Happy Place

by Emily Henry

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

Rom-com and Emily Henry is a pairing that never gets old. This perfect summer read features a reunion among friends, a dynamic couple and the joys of human connection, all wrapped up in a beachy getaway. It’s a slow-burn romance full of sharp humor and a healthy supply of feel-good.

INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!

“The beach-read master hooks us again."—People

Named a Most Anticipated Book of 2023 by BuzzFeed ∙ Paste Magazine ∙ Elle ∙ Southern Living ∙ SheReads ∙ Culturess ∙ Medium ∙ Her Campus ∙ Readers Digest ∙ Zibby Mag and more!

A couple who broke up months ago pretend to still be together for their annual weeklong vacation with their best friends in this glittering and wise new novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Emily Henry.
 
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?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593441190
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	03/05/2024
Pages:	416
Sales rank:	379
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.10(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Emily Henry is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Book Lovers, People We Meet on Vacation, and Beach Read. She studied creative writing at Hope College, and now spends most of her time in Cincinnati, Ohio, and the part of Kentucky just beneath it. Find her on Instagram @emilyhenrywrites.

Read an Excerpt

04/02/2018
In this gimlet-eyed look at current political trends, Eurasia Group president Bremmer (Superpower: Three Choices for America’s Role in the World) succinctly explains why people all over the world are turning against their neighbors: they feel powerless, angry, and left behind by globalization. He identifies various reasons for such strife, from increases in industrial automation and the influx of migrants to wealthier countries to a general sense that politicians do not know how to make struggling citizens’ lives better. He analyzes the situations of a dozen countries (Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Venezuela, Russia, India, and China among them) in depth and finds common risk factors for the “us versus them” mentality: large youth populations, lack of employment opportunities, and charismatic authoritarian leaders with a knack for pitting groups against one another. These countries, he predicts, will erect physical and technological “walls” to keep people in line, and Europe and the United States will follow suit, becoming more protectionist as the developing world struggles. The author closes with a philosophical chapter on the social contract between governments and their subjects, concluding that the politics of “us versus them” will only get worse before governments change their ways. This astute but not optimistic analysis may be difficult reading for those overwhelmed by the current political climate. (Apr.)

Editorial Reviews

"Henry's new novel is a slow-burn romance and an ode to the chosen family we need when everything gets too complicated...The beach-read master hooks us again."
—People

“Blur[s] the lines between women’s and literary-leaning commercial fiction, departing from the fantasy spaces of bodice rippers and misty moors to depict a world that looks a lot more like, well, our own…Henry operates at the top of her—and her readers’—intelligence, telling sophisticated, heartfelt stories that are conscious of the romantic comedy conventions without being overly meta about them…Henry’s dedicated readers know what to expect: wit, charm and heart, satisfying to the last page.”
—The Washington Post

“With tender insight and quick wit, Henry delivers prosecco and sea breezes alongside startling mediations on friendship, loss, and adulthood.” 
—Oprah Quarterly

"Just in time for summer, Henry's latest rom-com is a charming, heartwarming read about second-chance romance." 
—USA Today

“Here she is at last, a reigning queen of beach reads…Henry returns with another of her surefire-hit romantic comedies this spring, this one about a forced-proximity fake relationship…Expect to see it on vacationers’ Instagram feeds all summer long, and deservedly so.” 
—Elle

“For the last couple of years, Emily Henry has been the queen of romance novels, and that is not changing any time soon.” 
—Cosmopolitan

“The queen of beach reads."
—The Hollywood Reporter

"Another knock-out from the champ. The woman doesn't miss." 
—Taylor Jenkins-Reid

"Emily Henry has done it again! Happy Place is a dazzling, poignant love story about the people and places our hearts call home. Bursting with warmth and wit, this unforgettable romance is one more reason my happy place is an Emily Henry book."
—Carley Fortune, New York Times bestselling author of Every Summer After and Meet Me at the Lake

“This has the makings of a rom-com classic.” 
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"This sexy and profoundly romantic novel will satisfy fans of best-selling Henry’s thrilling trademark mix of witty banter and intensely emotional storylines.” 
—Library Journal (starred review)

“Henry's novels are sparkling bestsellers, and her newest will be an immense draw for her fans and every reader looking for a stellar romance.” 
—Booklist (starred review)

"As always, Henry’s dialogue is sparkling and the banter between characters is snappy and hilarious. Wyn and Harriet’s relationship, shown both in the past and the present, feels achingly real. Their breakup, as well as their complicated relationships with their own families, adds a twinge of melancholy, as do the relatable growing pains of a group of friends whose lives are taking them in different directions. A wistfully nostalgic look at endings, beginnings, and loving the people who will always have your back.” 
—Kirkus

