� ˚ ale � ✧˖�'s Reviews > Happy Place
Happy Place
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� ˚ ale � ✧˖�'s review
bookshelves: adult, adult-fiction, chick-lit, contemporary, fiction, i-m-too-old-for-this-shit, new-adult, standalone, stupid-female-mc, this-shit-has-no-romance, big-hype-big-lie, 2023-reads
Apr 27, 2023
bookshelves: adult, adult-fiction, chick-lit, contemporary, fiction, i-m-too-old-for-this-shit, new-adult, standalone, stupid-female-mc, this-shit-has-no-romance, big-hype-big-lie, 2023-reads
Buckle up, bitches, because I have some things to say.
P.S: if you liked this book, I'm really really really happy for you. I wish that could be me! <3
My review may contain some spoilers, you've been warned.
I decided to give Emily Henry another chance after Beach Read, which I did not finish because it was bad in my opinion. So, I said "Why not? Maybe this one turns out to be pretty good!" and now that I finished it, I've realized (after a long night of overthinking and self-loathing. Yeah, I know, it wasn't my best night, lol) that maybe romance as a main plot isn't my genre.
First of all, I've never ever been in love in my almost 25 years of miserable existence, nor someone has been in love with me, so I don't actually know how it really feels, (that's a deep and traumatic conversation for another day), but to me it's kind of unreal that people can last years and not get bored. Please, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it's not a real thing , but I can't even start to imagine someone loving me for so long without getting bored of me. (Plot twist: deep down, I'm a hopeless romantic who yearns to love and be loved for a really long time and to be in a healthy relationship, but that's not gonna happen, so).
Basically, Happy Place is about a second chance romance, between Harriet and Wyn (I swear I've never heard the name Wyndham until the day I started this book), who broke up five months ago and reunite for a trip with their best friends. They have to act like they're still together and pretend happiness and such just to not causing chaos.
The jump from past to present was not for me. While I enjoy those kind of flashbacks, things were "interesting" in the present than in the past.
I felt like a fucking third wheel. Or perhaps like I was in the middle of a friend group which I wasn't part of and it made me feel uncomfortable, (I've felt like that in the past, in many friend groups, and it feels awful) and if EH's point was to make me feel like I belonged with them, well, it didn't work out. They didn't even feel like best friends because there was a lot of tension and they were keeping secrets from each other (yes, I know this last thing happens a lot irl).
The side characters had no personality whatsoever. They felt very flat and boring. Sabrina was controlling and kind of bitchy. Parth had zero personality. Cleo and Kimmy were okay, until I felt like they were not a lesbian couple, but a heterosexual couple where one of them is a guy with a girl's name. Don't come at me for this, I just felt it like that. I did enjoy when Sabrina was called out. I get that they were in that trip mourning their youth and trying to have a good time, but goddamn it was painful. I just could not stand them. Trust me, I'm good at mourning my wasted and non existent youth, but this was pure hell.
Wyn was flat and boring. Gods, he had no personality and it was pretty clear. Even a shoe or a rock has more personality than Wyn Connor. What I hated the most is that basically Harriet was the one making the moves. Always. Man, if you really "love her" then go and fucking fight for her. MAKE SOME GODDAMN MOVES TO GET HER BACK AND LOVE HER PROPERLY.
And Harriet, girly pop, please, have a little bit more of self-steem and respect for yourself. Stop being a people pleaser and try to save everyone. !
I hate miscommunication. I believe it's one of the worst tropes ever and it's used throughout the book. Harriet complains and whines a lot, has a lot of inner monologues but she never says shit. Ma'am, please don't expect that everyone knows what the hell do you want if you never say anything. I'm not defending Wyn either, because he did the same thing. And they were constantly lying about how they were happy and okay. Both, Harriet and Wyn made a lot of assumptions instead of actually talk to each other, which could have spared us from a 400 pages book. Things could have solved up faster if they both had spoken first.
Like, are you going to tell me that after a long-ass relationship of 8 YEARS, neither of you can communicate things? They could have broken up sooner if they just talked things through. It's like both communication and understanding were missing in the entire book. Also, breaking up with her over the phone? Are you fucking kidding me?
This book could have been better if we had Wyn's POV. He obviously was struggling with depression, the loss of his father and his mother being diagnosed with Parkinson. We could have understood him more like this. But otherwise, he seemed indifferent about his relationship.
My last straw was... Pottery? Really?
Did you just throw so many years of med school, hard work and your residency for pottery? I don't know how things work for med school in the u.s, but, girly pop, I'm pretty sure that isn't cheap, not even when you study in a good school. And holy shit, she’s a neurosurgery resident. (My dream was to become a neurosurgeon, so I was speechless and almost screaming like Regina George in Mean Girls). I'm still speachless and amazed because how are you gonna pay your +$200,000 debts from pottery? Wyn must be a fucking billionare.
I also felt nothing, nor empathy, sadness, pity or whatever towards any of these characters or their problems and relationships.
The sex scene felt... Off. There was "a lot" of tension going on between Harriet and Wyn from the beginning, but when the sex scene finally came, it disappeared and felt dull.
Anyways, not everything seems bad, lmao.
I have this love/hate relationship with EH's writing style. For one side, there are some phrases where you can relate and say "Same, sis, same.", but for the other side, Emily uses metaphors and stuff like that where is no needed.
The only good thing, perhaps?
I get the hype over Emily Henry's books, I swear I do, but they never captivate me or make me giggle, kick my feet in the air or feel happy. Maybe there's something wrong with me. Maybe, like I said at the beginning of this review, maybe romance as a main is not for me.
I'm not going to include this book in my big hype big lie shelf yet because I honestly didn't have many expectations for Happy Place. Nevermind, I just added to my big hipe, big lie shelf, lmao.
This is where Emily Henry and I part ways.
I guess I have more things to say, but I'll add them when I remember, lmao.
P.S: if you liked this book, I'm really really really happy for you. I wish that could be me! <3
My review may contain some spoilers, you've been warned.
