HEY, what’s going on, readers? Today, I’m back with another book review of one of the most famous book authors, Emily Henry’s novel, “Happy Place”. This book was trending, so I’ll go with it. Hopefully, it was far more impressive than the people say about it. So today, I’m going to take you deep into this novel so you can decide whether to go with it by covering small details about it, including genre, characters, age rating, and summary without any spoilers. So, let’s start.
Happy Place by Emily Henry Overview:
The story revolves around the two main characters Harriet and Wyn who are apart from each other months ago and. Now they are on a trip with their friends but they do not want to show their friends that they are no longer together so they have to pretend they are together. This was difficult for them but there was no other choice.
They both sleep in one room but with no love. They did not accept each other’s choices such as what they should make for dinner. They love each other but are afraid of telling. You can also read Verity by Colleen Hoover
Genre:
This is an adult romance that mainly targets young adults. There is a dark and contemporary fiction romance among the couples. This book focuses on relationships and their problems.
Age Rating:
This novel includes strong language as well as mild language and s@x scenes. The novel also includes depression, anxiety and the use of drugs and alcohol. So I suggest this novel to mature people who are 17 or above.
Characters:
Harriet Kilpatrick: He is a surgical resident and is extremely hurt by her long-term fiancé, Wyn.
Wyndham Connor: She is Harriet’s ex-fiancé who ended their relationship without any reason.
Sabrina Armas is Harriet and Cleo’s best friend.
Cleo James: She is Harriet’s other best buddy. He is a creative farm owner who lives with her partner, Kimmy.
Parth Nayak: Sabrina’s fiancé.
Kimmy Carmichael: She is Cleo’s girlfriend. She is an extroverted girl.
These six characters are friends who have been gathering at a cottage in Maine for 10 years. The story spins around their life.
Plot Summary:
The story starts with the two friends, Harriet and Wyn; they pretend to be in a relationship. They have both been best friends since college. They always help each other in good and bad times. They were even engaged once but have not been with each other for five months.
They are hiding their breakup from their friends and trying to keep it a secret. Another reason is that they want to ensure their annual weeklong vacation to a cottage in Maine is sustainable.
This place is very special for both of them. This is the place where they both fell in love for the first time. But now they are both apart and are missing those days, and both are confused about how they should act toward each other.
When they and their friend are in the cottage, a new character enters the story: Harriet’s ex-boyfriend, Ford. He is a very popular guy as he is an actor. He is a handsome, confident and successful man. But Wyn is the opposite of him. Harriet gets very confused at that moment and starts thinking that she can’t be with him now.
Looking at all this, Wyn fears that she will go back to Ford and he will be alone. He was also feeling jealous of Ford. He starts thinking about how he can compete with Ford. So Harriet could come back to him rather than go with Ford.
| Publisher | Berkley; First Edition |
| Published Date | First published April 25, 2023 |
| Language | English |
| Hardcover | 400 Pages |
| Awards | She Reads Best of Award for Romance (2023) |
| Settings | Knott’s Harbor, Maine (United States), Mattingly, Vermont (United States), San Francisco, California (United States) |
| Characters | Harriet Kilpatrick, Wyn Connor, Sabrina, Cleo, Parth, Kimmy |
| ISBN-10 | 0593441273 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-0593441275 |
After some time, the arguments started between Harriet and Wyn. Both disagreed about each other’s plans, such as how they should decorate the cottage. Or what should they make for dinner? This made things more complicated.
One night, they both get drunk, and without having their senses, they start fighting with each other, and now they are sleeping in separate rooms rather than in one room. The next morning, when they wake up, they realize each other’s mistakes and feel ashamed of themselves. They both try to talk to each other but don’t know what to say.
Finally, they both met and decided to talk with each other. Both expressed their feelings about what happened last night and were ashamed. Both start to communicate with each other friendly. After some talk, they both realize that they still love each other and can be one again.
They made some rules for their relationship so that they could live happily. Both give each other a chance to be together again. But now it was difficult for them to build their relationship back to normal and lovely.
My Review:
I rated this book 4.5 stars. Another big call for me. I don’t usually read romance novels like this that are higher than a four-star. A book like this has to hit home for me to rate it a really high rating, and that’s what this book did. The amount of emotion she pulled out of me in this book was just absolutely crazy. I was choking up at the end there.
My heart hurt for these characters, not just the main characters but the whole group of friends. The dynamic in all these relationships was so unique. We follow Harriet’s perspective throughout this entire book. We have a past timeline and a present timeline. Our past timeline is Harriet’s Happy Place by Emily Henry.
It’s her favorite memory. We learn about her and Wyn’s love story in these Happy Place memories. We’re seeing how they met, fell in love, and drifted apart. This is a second-chance romance. I wouldn’t say I like second-chance romance books at all. I don’t vibe with them. But this one I enjoyed. It’s because we didn’t know how they broke up.
My best friends taught me a new kind of quiet, the peaceful stillness of knowing one another so well you don’t need to fill the space. And a new kind of loud: noise as a celebration, as the overflow of joy at being alive, here, now.
Emily Henry,
We went into it with this sense of the hurt already done. Now they’re on this annual holiday with their group of friends. They’ve been doing these holidays for ten years now.
They haven’t told their friends that they separated six months ago. So for the next week, they are pretending to stay together, which, you know, forced proximity. One bed, two of my favourite tropes.
I’ll tell you what, it was a great read. I loved this so much. I loved how we are learning how Harriet is figuring out that she’s got to grow as an individual. She can’t keep pleasing people. She’s a people pleaser, and she can’t keep doing that. She has to do what she wants for her own life. And then we have Wyn, who is our MMC.
He realizes that his mental health needs to come first. We have mental health issues in this book. The way Emily Henry wrote about these was just beautifully done.
I love the dynamic of all the friends in this book. I loved how we weren’t just finding a way for Harriet and Wyn to come back together, but we were seeing a way for the whole group to come
back together. Because over the years, they’ve done this. They have their careers, their own goals, and their relationships. They’re growing as individuals. They’re changing their
evolving. They’re drifting apart. This last holiday, this last trip they’re doing in this small town they always go to, is their way of reconnecting and building that bond back up.
I highly recommend it. It would help if you read it. It’s just one of those books that pulls on your heartstrings. It’s tough to form into words how it makes you feel at the same time. It’s an excellent book.
Conclusion:
Overall, this book was excellent. The characters are plotted very well in the scene. Harriet and Wyn get back into a relationship without knowing about their breakup with their friends. It will be hard for both of them to rebuild a strong relationship. It will take some time.
The author has done her best to deliver a breakup story of a healthy relationship. So if you are a fan of romantic and love novels you should go with it, you will like it. Buy this novel as soon as you can. You can also buy from our site. Have a good reed bye.