Happy Place
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. 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 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, 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 thei
Where Happy Place keeps showing up
Two of our editors' lists feature this novel.
Also by Emily Henry
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A few of the closest reads from our full list.
What you might want to know about Happy Place
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
Harriet and Wyn broke up months ago. Their best friends do not know yet. At the friends' last summer week at a Maine cottage they may have to sell, the exes agree to fake their relationship one more time.
Happy Place contains some explicit on-page scenes, around 3 out of 5 on the spice scale. Emily Henry's novels typically balance steam with banter and emotional development.
Happy Place contains some explicit on-page scenes, around 3 out of 5 on the spice scale. Emily Henry's novels typically balance steam with banter and emotional development.
Yes. Netflix is developing a Happy Place limited series adaptation. As of 2025, the project is in development with no confirmed release date.
Happy Place was written by Emily Henry, published in 2023 by Penguin Publishing Group.
Happy Place is 400 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, Happy Place takes most readers 6 to 9 hours to finish.
Happy Place is a standalone novel by Emily Henry, not part of a series.
Happy Place is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.