Happy Place

"I got rid of every single piece of you, like that would make a difference, like I could cut you out of me, and instead, I just see everywhere you're supposed to be."👏Emily.👏 Henry. 👏 Yall. 👏 I would first like to thank the author for yet another marvelous masterpiece. And dare I say it... my favorite of hers yet?? Every year around this time, I anxiously await Henry's latest book to drop. I normally hold off and read it on vacation, but hearing all the good things about this book and knowing it had all my favorite tropes...second chance, friends to lovers, AND a dual timeline...I knew I couldn't wait. And I'm so glad I didn't. I don't think I would have been able to focus on it as well if I was on the beach distracted by other things around me. This book deserved and was more appreciated by reading it in the quiet setting of my home. I was immersed in the words from page one. I zoned out and tuned out everything around me. I couldn't get enough of it.I will say I believe Henry's covers are always a little misleading (I love them don't get me wrong! They are stunning.) But they look like they'll be superficial fluff, an easy breezy romance, but they are so much more than that, or at least this one was for me. It's her most emotional book yet. I think Emily described it best in the book: "Breathless happy-sad." That exactly how I felt while reading this book. I had butterflies. I had angst and heart break. But I also had hope. The dual timeline was the perfect execution to give us these emotions. You see what Wyn and Harriet once had and you want them to find that again with one another so bad! 🥺The setting was perfect. A beach cottage in Maine. Swoon. The characters were amazing. Every one of the characters had layers and depth with struggles and emotions. You felt like you were apart of that friend group and knew them all so well. But my favorite part, which is always my favorite part of Emily Henry's books, was the witty banter. Laugh out loud funny. I even enjoyed Wyn and Harriet's sarcastic jabs towards each other, which I've seen some people didn't appreciate.All of that to say, I loved it. I'm sad I flew through it in a day and will never have the moment I read this for the first time again and now I will be anxiously awaiting on Henry's next masterpiece this time next year. 💗

Sensitivity warning: Deals with elements of grief and depression — not just grief as it relates to death, but also grief related to nostalgia and happy memories from the past that almost hurt. There is also some cursing, including f-bombs, as well as a few open door romance scenes.I’ll start by saying that I’ve been on a roll of not finishing books lately (not that I’ll never finish them, just that I’ve been book hopping). Happy Place instantly grabbed me and kept me interested - so much so that I finished this book in two days.At the start of this book, the story is firmly centered around Harriet & Wyn as they navigate how to act around their friend group because they’ve broken up and none of their friends know. They feel they need to keep the facade going because it’s the last vacation the friends will get to have at their special cottage. As the story goes on, you realize how much the other friendships/relationships are woven into the fabric of the story.Harry & Wyn’s relationship is believable and is driven home by the flashbacks of their burgeoning relationship. Speaking of the flashbacks — I really enjoyed the dual timeline. Each chapter is dedicated to either a time in the past or the present. In the past, we get to see Harriet and Wyn go from friends to lovers. In the present, it’s a second chance romance. One thing I do wish is that the Happy Place chapters (those in the past) had been labeled with a year; but that’s just the detail-oriented girl in me.Harriet and Wyn are both characters you can root for, but I also loved the friend group. Emily Henry fully sold me on how deep the characters’ bonds were, both in pieces (seeing friendships paired off in one-on-one settings or smaller groups) and as a whole when we see the dynamic that exists when the entire group is together. The relationships are flushed out and the Happy Place at the cottage truly feels like it would be a great vacation spot.All of that being said, I feel like I read two books. The first half, which is fairly light-hearted and predominately fun, and then the second half, which could feel pretty heart wrenching at times. Harriet and Wyn deal with real problems that come up when you’ve been with someone for a length of time (disappointments, grief, stress, money troubles) — the problems are mainly shown in the flashback chapters, but the ghosts of the problems are felt in the real time chapters.Once I got to the 60% mark, there were chapters that were brutal. We only get Harriet’s POV, so we know how Harriet feels/can tell what she truly wants, but at times it seems as though she’s alone in her feelings. The lack of communication between the two characters does make sense because of their history, but it really draws out the pain felt through Harriet’s eyes. A large part of the problem in the chapters taking place in the past is that Harriet and Wyn could both see the best in each other, but not in themselves. Additionally, because they don’t talk about why they feel how they feel or the reasons for their coping mechanisms that started in their childhoods, cracks in the relationship turn to chasms. Beyond Harriet & Wyn and their relationship turmoil, we also see that each of the character’s in the friend group have their own cracks that they’re not sharing.This book hooked me and I did enjoy it, especially the wit and banter, but it’s not fully what I expected. It gets very deep at points in exploring the characters and their emotions. Though there’s happiness and the communication and satisfying conclusion eventually come, I felt a bit melancholy when it was over.

