I adore Emily Henry's books and Happy Place is no exception. Although not my favourite of Henry's back-list (no writers or publishing world characters in this book!), her latest novel contains her usual blend of snappy dialogue, swoony romance and witty retorts.. The setting of this second-chance romance in coastal New England, provided a perfect escapist read, during a bleak English winter. and I will press it into the hands of any friends who need cheering up over the next few months.

Happy Place is a weird title for such a meloncholy book. This is a story of two people in love but for whom life has gone in opposide directions until it broke them. It's much more than the story of them as a couple though, it's about how relationships around you can growing up can make you form habits that aren't necessarily healthy. It's about personal sacrifice to ensure that the ship that is sinking only takes you down. It's about personally drowning and not realising that there were many people around who would have happily thrown you a liferaft if you'd only asked. About a group of six friends, growing up and growing apart as life, location and experiences stretches you. It's a great read, not necessarily happy but certainly a book that might make you examine your own behaviours.

I can't put into words how much I adored this book. I'm a serial multiple books reader but I read this in one sitting and I'm both so glad I did and so upset it's over.

Emily Henry has perfected the art of weaving together a story so that the emotions hit you in just the right way, and from the very start you could feel Harriet's heartbreak and her pain radiated from the pages. Henry's ability to make her characters so wonderfully, painfully, real is again present in this book, and you can't help but to relate and feel like you've lived through Harriet's insecurities and problems in such a devastating way (I truly think Emily Henry sees right into my soul).

I laughed and I cried with this book and I felt like I was right there with Harriet, feeling what she was feeling, the entire time. It was beautiful, and the devotion Wyn and Harriet have with each other was the perfect addiction you read Henry's novels to escape to.

Very upset that I'll have to wait another year or so until Henry's next book, they're always my favourites to read and I feel like they're in a league of their own.

I don’t even know where to start with this book other than saying I loved it so so much.
I just adored everything about it from the setting to the characters to second chance romance plot between Wyn and Harriet. The dual timeline and the great cast of characters and one of things I loved about this group of friends was that it reminded me of my own friend group: we may not see each other other but nothing changes our friendship and we always pick right back up where we left off.

It made me giddy, it made me laugh and it made me cry and I knew it was going to be 5 stars before I even started because it’s Emily Henry and I wouldn’t expect anything less but I enjoyed even more than I thought I would.

Yes! Yes! Yes!

So charming, angsty and beautiful.

Every book Emily Henry writes surpasses the last and Happy Place is no exception. I'm worried about future Henry works as she is such an intuitive, talented writer that my expectations of her are sky high.

The characters she has created here are the best so far. All six main characters have distinct personalities that make the reader sympathise with their individual plights. Harriet has been my favourite Henry heroine so far. Her anxieties and history are extremely relatable and her inability to communicate through fear of rejection was so heartbreakingly real that it was difficult to read sometimes. Wyn was my favourite Henry hero due to his complexities and kindness. He was just as relatable as Harriet but for different reasons. Together Harriet and Wyn are absolutely magical.

It took me two days to read after a suffering a horrible two month reading slump. It's so easy to read that time didn't seem to matter and responsibilities were ignored. Please bring on Emily Henry's next masterpiece.

I enjoy reading Emily Henry's books, it really feels like I can overcome any reading slump and after a bad story it gives me hope that there are story that can be good, with likeable characters like in Happy Place. I loved the characters, the story of all the characters, the love story was really cute and the idea of happy place it was interesting.

Another great book from Emily Henry. This follows a group of friends as they grow up and apart? Great characters, I loved this book and was disappointed when it ended!

Reading Happy Place was like falling in love five times a day. With each chapter, I grew more and more in love with these characters.

Clearly, Emily Henry is back to doing what she does best: creating intriguing and relatable fictional characters. With a light and charming tone, Emily writes about issues that most of us encounter in relationships, whether romantic or not.

I don't know if it's because I identify with Harriet the most, but Wyn and Harriet are definitely my favorite couple that Emily has ever created. I can see myself returning to this novel time and time again.

