“Happy Place” by Emily Henry

Title: Happy Place
Author: Emily Henry
Publisher: Berkley
Year: 2023
Genre(s): romance, contemporary
Part of a Series: No

Why I read it: Once Upon a Book Club Pick

Summary: Six friends – Harriet, Wynn, Sabrina, Parth, Cleo and Kimmy – arrive in Maine for their annual summer vacation. It will be their last year there as Sabrina’s family is selling the house in Maine. And while they are there, she and Parth plan to get married. As everyone prepares for the wedding, Harriet and Wynn have to hide a big secret from their friends – they called off their own engagement and broke up six months earlier. Can they make it through the week? Or will they lose their Happy Place forever?

Rating: 

Review: It seems almost everyone I know has read an Emily Henry book so I feel a little behind the times. But now that I’m done with Happy Place, I understand why she’s so popular now.

I had a schedule of sorts for the books I’m reading since I have a backlog of Once Upon a Book Club picks. But I decided to jump to Happy Place because the next book on my list was another thriller/suspense novel and I needed a break from that. Happy Place was that perfect respite.

And since it is set in the summer, it was the perfect read as I started summer as well.

The six friends at the center of the book catch the reader’s attention and draw you into their dynamic. At first they felt a little too perfect but that added to the tension that does seem to exist in the group from the very beginning. It’s not a mystery or suspense but it’s clear that something is simmering under the surface and the later explosion is very cathartic for the characters and the reader.

Kudos to Henry for that.

But its the relationship between Harriet and Wynn that really drives the story. We get to see their relationship at all stages so we the reader can see that Harriet and Wynn really do belong together. Their chemistry is very good and Henry makes them feel like a real couple, one that you easily can root for.

While this story was a lot lighter than some of my more recent books, it still had another layer to it that felt right. Each friend had some internal struggle that they needed to resolve but especially Harriet, our protagonist. As a reader, you can figure out what her issues are before she does but when she realizes them, it’s at the right time and gives her a chance to find her true Happy Place.

(Sorry, couldn’t resist).

Bottom line: A fun read with complex characters and a heartwarming plot

Sex: Some scenes, nothing too graphic

Moonlight Musing

Do you have a “Happy Place”?