If you’ve been to any of the bigger chain bookshops of late, you undoubtedly have seen an end-cap or display for Emily Henry and her array of books. Happy Place being brightly pink, hardcover, and front and center.
Whoever chooses the cover art knows their stuff. It’s captivating. How many hot pink books are out there?
Probably more than I realize, but still, Happy Place by Emily Henry definitely stands out. And after reading Book Lovers which I reviewed here, I had to see what this latest novel was like.
It was not what I expected.
The Blurb
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 five months ago…and still haven’t told their best friends.
Which is how they find themselves sharing a 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, blissful week, they leave behind their daily lives; have copies 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?
Happy Place by Emily Henry
Not a Happy Place…For Me
First off, this, like all my reviews, is just my personal opinion and feelings about the subject at hand. This was a very well written, and great novel as a whole.
However, it took me to some dark places. I don’t know if I’ve ever cried so much reading a book. And it was not happy crying. My husband was concerned for me because of how much and how hard I cried at times! This book triggered me in ways I was not expecting. Our main female character (MFC) voiced some feelings that had me going, “Yes! That’s exactly how it felt to me! That’s how the darkness felt.”
There is miscommunication, lack of honesty with ones self and each other. Leading to insecurities, doubting self-worth, and denying desires/yourself.
So, if you’ve ever dated someone who made you question your sanity, made you question your self-worth, gaslit you, you may get triggered. You also may not, everybody is different. But it certainly triggered me and even though I pushed through and kept reading it was rough.
Just know, this is a romance novel. Unlike in a lot of real life situations, we all know Henry’s romances and romances in general typically end with an HEA. Happily Ever After.
What I Adored
Despite being a crying mess for a good part of this book, I did enjoy it as a whole, and there were several aspects that I loved.
Relatability
We all have friends that we met in high school or college that we have stuck close to. People that we formed strong, life-long bonds. But what happens when we grow up? We grow apart. It’s not meant to be mean, or dismissive. It’s just life, and life gets busy and our families grow or move, and so getting together with those friends becomes harder and harder to do.
This book has a scene that demonstrates this well. And I found incredibly relatable. It’s not mean to be personal, growing apart, it’s just life. Relationships can change, and sometimes have to change, to survive the time and distance.
If you have friends that you haven’t seen in a while, and planning a get together is just a mountain when it should be a hill, I think you’ll find it relatable too.
Message About Dreams
The relatability continues but in the form of dreams and passions.
This group of friends met in college. They had ideals and goals that have changed. I can certainly relate to that. I’m sure some of you can too.
You may have had a firm idea of what you wanted to be, or maybe you were directed to do a certain career path per family pressure. Maybe they were one and the same at one point? But again, people grow up, and things change.
I felt that Happy Place had a good message about following your dreams. About doing what makes you happy. And that was a message that a lot of us need to hear.
We’re only on this planet for so long, and even that’s not guaranteed. Do things that make you happy!
Learning to Communicate
As I mentioned at the beginning, there is (like many romances) the miscommunication trope in this novel. What I loved though, is what Henry does in this story. Compared to other romances I have read, it is not just discovering the miscommunication, and fa la la boom we’re at the happily ever after.
It’s realizing that there needs to be communication. And learning how to do that respectfully, and honestly. How to communicate feelings and fears, while respecting boundaries and that other people have feelings and fears just as important as your own.
Anxiety & Depression Representation
Now, this is nothing new in a lot of books. Romances, fantasies, historical fiction, etc. It’s everywhere because, guess what? A good majority of us experience it. Make it normal, and Henry does. There are scenes and characters in this book that battle with something, and she shows us that getting help, isn’t a weakness. It’s not weak or taboo to see a therapist. It’s totally okay to require medical assistance in managing it, whatever it may be. You have to take care of yourself first.
What growth!! People who had something they were struggling with, even if they didn’t know what it was at the time, and getting the help they need. And yeah it changes people sometimes, maybe it helps them find their true self? Maybe it helps them break a vicious loop they find themselves on.
Loved that this author not only represents some of these anxieties and mental illnesses, but also unabashedly shows that getting help, whatever that may be, is good. Maybe not easy. But it’s what you deserve. You deserve to understand, you deserve to have the option to get help if you want.
So high praise indeed for that addition to this novel.
What I Didn’t Love
Besides being triggered and sent into a dark spiral of my past for a bit, there were a couple things that I just wasn’t a huge fan.
Drama Heavy
Now, this may be the point. But for Romance being the first tag I see associated with this novel, Happy Place felt like anything but. Which again, may be the point.
And I understand some romances need that drama to move the plot along. That being said, this book felt like it was just drenched in drama. I definitely didn’t feel happy while reading it for the majority. It took no prisoners as far as drama was concerned, and left me feeling like I had a boulder on my heart and my shoulders.
Too Big of a Cast
There were six main characters including Wyn and Harriet. I also know that Henry’s novels, though each can be read standalone, all take place in the same universe. So there may be a reason to have essentially six MCs. But in this novel, there were a couple that felt unnecessary. One character doesn’t feel mentioned but just in passing, but they’re present enough to almost be a fly buzzing around that you swat at absentmindedly.
Perhaps they will have their own book at some point and this is just an introduction of sorts, a mentioning. But I wish we could’ve traded some of those not as important characters scenes (in this novel) and given more time to develop our true MCs.
Still, very well written I felt like for how many MCs were being juggled, but also felt like the apple butter was spread a little thin at times.
In Conclusion
A thoroughly relatable book – maybe more so than I figured – Happy Place by Emily Henry is a solidly written book about friends, relationships and the importance of talking to the people who are important to you.
If you’re a fan of her other novels, I’d definitely give Happy Place a read. Just make sure to grab your tissues!
I gave Happy Place by Emily Henry
Until Next Time,
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