Happy Place is so different to Emily's previous works. I went into it expecting more of a rom com, and was met with a tale that is actually quite melancholy but heartbreakingly beautiful nonetheless.

This was raw and painful and such an emotional rollercoaster. The romance was so real to read about. You could feel the longing and the all consuming need that was burning - it was fantastic.

Another fabulous Emily Henry work!

Every time I read an Emy Henry book, I'm convinced they can't get any better. And then she publishes another.

I've sent the last day laughing, crying then laughing again at this incredible, poignant and utterly relatable novel. It really is her best yet!

Its a love letter to friendship. So beautifully written, Emily Henry plays with the romance tropes we all love and yet refreshes them and ensures they feel new and exciting.

Utterly fantastic. Read it, love it and give a copy to everyone you know... I know I will be!

I LOVE IT. I LOVE IT.

Fake dating second chance dumb dumbs?! PLEASE!

Absolutely loved this - the multiple timelines were really well done by using the headings of "real life" for present day and "happy place/dark place" for the history of our main characters.

Harriet and Wyn broke up six months ago after dating for 9(ish) years. They haven't told their group of college friends who make a point of visiting a family cottage in Maine every summer....it's that time of year again, and because of circumstances they can't tell anyone that they have split up and need to pretend to be the happy-touchy couple their friends know and love.

A brilliant title of growth in friendship/relationships, toxic expectations, found family, love, growing up.....

This and Book Lovers will be vying for top spot of my Henry books.

Just great - and it is releasing on my birthday!

I definitely did a happy dance when I got this approval! As a long time lover of Emily Henry and her ability to weave such gorgeous romance reads, Happy Place definitely did not disappoint. What struck me initially about this book was how real the characters felt; right from the first page, Harriet's web of friendships feel so authentic that you could turn up on the annual summer vacation and feel like you know them too. The varied timelines - showing the catalyst of events that brought Wyn and Harriet together, the downfall of their relationship, and the present day summer vacation that brings them together again - blended seamlessly into one another. I devoured this book, and am already craving another!

And the award for my all-time-favorite romance novel goes to the absolute MASTERPIECE that is Happy Place! I would give it a million stars if I could!!!

I cannot thank Emily Henry, NetGalley, and the publisher enough for giving me an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review! This book is one of my most anticipated releases of the year, so to be able to review it on Valentine’s Day of all days, is incredible!

Happy Place made me laugh, made my heart swell about 10 sizes, and made me cry more times than I can count on both my hands. In short, it was nothing short of PERFECT!!

I loved everything from the simultaneously sugary sweet and scaldingly hot chemistry between Harriet and Wyn, to the incredible exploration of mental health struggles and family relationships. I loved the dual timeline and following their relationship across a decade, but more than anything I loved the element of found family!

While this is a romance novel, and it leans into many of the classic romance tropes (it’s somehow got both friends-to-lovers, second-chance romance, and fake dating!), it’s also so much more than that!!! The incredible friendships portrayed never takes a back seat to the romance, and I cannot express how deeply I feel about all six of these characters! They all hold such dear places in my heart!

What surprised me most bout this novel, was how real it felt. It felt like getting advice from an older sister, about the things I didn’t know I needed at this point in my life: About not knowing where life will take you, fearing how your friendships might change, and trying to understand the ways in which our parents do and don’t shape us.

It’s a book about loss. And finding ourselves. And growing together. And while it touches on so many topics, it handles all of them with care and so so so much love!!!

I will think about this book for days and months and years to come, and I know I’ll turn to it when life gets tough, or when I just need a good cry and a lot of laughs!!

Steamy and very enjoyable read!

Just a warning, Emily Henry may give you impossibly high relationship expectations.

This book is about relationships and I love that, it’s so relatable and you can always see parts of you in what happens.

No book with such a cheerful cover has the right to be so angsty and sad!
I like the friendship part of the storyline. But this second chance romance with miscommunication trope wasn't it. When everything could be resolved with a simple conversation, I kind of got tired of the same old storyline. What was intriguing at the beginning soon became exhausting. Add the layer of all the secrets everyone is keeping. I was so annoyed by the end that even the resolution didn't bring me any joy. So that brings me to my conclusion. This is not a romance book. Because romance books make me happy. Or at the very least this is not a romance book for me. There you go. In the end, I would recommend this book to fans of the author and to those of you looking for a depressing, and angsty read.

Maybe my expectations were too high.

