Happy Place ♡ I screamed with excitement when I got an email from @penguinbooks about an earc of this book! It absolutely lived up to my high expectations, I read it in a day and it made me cry so many happy/sad tears. @emilyhenrywrites is so talented, this book felt different to her others and it is my favourite 😍 5/5 stars, I can not wait to buy a paperback in April next year so that I can highlight.

Emily Henry did it once again.

Happy Place has some of the most believable, authentic characters I’ve ever come across in a romance novel, and it is this quality that makes Henry’s writing so compelling. Yet again she has managed to write a romance that feels fresh and inventive, with characters you won’t forget any time soon.

This novel felt a little bit deeper than her other novels, in the way that it truly delves into the lives of each character. I loved how multilayered the plot was; dealing not only with the main character, Harriet, but also with her best friends and their respective lives. But the thing I appreciated the most, was Henry’s take on the second-chance romance trope. It worked perfectly in this novel, primarily in how it showed that a happy ending is not as easy as you might think. Normal people have their own issues, and their own lives to take care of, and that can make us hurt the people we love. Henry depicted this beautifully, and I really enjoyed reading a romance novel that wasn’t just rainbows and sunshine.

In all honesty, I am already in desperate need of another novel of hers.

Boy was I excited to be able to dive into another of Emily Henry's books, and I wasn't disappointed. In fact, I sat here this rainy Sunday and finished the whole book!
The story is about a group of friends about to hit an end note on an important part of their friendship, namely a specific place they all go to every year, which won't be available to them much longer.
But it centres around one couple, in particular, Harriet and Wyn. From the off, there was an unwritten rule that you didn't date your friends, or things would go weird if it ever finished.
They were the first couple of the group to break that rule, and now, they are desperately trying to hide the fact that it didn't work out, so everyone else can have a good time together.
The whole group of friends were an excellent bunch, and the way Henry has woven in the intricacies of long-standing friendships as well as a second-chance romance, is just brilliant.
Oh, and I want to go to a Lobster Festival, too, now. (And I don't ven eat seafood!)
Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin General UK - Fig Tree, Hamish Hamilton, Viking, Penguin Life and Penguin Business for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5/5 stars.

Emily Henry has the gift of writing characters who set such high unrealistic standards while also simultaneously portraying the core of human relationships in such an extremely realistic way.

So for now, let’s just say that after reading this I feel like I came out of a therapy session as a changed person.



(PS: seriously though I still can’t get over how hard I got slapped in the face about how hard adult friendships (and relationships) are by a rom-com.. and I loved it)

As a giant Book Lovers fan, I was so excited to be given the opportunity to read Happy Place and Emily Henry did not disappoint!

I now fully love this friendship group and see myself in each of the characters, learning about love, loss and growing up all in one. Harriet and Wyn are so perfectly perfect together and each of their journeys towards finding happiness both admirable and inspiring.

A giant thank you to Emily Henry for this one!

I might be a little biased because Emily Henry is my favorite author and I usually automatically love her books from the moment I start reading them. And it was no different this time. From the start, she has proven that her writing style is just amazing and beautiful, her storyline innovative and characters well built. The banter she writes never disappoints and it was again funny and witty.
At first, when it was hinted, that there was a miscommunication between Wyn and Harriet (about their breakup), I was a little skeptical, because this usually doesn’t turn out good or is executed poorly. But Emily Henry has done the opposite. It made me cry, when I was reading about their breakup and in what dark places they both were. This made the characters seem like real people with struggles. I actually related to both Wyn and Harriet – the fear of being loved and then the person leaving all of a sudden and being heartbroken, but also pleasing parents and making everything right between friends.
The friendship between Harriet, Cleo and Sabrina was imperfect in the present time, but it was beautiful. I think everyone wants this kind of friendship, that feels like family. They fight, they are different and might grow apart with years, but will always love each other nonetheless.
This book taught me so much about friendships, relationships and love and mostly putting your happiness first. It was like a warm hug, and even though I was sobbing during the last third of the book, it kind of soothed me at the same time.
I remember Emily Henry asking us to be gentle with her people pleasing, Mirrorball girl Harriet: I was. I adore her. And I also adored the scared, but wonderful Wyn.

(Also, the mention of January and Gus? I lost it.)

I really enjoyed Happy Place, which I received early for review on Netgalley. There was something nostalgic about the atmosphere, and though it was melancholic in tone it was also hopeful. I really liked how this focussed on a friendship group who were struggling to keep themselves together even though they were growing up and growing apart. The balance between the then/now storylines was really well done; I didn't feel like I was taken out of the story during the timeline shifts. I liked that we got to know all the characters fairly well, despite it only being told in the first person. This book felt different to other Emily Henry's due to the larger cast but I really enjoyed it.
I found the characters/ struggles really relatable; I think this book will stick with me for a long time - I'm keen to buy it when it comes out in April 2023!

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.