Title: Happy Place

Author: Emily Henry

Publisher: Berkley 2023

Genre: Romance

Pages: 388

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

Steam Rating: 4

Harriet and Wyn have been the perfect couple since they met in college—they go together like salt and pepper, honey and tea, lobster and rolls. Except, now—for reasons they’re still not discussing—they don’t.
 
They broke up five months ago. And still haven’t told their best friends.
 
Which is how they find themselves sharing a bedroom at the Maine cottage that has been their friend group’s yearly getaway for the last decade. Their annual respite from the world, where for one vibrant, blissful week they leave behind their daily lives; have copious amounts of cheese, wine, and seafood; and soak up the salty coastal air with the people who understand them most.
 
Only this year, Harriet and Wyn are lying through their teeth while trying not to notice how desperately they still want each other. Because the cottage is for sale and this is the last week they’ll all have together in this place. They can’t stand to break their friends’ hearts, and so they’ll play their parts. Harriet will be the driven surgical resident who never starts a fight, and Wyn will be the laid-back charmer who never lets the cracks show. It’s a flawless plan (if you look at it from a great distance and through a pair of sunscreen-smeared sunglasses). After years of being in love, how hard can it be to fake it for one week…in front of those who know you best?

Another solid contemporary romance from Emily Henry! I have enjoyed all four of her novels. This one wasn’t my favorite, but I still really enjoyed it. Her romances are not light and fluffy. They have a lot of substance and serious conversations. In this one, we get a possible second-chance romance happening. One half of the story is told in the present when we know things between Wyn and Harriet are not great. In flashback chapters, we get to see their love story (and breakup). I wanted to absolutely fall in love with the two main characters. Actually, I was conflicted throughout most of the book. I didn’t know if I wanted for them to get back together or not. It sounds like I didn’t like this book, but I really did. I love how Henry writes very realistic characters. These could be my friends. There is not completely unrealistic situation and friendships. Sometimes I want super fluffy romance and sometimes I want something with more substance. Henry is definitely my go to for substance.

Next up on the TBR pile: