A review by lovelymisanthrope
Happy Place by Emily Henry
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
tense
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
I have been an avid reader of Emily Henry's romance novels for years now, and I knew I had to pick this one up as soon as it came out.
"Happy Place" follows two young people, Harriet and Wyn. They were always seen as the perfect couple and have been engaged for years. The only problem is they actually broke up six months ago, and they have yet to tell their friends. They decide that they will keep up the charade for one final summer trip with their friends before they break the news. But pretending to still be together proves to be more challenging when their friends are constantly pushing them together.
I LOVED this book! It does the second chance romance exceptionally well and even executes a fake dating scenario that I enjoyed. The novel flips back and forth from the past and present, and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing how Harriet and Wyn came together as they are trying to repair their relationship in the present. I will say that their relationship demise is rooted in both of their failures in communication, which I am not typically a fan of. Neither one shared what they were really thinking, they kept it bottled inside, and then assumed what the other thought. I do not enjoy the miscommunication trope, but I was very satisfied with the resolution to this.
Harriet is a very relatable character without being a "pick me" girl. She has worked her whole life to try and please her parents, and this has cost her her own happiness. She also cares so much for her friends that she has kept this massive secret from them because she does not want them to be disappointed that her and Wyn have called it quits. She is stressed, over worked, and has the biggest heart.
Wyn is such an amazing guy. He is flawed and does not have the confidence in himself that Harriet has in him, and this makes the reader fall in love with him. He wants so badly to be good enough.
Harriet and Wyn and so perfectly matched. They really complement one another, and they are exactly what the other needs. They bring out the best in each other without pushing each other too much. I was rooting for them from page one.
This is definitely a new favorite for me, it does not replace my enthrallment of "Beach Read", but this is a very close second! I cannot wait to see what Emily Henry writes next.
"Happy Place" follows two young people, Harriet and Wyn. They were always seen as the perfect couple and have been engaged for years. The only problem is they actually broke up six months ago, and they have yet to tell their friends. They decide that they will keep up the charade for one final summer trip with their friends before they break the news. But pretending to still be together proves to be more challenging when their friends are constantly pushing them together.
I LOVED this book! It does the second chance romance exceptionally well and even executes a fake dating scenario that I enjoyed. The novel flips back and forth from the past and present, and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing how Harriet and Wyn came together as they are trying to repair their relationship in the present. I will say that their relationship demise is rooted in both of their failures in communication, which I am not typically a fan of. Neither one shared what they were really thinking, they kept it bottled inside, and then assumed what the other thought. I do not enjoy the miscommunication trope, but I was very satisfied with the resolution to this.
Harriet is a very relatable character without being a "pick me" girl. She has worked her whole life to try and please her parents, and this has cost her her own happiness. She also cares so much for her friends that she has kept this massive secret from them because she does not want them to be disappointed that her and Wyn have called it quits. She is stressed, over worked, and has the biggest heart.
Wyn is such an amazing guy. He is flawed and does not have the confidence in himself that Harriet has in him, and this makes the reader fall in love with him. He wants so badly to be good enough.
Harriet and Wyn and so perfectly matched. They really complement one another, and they are exactly what the other needs. They bring out the best in each other without pushing each other too much. I was rooting for them from page one.
This is definitely a new favorite for me, it does not replace my enthrallment of "Beach Read", but this is a very close second! I cannot wait to see what Emily Henry writes next.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Toxic relationship
Minor: Death of parent