I picked up Happy Place by Emily Henry some time ago from my local Asda (if you’re American, this is a cheap supermarket we have here in the UK) for only £5 (about $6.50). After seeing a few people harp on about how good Emily Henry’s books were, I decided to pick up my only one, Happy Place. Since finishing it I’ve heard it’s not her best, but let’s see what I thought of it prior to knowing this.
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So Happy Place tells the story of Harriet and Wyne, our two main protagonists. Harriet and Wyne broke up months ago and when Harriet goes to the annual retreat with her friends and sees Wyne has come too, they have to both pretend that they’re not only together but also engaged, just so as to not ruin the weekend for everybody else.
This then forces them to be near each other and sometimes pretending to still be with someone causes you to question why you ever broke up in the first place.
Happy Place plot – 4.25/5
Now we all know I often struggle with romance books. The combination of it being obvious they’re going to end up together and the fact the dialogue is often incredibly cringe can put me off. However, something about Happy Place just hit a bit differently for me.
Happy Place‘s narrative on Harriet and Wyne’s romance isn’t focused on their need or want for one another but on the mature and adult realisation of why they can’t be together. There’s no false pretences that they’re coming up with reasons not to be with one another but a genuine one that goes deeper than them as a couple and into one individual’s own struggles. I really enjoyed the maturity of this.
Around them, there are also sub-plots happening with members of the friendship group desperate to cling to their youth despite being true adults now and other friends struggling with their own relationships.
If you told me this is what Happy Place was going to be about, based on my romance reading history, I’d have scoffed and waved it away. Still, Emily Henry’s writing is done in such a way that it feels real and raw, it doesn’t feel cringe and fake like so many other stories of a similar ilk.
Happy Place characters- 4/5
Something else that I often find with romance novels is that the characters can feel very over-the-top. Now, admittedly the majority of “romance” I’ve read has been in the “romantasy” genre where you’re never going to get the strongest characters, but still.
My point anyway is that Happy Place featured people I actually genuinely really enjoyed. Harriet is the protagonist from whom we read the majority of the narrative and her thoughts, actions and decisions are all valid and real which helps a ton when you’re already sceptical as to whether you’re going to enjoy the subject matter.
The supporting characters around Harriet and Wyne are mildly fleeting. Their presence is felt just enough to enjoy their sub-plots among the main plot but none of them stood out to me as “a great side character”.
Happy Place final rating – 4.25/5
I fully went into Happy Place by Emily Henry as a sceptic and came out as a convert. It’s nowhere near the best romance I’ve read (that would be One Day by David Nichols) but I was expecting cringe dialogue and pathetic reasons as to why the main couple couldn’t be together, but instead I got a mature love story about real human struggles as well as a deep sub-plot from a side character that resonated with me and I imagine could resonate with everyone in their late 20s / early 30s. Happy Place was a joy to read and has me searching out for what others consider some of Emily Henry’s other great work.
