Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - Happy Place

This is the second Emily Henry book that I’ve read and I think I went into this one with too high of expectations because it didn’t knock my socks off. I personally found this book to be pretty boring. I felt like the plot didn’t really pick up until towards the end. Also the entire book is essentially based around a miscommunication which I didn’t love.

There’s also two different timelines in this book where we get insight into Harriet and Wyn’s history (the two main characters) which I did like, and then the present day timeline. I feel like the plot of this book had so much potential but the way it was executed was not great. We also never really find out why Harriet and Wyn broke up other than they broke up over a four minute phone call.

I swear Harriett had one personality trait and that was being heartbroken. Wyn didn’t have much depth either until his character growth towards the end of the book. Now the friends in this book I thought had way more depth to them than the two main characters. I also would’ve liked more tension or deeper moments between Harriet and Wyn with the “will they, won’t they,” as all their interactions were bleak and all the same.

Personally I didn’t find this book to be super memorable other than maybe a few good quotes. The ending was fine I guess but was meh about 60-80% of the book. I was hoping that I would’ve like it more than I did.

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underscoresyd's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted 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

4.25

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kelsey_mary's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted fast-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

4.5

My favorite Emily Henry book so far. I found the FMC had much more depth, there is non-linear timelines that reveal information just when we need it, and there is a large loveable cast of characters that are all real and flawed that add so much depth to this story.

Harriet is our FMC and is part of a strong friend group of 6, 3 couples, including her own failed engagement, which her and her ex are hiding from the group to avoid conflict and ruining the surprise wedding of one of the couples. It starts with a season 2 TSITP problem - rich daddy is selling the lakehouse. It is everyone's last summer at their favorite happy place so they are making the most of it.

While there was a lack of/miscommunication between the FMC and MMC, I feel the reasons behind them holding back were very real and believable and I empathized with them. The friends also had mini conflicts that were believable. I think this book did a great job of depicting how post grad life is, and how the friends you make in college do last forever, regardless of how you continue to grow. The key experiences of the friend group is what formed such a strong foundation to allow them to stand the test of time. Overall a heartwarming story with a beautiful setting. Perfect for summer and glad I got it in at the tail end of summer this year

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cielosiluminado's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted 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

“No,” he says quietly. “In every universe, it's you for me. Even if it's not me for you.”

despite this being a second chance romance centered around miscommunication, i actually loved this??

the entire time i was rooting for wyn and harriet. they were so endearing and i wanted to protect them at all costs. their banter and sarcasm was so entertaining and had me giggling nonstop. very early on you could feel the connection between them and you could see how they were made for each other. soulmates.

throughout the entire book, you could see how much they ached and yearned for each other despite being incredibly different but similar in so many ways? it was beautiful to read. i really loved how they didn’t rush back into being together and instead focused on their own self-growth and healing. and in the end, i loved how we saw them go through their own separate self-discovery journeys and then finding their way back to each other. it was so impactful, and i really liked how none of their journeys was downplayed by the other and was encouraged and supported.

this isn’t only a romance book, it’s also about friendships, found families, and aging. despite the friendships in this book being so strong in the beginning, it demonstrated how friendships evolve over time as once you’re an adult, friendships can become so difficult to maintain as everyone is in different stages in their life and have different priorities, time restrictions, etc. seeing this (once) tight-knit and dysfunctional group navigate through adulthood made me crave for friendships like it. a conclusion i have drawn from it is that friendships can also be platonic love stories. and those might be some of the most beautiful relationships one can have in their life.

despite how much i loved the book overall, the ending was honestly rushed and sort of out of character? i understand how big and impactful harriet’s self-discovery journey was supposed to be but the decision she made shocked me because it felt unrealistic, especially in this economy. in a perfect wold where one doesn’t have hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt, the ending would’ve been perfect. but for me, it was just an unrealistic, silly, rom-com HEA.

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yush's review against another edition

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5.0

This is gorgeous life story wrapped up as a romance novel. It really filled my heart to see Harriet navigate friendships and family and love.
This book made me cry and laugh and reflect and I couldn’t be happier for it!

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ktdaugherty's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful 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

5.0

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megcorban's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful lighthearted relaxing fast-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

The fake dating trope does it again! I absolutely loved this book. The first half was cute and I thought it would be a fun, lighthearted read. Once I got to the second half, it started to destroy me emotionally in the best way. I just wish each of the side characters were more dimensional. The friend group was too big to get to know each of the characters enough, especially since the book was so focused on Harriett and Wyn.

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