Happy Place

by Emily Henry

The most important friendships in my life all came down to a decision made by strangers, chance.

Life is a series of random circumstances we action upon

My best friends taught me a new kind of quiet, the peaceful stillness of knowing one another so well you don’t need to fill the space. And a new kind of loud: noise as a celebration, as the overflow of joy at being alive, here, now.

Loves throwing them parties, picking out perfect gifts, making introductions between people he thinks should meet, finding the quietest person in the room and bringing them into the thick of things.

There wasn’t a ton I could do to help, except cleaning. And I like how it’s so measurable, like you immediately see that what you’re doing is making a difference. Whenever I get anxious, I clean, and it relaxes me.”

Because feelings were changeable, and people were unpredictable. You couldn’t hold on to them through the force of will.

I don’t think she’s ever totally understood why I find it easier to fulfill other people’s expectations than to set my own.

squirting maple syrup into her mug.

@me accidentally filling my mug with maple syrup instead of coffee

“If I chose one thing I really wanted—and knew I could actually get—on my birthday, then no matter what else happened or didn’t, it’d be a good day. So I told my parents I wanted this Oreo cheesecake, and they got it for me, and my birthday was great.”

Me with my coldstone cake

So maybe if each of us can choose one thing—one thing we must do or have or see or eat this week—then no matter what else, we’ll have that. The one thing that we really needed out of this week. And the week will be a success.”

Good strategy

The feeling of being so grateful to have something worth missing.

His love is steady, constant. Easier than breathing, because breathing is something you can overthink, to the point that you forget how your lungs work and get yourself into a panic. I could never forget how to love Wyn.

“You never annoy me,” he says. I look up, catch him watching me. My laugh is breathless, woozy. “We both know that’s not true.” He studies me for a second, brow furrowed. “Frustrate, maybe. Not annoy.” “What’s the difference?” I ask. His eyes drop to my legs and back up. “When you’re annoyed, you don’t want to be around a person.” His chin shifts to the left, not quite a shake of his head. “I always want to be around you.”

“It’s an excuse for the best party you’ll ever throw, with everyone you love in one place.”

@weddings

“There doesn’t need to be a winner and a loser. You just have to care how the other person feels. You have to care more about them than you do about being right.”

“Love means constantly saying you’re sorry, and then doing better.”

So many things could still go wrong.” I jog her by the elbows. “So many things could go right too.”

Like even when something beautiful breaks, the making of it still matters.

I’d rather have you five days a year than anyone else all the time. I’d rather argue with you than not talk, and whether we’re together or we’re not, I’m yours, so let’s be together, Harriet. As much as we can. As long as we can. As soon as we can. Everything else, we’ll figure out later.”

UR not responsible for Mom’s feelings. At least that’s what my therapist says.

No one else’s happiness is yours to grant, Mom, I tell her. You need to find yours.

Bringing Up Baby, His Girl Friday, The Lady Eve—sure,

I think, sometimes, we are simply afraid to need. We’re afraid that if we ask too much, if we bare our tenderest wounds and show our ugliest sides, we’ll find out that we aren’t lovable. That we can only keep the ones we love around us as long as we cost them nothing, create no burden. That, at least I think, is the plight of the people pleaser.

hope Harriet and Wyn’s story will remind you to ask yourself what your happy place is, and encourage you to find more ways to bring it into your day-to-day life.

Harriet and Wyn’s friend group plays a game where they talk about what they would do if they had another entire life to live. What would you do with a second life? Do you see yourself pursuing this in any way in your real life?

At the beginning of the book, Harriet is really “living for the weekend,” so to speak. Do you ever find yourself experiencing that? What are some ways you find joy and purpose in your day-to-day life?

For each character in the book, success and happiness look a little different....

Drunk on Love by Jasmine Guillory: a sexy, emotional love story set against the backdrop of Napa’s wine scene.

Thank You for Listening by Julia Whelan:

The Bodyguard by Katherine Center:

Something Wilder by Christina Lauren:

Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan:

Miss Aldridge Regrets by Louise Hare:

Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn:

The Vibrant Years by Sonali Dev:

This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub:

Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez:

Vacationland by Meg Mitchell Moore and Flying Solo by Linda Holmes: