Happy Place by Emily Henry: A Four-Star Book 

With Happy Place, Emily Henry delivers a heartfelt story that blends romance, friendship, and self-discovery against the stunning backdrop of a summer in Maine. I rated this as a four-star book because of the charming cast of friends and its touching exploration of how our relationships change as we grow. If you enjoy stories that delve into friendship dynamics and second-chance love, consider visiting Happy Place.

Summary of Happy Place (No Spoilers): 

A group of six best friends spend one last week at their beloved happy place, a gorgeous house in Maine owned by one friend’s father. Before Dad sells the house, this last week will be a perfect end to this chapter in their friendship with an itinerary that includes everything they’ve treasured during past vacations. 

But, the group is now in their thirties, and one pairing—Harriet and Wyn—is hiding their broken engagement with the fear that the end to their love story will mean the end to the group’s friendships as well. Harriet, the narrator, tells the story of how the group formed as friends and how she and Wyn first fell in love and then what happened five months ago when it all fell apart. Happy Place is an exploration of friendship, romantic love, and growing up.

“Love, I think. That’s new. And I’ll never be happy without it again.”

Happy Place by Emily Henry (page 150)

What I Enjoyed about Happy Place

This is the second Henry book for me in 2025, and I liked it but didn’t love it. Forced proximity and miscommunication are two of my least favorite romantic novel tropes, so I had to work harder to get enjoy this book, and I think it could have been about 75 pages shorter and still accomplish the job. But, Ms. Henry is a delightful contemporary writer, and here is what I loved about Happy Place:

• A gorgeous setting in Maine: I’ve upped Maine in summer on my bucket list of must-see places because of Ms. Henry’s descriptions. From the brine coming off the water to the lobster rolls and small-town festival, I want to experience it all.
• Quality, charming friends: Each of the group of six are unique and endearing. I loved that the core friendships began Harriet, Sabrina, and Cleo during their first year in college and how Harriet described their friendship as a sense of home. Expanding out to include Parth and Wyn in their remaining years of college and then introducing Kimmy as Cleo’s love interest after graduation brought more great characters to the story.
• Harriet and Wyn: Harriet tells the story of how she and Wyn went from friends to secret lovers to engaged and then not-engaged in flashback chapters that are reminiscent but not overly melancholy. It’s clear that the couple loves each other, but they do not communicate well during the most important moments of their engagement. 
• Self-worth and wellbeing: A large part of Harriet and Wyn’s relationship is impacted by their own self-worth and how they value their contributions to each other. Wyn’s go-to behavior is to put himself down and dismiss his worth because he isn’t a lawyer or doctor. Harriet is convinced that if she doesn’t everything for everyone, then keeping the peace will override her own happiness. And, Harriet is self-aware enough to recognize that the distant relationship between her mother and father impacted her approach to Wyn and her friends, and that she saw how Wyn was influenced by his parents’ more openly intimate relationship. 

My Final Thoughts about Happy Place

Happy Place was a slow read for me, but it was a good illustration of how friendships and romantic relationships evolve as we age. Ms. Henry’s characters reminded me of a less angst-driven St. Elmo’s Fire cast for the 21st century, with a much more uplifting ending for all. I recommend Happy Place if you’re looking for a book that celebrates friendship and love for everyone.