I loved the first book I read by Emily Henry but this book was a miss for me.

The banter and witty remarks between the friends were good but I just felt like actual communication was a major issue for the characters. It's actually a very good book for highlighting how people end up miserable because they don't actually talk to each other or speak up for what they actually want.
I was left feeling frustrated by the goings on.

This was such an enjoyable read. Harry and Wynn have broken up, but haven’t gotten around to telling their friends. Now they’re forced to pretend all is fine so as not to ruin their friends’ wedding. The chemistry between them is great, the relationship is believable, the hero is very crushworthy. It’s so smoothly written it’s a delight.

This book was indeed a happy place for me. Fantastic characters and a plot that moved well - definitely one to get you in the mood for the summer!

Happy Place by Emily Henry

Three friends and their partners holiday together for the last time. They reminisce about how they met and their friendship over the years, meeting their partners and many other happy times at the holiday cottage. But all is not what it seems and sooner or later the secrets they are hiding are revealed.

WOW! Emily Henry smashes it again - I've loved everything she's written and this is no exception. I can't think of any other author who does witty, flirty banter so well. At the same time there is real emotional depth to her characters and storylines - Happy Place has this in spades. Loved the story of the friendship, Harriet and Wyn's relationship, the families of the characters, the partners, the setting... just absolutely everything really! Very, VERY highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

I’m a huge Emily Henry fan and Happy Place did not disappoint. It’s a heartfelt story about love, friendship and found-family.

Harriet is an exhausted surgical resident who is looking forward to a break at the same holiday cottage she has visited with her friends for years. The only problem is that her ex-fiance Wyn (who was NOT supposed to be there) has been convinced to stay by their mutual friend Sabrina. And that’s not the only shock, Sabrina tells the group of six friends that her father is selling the holiday cottage and that this trip will be their last in the same place. Harriet is reeling but pulls herself together for the sake of her friend’s happiness. Instead of her and Wyn telling her friends that they’ve ended things, they decide to fake it for their week-long stay. Unfortunately, it’s not easy because Harriet loves Wyn with every fibre of her being, and it’s clear that he’s not over her either. As the week progresses we learn about the beginning, middle and end of Harriet and Wyn’s relationship in flashbacks to her “happy places.” The past and present combine to show the power of the unbreakable friendships and love she has for everyone at the cottage.

The depictions of love in this novel had me crying, they were so beautiful and raw. At times it felt like I was falling for Wyn alongside Harriet. The flashbacks showed how their love evolved and how little by little it began to disintegrate. Emily Henry describes the fear that so often comes hand in hand with love. The fear that we aren’t good enough for our spouses, that they are settling for us, that we’re holding them back and stopping them from being happy.

Her friendships with Cleo and Sabrina are also a focus of the novel and their bond is undeniable, even when their perfect vacation starts to fall apart.

A 5 star read for me and definitely one I would recommend to romance lovers.

My happy place: an Emily Henry romance! Always so reliably good, characters you fall in love with and totally addictive.

Emily Henry does it again, with an amazing steamy romance but with a rich world of friendships and additional story lines.

Her best book yet, I’ll be shouting about this one for a while.

I adore Emily Henry’s books. They never disappoint, so you understand I literally screamed when I received the email with the ARC of her newest book. And o my, what a delight it was. Just as she has done before, Emily Henry wrote a wonderful, lovely, cute and heartbroken story. I felt everything while I read and my heart broke several times.

I loved the part in which you know something happened, and the unknown made sure that you are hooked to the last page.

I am not really into second chance romances. It’s just not really my thing. But leave it to Emily Henry to let me enjoy this trope to the fullest. I needed to know what happened between Harriet and Wyn, because they seemed to be the perfect couple. Everything felt right and the chemistry between them? Wow!

My review could exactly be quite short: read this. It is wonderful, and perfect, and everything you need in a romance. Do yourself a favor and read it is as soon as it is out!

