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A review by banaamelia
Happy Place by Emily Henry
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
It has taken me so long to pick up this book even though I’ve had it since it’s release. The main reason is because she had only released it on hardback… why Emily Henry??? Why are they all getting released as hardbacks first??? I hate them and it doesn’t match the others :@ The second reason was because of the amount of reviews that were warding me off from reading it.
Now having read it and loved it, I have some theories on why that was. I may be wrong but I’m assuming that these reviews come from readers who are younger than the characters in the book. I’m definitely making a generalisation but they most likely haven’t gone through the feeling of desperately clinging to friendships that have grown one-sided; they haven’t felt like they have been pushed from the people they love’s lives, and choose to stay silent until you can’t anymore and end up ruining relationships. Or as though you’re falling behind in life because you’ve spent so much of it rising to other people’s expectations of you and let it pass you by.
The beauty of a second chance trope is getting to live vicariously through the characters who get the chance to fix their mistakes and get it right this time around. It may take getting to a certain age to love that trope.
I have learnt my lesson about reading reviews before reading a book though because on what planet would I not love an Emily Henry book? Emily has a way of making her books feel like I have always known them. Her books always have had a Nora Ephron feel to them, so I always feel nostalgic reading an Emily Henry book. And they always become my favourite read of the year.
I loved Harriet and Wyn, individually and together. How they met was just a perfect moment, and Harriet’s effortless charm and their instant banter was so sweet to read. At the beginning of the book, I was wary of Wyn and actually worried that I wouldn’t like him, until I got to how they met. Then it all made sense. I even ended up literally crying my eyes out at one point. Their nightly conversations whispered in the dark when they first met to trying to fight feelings for years until they finally acknowledged it made their relationship so much sweeter to me.
I loved the found family friendship group but especially Sabrina. It baffled me how others didn’t like her but I understood her. Her fear of being abandoned by her friends who she loved and felt she belonged to. Her love of each of them and knowing them wholly because of that love. How fiercely Parth loved her and protected her and fought her corner was refreshing.
My only gripe with the book was the ending. If all it took was one or two texts from her sister to explain her lifelong feelings and one trip from her mom to explain HER lifelong feelings, don’t you think you guys could have done this years before she took out a bunch of loans that you guys cosigned?? The hug and the I love you from her mom came too easily, like girl that’s it??? But that didn’t take away from the beauty of this book.
I love you Emily Henry.
Now having read it and loved it, I have some theories on why that was. I may be wrong but I’m assuming that these reviews come from readers who are younger than the characters in the book. I’m definitely making a generalisation but they most likely haven’t gone through the feeling of desperately clinging to friendships that have grown one-sided; they haven’t felt like they have been pushed from the people they love’s lives, and choose to stay silent until you can’t anymore and end up ruining relationships. Or as though you’re falling behind in life because you’ve spent so much of it rising to other people’s expectations of you and let it pass you by.
The beauty of a second chance trope is getting to live vicariously through the characters who get the chance to fix their mistakes and get it right this time around. It may take getting to a certain age to love that trope.
I have learnt my lesson about reading reviews before reading a book though because on what planet would I not love an Emily Henry book? Emily has a way of making her books feel like I have always known them. Her books always have had a Nora Ephron feel to them, so I always feel nostalgic reading an Emily Henry book. And they always become my favourite read of the year.
I loved Harriet and Wyn, individually and together. How they met was just a perfect moment, and Harriet’s effortless charm and their instant banter was so sweet to read. At the beginning of the book, I was wary of Wyn and actually worried that I wouldn’t like him, until I got to how they met. Then it all made sense. I even ended up literally crying my eyes out at one point. Their nightly conversations whispered in the dark when they first met to trying to fight feelings for years until they finally acknowledged it made their relationship so much sweeter to me.
I loved the found family friendship group but especially Sabrina. It baffled me how others didn’t like her but I understood her. Her fear of being abandoned by her friends who she loved and felt she belonged to. Her love of each of them and knowing them wholly because of that love. How fiercely Parth loved her and protected her and fought her corner was refreshing.
My only gripe with the book was the ending. If all it took was one or two texts from her sister to explain her lifelong feelings and one trip from her mom to explain HER lifelong feelings, don’t you think you guys could have done this years before she took out a bunch of loans that you guys cosigned?? The hug and the I love you from her mom came too easily, like girl that’s it??? But that didn’t take away from the beauty of this book.
I love you Emily Henry.