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�� 3.5 ��

“i knew the only thing more painful than being without him would be being together knowing i no longer truly had him.��

br with my lovely caitlin!! here's her rating/review: sigh

so... what are your guys' thoughts on emily with an eyepatch? she'll give aaron from aphmau. no one make a rude comment on that reference. i cannot handle my bubble being popped yet again.

anyhow, my emotions are absolutely FUCKED over. coherent thoughts? haha, where?

at first, i wasn't really liking it. once i stuck it out, i enjoyed it. i especially loved the past povs. in my opinion, seeing the shift from ‘real life�� to ‘happy place�� is crucial. however, my love for this didn't form until halfway through the book.

the friend group dynamic was unbelievable at times. there were many instances throughout the book when i thought that doesn't seem right. it was so obvious everyone was hiding something. from the get-go, it seemed sketchy, and out of place. other readers have complained that it felt like being pushed randomly into a friend group, i agree wholeheartedly. on top of that, the inside jokes fall flat. i would've liked it if eh provided more context for the inside jokes and references throughout the book. i had to look things up because i just felt out of the loop. it made me feel like an old person trying to understand snapchat slang. towards the last 10%, though? oh my god, i could completely feel the love, friendship, and growth. but then again, we didn't get that until 90% into the book.

sigh. i really wanted to adore happy place, nevertheless, i cannot force feelings that don't exist. i don't hate the book, i fairly enjoyed it. it just didn't hit like beach read and book lovers did (no, i will NOT take any beach read or book lovers slander in this comment section).

i really cherished harry's character towards the end (not THE end, though). i related to her so much. that end though. that goddamn fucking end, the very end. ain't no way. i mean, girlboss, do what you love, but it just seemed so out of place? throughout the book she talks about how much she loves her job, no matter how tiring it is. yet, randomly, she just drops out to become a pottery gal? SHE DOESN'T EVEN EXPRESS THAT MUCH LOVE FOR IT UNTIL THE VERY END. S I G H. i just think it's sudden, for we don't see the 'real harry' until the last 5%. i would've loved seeing bits and pieces of the 'real harry' that would convince me she'd make that decision for anything other than wyn.

now, wyn. the man that you are, the apparently clovey, piney, sandusty man that you are. yes, harriet is CONSTANTLY sniffing him. we are given M A N Y descriptions of what he smells like. she often talks about the want to bottle him up in a fragrance. anywho, wyn wyn wyn. the fact that his love language is physical touch spoke to me on a personal level. i thrive off of physical touch, it makes me feel loved. i'm an attention whore, just so you know. now, that being said, i simultaneously loved and hated him. he got on my nerves SO MUCH, but at the same time, i was giggling at his grand sayings and proclamations to harry. i'm a sucker for sweet-talking and trust me, wyn is a sweet-talker. wyn is also a professional overthinker, self-deprecating, and worry-wort. he made my brain hurt.

wyn and harry's personalities clashed from time to time (the whole book). harry's a people-pleaser to the MAX and puts everyone else's well-being before her own, while wyn constantly self-doubts and overthinks. therefore, causing a huge miscommunication issue, which is why the entire book is so angsty. i definitely felt harry's heartbreak and sorrows, maybe not at the beginning but at about the 70% mark.

which brings me to my next point: sabrina. i don't like her. what she did? holy fucking hell. that's going against all rules of trust and friendship. i know the situation was a little messed up, but pulling that absolute bullshit because what, you think your cupid? go fuck yourself. honestly. she should've groveled more.

cleo and kimmy, however? I ADORE THEM SO MUCH. they're so gay and adorable and lovely. easily my favorite characters—besides ray. them owning a farm together is so precious. (view spoiler)[THEM HAVING A BABY?! YES! zora? zoe? something with a z. (hide spoiler)] i love them.

sigh. i suppose this review is coming to an end, huh? again, my deepest apologies to any and all happy place defenders. i envy you. i want to be you. do you know how it pains me to have so much negativity surrounding my beloved emily henry—coming from ME specifically? it's heartbreaking. sigh x2.

also, january & gus get an entire star to themselves.

“it’s by this married couple who usually publish separately. one of them writes literary doorstop novels and the other writes romance.��

i squealed.

the quotes absolutely destroyed any self-preservation i had left. so i'll just give you guys some of those, and you'll understand why i rated this so highly.

“the most important friendships in my life all came down to a decision made by strangers, chance.��

“my best friends taught me a new kind of quiet, the peaceful stillness of knowing one another so well you don’t need to fill the space. and a new kind of loud: noise as a celebration, as the overflow of joy at being alive, here, now.��

“when suddenly more of my heart belongs to him than doesn’t, and i know i’ll never get a single grain back.��

“he’s a golden boy. i’m a girl whose life has been drawn in shades of gray. i try not to love him. i really try.��

“stupid, stupid, stupid heart. don’t you know he hasn’t been yours to cry over for a long time?��

“in every universe, it’s you for me. even if it’s not me for you.��

“don’t yet know that there is a level of happiness even deeper, one so intense it hurts, almost like loss or grief.��

“we did the right thing. we let each other go. that too is a kind of comfort.��

“i've tried so hard to be good, to deserve the people around me, yet i've still managed to hurt all of them.��

“don’t forgive me. stay mad at me. don’t get over me.��

mwah,
alayla. 📖

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sigh. rtc. don't be fooled by the rating. it's gonna be mean and i apologize in advance.

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y'all... caitlin is scaring me, “if i don't end up liking this, you will never hear from me again. the cognitive dissonance i will have to deal with by living outside of being in love with emily henry will be so staggering that i will have to be institutionalized.�� 😰 same tbh, i will eat eh's eyeballs if this goes wrong

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happy emily henry day, loves. i hope everyone's enjoying!! <3

personally, i'll be br with caitlin 🤭