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A review by chronicallybookish
Happy Place by Emily Henry
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Age Rating: 18+
Special thanks to Berkley Romance and NetGalley for an eARC of this book! All thoughts and opinions reflected in this review are my own.
CW: sexual content, death of a parent, grief, break up
This is a book that I don’t know how to review. It’s one of those books that made me feel so much, and felt so personal, that I don’t know how to put those feelings into words.
Objectively, technically speaking, is this Emily Henry’s strongest work? No.
But regardless, it is my favorite of her books.
I related so heavily to Wyn (and to Harriet, but mostly Wyn), and even more heavily to aspects of Wyn and Harriet’s relationship, that I don’t think I’m capable of being objective.
I think that the characters and relationship of Wyn and Harriet were executed as perfectly as one would expect of Emily Henry. They’re dynamic, honest, real. Every word they speak, every emotion they experience, feels as if it’s more than words on a page. Emily Henry is a master of complex characters and making them feel as real as you or me, and Wyn and Harriet are just another testament to her skill.
However, the supporting cast of characters in this book are not as well developed. Parth was the worst, having no personality, no motivations, no agency. He existed solely because Sabrina needed a significant other for the story to work. Cleo is slightly more developed, but barely. She is supposed to be one of the main trio, but her partner has more personality, more of a roll in the story than she does. Sabrina has the most development of the group, but she’s obnoxious. To be fair, I think she’s kind of supposed to be, but I think she’s also supposed to be lovable, redeemable, as well… and in order for that to have fully landed the way it was supposed to, I think she, too, needed more development outside of “spoiled rich girl with mommy and daddy issues”.
Now, I don’t think any of these characters are bad or poorly written. I think they’re just…average. While reading, I was so caught up with Wyn and Harriet that I didn’t notice the ways that the rest of the crew fell flat, for the most part. On occasion, I would, but 90% of the time I didn’t. It’s more of a looking back a few weeks after reading, really thinking about this book, this story, these characters, comparing them to Emily Henry’s other books and what I know she’s capable of, that I realize that Sabrina, Cleo, Parth, and Kimmy definitely fall flat in comparison. This book was amazing—my favorite—but I think that, knowing Emily Henry, it could have been more so, if she’d had more time. This book is the most complex, in terms of themes and number of important characters, that I can’t help but wonder what it could have been if the release date had been pushed out just six months.
Now please don’t get me wrong. I freaking love this book. It is amazing. One of the best books I’ve ever read. I recommend it equally as much as any of Emily Henry’s other books, and more than like 99.99999% of all the other books I’ve read. The plot, the romance, the angst, the heartbreak—impeccable. The only thing that I wish was a little more developed is the supporting cast, but even then, they in no way took away from my love and enjoyment of this book. I just think they didn’t add quite as much as they could have.
I read this book in 24 hours. I cried so hard I couldn’t see the words and my cat crawled into my lap and pawed at my face. I laughed out loud. I felt every possible emotion more intensely than I think almost any book has ever made me feel. I highlighted the shit out of my ARC, and I cannot wait for my preorder to get here so that I can re-read it and annotate it. This is a book I see myself rereading again and again. This book means so much to me. I love it. I love Emily Henry. I love Wyn and Harriet. I love Knotts Harbor. This is one of the best books I have ever read and ever will read, and I cannot wait until it is officially out in the world and everyone can read it.
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All of the stars. Every single one.
I don’t know how to review this book. It felt so personal to me, reading this. It’s my favorite of hers, by far. I’m genuinely so upset I missed out on personalized copies
Special thanks to Berkley Romance and NetGalley for an eARC of this book! All thoughts and opinions reflected in this review are my own.
CW: sexual content, death of a parent, grief, break up
This is a book that I don’t know how to review. It’s one of those books that made me feel so much, and felt so personal, that I don’t know how to put those feelings into words.
Objectively, technically speaking, is this Emily Henry’s strongest work? No.
But regardless, it is my favorite of her books.
I related so heavily to Wyn (and to Harriet, but mostly Wyn), and even more heavily to aspects of Wyn and Harriet’s relationship, that I don’t think I’m capable of being objective.
I think that the characters and relationship of Wyn and Harriet were executed as perfectly as one would expect of Emily Henry. They’re dynamic, honest, real. Every word they speak, every emotion they experience, feels as if it’s more than words on a page. Emily Henry is a master of complex characters and making them feel as real as you or me, and Wyn and Harriet are just another testament to her skill.
However, the supporting cast of characters in this book are not as well developed. Parth was the worst, having no personality, no motivations, no agency. He existed solely because Sabrina needed a significant other for the story to work. Cleo is slightly more developed, but barely. She is supposed to be one of the main trio, but her partner has more personality, more of a roll in the story than she does. Sabrina has the most development of the group, but she’s obnoxious. To be fair, I think she’s kind of supposed to be, but I think she’s also supposed to be lovable, redeemable, as well… and in order for that to have fully landed the way it was supposed to, I think she, too, needed more development outside of “spoiled rich girl with mommy and daddy issues”.
Now, I don’t think any of these characters are bad or poorly written. I think they’re just…average. While reading, I was so caught up with Wyn and Harriet that I didn’t notice the ways that the rest of the crew fell flat, for the most part. On occasion, I would, but 90% of the time I didn’t. It’s more of a looking back a few weeks after reading, really thinking about this book, this story, these characters, comparing them to Emily Henry’s other books and what I know she’s capable of, that I realize that Sabrina, Cleo, Parth, and Kimmy definitely fall flat in comparison. This book was amazing—my favorite—but I think that, knowing Emily Henry, it could have been more so, if she’d had more time. This book is the most complex, in terms of themes and number of important characters, that I can’t help but wonder what it could have been if the release date had been pushed out just six months.
Now please don’t get me wrong. I freaking love this book. It is amazing. One of the best books I’ve ever read. I recommend it equally as much as any of Emily Henry’s other books, and more than like 99.99999% of all the other books I’ve read. The plot, the romance, the angst, the heartbreak—impeccable. The only thing that I wish was a little more developed is the supporting cast, but even then, they in no way took away from my love and enjoyment of this book. I just think they didn’t add quite as much as they could have.
I read this book in 24 hours. I cried so hard I couldn’t see the words and my cat crawled into my lap and pawed at my face. I laughed out loud. I felt every possible emotion more intensely than I think almost any book has ever made me feel. I highlighted the shit out of my ARC, and I cannot wait for my preorder to get here so that I can re-read it and annotate it. This is a book I see myself rereading again and again. This book means so much to me. I love it. I love Emily Henry. I love Wyn and Harriet. I love Knotts Harbor. This is one of the best books I have ever read and ever will read, and I cannot wait until it is officially out in the world and everyone can read it.
--
All of the stars. Every single one.
I don’t know how to review this book. It felt so personal to me, reading this. It’s my favorite of hers, by far. I’m genuinely so upset I missed out on personalized copies
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Grief, and Death of parent