Book Review: Happy Place by Emily Henry

Rating: ★★☆☆☆(2/5)

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Introduction:

Quick Facts

Release: April 2023 Read: February 2025.

Reading Time: 6-8 hours

Pages: 400 pages

Format Recommendation: I read this through Kindle and I almost wish I had had a cast to listen to to try and get me more interested.

Perfect for: People who like quick reads with a happy ending. If you are interested in second chance romances this will pique your interests.

Genre and Writing Style: Rom Com, Multiple POVs.

Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️

Trigger Level:💀

Happy Place was not my Happy Place. I got half way through the book and almost decided to make it my first DNF of the year. Having read The People You Meet On Vacation and Funny Story I was surprised by how much I did not like this one. I recently started reading Emily Henry and this is the first one that was a total miss for me.

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Summary: A Brief Overview (Without Major Spoilers)

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?

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What Worked for Me:

The friendships: While I was not a huge fan of the plot, the relationships between the characters were spot on. It felt like they had known each other for 10+ years.

Wyn: He reminds me of my husband. He tried out college and it just wasn’t for him and that’s okay. But I loved his resilience and his ability to admit that life in the big city wasn’t for him.

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What Didn’t Work for Me: Trigger Warnings and Criticisms

The plot: I went into this book blind. When I figured out it was a second chance romance I was okay even though I haven’t read a lot of those. What I was not a fan of was the idea that a girl would break things off with her fiance and then not tell her best friends for six months thus getting him included on this trip after he tried to bow out gracefully. Who the hell lies to their ‘best friends’ for six months? I think there could have been a plot where they both ended up on the trip and had their second chance to connect without all the lying.

Sabrina: This girl has some serious control issues. She is the planner of the group which is fine. What’s not fine is how she is trying to make all of her almost 30 year old friends stick to a schedule like they are teenagers. She gets mad that they are 20 minutes later than she wants to be for breakfast and the friends are forced to sit through multiple movies at a theater or fear her wrath… she’s just not really personable.

Harriet’s Parents: Their daughter is engaged to Wyn and they can’t even bother to remember what he does for work. Their other daughter Eloise is taking a path outside of traditional school with cosmetology and they act like it’s beneath them. As a Career and Technology Education (CTE) teacher it is my job to help students see that while yes college can be helpful, it is not the only path to success. I cannot stand parents who act like it is.

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Final Thoughts:

It is rare that I find myself eye rolling more than reading but this one just did not hold my attention. It wasn’t plausible for me to believe and felt cheesy. If you are a die hard Emily Henry fan you might enjoy it more than I did but it was my least favorite of hers so far.