Rating: *****

I received this book from the publisher through Netgalley. This has not affected my opinion whatsoever.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin General UK for providing me with an eARC of Emily Henry's Happy Place in return for my honest review.
Gosh, Emily Henry does not miss!! Happy place is brilliant, I could not put it down (we're talking 3am once more chapter vibes!). I really enjoy the structure of this book, the switching between the present day and the past between Wyn and Harriet gave the story and the characters more depth and really made me root for them and their love story. Speaking of love stories.. Henry has absolutely killed it with this one, it is so believable. Not only do we get a love story between Harriet and Wyn, but I adore the love story between the friendship group, I found these characters and their relationships really added to the story. As a reader I felt it easy to relate to Harriet's heartbreak, her anger, her confusion and her hope that there may still be a chance for her and Wyn's love story to be endgame. I also really appreciated the storyline with her Harriet's family, I believe it again made her character more believable and relatable.
If you're a fan of second chance love then this story is an absolute must!

If I could rate this book 10/10 I would. I was glued to my kindle whilst reading Happy Place. This book has it all. Exes to lovers? Sign me up. I was so excited to be able to read the Arc so a big thank you to Penguin for letting me read Happy Place. This is my honest review.

This book is my favourite of Emily’s works to date. It’s bittersweet. Happy Place reminded me the importance of the friendships and relationships you make in life. If you’re a fan of Emily’s works like I am, you know she always outdoes herself. It was raw, it chewed me up and I wanted so badly for Wyn and Harriet. Yes it’s a book with love but I also think this book is a beautiful reminder that loving yourself and putting your happiness first is important. Sometimes life isn’t what we expect and that’s okay. This wasn’t just Harriet and Wyn’s story. Everyone was important and I absolutely loved every word. I’m looking forward to getting a physical final copy so I can relive every moment again and again.

🌅HAPPY PLACE🌅
I was incredibly fortunate to have received the advanced copy of Emily Henry’s new book coming out next year- Happy Place. Thank you Netgallery! Wow. Just wow. This is a book that made me feel physical heartache all the way through. It’s ultimately about family, friends, love and what makes you happy. You, you, you.

It starts with a bang when you’re introduced to an amazing group of friends reuniting at a cottage one Summer, a friendship group consisting of best friends and their partners who seem themselves more like family. The heart wrenching twist comes in the form of Harriet and Wyn. They are ex fiancés who have to hide they have broken up, so as not to upset and dismantle their friendship/ family group.

As the plot moves on, it becomes so much more intertwined and complicated. You understand both of Harriet and Wyn’s confusion, whilst simultaneously screaming for them to get back together. You understand the complexity of deep friendships and it honestly made my heart pang so many times when there were flashbacks between the three main girls; Harriet, Chloe and Sabrina. It really made me miss friends I haven’t seen in awhile as well as being grateful for the ones that are close.

Ultimately, this book follows Harriet’s journey of self discovery. Who she is, who she loves, what makes her happy and having the confidence to follow her heart. I thought Book Lovers was the best Emily Henry had written but this may just have pipped it! I can’t wait for everyone else to read this in the new year!

I’ve never felt so privileged to receive an ARC as I did this one, I loved this book so much that I think I’m going to struggle to put it into words. Happy Place is a completely different love story from anything that Emily Henry has written so far, and as much as I love the author's other books, this one was on a completely new level. I know that I say this every time I read a new book by Emily Henry, but this is one hundred percent my new favourite. When I first started reading this book, I could literally feel the love emanating from the pages. It’s been such a long time since I’ve read a romance that has made me feel that way. There was so much love between these characters, not only in their romantic relationships but also in their platonic relationships. There was so much adoration for one another that it literally made my own heart hurt, it was equally comforting and devastating and I really don’t know what to do with myself now. Whilst this book exhibited the true beauty of the whole and raw friendships, the story also covered aspects of grief and the difficulty of making your next step for personal reasons rather than those close to you. It was for this reason that between these chapters, my heart both soared and ached.



Happy Place surrounds Harriet and Wyn, a couple who, despite recently breaking up, decide to make a pact. The pact in question is that they will pretend to still be together around their four other best friends on their annual trip. Harriet and Wyn are perfect for one another which is what makes their breakup so shocking, it was almost written in the stars that they would be together, and their getting together is everything that their friends would have expected. However, for reasons that they do not discuss, they end up breaking up. With this being uncommon knowledge, it is still expected that they attend the annual trip and be just as in love as they ever were, and even share the master bedroom for the first time since their trips started. Harriet and Wyn find themselves lying to everyone they know, including themselves, but is it possible to lie to those who know you the best?

