Book Review: Happy Place by Emily Henry

Title: Happy Place
Author: Emily Henry
Genre: Contemporary romance
Publisher: Berkley Romance
Publication Date: 2023
Format: Paperback
Length: 385 pages

Read if you like: second-chance romance, miscommunications, forced proximity, ride or die friendships, college sweethearts, summer setting  

Rating:

I haven’t read everything by Emily Henry, but what I have read I’ve loved, which is why when Happy Place came out last year I was a little surprised to see it met with a fairly lukewarm reception. Don’t get me wrong, I did see a lot of positive reviews, but most seemed to indicate that Happy Place had a different vibe from other Henry novels, and I’ll admit, that made me pause enough that I put off reading it—until now. 

I often find the bookstagram community steers me in the right direction, but on this one, they were dead wrong. As soon as I started reading Happy Place, I knew almost instantly that it was my favourite Henry novel to date, and I’ve regretted not starting it sooner since I finished.

This novel is different from the other Henry novels I’ve read, namely because it made me feel things about 10 times more intensely than any of her other works. I felt like I was on an emotional rollercoaster through much of this book, spiralling through Harriett and Wyn’s relationship at the same speed that they were while simultaneously feeling my heart crack under the memories it evoked from my own experiences. It was a real ride, one where I rotated between laughing, sobbing, and kicking my feet at different intervals.

I loved everything about Happy Place. To me, it felt like Henry’s strongest book yet (though admittedly I’ve yet to read Beach Read, so perhaps my ranking will change). This is a story likely to stick with me for a long time, and I already wish I could go back and read it for the first time again.

The Book Synopsis: Happy Place by Emily Henry

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 six months ago. And still haven’t told their best friends.

Which is how they find themselves sharing the largest 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, blue 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. It’s a flawless plan (if you look at it from a great distance and through a pair of sunscreen-smeared sunglasses). After years of being in love, how hard can it be to fake it for one week… in front of those who know you best?

The Review

I’m still feeling so many emotions from this book, and I’m still so in love with it.

Let me start by saying that in my personal opinion, Emily Henry is the reigning queen of contemporary romance. I am eternally impressed at the way that she can deliver on traditional tropes in new and fresh ways that, even with the well-known archetypes of the romance genre, feel unique and surprising and always enjoyable. I loved the execution of the second-chance romance in this book, which felt achingly authentic and heartbreaking in all the ways that it should have. I also typically despise a miscommunication trope, but somehow Henry delivered a plot that contained a lot of it while just feeling like the natural evolution of the plot. Her writing and storytelling are so strong that she pulls a whole range of emotions out of you and breathes new life into familiar storylines. 

I loved the premise of a group of best friends, intertwined through both experience and history, terrified that the evolution of life will change their relationships with each other. Getting older is difficult at times because these types of changes are largely inevitable; people grow and evolve, what they want or need changes, and particularly when you aren’t with each other day-to-day, that results in changes to your dynamics too. While the picturesque backdrop and sometimes larger-than-life characters felt a little bigger than your normal adult friend group, the feelings and experiences of each character were familiar and relatable all the same. The relationships that the characters all had with each other I found to be almost as impactful as the romance itself. 

Speaking of the romance, Harriet and Wyn just completely stole my heart. I loved that Harriet came in all fire and fury and pent-up frustration because honestly, the situation called for it. I think any rational human being would react the way that she had, with the information she was given and the lack of closure she received. It’s a familiar feeling of heartbreak, to just not know where and when things started to go wrong, and it’s made infinitely worse when Wyn seems to be all the happier for it. As the story slowly unfolds and they begin to discover each other’s perspectives more, the heartbreak only intensifies as the signs become clearer and they realize how badly they’ve each misdirected their actions and their feelings. There are moments of respite, but largely you come to a mutual understanding at the same time as the characters: how do you even find your way to each other from here?

I loved everything about this book. Henry explored such a wide range of emotional experiences, and I was never quite sure that anyone was going to get the happy ending that a romance promises because she so eloquently articulated just how messy and difficult growing up and growing together in a relationship is. People change over time, and that’s a complicated thing to navigate simultaneously with someone else. I loved that she somehow managed to weave these complexities together, while also creating this out-of-this-world gorgeous setting and group of loud, loveable characters. 

This one goes down as my favourite Emily Henry book yet. I can’t recommend it enough, so long as you’re willing to endure a full spectrum of emotions while you go.