I decided to give Emily Henry another chance after Beach Read, which I did not finish because it was bad in my opinion. So, I said "Why not? Maybe this one turns out to be pretty good!" and now that I finished it, I've realized (after a long night of overthinking and self-loathing. Yeah, I know, it wasn't my best night, lol) that maybe romance as a main plot isn't my genre.
First of all, I've never ever been in love in my almost 25 years of miserable existence, nor someone has been in love with me, so I don't actually know how it really feels, (that's a deep and traumatic conversation for another day), but to me it's kind of unreal that people can last years and not get bored. Please, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it's not a real thing , but I can't even start to imagine someone loving me for so long without getting bored of me. (Plot twist: deep down, I'm a hopeless romantic who yearns to love and be loved for a really long time and to be in a healthy relationship, but that's not gonna happen, so).
Basically, Happy Place is about a second chance romance, between Harriet and Wyn (I swear I've never heard the name Wyndham until the day I started this book), who broke up five months ago and reunite for a trip with their best friends. They have to act like they're still together and pretend happiness and such just to not causing chaos.
The jump from past to present was not for me. While I enjoy those kind of flashbacks, things were "interesting" in the present than in the past.
I felt like a fucking third wheel. Or perhaps like I was in the middle of a friend group which I wasn't part of and it made me feel uncomfortable, (I've felt like that in the past, in many friend groups, and it feels awful) and if EH's point was to make me feel like I belonged with them, well, it didn't work out. They didn't even feel like best friends because there was a lot of tension and they were keeping secrets from each other (yes, I know this last thing happens a lot irl).
The side characters had no personality whatsoever. They felt very flat and boring. Sabrina was controlling and kind of bitchy. Parth had zero personality. Cleo and Kimmy were okay, until I felt like they were not a lesbian couple, but a heterosexual couple where one of them is a guy with a girl's name. Don't come at me for this, I just felt it like that. I did enjoy when Sabrina was called out. I get that they were in that trip mourning their youth and trying to have a good time, but goddamn it was painful. I just could not stand them. Trust me, I'm good at mourning my wasted and non existent youth, but this was pure hell.
Wyn was flat and boring. Gods, he had no personality and it was pretty clear. Even a shoe or a rock has more personality than Wyn Connor. What I hated the most is that basically Harriet was the one making the moves. Always. Man, if you really "love her" then go and fucking fight for her. MAKE SOME GODDAMN MOVES TO GET HER BACK AND LOVE HER PROPERLY.
And Harriet, girly pop, please, have a little bit more of self-steem and respect for yourself. Stop being a people pleaser and try to save everyone. !
I hate miscommunication. I believe it's one of the worst tropes ever and it's used throughout the book. Harriet complains and whines a lot, has a lot of inner monologues but she never says shit. Ma'am, please don't expect that everyone knows what the hell do you want if you never say anything. I'm not defending Wyn either, because he did the same thing. And they were constantly lying about how they were happy and okay. Both, Harriet and Wyn made a lot of assumptions instead of actually talk to each other, which could have spared us from a 400 pages book. Things could have solved up faster if they both had spoken first.
Like, are you going to tell me that after a long-ass relationship of 8 YEARS, neither of you can communicate things? They could have broken up sooner if they just talked things through. It's like both communication and understanding were missing in the entire book. Also, breaking up with her over the phone? Are you fucking kidding me?
This book could have been better if we had Wyn's POV. He obviously was struggling with depression, the loss of his father and his mother being diagnosed with Parkinson. We could have understood him more like this. But otherwise, he seemed indifferent about his relationship.
My last straw was... Pottery? Really?
Did you just throw so many years of med school, hard work and your residency for pottery? I don't know how things work for med school in the u.s, but, girly pop, I'm pretty sure that isn't cheap, not even when you study in a good school. And holy shit, she’s a neurosurgery resident. (My dream was to become a neurosurgeon, so I was speechless and almost screaming like Regina George in Mean Girls). I'm still speachless and amazed because how are you gonna pay your +$200,000 debts from pottery? Wyn must be a fucking billionare.
I also felt nothing, nor empathy, sadness, pity or whatever towards any of these characters or their problems and relationships.
The sex scene felt... Off. There was "a lot" of tension going on between Harriet and Wyn from the beginning, but when the sex scene finally came, it disappeared and felt dull.
Anyways, not everything seems bad, lmao.
I have this love/hate relationship with EH's writing style. For one side, there are some phrases where you can relate and say "Same, sis, same.", but for the other side, Emily uses metaphors and stuff like that where is no needed.
The only good thing, perhaps?
I get the hype over Emily Henry's books, I swear I do, but they never captivate me or make me giggle, kick my feet in the air or feel happy. Maybe there's something wrong with me. Maybe, like I said at the beginning of this review, maybe romance as a main is not for me.
This is where Emily Henry and I part ways.
I guess I have more things to say, but I'll add them when I remember, lmao.
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Reading Progress
April 27, 2023
–
Started Reading
April 27, 2023
– Shelved
April 27, 2023
– Shelved as:
to-read
April 28, 2023
–
12.5%
"maybe it's because i've never been in love or no one has ever been in love with me, but the fact that people can actually be together for years sounds so unreal for me. gods, it feels weird, lmao"
page
50
April 29, 2023
–
25.0%
"i'm trying to fight a reading slump and my constant responsibilities just to read this, lmao"
page
100
May 1, 2023
– Shelved as:
adult
May 1, 2023
– Shelved as:
adult-fiction
May 1, 2023
– Shelved as:
chick-lit
May 1, 2023
– Shelved as:
contemporary
May 1, 2023
– Shelved as:
fiction
May 1, 2023
– Shelved as:
i-m-too-old-for-this-shit
May 1, 2023
– Shelved as:
new-adult
May 1, 2023
– Shelved as:
standalone
May 1, 2023
– Shelved as:
stupid-female-mc
May 1, 2023
– Shelved as:
this-shit-has-no-romance
May 1, 2023
–
Finished Reading
July 8, 2023
– Shelved as:
big-hype-big-lie
August 22, 2023
– Shelved as:
2023-reads
Comments Showing 1-50 of 555 (555 new)
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anouk� semi-hiatus
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Apr 27, 2023 01:29PM

