As someone who spends hours upon hours reading each week, I have struggled to really get into any books this year. I have even tried dabbling in new genres, but there is one kind of book that I can always rely on, and that is a will-they-won’t-they romantic tale. My best friend recommended this one to me, saying she read it so quickly and that I HAD to give it a go. So that I did. The author, Emily Henry, knows exactly what she is doing when it comes to a romance novel, having written six of them. The beauty of Henry’s books is that they feel grounded and realistic, not dreamlike and wishful. Happy Place is my choice for book of the year…so far at least.
The book’s synopsis reads: “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 six months ago. And still haven’t told their best friends.
“Which is how they find themselves sharing the largest 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, blue 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?
“A couple who broke up months ago make a pact to 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.”
In Happy Place, Henry’s characters depict real-life relationships, both romantic and platonic, that are grounded and tense, but also full of the quirks that come with years of friendship. It is a refreshing bout of escapism that doesn’t leave you wondering why life is the way it is, but rather with a sense of relatability. I’d love to see it turned into a movie.
Happy Place is available to purchase online and in most bookshops.