Emily Henry's books are my happy place so I went into this one without reading the synopsis. It didn't matter to me. It was Emily Henry and I was going to read it.

But sadly this book had tears streaming from my eyes most of the way through it. Instead of the joy and laughter that I normally get I found myself feeling depressed. So it wasn't quite was I expecting.

However, one of the things I loved about Beach Read was how well Henry balances the sad real life stuff with the highs of romance. It's a recurrent theme throughout her adult books in varying amounts. Happy Place arguably leans more towards the sad. I repeat that this book had me crying every few chapters. The empathy I felt for Harriet was immense. At times I didn't want to finish the book but I trust Henry to deliver exceptional fiction and I wasn't disappointed.

I think that opinions might be divided on this one. Fake dating as a trope is fun. When the fake dating involves two people who are still reeling from the breakdown of their relationship to EACH OTHER, it's less fun. In fact, it's hopeful at best and excruciating at its worst.

But Happy Place is about more than romance. It's a story about the people and places that feel like home and as Henry shows, our happy places might not always be where you'd expect but rather where we feel we most belong.

Harriet and Wyn appear to their 4 uni friends as the perfect couple at their annual reunion. They split up 6 months ago, but haven't told anyone and anyway their romance was a year old before any of them guessed anyway. Can they bear to be in close proximity, including sharing a room ? What will the outcome be at the end of the week? Enthralling read; couldn't wait to find out if they stayed split or paired up again.

I received an arc through net galley in exchange for an honest review. This book was so fun to read, so cute and I absolutely loved it. This was my first time reading Emily Henry and she has definitely made me keen to read the rest of her books! Very well written and such a fun romance, even though parts of the book had me tearing up the ending made it all worth it. Thank you to NetGalley, penguin books and Emily Henry for the chance to read this one early. Very happy with it.

“This is how I used to think of love. As something so delicate it couldn’t be caught without being snuffed out. Now I know better. I know the flame may gutter and flare with the wind, but it will always be there.”

This. Book. Emily Henry has done it once again, she’s produced yet another book that I’ve rated 5 stars. However, this one was 5 stars in a very different way. 5 stars in more of a literary fiction way than a romance way, but still containing the cute elements of her previous works.

This book took me completely by surprise, I knew it was second chance romance but I had never read one before so had no idea what to expect. This book is founded less on sexual tension and physical attraction/ intimacy, but instead on Harriet and Wyn’s profound and unmoving love for each other. The use of two time periods - past & present - makes this book have the depth I deeply crave, making you understand every intricacy of every character and every situation required.

I highlighted approx 250 quotes (I know, insanity) because I was addicted to this book, and once again addicted to the way in which Henry writes. This book made me cry … multiple times. I am a massive crybaby when it comes to books and films, but I have to feellll what is being portrayed to me, and that’s certainly what I did with Happy Place. The emotions were portrayed so BEAUTIFULLY, one thing I have come to expect from Henry’s books is the main characters communicating in a healthy, deep way.

Harriet and Wyn … all I can say is I adore them and rooted for them every step of the way. Their understanding of each other, and willingness to know each other inside and out is so visceral. You can feel the heart of their relationship palpitating through the screen. Their love is so profound, and they are such beautiful ‘people’. They felt truly like soulmates. I adored Harriet’s narration - it was so vulnerable and raw, delving deep into the impact of childhood trauma.

This book additionally explores the value of friendship, and growing within friendships as we age. Platonic love was just as prevalent as romantic, and the topics explored were equally emotional and meaningful. This was something that made it distinctly different from her previous works, and it was something that worked SO well. It took the book to a whole other level.

I cannot place this book in any Emily Henry book ranking as it felt so different, but it’s equally as special as her previous books. Just in a different way.

This publishes in April, read it 🫶🏼

- Lara <3

Wow - how do you spell chemistry? I’ll tell you – it’s Harriet and Wyn!

This book is a romantic, second chance story of friendship that I guarantee will have crying all the tears until you are an emotional puddle on the floor (in the best way).

I love the format of Happy Place. We dip into Hariette’s life, past and present, her happy places and her unhappy places. We met Wyn, Sabrina, Cleo, Parth and Kimmy and get swept up in their idealistic friendship, this group of friends, each their own separate puzzle piece coming together to fit perfectly.

And we’re introduced to Knott’s Harbour, Maine, one of the most magical places I’ve ever read about, and where the majority of the book is set. But the cottage at Knott’s Harbour is being sold and the friends are coming together for one last amazing week.

Henry has included all the favourite tropes, friends to lovers, second chance love, found family, one-bed and crafted something completely special. And did I mention the chemistry? I didn’t even mind the miscommunication, which is not my favourite, I somehow didn’t even realise it was miscommunication until the end which just goes to show how amazing and all consuming the story was.

A++++ 10 out of 10 would recommend and will until the end of time.

I really love Emily Henry's writing, and each book inread just gets better. The characters themselves, their relationships, the setting of the book. Every word I read I want to belong in the book and this was no different. This was the kind of book I got angry about having to be in real life and put it down. I really love this book and if I could read it again from the start I would

Emily Henry hits the jackpot again with her beautiful character development and witty one liners. I love the friendships and relationships she builds between characters, and she’s become one of the authors I’ll buy as soon as I see a new release, because there’s not a single story she’s written yet that I haven’t enjoyed. Although Happy Place didn’t hit the raving heights of Book Lovers for me, it’s definitely an excellent read and I’ll be recommending it to my book club buddies and friends. Thank you to Net Galley for allowing me an ARC on my brand new account, I’m delighted to have hit the review road with such a great book.

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.