HAPPY PLACE by EMILY HENRY

“Part of me wants to pretend I have you, but another part thinks I’ll die if you don’t tell me you love me, even if it doesn’t change anything. Even if it’s just getting to hear it one more time.”

Emily Henry has done it again! Another 5-star read from this wonderfully talented author. Wyn, Harriet, and their friends completely stole our hearts in a story of love, loss, friendship, grief, and growing up as we join them for a last hoorah spending a week in their favourite holiday house before it’s sold. Knotts Harbor, Maine holds so many happy memories for these friends, however, as the week wears on they’re forced to confront the realisation of change, adulthood, and the responsibilities of life. This is especially the case for Wyn and Harriet and their relationship.

“It’s killing me hearing how happy you are, without even understanding how I – how I –“My voice quavers, my breath coming in spurts. “I don’t know what I did to make you so miserable.”

Although Happy Place is a little heavier, more ‘sadder’ than her previous books, there’s one thing this author is particularly good at, and that is knowing precisely when to inject humour into a moment, to turn the heaviness and hurt into a smile. And she did just that with Happy Place.

‘Even when something beautiful breaks, the making of it still matters.’

Wynn Connor (be still our beating hearts!) and Harriet Kilpatrick are the perfect couple. The ‘it’ couple who would weather any storm and be together forever…until they weren’t. After ending their near-decade relationship some six months earlier, to appease their friends, who are in the dark about their breakup, they agree to ‘fake their relationship; whilst meeting up for one week as their last hoorah at their favourite group holiday spot, to pretend they are still as happy as ever.

“Maybe I need to know that he remembers that he hasn’t totally forgotten what it felt like to love me.”

Easy, right? Wrong! With wounds unhealed, pretending everything is hunky dory proves extremely difficult and painful. But they soldier on for their friends, whilst giving their hearts a right battering. We could FEEL the pain, the loss, and the hurt between Wyn and Harriet and it killed us! However, despite the anger, resentment, and pain, one thing was paramount and that was the love between these two! Wow! It was so powerful; their love was almost a character all on its own.

“You can trust me, Harriet.” In that moment, he pierces a little deeper into my heart, opens another door, and finds an entire walled-off room I didn’t realise was there.’

Told in past/present switches in Harriet’s POV, we revelled in the beauty of their formidable love, whilst feeling the incredible pain of their months apart, as we slowly pieced together the moments that led to Wyn calling an end to their unbreakable bond. We’re not giving anything else away because the little pieces must be played out as they lead you to the highly emotive end.

‘Maybe that was part of the anger that burned in me too: disappointment that I hadn’t loved him well enough to make him happy, nor well enough to let him go.’

The love that emanated from the pages between Wyn and Harriet is palpable! We couldn’t help wondering what it was that broke them up. The build-up to the end was a slow beautiful burn, with the ending making all the heartache Henry put us through so rewarding, as she pulled this story together. The heart-warming stories, witty sense of humour, beautiful romance, and wonderful characters win us over time and time again. And a special THANK YOU for giving us, Wyn Connor!