leontyna's review against another edition
slow-paced
2.0
I was intrigued by the premise but the characters were insufferable, just immature drama queens who suffer in silence needlessly because they can't speak up. I think it's time for me to abandon this author, nothing she wrote appealed to me, so I think it's unlikely this will change.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death
skyegbooks's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I found the majority of this book so unbearably happy. Nothing much happened nor changed until the very last section of the book. This is at heart a tale of great friendship. I think the writer portraid grief in an informative and overall accurate way.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Terminal illness, and Grief
Minor: Mental illness and Death
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
haley49's review against another edition
emotional
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
4.75
This was so good!! I have been converted to an Emily Henry fan. This wasn’t explicitly a romance novel but a relationship novel. Everything felt so real and intricate. Emily Henry is so good at making her characters have real likes and quirks that they actively know about each other in a way that doesn’t feel overly forced. They just exist??? The friend group was so well done and no one felt annoying or caricatured. Their relationship struggles were so relatable and I cried multiple times. Such a great read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Sexual content, Alcohol, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Drug use
Minor: Infidelity and Sexual assault
readingwithbritney's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Grief, and Death
Minor: Alcohol, Cursing, Drug use, and Pregnancy
sophieamreacher's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
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
4.0
For a book called Happy Place it certainly made me feel very sad for most of it. I’m not usually a fan of second chance romance but these characters seemed fated to be together. Although I wished everyone would just talk to each other.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content and Sexual content
Moderate: Chronic illness, Alcohol, Drug use, Abandonment, Mental illness, Grief, Death, and Death of parent
Minor: Vomit and Pregnancy
lucyrudd's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness, Death of parent, Death, Grief, Alcohol, Medical content, Pregnancy, Terminal illness, and Toxic friendship
hancaavdic's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
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? No
4.0
Everything about this one is so beautifully written and well thought of. But to keep it short, all I’m going to say is this:
Plot: it’s there. We have a plot. Very straight to the point, well thought about and planned through.
Setting: I love the summer coastal vibes honestly. I was living through them all vicariously. Very fitting for the story and the characters. And I also love that the reader can experience each location through different stages of Harriet’s life. From San Fran to NYC, to Maine to Indiana and Montana… each one is unique and detailed just enough to differentiate from the last and next.
Characterization: Uhm, probably my FAVORITE. Main characters are to die for, but also the entire group of friends—oh my god. They all have a backstory, so we see who they are outside the group, why and how the way they are, etc.. They have depth!!! And how they all communicate with one another isn’t cheesy, and it’s realistic. Main characters Harriet and Wyn have development; you can see them grow and change through life's constant ups and downs.
Themes: romance, found family 🥺🫶🏻, self love and discovery, healing, growth, the meaning of home…
Tropes: second chance, miscommunication (which was honestly the only thing that bothered me; it felt reallllly drawn out and was annoying, but with any other romance book with the same trope, that’s what you get lol…) one shared bed, childhood/teen love, first love.
Also, this reminded me way too much of Love & Other Words. Like, almost exactly the same… this, along with the miscommunication trope I’m not a fan of, is why I gave it 4 stars.
Plot: it’s there. We have a plot. Very straight to the point, well thought about and planned through.
Setting: I love the summer coastal vibes honestly. I was living through them all vicariously. Very fitting for the story and the characters. And I also love that the reader can experience each location through different stages of Harriet’s life. From San Fran to NYC, to Maine to Indiana and Montana… each one is unique and detailed just enough to differentiate from the last and next.
Characterization: Uhm, probably my FAVORITE. Main characters are to die for, but also the entire group of friends—oh my god. They all have a backstory, so we see who they are outside the group, why and how the way they are, etc.. They have depth!!! And how they all communicate with one another isn’t cheesy, and it’s realistic. Main characters Harriet and Wyn have development; you can see them grow and change through life's constant ups and downs.
Themes: romance, found family 🥺🫶🏻, self love and discovery, healing, growth, the meaning of home…
Tropes: second chance, miscommunication (which was honestly the only thing that bothered me; it felt reallllly drawn out and was annoying, but with any other romance book with the same trope, that’s what you get lol…) one shared bed, childhood/teen love, first love.
Also, this reminded me way too much of Love & Other Words. Like, almost exactly the same… this, along with the miscommunication trope I’m not a fan of, is why I gave it 4 stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Death, and Death of parent
Minor: Pregnancy
meganalovejoy's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Death, and Pregnancy
Minor: Blood and Mental illness
not_asha01's review against another edition
emotional
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug use, Alcohol, Sexual content, Death of parent, Grief, Death, and Mental illness
Minor: Pregnancy