Apr 9

Apr 9 Happy Place

Author: Emily Henry
Publisher: Berkley
Goodreads | The StoryGraph

Click above to buy this book from my Bookshop.org shop, which supports independent bookstores (not Amazon). You can also find it via your favorite indie bookstore here.

Note: Content and trigger warnings are provided for those who need them at the bottom of this page. If you don’t need them and don’t want to risk spoilers, don’t scroll past the full review.

Cover Description

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?

TL;DR Review

Emily Henry does it again! Happy Place is not only a fun read with a fun combination of tropes, it’s also deeply felt with a realistic, heartbreaking central conflict.

For you if: You’re always looking for romance novels that have a little something extra

Full Review

Let me first just say that I haven’t read all of Emily Henry’s books (yet); Book Lovers was my first and Happy Place was my second. So I can’t give you a good ranking, but I can tell you that I liked this one even better than Book Lovers (and I really liked Book Lovers)!

This is a — get ready for it — second chance + fake dating + only one bed romance novel. (!!) The main character, Harriet, recently split from her fiance, Wyn, but they haven’t told their close-knit group of friends yet. And when they arrive for their annual friends’ trip to Maine, circumstances arise that make it definitely not the right time. How long can they keep up the charade?

I really just loved this, y’all. Book Lovers was fun because the characters had good chemistry and it turned tropes upside down, but this one just plain yanked at my heart. I started out listening while doing things like cleaning my house, but by halfway through I realized I needed to listen without any distractions because I was so invested.

For me, the magic of Emily Henry (so far) is that she’s really good at writing her characters into situations that feel realistic, impossible to cast aside, and deeply empathetic — two people who desperately love each other but also MUST live the lives that are right for each of them. In one pivotal scene, this book even made me cry. Like, tears streaming down my face cry. (Shout out to Julia Whelan’s voice acting for that one, too.)

I’m looking forward to finishing off EH’s backlist so I can give you a better ranking. But until then, read this ASAP!!