You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by aislingbyrne_
Happy Place by Emily Henry
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Downgraded from 3⭐️ to 2.75⭐️ after thinking more about all the things I wasn’t a fan of within this book.
I usually love Emily Henry but I really didn’t care for this story or for any of the characters, at any point. 😟
The romance didn’t pull me in. Plus I felt like I was intruding on a friend group I didn’t know very well, and also 3rd wheeling on their inside jokes, if that makes sense.
I found all of the friendships a little childish and toxic (promoting miscommunication throughout the book). These are supposed to be people in their 30s but it felt like they all were teenagers.
The flashback chapters were a bit boring. I felt like they didn’t build any sense of connection between me and the relationship between the two main characters so that I would root for them as a couple, so it mostly felt like those chapters were unnecessary.
The current day chapters mostly felt frustrating, due to the friend group meaning nothing to me, their miscommunication (sometimes lying), and also due to what felt more like lust than true everlasting love between the main characters.
This book just didn’t do it for me and I had really wanted to love it for a long time before reading it. Maybe my expectations were too high because I loved Emily’s previous books but this was really disappointing regardless. I just never felt invested in the story. It’s not a bad book - I’ve definitely read worse books - but it just really isn’t a good one either IMO.
I usually love Emily Henry but I really didn’t care for this story or for any of the characters, at any point. 😟
The romance didn’t pull me in. Plus I felt like I was intruding on a friend group I didn’t know very well, and also 3rd wheeling on their inside jokes, if that makes sense.
I found all of the friendships a little childish and toxic (promoting miscommunication throughout the book). These are supposed to be people in their 30s but it felt like they all were teenagers.
The flashback chapters were a bit boring. I felt like they didn’t build any sense of connection between me and the relationship between the two main characters so that I would root for them as a couple, so it mostly felt like those chapters were unnecessary.
The current day chapters mostly felt frustrating, due to the friend group meaning nothing to me, their miscommunication (sometimes lying), and also due to what felt more like lust than true everlasting love between the main characters.
This book just didn’t do it for me and I had really wanted to love it for a long time before reading it. Maybe my expectations were too high because I loved Emily’s previous books but this was really disappointing regardless. I just never felt invested in the story. It’s not a bad book - I’ve definitely read worse books - but it just really isn’t a good one either IMO.