Another Emily Henry classic. This one had a sense of maturity to it that I really liked - a complexity that wasn’t just about the romance. It felt more substantial than her previous books, but no less lacking for heart and passion. Wish I could scrub it from my memory so that I could read it again fresh. 💗

Wow! I wasn't sure if this book was going to be my favourite but after reading I can easily admit that this book is fabulous! Harriett and Wyn are my favourite characters from any Emily Henry book and their story hit me so hard

This book will take you through every emotion possible from grief, joy, heartbreak and love.

To put it bluntly this book is pure perfection!

I teach senior secondary, and there are some of my students will adore this book. I will be recommending it to them for personal/free reading.
Happy Place a real and healthy depiction of love and romance in modern-day society where we have to balance, work, love, friends, family, mental health and general happiness.
While I can't embed it into the curriculum because of the sex scenes, it is definitely one I will be recommending to those I know who enjoy romance. I adore each of Emily Henry's previous novels but this has a special place in my heart because it came at just the right time. Henry creates a connection and dynamic between characters that is all too real and it makes it tough to put down. I usually dislike the second chance romance trope but Henry had made me rethink that as she handles the different facets that are experienced by having to deal with your ex in close proximity without making it too awkward or painful. Her characters are fully fleshed out. What I loved was that Harriet (like most of Henry's heroines) has her friends as the first and most important loves of her life. Refreshing for this genre. Each character has their own story and I was sad when the book finished because it was like I was saying bye to my friends.
Will definitely be purchasing a physical copy and will definitely re-read over the years.
Thanks so much for the opportunity to read and review this.

Happy Place was my most anticipated book of the year and it did not disappoint. It’s so easily to get pulled in to Emily Henry’s writing and completely lost in the plot. She writes all of her characters so well and develops them perfectly so you understand their actions and decisions. The relationships she creates in all her books have become some of my favourite fictional depictions in the last few years because they feel so real - those that are romantic as well as friendships and family dynamics. The dialogue is always spot on and the romance makes you feel giddy and raw at the same time. I loved this book and would highly recommend..

5 stars!

Emily Henry does it again.

I don't think there will ever be a book of Emily's that I won't read and love.

Always full of heart and love and something that infiltrates deep in your soul.

A pleasant read about a group of friends who return to their happy place, Sab's family holiday home where they have spent many previous summers. But for many reasons this time it is very different and they are all keeping thongs from one another. Thanks to netgalley for the advance copy in exchange for this honest review.

Emily Henry is one of my favourite romance writers, so I was very excited when the publisher sent me the ebook arc of this book. I had very high expectations going into this book and it did not disappoint!

There was nothing that I didn't love about this book. It was so well written and the characters were amazing. I really enjoyed the plot and the character development. I felt like all the main characters had big developments through out the book.

I was hooked from the start and my interest in the book only got bigger and bigger the more I read.

I will definitely buy this once it gets released and if you like Emily Henry's books I highly recommend you do as well, because she has slayed again!!

I counted my lucky stars when I received this ARC from the publisher and felt no less lucky when I finished reading it. Another amazing read. Emily Henry writes so beautifully, plumbing the depths of flawed relationships and bringing the chemistry of a romantic couple to life with amazing banter and yearning (OMG the yearning).

As always, it was a rollercoaster of the emotions and the angst in this book was dialled up to eleven, not just for the main couple but for the group of friends as they prepared to say goodbye to their "happy place". I think that's why this one didn't end up being a 5 star for me. It's not that I don't enjoy that added depth to the characters world, I think it just ratcheted the intensity up a little too high for me to feel the same kind of warm, fuzzy glow I love to get from a romance. One hundred per cent worth the read, but definitely go in expecting to be put through the wringer!

I don't know if my hopes were just too high but I was really disappointed by Happy Place. It's no doubt an easy read and a good one to pack for summer holidays but barely anything happened throughout the plot to hold my interest.

I liked the idea of this same cottage that a group of friends visit annually and you'd think this would make a great breeding ground for a bit of drama but literally every 'issue' that occurred was the result of a lack of communication which felt really weak. Even the whole premise of the two protagonists not wanting to tell their friends they had broken up just felt silly and unnecessary.

When it came to the characters, I just didn't care about Harriet and Wyn as a couple and found Sabrina to be over the top controlling while Parth was dull and plain forgettable. If I had to choose, Kimmy and Cleo were probably the most interesting of the group.

I appreciate the author exploring topics such as grief, growth and family complexities but sadly these simply weren't strong enough to hold this book afloat.

real rating 4.75

I was so excited to read this book. Emily Henry is one of my favourite authors; her books are always a delight to read.

