Happy Place by Emily Henry was released in 2023 and was one of my most anticipated reads of the year so far.
Emily Henry is one of my favourite contemporary romance authors. Her books are always full of wit and charm and yet still remain emotional and authentic stories.
I was therefore so excited when Emily Henry published her latest book. It was a Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller and promised to be another brilliant read.
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Plot
Harriet and Wyn have been an inseparable duo since their college days. Madly in love and engaged, they are relationship inspiration for their group of best friends.
However, they have recently split up and are living in different states, a secret they have kept from their closest friends.
Every year, they join their friend group for their annual weeklong vacation at a Maine cottage, where they indulge in seafood, wine, cheese, and the refreshing coastal breeze. This vacation is their one-week sanctuary away from their hectic lives.
However this year, the group discover that the cottage is up for sale, and it will be their last chance to enjoy this idyllic retreat. Harriet and Wyn still harbour intense feelings for each other, but they refuse to reveal their emotions as they do not want to ruin the holiday for their friends. Instead, they will act out their respective roles as if nothing has changed.
Harriet will be the driven surgical resident who avoids confrontations, and Wyn will be the charismatic and carefree charmer who hides his vulnerability. As they have been in love for years, they believe that faking it for one week in front of their closest confidants is an easy feat. But can they maintain the façade while struggling to resist their undeniable chemistry?
Happy Place Book Review
What a gorgeous book. I really enjoyed it despite it having a different feel to Emily Henry’s other novels.
It wasn’t as funny as Book Lovers and didn’t have the same wit or banter as her other books. There were elements of subtle humour but this was a much more emotional read. I felt the author created a great balance of light-hearted moments with the more poignant ones.
In some ways Happy Place reminded of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s earlier novels in the way the authors both explore relationships and love. This is definitely a compliment as TJR is one of my favourite authors!
I loved Happy Place in a completely different way to how I loved her other books. As always, I loved the characters and the interactions between them. I always love how Emily Henry writes dialogue.
However, I wouldn’t necessarily class Happy Place as a romcom. There was rom, but not much com! With the enemies-to-lovers trope in Book Lovers, there was a lot more banter and sexual chemistry. This is a second chance romance story, so there’s history and hurt involved for the characters so it obviously had a different vibe.
I really liked Wynn and Harriet both individually and as a couple. They had their flaws and their issues felt authentic and relatable.
What I really loved about this story was that it wasn’t just about romantic love. It was an exploration of platonic and familial love and I loved the theme of found family. The way the six friends struggled with the evolution of their friendship as they became older felt so relatable. They had been friends since college but as they became older they were heading in different directions. It really highlighted the importance of communication and understanding not just in a romantic relationship, but platonic ones too.
Overall, Happy Place is another brilliant Emily Henry book. She has definitely cemented herself as one of my favourite romance authors (up there with TJR). I can’t wait to read whatever she writes next.
What to Read Next
If you enjoyed Happy Place, I would definitely recommend reading Emily Henry’s other novels. I particularly enjoyed Book Lovers.
If you’re looking try a different author, I would recommend the romance books by Lucy Score. They have a lot of the same wit and banter, but with extra spice! If you’re looking for a romantic rollercoaster of a book, try anything by Taylor Jenkins Reid.
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