book review: Happy Place by Emily Henry

If you have read 'Happy Place' I want to know your thoughts! I have a poll at the bottom of this post for you to lmk your feelings :*

blurb:

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?

my review:

goodreads rating: 3/5

This book was such an easy read! I can't lie about the fact that I wasn't all that eager to read this book for our June book club meeting. The last few romances I've read have rubbed me the wrong way and left me feeling irritated. I've felt the male love interests have been nothing special, and our protagonists were falling in love over acts of mediocrity rather than impressive feats.

Wyn kept me on the line though. I wanted to know how someone who seemed so into Harriet throughout their years of dating could seemingly flip a switch on loving her. It made me uncomfortable as a woman in a long term relationship to feel the disorientation Harriet felt while she walked through her life after their split.

Matthew is my best friend, even when we fight we coexist pretty easily, and I cannot imagine breaking up and then showing up to a vacation separately, interacting as though we were together, and faking it for our friends. I get it though, I think I would probably do the same thing if one of my closest friends had surprised me with him on their surprise wedding weekend. It's exactly the self sacrificing bullshit that I get off on.

I think what really gets to me about these books is the troupe of miscommunication. Maybe I am just an A++ communicator, but reading Wyn asking Harriet "are you happy?" and her constantly using deflection or just lying is SO FUCKING FRUSTRATING. I want to scream at this girl, "LOOK, he is obviously still pining away for you; asking you if you're happy. Something deeper is at play and I am begging for you to read in between the lines a little."

I hate a man who can't own up to his feelings and let's his own insecurities meddle in what seems like a strong match. Harriet was obviously head over heels for Wyn, and his own mental game cut what they had short. It's painful to relive their happy moments as a couple and and know that he would cut things off with Harriet over a brief phone call. Obviously, Harriet has issues with complacency and struggles with being transparent with her own feelings, but it baffles me that these two could have such a long relationship knowing how easily it crumbled with pressure and distance.

Overall, I think the book was enjoyable to read through, the imagery of Maine was incredibly well written and it made me, a self proclaimed seafood hater, google a lobster roll and I'll be damned if they didn't look so freaking yummy. I don't enjoy the troupe of miscommunication, so I think that it's my own personal preferences that ruined the book for me. If you're looking for a grounded romance that would reflect a realistic relationship, this is the book for you!

Thanks for hearing me out, I am so excited to see the results of our poll! Until next time <3

'Happy Place' by Emily Henry

• loved it! an absolute SMASH
• eh- it was okay but not great
• not good, but not BAD
• I'm throwing this book in my fall bonfire!