Happy Place by Emily Henry

 

"You're in all of my happiest places."

Release Date: April 25, 2023

Genre: Fiction, contemporary romance

Rating: 

Summary:

Think of your happy place...

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 have all 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 laidback 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?

Review:

OH. MY. GOODNESS.

Emily Henry does it again. This woman is a true artist. The way she wields words to make such a beautifully crafted masterpiece. Happy Place holds such a special place in my heart (alongside Book Lovers and Beach Read).

I almost did not read this book. I was 95% committed to the fact that I was not going to read this book (while the 5% was devastated that I was not going to read Emily Henry's latest novel). The premise of this book just did not strike my fancy. I absolutely despised the idea of reading about two ex-lovers being forced to pretend they are a happy couple and relive all the good as well as bad memories.

However, SO many people were raving about how good of a book this was. I finally was convinced. 

This was giving me such strong 500 Days of Summer vibes throughout most of the book where you are seeing where everything went wrong in the relationship. For the majority of the book I was absolutely dreading what I thought was the inevitable but this book blew my expectations out of the water! IT WAS SO PHENOMENAL. I am SOBBING.

Such beautiful lessons and beautiful characters in this book. This book makes me feel like I am in my happy place. My heart is so full and so warm. I need to go to Maine on vacation ASAP and re-read this book. Who's with me? 

Quotes:

"It doesn't matter how busy life's been, how long the five of us have gone without seeing one another: meeting at the cottage is like pulling on a favorite sweatshirt, worn to perfection. Time doesn't move the same way when we're there. Things change, but we stretch and grow and make room for one another. Our love is a place we can always come back to, and it will be waiting, the same as it ever was. You belong here."

"Like even when something beautiful breaks, the making of it still matters."

"Love means constantly saying you're sorry, and then doing better."

"There doesn't need to be a winner and a loser. You just have to care how the other person feels. You have to care more about them than you do about being right."

"I understood then, the immense honor it is to hurt like she does. To have loved someone so much that the taste of maple syrup can make you cry and laugh at the same time."

"I want my life to be like-like making pottery. I want to enjoy it while it's happening, not just for where it might get me eventually."

"You're in all of my happiest places."

"You, you, you."

"No," he says quietly. "In every universe, it's you for me. Even if it's not me for you."

"I love you," I tell him. "In every universe."

"Because there's nowhere I wouldn't go for you."

"Are you saying I can come home?" "I'm saying," he murmurs softly, "it's not home unless you're there."

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

 

"Sometimes, even when you start with the last page and you think you know everything, a book finds a way to surprise you." 

Release Date: May 3, 2022

Genre: Fiction, Contemporary Romance

Rating: 

Summary:

One summer. Two rivals. A plot twist they didn't see coming...

Nora Stephen's life is books - she's read them all - and she is not that type of heroine. Not the plucky one, not the laid-back dream girl, and especially not the sweetheart. In fact, the only people Nora is a heroine for are her clients, for whom she lands enormous deals as a cutthroat literary agent, and her beloved little sister, Libby. 

Which is why she agrees to go to Sunshine Falls, North Carolina, for the month of August when Libby begs her for a sister's trip away - with visions of a small-town transformation for Nora, who she's convinced needs to become the heroine in her own story. But instead of picnics in meads or run-ins with a handsome country doctor or bulging-forearmed bartender, Nora keeps bumping into Charlie Lastra, a bookish, brooding editor from back in the city. It would be a meet-cute, if not for the fact that they've met many times and it's never been cute.

If Nora knows she's not an ideal heroine, Charlie knows he's nobody's hero, but as they are thrown together again and again - in a series of coincidences no editor worth their salt would allow - what they discover might just unravel the carefully crafted stories they've written about themselves.

