Nora Ephron or Nancy Meyers Summer? Happy Place by Emily Henry

clsimpson430
Jun 14, 2023
4 min read

My Rating: 3.5 Stars

This was my first Emily Henry book and it was pretty cute!

I'm usually hesitant to read books that have gone viral on TikTok. I still have PTSD from reading We Were Liars. But when I saw a review on the back of the book that said "Our generation's answer to Nora Ephron" (Sophie Cousens), I had to give it shot. And while it did kiiinda feel Nora Ephronesque, I would venture to say that Happy Place is instead a Nancy Meyers movie.

Let's evaluate:

[Harriet and Wyn have been together for years and are two of the six members of their friend group that go to a Maine cottage every summer to enjoy some time off. But now, they've broken up and haven't told the rest of the group. Too overwhelmed to break the news, they decide to pretend they're still together while trying to ignore their blatant chemistry. But will they still be pretending by the end?]

Now I know you're thinking "Cassie, Nora and Nancy are two directorial icons that are hardly any different" but that's where you're wrong. It's true, they both make incredible rom-com's. But Nora Ephron's movies are pretty PG-13 with the majority of the movie leading up to the first meeting or the first kiss (aka Sleepless in Seatle, You've Got Mail). Nancy Meyers, however, dives in head first with the characters' sex lives playing a major role in the movie (It's Complicated, Something's Gotta Give, What Women Want). Now there is Nora's rare exception with When Harry Met Sally, but let's be honest, their hook up is basically only a blip in the storyline with no huge focus on it.

Also, Nancy Meyers movies constantly take place in the summer at some prestigious vineyard while Nora Ephron's characters give us all the fall vibes in a big city.

I would say Happy Place falls under the Nancy Meyers category due to:

summer, beach side setting (basically the beach house from Something's Gotta Give)
strong sexual tension between the main characters
characters smoking weed (only Nancy Meyers mentions weed in her movies)

And just like most Nancy Meyers movies, I really enjoyed this book but it won't be on my top 10 rom-com books.

I definitely enjoyed the coming of age/family/friendships storyline more than the romantic storyline. I liked watching Harriet navigate her relationships with her family and friends and reevaluate her career choices, all while chilling at this beautiful beach-side cottage. Harriet's career-crisis was very endearing to read about in a world of books focused on unrealistically driven characters.

But Wyn just didn’t do it for me, tbh. He's a slightly insecure guy that requires a lot of reassurance from Harriet. The insecure guy is not something I want to romanticize in a book. While I’m sure it’s 10000x more realistic and relatable for people to read about, I personally like to read about the unrealistically perfect love interest.

Two smaller things I disliked: The "we're so kooky because we're smoking weed at 30" storyline. And the smut. Wyn and Harriet had a great emotional connection and I loved those scenes between them, but there were a couple of smutty scenes. I get that most people want the spicy scenes, but I just prefer to not have them. To give you the TikTok spice rating, I would give it: 🌶️🌶️

But the writing was pretty amazing!!! I haven't read a book with this good of writing in a while. I never felt bored and I loved the constant banter between the characters. It was charming and witty.

If it weren't for the smoking and smut, this would probably be a solid 4 star read for me. If I enjoyed deep, emotional rom-coms over light, fluffy ones then it could be 5 stars honestly. I can see the appeal. For me, it was just missing a certain class or tastefulness...but definitely not a bad book overall.

In conclusion: This is a nice, summery, Nancy Meyersesque book with a good coming of age story about how complicated life and love becomes once your frontal lobe develops.

Synopsis:

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 the largest 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 their parts. Harriet will be the driven surgical resident who never starts a fight, and Wyn will be the laid-back 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?