“Happy Place proves that Henry is a writer with “no skips,” her oeuvre as expertly crafted as a perfect summer playlist.” 
—Bookpage (starred review)

"If you're looking for a magical second-chance romance that will make your heart ache and read compulsively to find out what happened to the perfect couple (and whether they'll get their happily ever after), then Happy Place is sure to keep you up all night!"
—The Nerd Daily

"...no matter how large your TBR list is, Happy Place by Emily Henry needs to be on it."
—The Everygirl

"Alternating between past and present, Henry crafts a tender, bittersweet story about the bonds that help define us and the inevitability of change."
—The Washington Independent Review of Books

From the Publisher

★ 01/16/2023

Exes must pretend they’re still together in this delightful Summery rom-com from bestseller Henry (Book Lovers). Burned out surgical resident Harriet Kilpatrick is eager for a relaxing weeklong getaway with her tight-knit friend group at the remote Maine beach cottage they’ve frequented. Then she arrives and discovers that Wyn Connor will also be there for the week. Wyn and Harriet were the perfect couple in college, and then the perfect fiancés, but they broke up six months ago and have yet to tell their friends. With the cottage up for sale, Harriet is determined not to ruin the gang’s last summer getaway, meaning she and Wyn must pretend to be happily in love. It’s awkward at first—compounded by the fact that, of course, there’s only one bed for the two of them—but soon they fall back into a familiar dynamic and old flames reignite. The chemistry between Wyn and Harriet is addictive, and both display some refreshing vulnerability. The lovable friend group, unusual but welcome in a Henry novel, help push the narrative forward and provide plenty of wit. This has the makings of a rom-com classic. Agent: Taylor Haggerty, Root Literary. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

★ 02/01/2023

Harriet is supposed to be in her happy place—she should be enjoying the annual trip to Maine with her beloved college friends. Instead, she's in a funk after her fiancé Wyn broke up with her with no explanation. He's an integral part of the friend group and the trip, so Harriet and Wyn decide to keep their news secret in order to not upset their friends. The vacation home they always stay at is for sale, so this may be their last summer there together, and the pressure is on to have one last perfect trip. Harriet and Wyn agree that to get through this vacation, they need to pretend the breakup never happened, and afterward they can go their separate ways. But their enduring love for each other keeps finding its way to the surface. Via alternating flashback and present-day chapters, readers get the full buildup of Wyn and Harriet's love story over years, making their relationship one to root for. VERDICT This sexy and profoundly romantic novel will satisfy fans of best-selling Henry's (Book Lovers) thrilling trademark mix of witty banter and intensely emotional storylines.—Migdalia Jimenez

Library Journal

Narrator Julia Whelan's nuanced performance complements this heartfelt story. Every year a group of friends has vacationed together at a cottage in Maine. Now the couples are moving into big life decisions--except for Harriet and Wyn. They broke up months ago, but they can't bear to tell the others on the last trip before the cottage is sold, so they pretend they're still together. For every fun, nostalgic activity, there's a tremendous amount of emotion and tension that make their pretense heartbreaking. Whelan gives a distinct voice to each person, enhancing the affectionate banter among the witty pals. A.L.C. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine

APRIL 2023 - AudioFile

2023-02-24
Exes pretend they’re still together for the sake of their friends on their annual summer vacation.

Wyn Connor and Harriet Kilpatrick were the perfect couple—until Wyn dumped Harriet for reasons she still doesn’t fully understand. They’ve been part of the same boisterous friend group since college, and they know that their breakup will devastate the others and make things more than a little awkward. So they keep it a secret from their friends and families—in fact, Harriet barely even admits it to herself, focusing instead on her grueling hours as a surgical resident. She’s ready for a vacation at her happy place—the Maine cottage she and her friends visit every summer. But (surprise!) Wyn is there too, and he and Harriet have to share a (very romantic) room and a bed. Telling the truth about their breakup is out of the question, because the cottage is up for sale, and this is the group’s last hurrah. Determined to make sure everyone has the perfect last trip, Harriet and Wyn resolve to fake their relationship for the week. The problem with this plan, of course, is that Harriet still has major feelings for Wyn—feelings that only get stronger as they pretend to be blissfully in love. As always, Henry’s dialogue is sparkling and the banter between characters is snappy and hilarious. Wyn and Harriet’s relationship, shown both in the past and the present, feels achingly real. Their breakup, as well as their complicated relationships with their own families, adds a twinge of melancholy, as do the relatable growing pains of a group of friends whose lives are taking them in different directions.

A wistfully nostalgic look at endings, beginnings, and loving the people who will always have your back.

Kirkus Reviews