Reviewed by Sydney Rose ||

Always willing to bring an elevated story to the romance genre, Emily Henry struck again when her latest book Happy Place was released in April, allowing readers to experience an emotional journey through the lens of a struggling relationship and the end of an era for a close-knit friend group.

Known for her work in the romance genre, Henry focused Happy Place on newfound exes Harriet and Wyn, who broke up recently but must pretend to still be together in front of their friends on the last annual trip they all take together.

Differing from her other works such as Beach Read or People We Meet on Vacation, the newest novel from Henry explores relationships outside of the main romance with friends from college and how those friendships evolve over the course of adulthood.

Each side character in this novel is given a personality that meshes well with the group and developed backstory that gives depth. Making an ensemble cast feeling in this book rather than two protagonists with others on the side was a good move on Henry’s part as it made the dynamic plot of the book more interesting to read.

That is all that can be said without spoiling too much, so only proceed if you have read the book.

The biggest strength seen in Happy Place and Henry’s other work is the way she writes. Her dialogue between every character is punchy and well-thought-out, while the main couple has top-tier banter. The way Henry describes the various settings in the book makes me feel as though I have been to those places on the East Coast too. This is a feat because I have not.

Rather than staying in the present plot throughout the story, Henry plays a card from her own deck and creates flashback scenes and chapters to give more context to Harriet and Wyn’s relationship, as well as the state of the friend group over the years. This is a similar tactic to the way People We Meet on Vacation is written.

All of this is to say there were points of the plot that lacked for me in this novel. While Henry did an excellent job of making me care for her main characters, I found myself frustrated with them. The leading cause of the conflict throughout the book is miscommunication, and it shows in every conversation between Harriet and Wyn that they have something they want to tell the other, but they just do not.

There were points in the novel where it felt like the conflict was stacking and there was too much going on. Henry had a good concept with having a pair of exes pretend to continue dating for their friends’ sake, but then there were the added factors that just kept going. Wyn and Harriet broke up because long distance was hard or there was confusion about cheating or they just worked on different schedules (insert their miscommunication on all of this) but then there’s the problem of the lake house the friend group always visits getting sold, two of the friends are getting married, there’s an underlying tension with two of the friends, Harriet struggling with her family as well as liking her job, and all of it just felt like too much to focus on.

I cannot fail to mention that this novel felt a bit heavier than Henry’s previous books and in comparison, to other works in the genre. For something marketed as a romance novel, there was a lot of focus on the hardships of the couple, even in scenes that were supposed to be highlighting the days in the past when Harriet and Wyn were happy. It almost felt unrealistic when Harriet and Wyn did end up together in the last few chapters, like the happily ever after was not earned throughout the book. All the issues and conflicts mentioned before did not fully feel resolved for them to continue a relationship.

I did enjoy the family history given to Harriet and the bits and pieces we saw of Wyn’s grief, but if you start reading a book called Happy Place, you are not necessarily expecting to be on the verge of tears reading some chapters.

The ending followed that romance formula of the reader seeing the relationship pan out, but Harriet quitting her residency and moving across the country to be with Wyn did feel slightly like it came out of nowhere.

Though, through the power of Emily Henry, I remained hooked and grew to love the characteristics of each character she introduced in this book. Harriet herself was such a different take on her usual female protagonist that it felt like a breath of fresh air.

For those who enjoy romance with a little bit more depth and unmatched dialogue, I would say this is the book for you. I, personally, will continue to read anything Emily Henry writes the day it comes out.