Happy Place made me feel sad, hopeful, heartbroken, irritated, blissful, desperate, amused, uncomfortable… and comfortable.
Book Review: Happy Place
- Author: Emily Henry
- Release Date: April 25, 2023
- Publisher: Berkley (USA)
- Formats: eBook, Paperback, Hardcover
- Page Count:
- eBook: 395 pages
- Paperback: 416 pages
- Hardcover: 400 pages
- ISBN: 9780593441275 (ISBN10: 0593441273)
- ASIN: 0593441273
- Language:English
All the Stars and More
I don’t even know if I can write a proper review of this book. I started reading it with the best intentions—to analyze it, be objective, challenge myself to write something meaningful, useful, and constructive. But by the time I reached 30%, those intentions had dramatically left the building, replaced by 15 tons of emotions.
When Emily Henry Decides to Reach Into Your Soul
This is a story about silence—the quiet, unspoken screams of the soul and the smiles that sometimes disguise sadness.
It is a story of love that is starving, blind, mute, and misunderstood—a love so powerful that it has the ability to both lift you up and completely break you.
It is a story about family and how silence can sometimes inflict deeper wounds than fights. About the constant, creeping sadness that, little by little, can crush you under its weight. It is a story about friendship—the changes it goes through, the strength found in choosing your own family.
It is a story about how you can be your own worst enemy… but also your best ally.
And, ultimately, it is a story about happiness—about its absence, its presence, its many faces, the journey toward it, and the sacrifices made in its name. But does happiness even require sacrifices?
Just Shut Up and Take My Money!
Happy Place made me feel sad, hopeful, heartbroken, irritated, blissful, desperate, amused, uncomfortable… and comfortable. Emily Henry played every possible emotional chord I have, and I enjoyed every single note of the melody.
Tropes
- Small-town romance
- Friends to lovers
- Second-chance romance
- Forced proximity
- Found family
- Slow burn
Spice Level
- A couple of love scenes near the end
- “Open door” (the reader is present for the entire scene), but not overly explicit
- High chemistry and sexual tension without overshadowing the main story
- Semi-public encounter; no hardcore kinks; conventional relationships
Themes Explored in Happy Place
- Prioritizing others’ happiness over your own
- Discovering the true meaning of friendship over time
- Transforming and maintaining long-term relationships
- The importance of vulnerability in communication
- The pursuit of perfection—its origins and whether it leads to happiness
- The neglect and dismissal of children’s emotions and the trauma it causes
- Generational trauma and parent-child relationships
Goodreads Choice Award
Winner for Readers’ Favorite Romance (2023)
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?
A couple who broke up months ago make a pact to pretend to still be together for their annual weeklong vacation with their best friends in this glittering and wise new novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Emily Henry.