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awww, i just started it and this far is funny! hope you enjoy it! <3

oh, gods, i'm gonna cry, huh? well, sign me up! enjoy! <3


thanks! omg, i'm so excited! hope you like it as well <3

thanks and omg, good luck for you too! hope this time it's worth it! <3


Oh, it definitely did not go well. :( Yeah, my rating it's gonna be between those two, haha.



AY SIS, JAJAKJSHFKJDF. Yo no terminé Beach Read, pero no me gustó. Y este... Bueno, fue una decepción. Entiendo el hype, y entiendo por qué a otros les gusta, pero es un no para mí. :(

Thanks, Youssra. Hope you enjoy it when you read it!! <3

thanks, alayla! and omg, i hope you do enjoy it! <3 <3


carla wrote: "im sorry his name is wyndham? im pretty sure that's the name of a hotel chain here in the us. i just stayed with them over christmas. she should've been called marriott lmao."
lol
lol

Oh, it definitely did not go well. :( Yeah, my rating it's gonna be between ..."
ah I read the review. *hugs* friend🫂. I can feel your frustration through my laptop screen lmao. Sorry EH let you down. She is really a hit or a miss. I parted ways with Colleen Hoover lol, so I understand, hope your next read is better hun💙

Yes! You either love her books or hate them, lmao. I get why people like her books. You should give them a try!

Oh, gods, this comment made my day 😭 I didn't know that it was a hotel chain. Marriott, byeeee 😭😭😭


OMG, LILYYAAAA, I'm glad that you really loved the book! 🥺🥺 Thank you so much! Hope your next book be also a 5 star! <3




Aww, either way, I hope you enjoy it more than me, Hanna! There are plenty of people who liked it! I feel like this genre is not for me. Enjoy it! <3 <3


Thanks! Sorry that you didn't like it either. Yeah, it wasn't for us, lmao.

Oh, gods, you're so right for this. Byeeee

Thank you, Manju! I hope you really like it and enjoy it! <3


I'm glad that you loved it, Ariadne, omg! I wish that could be me. And thanks! I tried to be funny as well, lmao. But yes, I get why people loved this book and totally get it, but just wasn't for me. :( <3

And agree, Wyn is so boring. Literally nothing but a pretty face. Atleast he was self aware about his own boringness. I thought this might go into an interesting direction about exploring male insecurity but it didn't.

I totally agree with you! it just didn't make any sense. Harriet would have been happier alone tbh.
And yes! It could have been interesting and helpful to have Wyn's pov as well.

Haha, I get you. It's not for everyone.


Omg, I'm glad that you liked it, Kess! And thanks. <3
