For me, Happy Place is a return to form for Emily Henry, after being thoroughly impressed by Beach Read, I found her subsequent efforts becoming more and more generic rom-com, gradually losing the ‘special touch’ that drew me to her work in the first place. But her latest is once again built upon an unique, cohesive theme (the various incarnations of a ‘happy place’), and throughout its narrative, dives deep into more somber subject matter, in addition to her usual brilliant comedic writing.

The friendship element is a highlight in Happy Place, to the point it almost steals the spotlight from the romance. The fear for losing long term friends is a resonating one, and the secondary characters are unique and extremely likable. I have to admit, the progression of Happy Place's romance has me slightly concerned, as it features a similar structure to People We Meet on Vacation, where a pivotal event between the couple is purposely concealed, until its revelation in the book's third act. In PWMoV the answer was flat and anticlimactic comparing to the novel-long buildup; fortunately this time around the reasoning feels nuanced, and completely plausible.

One can say Emily Henry’s novels lie between romance and general fiction, which is perhaps why her work has such a mass appeal. Even though there are still moments in Happy Place where characters make decisions based on ‘romance reasons’, dampening some of its credibility, overall this is such an enjoyable summer read, it's currently ranked as my second favorite from Emily Henry, after Beach Read.