✨ In every universe, it’s you for me. Even if it’s not me for you. ✨Somehow, Emily Henry has the ability to absolutely and completely destroy me in the best possible way.Happy Place is everything. I cried. I sobbed. I love Harriet and Wyn so much. My heart broke and my heart healed. I put this off for the longest time because I knew it was second chance as they’d broken up (and apparently I have an aversion to that). But Happy Place was everything and more, and my heart couldn’t take it.To say I adore Emily Henry’s writing would not even begin to capture just how much her stories and characters mean to me. There is so much depth to Harriet and Wyn. They are characters who are so flawed but it’s so them, and they are fuelled by who they are and their insecurities, which is something I love most about Emily’s characters—they’re real, they’re relatable, they’re authentic.I love real characters, who have their flaws, their hangups, and these elements are the foundation of who these characters are, what motivates them, drives them, fuels them. And while I get that some people might not like their characters having flaws, but no one is perfect, we are all unique and have our own histories and personalities that come out as we live, and this is the beautiful case for Harriet and Wyn. But one thing is clear, and that is how impossible it is for Harriet and Wyn not to be together.Again, Emily’s writing captivates you, transporting you into her world where you live amongst her characters and in their lives. I think that’s the power of Emily’s writing, it’s so beautiful, so stunning, you can’t help but be a part of the narrative, and it’s safe to say that this is a story I’ll never forget.A gorgeous second chance romance that will stay on my mind forever. But Happy Place is a story of love and loss and friendships and massive life events. I connected so deeply to Happy Place and Harriet and that’s so special to me.

“It doesn’t matter how busy life’s been, how long the five of us have gone without seeing one another: meeting at the cottage is like pulling on a favorite sweater, worn to perfection. […] Our love is a place we can always come back to, and it will be waiting, the same as it ever was.”“The feeling of being so grateful to have something worth missing”. . .I can’t even express how much I loved this book! Emily Henry’s writing has the power to make me feel seen every single time!This is a book about friendship, about love and what it really means to love someone, about finding yourself and having the courage to let go of the things that don’t fit you… it’s about growing, about making space for who you are and for the people around you as they grow too!I cried, laughed, giggled and kicked my feet 🥹I rooted for Wyn and Harry every step of the way! Felt their love for one another, and the hurt of being apart, in every page!Rooted for the friendship turned found family they all had, like it was my own group of friends 🤞🏻This book is more than a beautiful heartfelt story, it teaches you lessons, it makes you feel, it makes you think, it reflects our humanity in so many different ways -or at least it did for me… it’s perfect ❤️ and I’ll be thinking about it for a long time!

Creo que este libro se acaba de convertir en mi favorito de la autora.La trama principal se centra en la relación de Harriet y Wyn intercalando el pasado y el presente. Podemos ver cómo se conocen, la atracción inicial, la devoción, el afecto, la ruptura repentina y devastadora y el presente mientras intentan fingir ante sus amigos que todo sigue bien, mientras cada uno sufre la perdida a su manera.También vemos cómo Harriet conoce a Sabrina y Cleo, luego a Wyn y, como se vuelven los mejores amigos y cómo pasan una década juntos volviéndose como una familia.Harriet me ha encantado, es una mujer fuerte e inteligente pero también alguien sensible con el corazón roto mientras intenta mantener a flote su vida como residente en un hospital y cumplir con las expectativas de su padres. Me gusta que este libro además del romance trata de cómo ella crece como persona y encuentra lo que le hace feliz pero también lo que no la hace feliz y aprende a soltarlo.Sin duda Wyn es el que ha robado mi corazón, el tipo es lindo dese el primer momento con su encanto juvenil y su coqueteo constante pero a medida que la historia avanza también descubrimos sus miedos e inseguridades. Me encanta que sea tan genuino y abierto al momento de expresar sus sentimientos y sobre todo que él también encontrara paz consigo mismo, su carrera y su vida en general.La relación de Wyn y Harriet me atrapo desde el inicio con su química natural, viendo cómo su relación va creciendo, me partieron el corazón con su ruptura pero también lo sanaron, demostrándonos que con el paso de los años cambiamos, nuestras prioridades y sueños también cambian pero la comunicación asertiva es la clave en toda relación. Mientras leía no podía dejar de pensar que quería que tuvieran su final feliz porque lo merecían muchísimo.Siento que este libro golpea una fibra sensible también con las amistades longevas, la gente cambia con el tiempo y no se puede seguir viviendo cómo 10 años atrás pero cuando las personas son importantes para ti siempre se encontrara la manera de conservarlos en tu vida. Este libro también trata sobre ese cambio de adulto joven al inicio de los veintes con un montón de planes y sueños a adulto de los 30s donde tu vida ya esta más plateada y las cosas son mas calmadas.Me ha gustado que este libro trata relaciones tanto entre amigos como de pareja (tanto hetero como una lesbica) todas diferentes pero todas sanas, con sus altibajos pero bien planteadas.

Easy to pick up and put down.A great story.Brilliant Author who I will searching for more reads.A great holiday book

good book, -check good reads before buying it to see if you’d like it too