Emily Henry never misses. I can’t even begin to tell you the countless times that I will be rereading this book when it finally comes out. It’s been so long since I’ve read a romance book that has the most wholesome and beautiful friendships. Usually, the plot surrounds the main couple and the main couple only, and that’s okay with it being a romance book. But, to see the bonds that the six of them have created, and the invisible string that binds them all so tightly together was so touching to me. Also, I loved the personal growth aspect of this book. The strength that someone must possess to walk away, and not take down and destroy the one that they love whilst they work on themselves, I’m in awe. This story covers second-chance romance, friendships, grief, following your own path and so much more. Did I mention the one-bed trope and forced proximity?

Continue to hold onto your high expectations of Emily Henry’s books, because this was her best so far and I’m so excited for you all to read it.

I felt so privileged and happy to have received an email invite to read this book from Emily Henry’s publisher- THANK YOU! I have adored each of her books so far and was thrilled to have the opportunity to read Happy Place before April 2023.

There is always something that is so sincere and genuine about Emily Henry’s writing style; I feel like the friendships are genuine, real and so fully formed, that I’m reminded of the changes my friends and I have gone through as we grew up from college into our to late 20s. Fair enough, we’ve yet to have our own happy place we can all secret away to each summer as a group (I wish!) but the conversations and interactions are so authentic that it fills me with a bubbling feeling of - ‘yes, finally - it’s us in those pages’ that I can recognise and relate to.

That is the magic of reading a Henry book; she creates friendships, relationships and characters that you can sink into and unravel.

I loved the setting for the summer holiday escape, though I think I loved Book Lovers just a little more. The flashback and scene changes from university, graduate city living and then to a decade later as friends are scattered around felt very true to me and I loved relating to their evolving friendship dynamic.

Harriet and Wyn - what a gloriously sentimental and lovely relationship they have! I adored them both. Wyn’s ardent yearning for Harriet and the soulful connection they have was just lovely to read. I laughed, I sobbed and was rooting so badly for them as the novel grew in emotion and brought total change for them.

Another stunning novel from Emily Henry and another addition I can’t wait to add to my physical bookshelf. I’ll be buying this as gifts for friends once released - it is a perfect book for close friends and loved ones that I can’t wait to share!

Thank you again to the publisher for a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Penguin and NetGalley for giving me this ARC. My opinions are my own.

Emily Henry has become my favourite author and I think Happy Place is her best book so far. I loved the second chance romance trope but I also loved Harriet's friendships with the other people in her friendship group. I thought Harriet and Wyn's relationship and the issues that led to their split were realistic.

Firstly thank you to Emily Henry, Penguin & Netgalley for the wonderful opportunity to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This might be my favourite Emily Henry book so far.
The story focuses on a group of friends and their “last summer” at a beach house that is pivotal to their friendships and how they’ve endured, over the years. This is also alongside the lovers to strangers to fake dating plot, which is written *superbly*.

To me, this is easily the most realistic and heart wrenching portrayal of true love that Henry has ever penned. I was in emotional pain for the characters- the yearning, the self doubt and the fear were so powerful and real. There were moments that absolutely broke me but there were also moments that filled me with hope for the characters. Not just in a romantic sense either, the focus on friendship in this story is beautiful. Our characters have such a strong bond from page 1 and you can *feel* it, it’s the sort of friendship we all long for.

The romance was written so beautifully that I found myself kicking my feet and squealing. This definitely has that quintessential Emily Henry feel, that “more than just a rom-com” vibe and I don’t know how she does it but she does is *so* well. I think she may have penned some of my favourite characters here, especially Wyn, he’s such a sweetheart and needs to be protected at all costs.

A phenomenal book, and definitely one of her “must reads”.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Penguin General UK for letting me read this eArc, I was desperate to get my hands on this and I’m so grateful you guys let me. Thank you to Emily Henry for writing this, there is nothing that I would have rather ended my year with than this.