One thing I love the most about Emily's books is that they are not only about romantic love but so so so so much more. And this one it's no exception. Happy Place felt like a warm hug in so many ways, the friendship, the self-growth, the love, the angst, the happy place.

The friendship between all of them was so beautiful and heartwarming to read. But I love that it wasn't perfect; it felt more genuine.

Harriet and Wyn -our main characters- were wonderful. They are real and flawed, and their insecurities make them even more human. It was beautiful to read parts of their relationship and how they got where they were. It was emotional, poignant and oh-so-heartwrenching at times.

As always, Emily Henry's writing is so marvellous that it uniquely touches my heart; even when I think one of her stories won't make me cry, she proves me wrong. I cried so much with this one. And we do love a good cry, don't we?

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for this book.

I’ve heard many good things about Emily Henry, but haven’t yet read her books. So when I saw her latest romance was available to request I promptly asked to read this. I can definitely see why people are drawn to her. She balances romance with contemporary and relatable issues like friendship, family and difficult times. She plots well too but not at the cost of characterisation nor does she deliver lazy writing and indulge in wish fulfilment (aka Colleen Hoover). In many ways she reminds me of Beth O’Leary, an auto-buy of an author who delivers cute romances with relatable and real characters.
This story is written in first person narrative, following 30-year Harry (short for Harriet), who attended college near Vermont on a scholarship with financial aid where she met rich and elegant Sabrina, and bohemian, waif-like Cleo. The three became best friends and later roommates. A decade later their friendship is going strong even though career choices and life decisions have resulted in them being spread over the states. They meet every year in Vermont, in Sabrina’s dad’s holiday home. Harry, who is doing a residency in San Francisco, looks forward to these yearly holidays. It’s her Happy Place. Her job is demanding and she is often exhausted. Also unknown to her bffs, she has broken up with her college sweetheart of ten years, due to long distance after he moved back to the east coast to support his unwell mother. Plus both feel they’ve changed. Her fiancé was a part of her circle of friends and her roommate during college, so both Harry and Wyn decide to tell everyone about their breakup when the time is “right” which ends up being put off.
Now Harry is at her Happy Place, but to her shock Wyn is there too. Sabrina has asked him to be there because she has news - her dad is selling their holiday home. They have a month left to enjoy the home before they officially move out. This is just the start of change and adult life. To keep everyone’s morales up, Wyn asks Harry to wait until the end of the week before announcing their breakup. But in such close encounters to her only love, will Harry be able to stop herself from falling in love with Wyn again?…
The narrative flashes back to the past too, and we see how Harry and Wyn meet, and the journey of their relationship. But how will their story end?
I quite enjoy faux romance when done well, which it is here. I liked that Henry’s writing doesn’t focus solely on the romance aspect of it, and that her characters actually feel like real people. I was completely and utterly charmed by this sweet, and cute story ultimately about six friends and how their lives change dramatically now that they’re entering their thirties. With the flashbacks offering a different perspective to certain events, this was a pacy and binge-able read.
However there was a few things that niggled. I was confused about the Harry and Wyn getting married aspect of the novel, and wasn’t sure if this was something that they had arranged but forgot about. It just seemed so random. Also Wyn’s physical appearance especially that one piece of hair that always falls across his forehead was such a cliche and stereotypical, it made me LOL and took me out of the story at times. Lastly I found the dialogues at times a bit too “twee” for my taste and trying a bit hard to be cute particularly when Harry and Wyn meet. Some of the lines were charming, but at times it was cringe as was the scene when Harry gets picked up by Sabrina and jokes about getting a new face thanks to Etsy (Huh? What does that mean?) which I found baffling. I wish Wyn was better rounded as a character too, as occasionally he felt too good to be true and a bit of trope of a character. But these qualms aside I was charmed by this sweet story, which I read in one seating.
I’ll definitely be exploring Henry’s backlog and am happy to say this is an author definitely worth the hype on book-tok. I get why people are obsessed with her books, and look forward to experiencing more Emily Henry’s cute stories.

This is the first Emily Henry book I have read. I was pretty surprised by how much I enjoyed it. It is written very well, and the characters are enjoyable. You do feel that you are following along on the journey with them. I also felt that Henry did a great job of making the reader feel the pain the two main characters were experiencing and showed how much they loved each other. Along with the main plot line, there were side characters who made the story fun and entertaining. I would recommend this book. Thank you very much for the ARC

Thank you NetGalley for this advanced copy. Emily Henry's books are one of my favorite summer books. This was a cute love story. I did think the book was a little long, but was still very heartwarming. Good story about friends that have endured lots of events and still manage to maintain friendship. Couple twists in there I didn't see coming!