during their vacation together. Central to the narrative are Harriet and Wyn, a couple central to the group, navigating the complexities of their breakup both from a personal perspective and the wider-reaching ripples of their friend group. Reading from a romantic point of view, I found myself disenchanted. The characters seemed frustrating and whiny, or controlling and shallow, their interactions feeling superficial and lacking depth. The breakup itself felt contrived, with both parties unsure of their motives. However, a pivotal realization struck me around this point; that I was not reading a romance novel at all, but rather a narrative on how childhood trauma echoes into adulthood. The book subtly touches on the micro-traumas of childhood, where parents fail to teach emotional intelligence, leaving scars that manifest as the characters' flaws. The needy behaviour stems from a lack of learned communication of needs, while the controlling friend's demeanour reflects a life lacking in control and defined only by external validations. The aloof friend, raised in a loving environment, withdraws to avoid causing distress to others. As the narrative unfolds, each character confronts their shortcomings, striving to find the happiness they crave. Once I grasped this deeper layer, my appreciation for the book grew. However, I found the revelations somewhat delayed, wishing for more exploration of the characters' newfound openness. Additionally, a certain choice made towards the end felt out of character, slightly jarring the flow of the story. Despite this, the underlying message of prioritizing personal happiness resonates, adding a comforting note to the tale. Happy Place is a love story in the truest sense of the word. Most romances explore just the love between romantic partners which was my expectation from this book. However, that fragment is just a tiny shard paling in comparison to the main forms of love that are at the core of this book; the love between friends, the love between parents and their children and self-love and how all these different forms of love shape lives. "Happy Place" is not a light, fluffy romance; rather, it invites readers to engage their minds beyond the surface. If you seek a read that prompts introspection and explores the complexities of love and its effects, this book may be a fitting choice. However, for those looking for an easy-to-digest romance, it may not meet expectations.

Bought this for my wife after she loved Emily Henry's other books and she absolutely flew through it. She said the chemistry between the two main characters was brilliant and that the whole fake relationship setup had her gripped from the start. The Maine cottage setting sounded gorgeous and she kept reading bits out to me which is always a good sign. She finished it in about three days which for someone who only really reads before bed says a lot. The writing style is warm and funny without being too cheesy, and apparently the emotional parts hit hard too. She's already passed it on to her friend at work. If you enjoy a good romance with proper characters and clever dialogue, this one seems to be a winner. It's now sitting on the shelf next to Beach Read and Book Lovers.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a typical rom com but with the added bonus of friendships and how they change as we get older.

Definitely a perfect summer read. The FMC was very relatable and I found myself laughing out load at some parts of the book but then willing her and hoping that she would get back with her ex!! Not my usual genre but it was a nice easy read. Did she get back with her ex?? Well you will have to read the book to find out! Would definitely recommend!!

Good book

This book was simultaneously gut-wrenching and heart warming. I adored reading a love story about two people who had loved each other so wholly for such a long time. I did NOT adore the pain and anguish of feeling Harriet wonder how she'd lost it. Add to that beautiful, complex friendships, the constant banter and the very relatable theme of not knowing who the f*** you actually are... Wow. This book really scratched an itch in my brain that I didn't even know was there.

Toll geschrieben, gutes Englisch

✨ In every universe, it’s you for me. Even if it’s not me for you. ✨ Somehow, Emily Henry has the ability to absolutely and completely destroy me in the best possible way. Happy Place is everything. I cried. I sobbed. I love Harriet and Wyn so much. My heart broke and my heart healed. I put this off for the longest time because I knew it was second chance as they’d broken up (and apparently I have an aversion to that). But Happy Place was everything and more, and my heart couldn’t take it. To say I adore Emily Henry’s writing would not even begin to capture just how much her stories and characters mean to me. There is so much depth to Harriet and Wyn. They are characters who are so flawed but it’s so them, and they are fuelled by who they are and their insecurities, which is something I love most about Emily’s characters—they’re real, they’re relatable, they’re authentic. I love real characters, who have their flaws, their hangups, and these elements are the foundation of who these characters are, what motivates them, drives them, fuels them. And while I get that some people might not like their characters having flaws, but no one is perfect, we are all unique and have our own histories and personalities that come out as we live, and this is the beautiful case for Harriet and Wyn. But one thing is clear, and that is how impossible it is for Harriet and Wyn not to be together. Again, Emily’s writing captivates you, transporting you into her world where you live amongst her characters and in their lives. I think that’s the power of Emily’s writing, it’s so beautiful, so stunning, you can’t help but be a part of the narrative, and it’s safe to say that this is a story I’ll never forget. A gorgeous second chance romance that will stay on my mind forever. But Happy Place is a story of love and loss and friendships and massive life events. I connected so deeply to Happy Place and Harriet and that’s so special to me.

Ok