Happy Place

Books | Fiction / Romance / Romantic Comedy

4.3

(1.9K)

Emily Henry

Two exes. One pact. Could this holiday change everything? 'One of my favourite authors' Colleen Hoover, It Ends With Us 'The master of witty repartee' Daily Mail ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Harriet and Wyn are the perfect couple - they go together like bread and butter, gin and tonic, Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds. Except, now they don't. They broke up six months ago. And they still haven't told anyone. Which is how they end up sharing a bedroom at the cottage that has been their yearly getaway with their best friends for the past decade. For one glorious week they leave behind their lives, drink far too much wine and soak up the sea air with their favourite people. Only this year, Harriet and Wyn are lying through their teeth. The cottage is for sale so this is the last time they'll all be together here and they can't bear to break their friends' hearts. So, they'll fake it for one more week. It's a flawless plan (if you look at it through a pair of sunscreen-smeared sunglasses). But how can you pretend to be in love with someone - and get away with it - in front of the people who know you best? Brimming with characters you can't help but fall for and off-the-charts chemistry, HAPPY PLACE is Emily Henry's best novel yet. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 'Emily Henry never fails to deliver great banter and a romance to swoon over' Taylor Jenkins Reid, Daisy Jones and the Six 'I've loved every single one of her books more than the previous, to the point that I cannot wait to see what her next title will do to me!' Ali Hazelwood, The Love Hypothesis 'Emily Henry's books are a gift, the perfect balance between steamy and sweet' V. E Schwab, Gallant 'Our generation's answer to Nora Ephron' Sophie Cousens, This Time Next Year 'My newest automatic-buy author' Jodi Picoult, Wish You Were Here 'I don't understand how Emily Henry can KEEP getting better and better when her books are already so good!' Laura Jane Williams, Our Stop 'I would follow Emily Henry anywhere' Emma Straub, All Adults Here 'Nobody does it quite like Emily Henry' Casey McQuiston, Red, White & Royal Blue 'Emily Henry is now an auto-buy author for me' Red Magazine

Romance

Humor

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More Details:

Author

Emily Henry

Pages

400

Publisher

Penguin Books Limited

Published Date

2023-04-25

ISBN

024199537X 9780241995372

Community ReviewsSee all

"I felt in a happy place reading this book. I enjoyed the romance introduced from a break up standpoint following the forbidden wants of intimacy. good read in focusing on the importance of friendship, family, and above all personal pride. "

Chena

"I like Emily Henry’s books, but this was not my favorite. The best friend group from college days is growing apart, but nothing a week vacation in their happy place can’t cure. Funny one-liners steeped in their long history and many memories made for some lol moments. (It just took a long time to get to the inevitable and predictable conclusion.)"

Jackie Davidson

"Forced proximity and fake dating trope with 2 people who are obviously still in love with each other? Sold. I am a big fan of Emily Henry and these characters were so raw, real, and messy. I loved it but 4/5 because Book Lovers still takes the cake for me. "

kelsey

"This was a really good book to read!"

Aug8

"I read this in two days and really enjoyed it! Light hearted, fun read with a friend group you want to be a part of. Gave all the summer vibes that I needed to get started on my break from school "

Ghostie Gal

"Cute read, even though it kinda took me a little bit longer than usual to finish "

Alyssa Bull

"This book is about SO much more than a romance. It’s about found family. It’s about doing what makes YOU happy, not what others expect of you. It’s about learning how to fight in a relationship. It’s about growing up, and growing apart. And maintaining relationships or trying too in the process. Harriet is a surgical resident that had the love of her life and college sweet heart break her heart. Both of them are so hurt, they still haven’t told their best friends. So when Harriet shows up to her yearly vacation with their friends and her ex is there, they pretend to still be in a relationship to make the week go smoothly. It’s so good it hit every nerve in my body and all the feels. Emily Henry is officially one of my favorite romance authors. "

Victoria

"Started: May 3 | Finished: May 19 | Pages: 385"

Emma G

"I really enjoyed this book! there was so much to unfold in this story and it had such a deep meaning to it! it’s definitely a bit slow during many parts of the book and is not a light fluffy romance but it was such a good book! it’s not just about finding your happy place but figuring out what makes you happy and truly finding you, yourself, not from others. I wish the characters would have communicated better with each other but I think that’s part of the story and the character development. I’m happy for Harriet at the end and that she finally does what she wants and not what others want of her. the ending seemed a little rushed to me but it was still a happy ending so I didn’t mind too much. "

Sophie

"I should stop being surprised every time an Emily Henry book profoundly impacts me and reflects the struggles of my life back at me. Henry’s romance books are in a complete tier of their own. She’s able to effortlessly execute cliche romance tropes while weaving in deeper themes and well thought out characters that all culminate to make me shamelessly cry in public. This book is about fake dating so your friends, who are emotionally reliant on your relationship, are happy. But this book is also about your past with someone, and how you can grow into your future with that same person. Although that someone might be different now, the human capacity to grow and change and still choose love is highlighted beautifully in this book. I will say some of the friends (specifically Sabrina) felt less than three dimensional. It was unclear to me how Harriet could even be friends with them. However, as I kept reading, their friendship was fleshed out through the flashbacks of Harriet and Wyn’s relationship. Then, of course, the big reveal at the end justified why we hadn’t seen much of Sabrina during the trip. In the end, I don’t think Henry could have done a better job of showcasing the way friends drift apart and the desperation to hold on. The ending of this book was truly one of the most beautiful endings I’ve ever read in a romance book. Rarely do you see, especially in today’s media, a woman choosing a man over her career as a strong choice. But Harriet choosing Wyn over everything else was characterized as a strength, as she was choosing herself and love through choosing Wyn. I love that every Emily Henry book somehow exceeds my expectations. She is a master of flipping societal stereotypes on their head while utilizing the fun and goofy cliches romances are known for. She turns a fun hobby into a true art form and I don’t think I would love the romance genre as much as I do if I didn’t read her books."