Emily Henry is easily one of the best romance writers I have had the pleasure to read this year. And this book was the icing on the cake. Usually, I’m not a fan of second chance romance but this may have changed my mind. Happy Place is one of the most relatable and beautifully written books I have ever read, and has now become the standard that all other romances will have to live up to. Harriet is possibly one of my favourite characters from this year and oh my god do I wish I was more like her. Always ready with a witty comeback, I loved it. Unlike some of the romances I’ve read this year, I actually believed in Wyn and Harriet’s relationship. It felt so real. From the longing and first discovery of each other shown in the flashbacks, to the falling back to each other once they’ve realised that miscommunication and other peoples expectations are what is holding them back.
The other characters and relationships featured are also amazing (my personal favourites are Cleo and Kimmy and would loved to seen more into their story). I couldn’t get enough of how we saw their relationships form. Through flashbacks and present day narratives we saw the love and warmth that only having best friends that love you more than anything can bring. As well as the slightly darker parts, like knowing that sometimes your parents, and your relationships with them, aren’t exactly what we need.
I cannot sing enough praises for this book and I encourage everyone to read it, at least once! You won’t regret it!

Emily Henry could write on the back of a receipt and I'd still beg to read it.

This was as beautiful as her previous books. Emily just has a way of writing gorgeously complicated characters who have so much chemistry and tension that I have to stay up all night just so I can get to the ending.

This wasn't my favourite of hers - I felt the resolution was quite repetitive and drawn out - but it was still captivating and fun and heartfelt.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Harriet is a surgeon, well a junior doctor training to be a surgeon. She has spent a lot of her late teens/early twenties completing her doctor training.

Every year since before college she has spent at least a week of summer in her friend Sabrina’s family vacation place. It’s her Happy Place.

Sabrina arranges a week for the gang to get back together. One last hurrah before her Dad sells up. Sabrina and her husband-to-be Parth, Cleo and her girlfriend Kimmy and Harriet and Wyn.

Unbeknownst to the others, herself and Wyn broke up about six months ago. They decide between them that Harriet would go on this trip alone.

Harriet is the last of the group to arrive. You can imagine Harriet’s when she is ambushed by Sabrina with a surprise, Wyn. Cue many awkward moments with him including having to sleep in the same bad.

Can they put their differences aside and get through the week? If not for themselves then at least for their friends.

Henry’s newest book due for release in spring 2023. I truly loved it. I enjoyed the dual timeline between the now and the description of how the house became her happy place.

So many references of nostalgia and recreating that feeling from childhood/growing up. Pedal pushers and Love Actually to name a few.

I love Henry’s style of writing. I instantly fell in love and became invested in Harriet and Wyn as a couple. I was intrigued as the story went on, to discover the plot points that separated the two in the first place.

A must read for the new year!

Let's start by stating the obvious: there is no Emily Henry romance novel I'm not gonna like.

That being said, this one did feel a little different to the other 3. I couldn't quite pinpoint the reason why at the beginning. First I thought it was because it had nothing to do with books or writing, but then I realized: yes, this is a love story but, above all else, it's a story about friendship. It's a story about best friends becoming family, about growing up together and growing apart and then close again.

At first I thought it was slow and I couldn't get quite as immersed in it as I normally do when I read Emily Henry. The angst was there and, objectively, I think Harriet is the MC I can relate to the most but for some reason I wasn't quite into it. I think the whole idea of Harriet and Wyn having broken up but not told anyone and "fake dating" wasn't as attractive to me because they're clearly into each other and the whole premise of this is based on one huge miscommunication issue. Not that it's not a plausible one, but I personally hate miscommunication in books. It drives me nuts.

So I was liking the story but not as much as I was expecting to. And then the last 100 pages happened and I started crying. That's when I realized this was a story about friendship and growing up, about deciding what you want for yourself and doing what makes you happy instead of what others expect you to do. And I finally connected with Harriet and Cleo and Sabrina, to the point where I see myself in the 3 of them and want nothing more than to be part of their friend group.

Overall, I did really enjoy it but it did not blow me away and it took me a while to get into (I've been in a bit of a slump so maybe that's entirely my fault and not the book's)

A huge thank you to the wonderful Georgia Taylor and Penguin UK for the e-ARC in exchange of an honest and voluntary review

One of my favourite authors, her books are fabulous and transport me to a different world. I loved all the friendships and their traditions were so nice to read about. The actual love story I got frustrated with, and it’s not my favourite book from Emily Henry but I still loved it!