The book made me smile and even shed a tear or two, but mainly, it just made me so damn happy.
I'm so grateful that Emily approaches the subject of being an adult without knowing your passion/purpose and the uncertainty of being an adult.

I love, love this group of friends! I cannot wait for you to read this book.
Warning:
While reading, you might feel a variety of emotions, such as ou exhilaration, euphoria, trembling, a racing heart and accelerated breathing, as well as anxiety, panic and feelings of despair. - What I meant to say is, prepare yourself for all the feels.

This was much more than a romance; it was a beautifully woven tale about friendship, grief, love and personal growth sprinkled with fun banter and some heart-breaking moments.

Throughout the story, I got to see people with diverse personalities and backgrounds form and develop friendships and relationships and eventually become family. Milestones in their journeys are shown through key moments and events and the characters were relatable, very entertaining and sometimes quirky.

I love a good second chance romance and this one did what it said on the tin and then some. All the emotions; the highs and lows were palpable. This book discusses some serious topics like grief and mental health but the funny moments offered some relief from the heaviness. Despite their challenges, it was obvious that Harriet and Wyn were soulmates and were meant for each other and this was confirmed in a number of heart-warming and heart-crushing scenes in the book.

This is a rich, very well written story with loveable characters. I was sucked in from the beginning and effortlessly breezed through to the end. I would highly recommend this book; it is by far my favourite Emily Henry book.

Huge thanks to author, Penguin General UK and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC; I’m leaving this review voluntarily.

Emily Henry really is a go-to for me for a well written romance with a solid characters and a satisfying plot. Romance is not my go-to genre and, for me, Henry's books are a category of their own, a sort of romance-cum-new adult-commercial fiction type of hybrid that hits the sweet spot. Happy Place is set in Maine, in a coastal town where three best friends - Cleo, Sabrina and Harriet - have vacationed every year single college at Sabrina's father's cottage, slowly adding best friends and partners Parth, Kimmy and Wyn to the clan. This year though there's a lot of intensity around the trip as the cottage is being sold and it's the last time the gang will be together. Throw in a few secrets, a wedding and everyone's emotions running on high and it's a recipe for a delicious mess. The action flips between the trip and Harriet's past, mostly charting her relationship and break up with Wyn. Henry is so good at structuring a novel and she knows exactly when to leave you wanting more and when to fill in the gaps. It took me a bit longer than usual with her novels to be drawn in but once I was I tore through the book at speed. I thought all six characters (and the setting) were well-drawn, although I found Sabrina and Parth a little harder to visualise and relate to than the others. Kimmy was a particular delight and Cleo probably the most intriguing character. The relationship between Harriet and Wyn was romance lovers' catnip with plenty of steamy moments, a complicated backstory and just enough miscommunication to facilitate the trademark Henry twisty-turny ending. My favourite aspect of Henry's novels is just how fun and zingy her dialogue is and this book was no exception. Although I'd say that Beach Read is still my favourite of her books, Happy Place is a great read that I'd highly recommend.

Oh wow Emily Henry does it again!
Another 5⭐️ read

This book was everything I didn’t know I needed! I don’t know how she does it but she has managed to make the characters so relatable and loveable. The personal growth of the main characters is amazing but also heartbreaking.

Henry has managed to accurately capture the changes that couples can go through and the impact growing up and graduating college and moving on with lives can be like. She doesn’t just give the character a HEA straight off the bat, she’s realistic and addresses issues that are often overlooked and I think that’s why I love her writing so much!

Parts of this book made me laugh out loud Wyn and Harriet are so quick witted and the banter between the two is like medicine for the soul. They are truly soulmates. I really wish this book didn’t have to end, I think the story and the characters will hold a special place in my heart.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book

This title was featured in National Book Tokens' '23 books to look out for in 2023':

Happy Place by Emily Henry
Harriet and Wyn are the perfect couple. Except, they broke up six months ago. And they still haven't told anyone. Which is how they end up sharing a bedroom at the cottage that has been their yearly getaway with their best friends for the past decade. Happy Place is another feelgood romcom from the author of Book Lovers and Beach Read.

