Happy Place by Emily Henry

Amy   
Lynnie

 

romance

 

Harriet has had a difficult few months and can’t wait to be at her Happy Place—her best friend, Sabrina’s dad’s Maine beach house—along with her other best friend, Cleo, and Sabrina’s and Cleo’s partners.  She’s been dreading telling them about her breakup with her fiancé, Wyn, but knows that her friends will comfort her.  But, upon her arrival, Harriet is upset to find out Wyn is there too and the two of them have to keep up a charade of still being together for their friends' sakes.  So much for her happy weekend.

Amy's Review

This was a fun one.  The characters were quirky, their banter was witty, their situations matched their quirky personalities, and I wanted to keep listening to the audiobook to find out how things would turn out. I mean, I knew the broad strokes of how it would end but enjoyed the ride from author Emily Henry.

The cause of their breakup felt a bit contrived but the never-ending sexual tension, the memories where we got to learn about Harriet’s and Wyn’s pasts, their current silly situation at the beach house… it all made for a fun summer read.  Turns out that places aren’t necessarily what makes Harriet happy but, rather, the people in her life. And the moral of the story is about minding your own happiness instead of trying to earn happiness by pleasing others. That point hit home with me.

The audiobook narrator was Julia Whelan and she did a good job, as usual. This was a solid A performance. I particularly enjoyed her voice acting when Harriet was really upset near the end.

Lynnie's Review

This is the third book I've read by Emily Henry (after People We Meet on Vacation and Book Lovers) and it certainly met my expectations. I've read way too many romancy, chick lit books already this year. I have no idea how that happened, but as a library patron, sometimes the book queue is the book queue. This was a cute book though and I generally enjoy books about friends.

Harriet and Wyn have been dating since college. Wyn joined the friend group after Harriet went abroad for a semester and Wyn sublet her room from her best friends and roommates, Cleo and Sabrina, and the rest, as they say, is history. The four of them plus Sabrina's boyfriend (who is also Wyn's best friend) and Cleo's wife have been inseparable since college, even throughout life's challenges. When the group gathers at Sabrina's father's beach house in Maine, Harriet is dreading telling all of them that she and Wyn have broken up. Suddenly however, Wyn is there at the beach house, even though he said he wouldn't be joining them, and Harriet's relaxing week with her best friends at her "happy place" is ruined. Ruined!

But of course, this is chick lit, so it's not really ruined. Instead, Harriet and Wyn will try to maintain the illusion that they are still a couple - all for the benefit of the friends, of course - not because they still love each other. No, definitely not.

Don't get me wrong, this is a fun read. The characters are quirky, their friendships rings absolutely true and I give Henry credit for trying to create a healthy relationship with some boundaries even though I'm not sure she succeeds; there's still some serious codependence that made me want to shake some sense into the characters. Still, I found myself rooting for Wyn and Harriet and their friends throughout the novel despite the fact that they all need a good therapist or six.

Happy Place is a great book to tuck into your suitcase for your next vacation. It's a quick and easy read that will make you smile and want to call your best friends to tell them you love them.