Happy Place by Emily Henry was published in April 2023 and quickly gained popular recognition, receiving the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Romance Novel of the Year. Henry’s books People We Meet on Vacation and Book Lovers also won the award in 2021 and 2022, making Happy Place the crowning title of a three-year streak.

A Synopsis of Happy Place

As a #1 New York Times bestselling author, with multiple romance novels under her belt, Henry has a knack for portraying love and relationships in a way that, for many readers, feels authentic and immersive. In Happy Place, the reader is invited into the world of Harriet and Wyn, the couple who have it all… or so it seems!

In actuality, they’ve been broken up for months, but haven’t been able to tell their friends. Now, they find themselves on holiday together with the people who know them best. Will they hold it together for the week?

Expect awkward situations, laugh-out-loud moments, and introspection as Harriet and Wyn navigate their past love and present reality.

What Readers Think

In terms of the writing, this feels like Henry’s most accomplished novel yet. 

While some readers feel that the ‘side characters’ are too one-dimensional, others felt that they were realistic and whole – so perhaps it’s a matter of taste. We certainly found Harriet and Wyn to be well fleshed out, which is more than can be said for many other romance novels – in which the entire focus is on a single character and the attractiveness of their love interest. 

On that note, there are elements of spice to Happy Place… but you’ll have to read it to unravel the sexual tension for yourself!

Henry beautifully captures the inner conflict and vulnerability of her characters, alternating between past and present to immerse the reader in the depth of their relationships. This recalling of shared memories is what gives Happy Place a warm nostalgia, melding giddy joy with heartache. Though we can see why some readers struggle with this back-and-forth – from time to time, the flashbacks feel like they detract from the present-day narrative. Whether this tension is intentional or not isn’t entirely clear.

Dialogue is witty, sharp, and often humorous, while setting descriptions are detailed and lush. The coastal cottage is almost a character in and of itself! You can practically taste the salty air and hear the buzz of lights at the nearby dive bar.

So if you’re looking for a beachy holiday page-turner or, indeed, an escape from the day-to-day, Happy Place might be just the ticket. So long as you don’t open this book expecting a transformative read or an exploration of complex emotional issues, we reckon you’ll enjoy it.