isacarvalho91's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Grief, Drug use, Bullying, Chronic illness, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Death of parent
bringmybooks's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
you’re either gonna love it or hate it and idk what to tell you
B̷R̷I̷N̷G̷ ✨ 𝗕𝗢𝗥𝗥𝗢𝗪 ✨ B̷Y̷P̷A̷S̷S̷
I honestly & truly don’t think this book is going to be for everyone, and I honestly & truly don’t think all of Emily Henry is for everyone (4 starred her first two, lukewarm on them in retrospect, DNFed Book Lovers, don’t @ me). All of that being said, I honestly & truly loved this book.
(Also, did I finally break down and decide to read this because the MC loves Murder She Wrote? no comment)
There are some books that I think have universal appeal, and others that hit harder because of the life you’ve lived and the experiences you’ve had, and I think that was a huge part of why this hit so well for me. I can totally understand why people would look at this and go “miscommunication trope at it’s finest, yawn” but (as someone who’s not typically a fan of this trope) I felt this was a super realistic portrayal of trying to figure out who you are and what you want as you grow older, especially as you try to do it in a relationship with someone you love who is growing up alongside you.
One of my gripes with some of EH’s work is that it’s too … quippy. Nobody can be “on” 24/7, zinging barbs back and forth with whomever they come across from the moment they open their eyes until the moment they go to bed. Sometimes even the quippiest person just calls their partner and says, “Hey, do we need milk?” without there being a joke attached to it, you know?
That being said, I felt that that the characters in this book were way more realistic, and I actually believed in them, which made it a lot easier to stay invested in the story & in their relationships. It’s got so much heart in the way that growing up in a friend group is described, especially as we start to want different things that don’t align with how our friends or partners are growing up.
tl;dr this one brought me back to EH and I’ll be giving her next one a read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Cursing, Alcohol, Death of parent, Mental illness, Drug abuse, and Pregnancy
Minor: Toxic relationship, Infidelity, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, Vomit, Sexual harassment, Dementia, Chronic illness, and Drug use
hannalizzy's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
this was really cute! pretty repetitive internal dialogue was my main problem. The couple’s main dilemma was mainly miscommunication, which is also a trope I hate, so it was hard to not get super angry at them and to know that if everyone would have just sat down and talked the whole thing could have been avoided. I liked the narrator though, and the ending was sweet, lots of chemistry between the two of them. I would recommend, but I don’t think it’s Emily Henry’s best
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Death of parent, Death, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, and Drug use
taliabasma's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I’m unsure how to rate this book. Did it make me *feel*? Yes absolutely. Did it frustrate me to no end? 100%!
As someone in a LDR I think I emotionally connected with the struggles of that experience and ached at the thought of my partner being in the same position as Wyn brought me to actual tears. I think my issue is the lack of communication was painstakingly horrendous and slow and I wanted to yell at both Wyn and Harriet for their silent aching rather than just SAYING what they are thinking fully. Their half statements were infuriating especially when it was happening for the whole of the story.
Henry’s novels read more like literary fiction, I know this and I respect the heck out of it which is why I always read her books but there’s something about them that can leave me unsatisfied unfortunately. I think for this one the main character, though repressed by family trauma, I could deal with her constant lack of communication.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness, Death of parent, and Grief
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders
infjkiki's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Sexual content, Mental illness, Alcohol, and Death of parent
Moderate: Pregnancy, Drug use, and Chronic illness
Minor: Vomit, Panic attacks/disorders, and Medical content
juliamakena's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Death of parent
Minor: Pregnancy, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders
madelinedalton's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Man, nobody does romance like Emily Henry. Whenever I read books by other romance authors, I can see the standard romance novel plot structure in the pages, and it pulls me out of the story. But with Henry’s books, I just know the characters will end up together in the end, but everything else is unknown. She always takes you along for the ride in ways that feel organic to the characters she has created, and this book is no exception!
I’m tired of romance tropes. Emily Henry doesn’t shy away from using them—she integrates them into her novels with a bit of a twist, and it always feels really authentic to the story. This book is no exception. Harriet and Wyn really earned their second-chance romance. The latter third of the book was full of really powerful, adult conversations, both between the central couple and all their friends.
I slightly prefer Book Lovers just because I felt *so* seen by Nora, but this book is just as well-crafted!
I’m tired of romance tropes. Emily Henry doesn’t shy away from using them—she integrates them into her novels with a bit of a twist, and it always feels really authentic to the story. This book is no exception. Harriet and Wyn really earned their second-chance romance. The latter third of the book was full of really powerful, adult conversations, both between the central couple and all their friends.
I slightly prefer Book Lovers just because I felt *so* seen by Nora, but this book is just as well-crafted!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Mental illness, Alcohol, Drug use, and Death of parent
Minor: Sexual assault and Panic attacks/disorders
kelly_e's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Title: Happy Place
Author: Emily Henry
Genre: Romance
Rating: 3.00
Pub Date: April 25, 2023
T H R E E • W O R D S
Summery • Heartfelt • Lackluster
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Harriet and Wyn have been the perfect couple since they met in college — they go together like salt and pepper, honey and tea, lobster and rolls. Except, now — for reasons they’re still not discussing — they don’t.
They broke up five months ago. And still haven’t told their best friends.
Which is how they find themselves sharing a bedroom at the Maine cottage that has been their friend group’s yearly getaway for the last decade. Their annual respite from the world, where for one vibrant, blissful week they leave behind their daily lives; have copious amounts of cheese, wine, and seafood; and soak up the salty coastal air with the people who understand them most.
Only this year, Harriet and Wyn are lying through their teeth while trying not to notice how desperately they still want each other. Because the cottage is for sale and this is the last week they’ll all have together in this place. They can’t stand to break their friends’ hearts, and so they’ll play their parts. Harriet will be the driven surgical resident who never starts a fight, and Wyn will be the laid-back charmer who never lets the cracks show.
💭 T H O U G H T S
Well, well, well it looks like I am in the minority... yet again when it comes to an Emily Henry book. After finishing this one I actually sat and contemplated why I just don't love her books like everyone else seems to. Happy Place to me was just okay, nothing absolutely amazing.
I will start out by repeating myself, that Emily writes banter unlike anyone else. And she also does supporting characters very well. I loved the friendship aspect and the idea of an annual friends getaway. But that also left me wanting more of supporting characters' stories (which I kind got in the third act conflict). Another thing this book did incredibly well? Make me want to visit coastal Maine. The descriptions - sights, smells, food, beauty - all of it made me want to road trip.
And yet, I just didn't buy what Harriet and Wyn were selling. The romance didn't seem believable. In the beginning I preferred the past timeline way more than the present day, and halfway in that switched. It's quite possible my expectations are always way to high going in, but it felt forgettable.
After reading all of Emily Henry's adult romance novels and not fully understanding the hype, I think I am finally convinced her stories are just not for me. And yet, here I am already having added her 2024 release to my TBR, so the marketing team is definitely doing something right. Don't let my experience deter you from picking this up, because this book has certainly garnered its fair share of love.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• fans of the second chance romance trope
• Emily Henry die hards
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Everything is changing. It has to. You can't stop time."
"Like even when something beautiful breaks, the making of it still matters."
Author: Emily Henry
Genre: Romance
Rating: 3.00
Pub Date: April 25, 2023
T H R E E • W O R D S
Summery • Heartfelt • Lackluster
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Harriet and Wyn have been the perfect couple since they met in college — they go together like salt and pepper, honey and tea, lobster and rolls. Except, now — for reasons they’re still not discussing — they don’t.
They broke up five months ago. And still haven’t told their best friends.
Which is how they find themselves sharing a bedroom at the Maine cottage that has been their friend group’s yearly getaway for the last decade. Their annual respite from the world, where for one vibrant, blissful week they leave behind their daily lives; have copious amounts of cheese, wine, and seafood; and soak up the salty coastal air with the people who understand them most.
Only this year, Harriet and Wyn are lying through their teeth while trying not to notice how desperately they still want each other. Because the cottage is for sale and this is the last week they’ll all have together in this place. They can’t stand to break their friends’ hearts, and so they’ll play their parts. Harriet will be the driven surgical resident who never starts a fight, and Wyn will be the laid-back charmer who never lets the cracks show.
💭 T H O U G H T S
Well, well, well it looks like I am in the minority... yet again when it comes to an Emily Henry book. After finishing this one I actually sat and contemplated why I just don't love her books like everyone else seems to. Happy Place to me was just okay, nothing absolutely amazing.
I will start out by repeating myself, that Emily writes banter unlike anyone else. And she also does supporting characters very well. I loved the friendship aspect and the idea of an annual friends getaway. But that also left me wanting more of supporting characters' stories (which I kind got in the third act conflict). Another thing this book did incredibly well? Make me want to visit coastal Maine. The descriptions - sights, smells, food, beauty - all of it made me want to road trip.
And yet, I just didn't buy what Harriet and Wyn were selling. The romance didn't seem believable. In the beginning I preferred the past timeline way more than the present day, and halfway in that switched. It's quite possible my expectations are always way to high going in, but it felt forgettable.
After reading all of Emily Henry's adult romance novels and not fully understanding the hype, I think I am finally convinced her stories are just not for me. And yet, here I am already having added her 2024 release to my TBR, so the marketing team is definitely doing something right. Don't let my experience deter you from picking this up, because this book has certainly garnered its fair share of love.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• fans of the second chance romance trope
• Emily Henry die hards
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Everything is changing. It has to. You can't stop time."
"Like even when something beautiful breaks, the making of it still matters."
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness, Sexual content, Abandonment, Alcohol, Cursing, Chronic illness, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, and Pregnancy
Minor: Vomit, Toxic relationship, Drug use, Grief, Infidelity, Death, and Death of parent
marioosa517's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Alcohol, Drug use, Death of parent, and Sexual content
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders and Confinement
Minor: Vomit
themagpiereads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Emily Henry does it again. This soared to the top of my list of favorites!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Alcohol, Drug use, and Grief
Moderate: Terminal illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Sexual content, and Toxic friendship