Happy Place

Romance novelist Emily Henry’s Happy Place (2023) follows the relationship of Harriet Kilpatrick, a surgical resident and conflict-avoider, and Wyn Connor, her soulmate and ex-fiancé. After dating for eight years, they separate and break their engagement without telling their friends. During the friend group’s annual gathering in their “happy place”—a cottage in Maine—Harriet and Wyn pretend to be in love for their friends’ sake. However, they soon find it increasingly harder to fake their engagement, lie to their friends, and hide their feelings.

The novel was a New York Times bestseller and was named a Most Anticipated Book of 2023 by BuzzFeed, Elle, Southern Living, and Reader’s Digest.

This study guide refers to the 2023 hardcover edition published by Berkley, an imprint of Penguin Random House.

Plot Summary

Harriet Kilpatrick, an overworked and exhausted 30-year-old surgical resident, prepares for the annual summer vacation to her “happy place,” a cottage in Knott’s Harbor, Maine. She will meet several friends: Sabrina, a lawyer and heiress whose family owns the cottage; Parth, Sabrina’s boyfriend; Cleo, an artsy farm owner; and Kimmy, Cleo’s girlfriend.

About six months ago, Harriet’s fiancé and partner of eight years, Wyn Connor, dumped her in a five-minute phone call. She’s devastated, but the two agreed not to tell their friend group yet.

When Harriet arrives at the coastal Maine cottage, Wyn pretends they’re still in love. Harriet is furious—she wasn’t expecting him to come, and planned to tell everyone about their breakup. However, Sabrina announces this is their last summer in the house, as her father is selling it. She and Parth are also getting married that weekend in an intimate ceremony. Wyn explains that Sabrina and Parth begged him to come to the wedding. Harriet understands why he couldn’t say no, so they agree to pretend to still be in love for the week. They will act as affectionately as they used to, or their friends will get suspicious.

As they attend Lobster Fest, boat on the ocean, dance, and visit their favorite places, Wyn seems to have doubts about the breakup. However, when he asks Harriet if she’s happy, she doesn’t want to admit she’s felt lost without him.

Flashbacks show Harriet, Sabrina, and Cleo meeting in college. Harriet grew up in a reserved family with an older sister who barely talked to her. Her college roommates were her first real friends. Soon, the girls moved into a house with Sabrina’s law-school classmate Parth and his friend Wyn. Harriet and Wyn were instantly attracted to each other; their friendship bloomed into deep, passionate love. Over the years, Cleo started a farm with her wild-child girlfriend Kimmy. Sabrina and Parth attended law school in New York, and Wyn proposed to Harriet. Harriet and Wyn moved to San Francisco for her residency, but Wyn struggled to find a job and missed his loving family in Montana. When Wyn’s father, Hank, died, he became depressed and moved back to Montana to help his mom, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Harriet tried to support Wyn, but the distance affected them. When one of Harriet’s residency friends Martin kissed her, Wyn broke up with her. Harriet assumed Wyn believed she cheated on him.

In the present, as Sabrina and Parth’s wedding gets closer, Harriet and Wyn communicate about their break-up. He was depressed after losing his dad and felt he was holding the ambitious and intelligent Harriet back. Conversely, Harriet was always tired from work and never wanted to talk about the wedding. She claims wanted to give him space to grieve. Wyn is happy in Montana, where he sells tables made from tree slabs in his dad’s carpentry shop. Harriet admits she doesn’t want to be a surgeon but was doing it to please her parents, who worked hard to put her and her sister through college. Harriet is tired, stressed, and scared to perform surgery. She has started making pottery; the art gives her a safe space to create without pressure. Wyn loves her pottery and tells her the world needs a happy potter more than a miserable surgeon. They rekindle their romance.

The day before the wedding, Sabrina insists everyone get matching tattoos. Cleo refuses, and a fight ensues. Sabrina and Cleo accuse Harriet of being incommunicado and distancing herself. Harriet pleads that her residency keeps her busy and admits she and Wyn broke up. Sabrina yells that she’s the only one making an effort in their friendship anymore.

The next morning, in the coffee shop, Harriet and Cleo discuss how their friendship has changed over the years. Cleo also reveals that she couldn’t get a tattoo because she’s pregnant. Back at the cottage, Sabrina is missing. They finally find her crying at the coastal chapel. The three friends apologize and bask in Cleo’s pregnancy, agreeing to make more of an effort to be together. They enjoy Sabrina and Parth’s intimate wedding on the coast.

Harriet decides to quit her surgical residency, though her parents initially don’t approve. She stays strong, no longer a people pleaser, and tells them she’s going to be a potter. With time, they support her. She moves to Montana to be with Wyn; they set a date for their wedding and enjoy their new happy place together.