Happy Place

Which character(s) are the most developed? Which are the least? Why did Emily Henry make the choice to render some characters as three-dimensional and leave others flat?

Consider relationships between parents and children in the novel. What generational patterns affect the characters?

How does the novel approach its characters’ sexuality? How are sex scenes between Wyn and Harriet different at different stages of their relationship? How does Henry use physical intimacy to add depth to character?

Pretending to be in love and breaking up and getting back together are common tropes in the romance genre. How does Henry follow or subvert these traditional tropes? Cite textual evidence to support your answer.

How does Henry use imagery? Consider her use of metaphors, sensory language, and other types of description and conduct a close reading of a passage from the novel.

How does the decade-long friendship between Harriet, Cleo, and Sabrina grow and shift across time? Analyze specific conflicts the three women have and how they balance or clash with each other.

How effective is Henry’s non-linear timeline? What do the alternating chapters of the past and present achieve in the book?

Discuss the novel’s repeated interest in alternate lives. Why does Cleo wonder what her friends would be in other circumstances? Why does Wyn insist that in every possible universe, Harriet is always his soulmate?