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Happy Place

Emily Henry

Start date: July 1, 2023

Finish date: July 30, 2024

Discussion: BOTM 2023

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BOTM 2023

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What Members Thought

Sep 25, 2023 fleurette rated it liked it

Shelves: romance-contemporary

Happy Place is, in my opinion, Emily Henry’s weakest book to date, which is a real shame considering the potential that this story had. While I appreciated the concept, I found the execution lacking, making it the first book by this author to disappoint me.

One of the biggest issues I had with this book was the heavy use of flashbacks and retrospectives. Personally, I dislike extensive flashbacks in my books, especially in romance novels, so the overall structure of this story did not sit well wi Happy Place is, in my opinion, Emily Henry’s weakest book to date, which is a real shame considering the potential that this story had. While I appreciated the concept, I found the execution lacking, making it the first book by this author to disappoint me.

One of the biggest issues I had with this book was the heavy use of flashbacks and retrospectives. Personally, I dislike extensive flashbacks in my books, especially in romance novels, so the overall structure of this story did not sit well with me. There were simply too many chapters delving into the past. What’s even worst, I believe that the central conflict between the main characters, Harriet and Wyn, could have been resolved with a single, mature conversation, and that's not something I enjoy in my books.

Another problem I met was struggling to understand the characters' emotions, above all those of Harriet and Wyn. Seriously, why exactly couldn't they be together? I won't even pretend that I fully understood it. The emotions of the main characters seemed to change so rapidly that at times, I couldn't fathom where they were coming from. They would shift from "Oh, I love him so much" to "We can't be together. It's all over" in the blink of an eye. These sudden transitions felt abrupt and confusing.

It's truly unfortunate because this story had potential. I genuinely enjoyed the deep friendship that connected all the characters, both the three women and their partners. It was something that was really nice to read about, and it was heart-warming to see that the main characters shared more than just romantic feelings. However, the more I couldn't grasp what went wrong in their relationship.

In the long run, this is a story about miscommunication in various relationships, among the three main friends and between the main characters, Harriet and Wyn. It's not a theme that resonates with me, and it didn't particularly work for me in this book either. However, if you enjoy stories centred around miscommunication, you might find this book more appealing than I did.

I sincerely hope that Emily Henry's future books will resonate with me more than this one did. This one had potential, but its execution left much to be desired. It wasn’t bad but it didn’t bring me joy that I usually find in the books from this author. ...more

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Jun 01, 2023 Jayme rated it liked it

Shelves: romance, contemporary-women, published-2023

I liked this book. The banter was witty, smart and laugh-out-loud funny. It was a solid 4 read for me until the ending - I just couldn't buy it.

...more

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Nov 03, 2023 Susan rated it really liked it

This was my first Emily Henry book and she didn't disappoint me. For years this author has been praised. I haven't come across a negative review yet on any book she's written which is impressive. That also worried me because I tend to not love the overly hyped authors and the books they've written. I loved this.

The main two characters were amazingly written. I felt like they were perfect in every way. Wyn and Harry(Harriet)I loved how laid back and easy going Wyn was because his personality hel ...more

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Dec 11, 2023 Shan ~A~ rated it really liked it

Shelves: audio, family, siblings, romance, doctor-or-nurse, artist, back-to-school, geek, pregnancy, 2nd-chance

Harriet Kilpatrick, Wyn Connor, Sabrina, Cleo, Parth, Kimmy

I have really grown to really enjoy Emily Henry's books. This was no exception.

The story is told entirely from Harriet's pov, but it's not just about her. It's about the entire group of friends and how their relationship grew and changed as a group and as couples (because over the years they have paired up). Overall though it's about Harriet having to deal with Wyn after they broke up months ago and telling everyone the truth.

Neither o ...more

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