I had just decided that Book Lovers was my favourite Emily Henry book so far then Happy Place has come along and blown it out the water. I laughed and I most definitely cried! Themes of friendship, love, loss, grief are all present and it’s just a wonderful story. We follow Harriet who goes to her friends cottage for a week for a group catch up holiday. When she gets there , her ex is also there, a bombshell is dropped and now Harriet and her ex are forced to pretend they are still together . A bit spicey and a lot emotional. Loved it!

I am an Emily Henry super fan!

This didn’t disappoint at all.

As amazing as all her other books!

The group of characters were brilliant and I wish I had my own Wyn!!

The setting, the descriptions, I really felt like I was there with them.

5 stars as always!

When I pick up a romance book, I'm looking for something very specific. I'm looking for a vibrant setting I can dive into, a couple with undeniable, sizzling chemistry, a large helping of emotional character development, and that heart-stopping feeling of hope mixed with trepidation that everyone feels in the defining stages of a relationship. If there's humour and found family as well, then so much the better.

This book has it all. Ticks every box. Has now, probably, taken over from Beach Read as my favourite romance book of all time (which is really saying something).

I love the setting – a holiday home visited as an annual tradition by the central friendship group – and the exploration of how much places mean to people because of the memories attached to them. I can't get enough of the found family, either. The central friendships are flawed and strained, but also completely enviable in their resilience, forgiveness and silliness.

The main character, Harriet, is a people pleaser and a keeper of the peace, and I love how her character brings to light the dangers of denying yourself true happiness in a misguided attempt to keep everyone happy or live up to imaginary standards.

I adore the 'second chance romance' and 'fake dating' tropes too, so fully approve of the mixing of the two when Harriet is forced to spend the week pretending she's still dating her ex (and, of course, is all the while falling back in love in the most incredible series of vulnerable and heated moments).

I laughed. I cried. I want to read it again straight away.

Emily Henry’s ‘Happy Place’ was more than just a romance. It was a story about loyal friendships, the tragedy of grief and the hardships of love. It discusses the importance of compromise and miscommunication, but not in the frustrating way that makes you want to pull your hair out. But it was an emotional rollercoaster nevertheless. There’s also a sprinkle of complex family dynamics and dealing with trauma. The writing paints portraits of what it means to know someone so well, nudging towards the notion of silent understanding.

Even though I already knew what was going to happen, the inevitable and unavoidable way romance novels often go, I couldn’t help falling in love with all the characters along the way and enjoying the story just as much. I even found solace in the familiarity of the plot.

The title is almost deceiving, the book seems happy, while it’s actually about finding your own definition of happiness through all the turmoil, after sifting through the motions of people pleasing and the pressure of academic validation, whatever your own Happy Place may be. It reminds you that it’s always there for you, and this book was so cozy and comforting in that way.

I enjoyed that the end wasn’t all rounded. Of course there was still resolution, but there was also more work to be done and more hurdles to face, so it felt more realistic.

Overall, I loved this book. Henry’s characters are deep and complex, and there is always so much more to her stories than surface level love and intimacy. I wish I could meet these characters, and be their friends and visitIng the cottage one last time too. This book constantly reminded and made me miss, as well as look forward to, going back to my own Happy Place.

I recommend this book to everyone. Whether you want to laugh, cry, read something light and familiar, this book has it all. It’s definitely a new favourite to say the least, and will 100% be rereading this multiple times in the near future.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

my first book from Emily Jenry and definitely won't be the last! the story is so sweet, it made me laugh, made me clench my fist and shed a tear or two.

This is my first emily henry, and while I am usually not a fan of second-chance romance, I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised with this one. The tension, drama and back and forth between present (her 'happy place') and past memories all helped to keep me very interested. I liked how detailed each character was, I feel like I actually knew the characters well as if I was apart of this friend group. I also really enjoyed the discussion about growing up and becoming distant from those we previously thought was our forever future. I definitely recommend this title.

I love this author but found the plot here a little slighter than the books set in the publishing world. Her sense of place is excellen however as is her depiction of female friendship

I love Emily Henry, with my fav book of hers being beach read, but this has to be in joint place! I loved it, I thought the tension was perfect and love a second chance romance