Review:

Book Lovers is an impactful life lesson on family and love while moonlighting as a cheesy, Hallmark romance. Book Lovers was intended to be a playful reprieve for myself (as I am currently in-between books in a dark, fantasy fiction series). However, this novel and the characters swiftly became embedded in my heart. This book is about love: the love of your family, the love of a city, the love of books, and the safe love welcoming you home. It is not simply a romance novel. The level of depth Emily Henry was able to steep into these pages is astounding to me. It was nearly impossible for me to put this book down. Book Lovers embodies the message that “home is where the heart is” and “you can have your cake and eat it too.”

Nora is the main protagonist who thrives on the hustle and bustle of New York City. She is a literary agent who is cunning, blood-thirsty, and relentless. Nora is a strong, independent woman who knows exactly what she wants and how to get it. Her weak spot? Her sister Libby and being blinded by a false sense of nostalgia. Nora likes to read the last pages of a book to see if it's worth reading (same here, girl. It is a terrible habit and I don't know how to stop!) 

I adore the bond between these sisters, Nora and Libby. Emily Henry was able to successfully write about two sisters being connected and not having to be enemies. It can be hard to find sources of media showcasing the love between sisters and not having a sibling rivalry. It was heart-wrenching to read about Nora’s fears of losing her best friend and to see the distance that was steadily increasing between the pair. It bares truth that while these sisters are completely opposite and may experience times of uncertainty or great difficulty, it allows their bond to strengthen. In addition, Emily Henry also broaches the conversation of when a child has been parentified. "A parentified child has responsibilities placed on them that are inappropriate, considering their age and abilities," from www.medicalnewstoday.com. it is interesting to see how differently the sisters few their childhood and their relationship with their deceased mother. 

The banter and the chemistry between Nora and Charlie were electrifying. At first, it seems impossible that these two would ever find each other likeable. Nora seems awfully irresponsible and Charlie seems dull and lackluster when the two first meet. However, in the setting of a small town such as Sunshine Falls, a connection develops that is so magnetic it was impossible to ignore. While the pair had ample passion, it was the sense of safety and security between the two that was the most heart-warming for me. Nora found a home in Charlie and vice versa. Every interaction between these two left me smiling and giddy. As cheesy as can be, I truly believe Charlie was a perfect puzzle piece fit. 

I appreciate thoroughly that the author was able to show the growth of Nora as a character while also maintaining her independent qualities. Emily Henry does not villainize being in love with your career, not wanting children, and enjoying being a stranger in a big city. Nora can have all these things and have a happy ending. I resonate with Nora immensely and it was comforting to see Nora get her happy ending. It gives me hope that I write my own fairy-tale ending as well: an unwavering bond with my sister, a beautiful romance that checks all the boxes, and a successful career that brings me joy. 

I would highly recommend reading this book. I'm sure that you will also have great difficulty putting this book down as well. This book was devoured in less than a week. A stunning book that ties in all the elements: a big city, a small town, the power of sisters and a finding the love of your life. it is witty, it is heart-warming, and there is so much depth in these characters. 

Quotes:

"Sometimes, even when you start with the last page and you think you know everything, a book finds a way to surprise you."

"I realized there were too many books in the world and not enough time."

"Is there anything better than iced coffee and a bookstore on a sunny day? I mean, aside from hot coffee and a bookstore on a rainy day."

"Some books you don't read so much as live."

"That's the thing about women. There's no good way to be one. Wear your emotions on your sleeve and you're hysterical. Keep them tucked away where your boyfriend doesn't have to tend to them and you're a heartless bitch."

"Books with no dog ears and shiny new covers, cleaning and shelving and reading 'bout lovers."

"It's a feeling not unlike reading a really good book: all-consuming, worry-obliterating."

"You fucking undo me."

"Maybe love shouldn't be built on a foundation of compromises, but maybe it can't exist without them either. Not the kind that forces two people into shapes they don't fit in, but the kind that loosens their grips, always leaves room to grow. Compromises that say, there will be a you-shaped space in my heart, and if your shape changes, I will adapt. No matter where we go, our love will stretch out to hold us, ad that makes me feel like...like everything will be okay."