I was absolutely ecstatic to get an ARC of Happy Place by Emily Henry - thank you, thank you, thank you Penguin General Books! I have just inhaled it in a matter of hours! I read it on an autumnal Saturday afternoon in Ireland but was transported to Maine on a get together with Harriet, Sabrina and Cleo and their respective partners. Emily Henry’s stories are always so perfectly observed that they play out like films in your head while you are reading them. Happy Place is no different - it deals with a week long get together for college friends that always used to holiday at Sabrina’s father’s house. Harriet and Wyn have been together for so long that they can’t bring themselves to tell their friends that their relationship has ended. The week puts strain on all the friends as they try and recreate the magic of previous holidays whilst not being completely honest with each other. As to be expected from Emily Henry, the chemistry and tension between Harriet and Wyn is perfection. Happy Place does not topple Book Lovers from its top spot in my list of favourites but I’m not sure anything will!. 4.5/5 🌟

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. I’m pretty sure my entire street heard me scream when I woke up to this treat in my inbox! How did I get so lucky? I’m going to go back in time and tell my 10 year old self that being a book nerd really does pay off.

Happy Place had me FEELING. Hard.. I found it to be the heaviest of Henry’s books yet, with one of the strongest messages. To me, it was about being in charge of your own happiness and the power of expressing your feelings - but I know others will get something different out of it too! (Eg strength of friendships)

The second chance romance with all its hurt and pain lifted right out of the page into my chest and I was *in* this story with the characters. I cried A LOT. I felt a physical ache for Wyn and Harriet.

Things I loved:
- The signature Emily Henry dialogue - sharp as ever, high quality banter. And so funny. Wyn and Harriet’s in-jokes had strong PWMOV vibes!
- The beautiful friendship group and the personalities of all of the characters. I felt jealous that I missed out on a friendship circle like that!
- The timeline jumps badged with “real life” “happy place” “dark place” - a clever way to indicate the feeling of the chapter and place in time.
- The stunning setting - it was so vivid for me, a testament to the writing quality.

I did find it a little long, although I have no idea what I’d cut. I think I just struggled feeling the hurt and tension for so long - and this might relate to my own personal experiences with the idea of a second chance. I also predicted one of the plot points. However - what’s this genre without a little predictability?

This book was another win by Henry - she’s a master of the contemporary romance genre, combining intelligent writing and sharp banter with a big ol’ dose of feeling.

I can’t wait to buy the 3 copies I’m inevitably going to get (Aus edition, US edition, and the audiobook (it better be Julia Whelan!)) - hurry up April 2023!

I always think there’s no way Emily Henry can possibly outdo herself, and then she does. Happy Place is a masterpiece.

I wasn’t sure what to expect going in, based on the synopsis, but the dual timeline worked so well for me. I loved getting to fall in love with Harriet, Wyn, and their friends in both timelines.

Every character was so well fleshed out and all of them could have easily stone alone as the main character. I would jump at the chance to read a book from Sabrina or Cleo’s POV. But Harriet was the perfect main character. When Emily Henry said this one was for the mirrorball swifties, she wasn’t kidding.

Watching Harriet become more and more weary and on the edge of burnout as the story progressed was incredible. Emily Henry handled it so well and it’s something that I’m sure most Millennial people-pleasers will relate to. (I suddenly have a laundry list of things to bring up in my next therapy appointment.) And Wyn was great. Although we saw him through Harriet’s eyes, I still feel like we got a really good idea of how he saw himself.

Aside from the characters, the romance was spot on. The chemistry was there in both timelines and I was rooting for Harriet and Wyn from page one.

I also really loved that we got to see a few of the places that were important in Harriet’s life, while still feeling rooted in now timeline.

Emily Henry is my favorite romance author, so it’s no surprise that I loved this, but I am surprised to have a new favorite Emily Henry book. I’m going to be re-reading this over and over until I have the next one in my hands.

Content warnings: Break ups, divorce, anxiety, depression, death of a parent, illness (Parkinsons,) sexual assault, pregnancy, drug/alcohol use.

It is difficult to articulate how great this second chance/fake dating romance actually is - it left me pining for a Wyn of my very own. I consumed the whole book in a single sitting and Emily Henry has now officially moved into my 'automatic/read everything of hers Author list'. Along with the compelling romance which really does pull on the heartstrings, the story deals with familial expectations and growing apart.

There is nothing I did not love about this book - At the moment, thinking about this story is my Happy Place - I
highly recommended you pick up a copy when it is out on April 25th 2023.

With so many people dying for a copy of this book, I really do feel like the chosen one - I feel so incredibly lucky to have an early copy of the book - so a massive thanks to NetGallery and Penguin Random House UK for the widget .

Not me sobbing at midnight because this book was so good!

I loved the friend group, and while they were all idiots, they were lovable, relatable idiots. I also really liked the discussion of the more serious topic of growing apart and how to be happy.

This might be the Emily Henry book that hit me the hardest and the one I could relate to the most.

5/5 glorious stars for this amazing novel. I might have to re-read it before it releases in April.

It was the best and most needed surprise when the team at Penguin send me the download link to this book out of nowhere! So THANK YOU Penguin for sending me this!

Thank you to Viking for my earc of this HIGHLY anticipated book!
In the least surprising turn of events ever, Emily Henry has written another absolute banger of a book that I devoured in less than a day.
I loved the plot, I thought that the characters were brilliant and realistic, I loved their dynamic!
I think the romance element is so romantic, yet realistic and messy and wonderful.
The way Henry writes love and friendship and family is somehow both gritty and real and imperfect and also shows all the best bits without trivialising all the very real things real people have to deal with.

I loved this book, I only wish I had taken my time with it because I’m bereft now it’s gone.