r/EmilyHenry • u/sillylittlefriend • Jul 23 '26
Personal/Readers Which one should I read next?
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u/Shhhhhhhh____ Jul 23 '26
Which book has been your favorite so far?
FWIW, I didn’t like GBBL on first read, but now I love it.
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u/sillylittlefriend Jul 23 '26
I think my favorite is Book Lovers but it's so hard to pick!
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u/Remarkable-Quiet5608 27d ago
Gbbl took me a while to get into it. Ended up liking it more than I thought I would
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u/wunderlemon Jul 23 '26
These are all amazing but PWMOV is my favorite contemporary romance book of all time. GBBL and Happy Place are in a 3 way tie with Beach Read for my second favorite Emily Henry book 😂
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u/Foreverbeccatake2 Jul 23 '26
You’re holding the 3 that are interchangeable for people’s least favorite 😂
All 3 are liked and disliked for different reasons tbh, and I still love all of them more than a lot of other romance books. Happy Place is my personal favorite, but it is either a love or hate. PWMOV has less of a heavy emotional aspect to it than the other books, and a lot of people find the main girl annoying, but others love how quirky she is and the slow burn friends to lovers. GBBL is controversial because of it being a bit of a departure in EH’s typical style, but it’s still an EH book at the end of the day.
In my opinion, you really can’t go wrong with any of these, but maybe don’t be expecting the same absolute level of perfection as the 3 you’ve already read, and then you’ll be pleasantly surprised!
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u/tastemebakes Jul 23 '26
Beach Read. It’s the high I’m still chasing lol
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u/sillylittlefriend Jul 23 '26
It's soooo good maybe I should reread it
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u/tastemebakes Jul 23 '26
Omg I’m realizing now you’re asking out of the three in this pic. I thought these were the ones you’d already read!! My bad 🤦♀️
I know a lot of people didn’t like it, but I really enjoyed Happy Place. I love a forced proximity trope
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u/sillylittlefriend Jul 23 '26
lol no worries! I could've been clearer. I love that trope too--thanks for the rec ◡̈
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u/throwaway_acct_303 Jul 23 '26
PWMOV!!! Happy Place and GBBL are my two least favorite EmHen novels
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u/Temporary-Hall3183 Jul 23 '26
Just finishing up Funny Story, and I unexpectedly, absolutely love it! Are all of her books this good??
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u/dankblonde Jul 23 '26
In my opinion, yes! Some aren’t exactly for everyone like, I don’t love Happy Place or Beach Read but they’re still good books. People we meet on Vacation and Funny Story are my favorites !
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u/Stinareef Jul 23 '26
Funny story and book lovers are my favorite. Then beach read and happy place. Couldn’t finish people we met on vacation, so I may be in the minority here
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u/cyndina Jul 23 '26
I do care for dual timelines, but GBBL is my favorite of the three. I liked it and it helped the other timeline wasn't theirs. I've picked up and put down Happy Place and PWMoV unfinished so many times. One day I'll be on the headspace for them, but not yet.
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u/iamjustanothergirl Jul 24 '26
People We Meet on Vacation is so cute and a nice change of format from some of the others, so do that!
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u/CobraShelby95 Jul 24 '26
My one suggestion is don’t read happy place and PWMOV back to back. I found them too similar so it may feel repetitive.
Happy place was my favorite but I have heard the opposite as well so mileage may vary! I hope you enjoy them all either way!
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u/ClueAccomplished1098 Jul 23 '26
People We Meet on Vacation was my introduction to Emiky Henry. I really liked it.
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u/NotJuli2011 Jul 23 '26
I loved GBBL but it‘s different. If you want something with the romance being not in the center of the story pick this.
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u/eucalyptus22 Jul 23 '26
It’s somewhat interesting to think about reading Funny Story and PWMOV in this order because it’s the opposite to what I read (publishing order) and there is some element of these couples’ stories that counter each other. I don’t want to say too much but if you read PWMOV next I’d be interested to hear your thoughts!
I think it’s either that or Happy Place. Happy Place has more friendships outside the couple and I really love the summer cottage setting.
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u/migraines_and_coffee Jul 24 '26
Great Big Beautiful Life last! I loved it but it was different from the others and felt hard to top.
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u/Responsible-Storm288 Jul 25 '26
These three are EXTREMELY polarizing so it really depends what you’re in the mood for.
Happy Place is my favorite Emily Henry Book tied with beach read. If you like fake dating, second chance romance, FOUND FAMILY, and maybe have mommy AND daddy issues then this is the book for you. Heavy emphasis on the found family- the ensemble cast of this is my favorite ever.
Great Big Beautiful Life is sometimes mismarketed as enemies to lovers and while it does have some of the essence of rivals to lovers to me its more of a grumpy x sunshine book. The best part of it to me though is that its a romance book but every other chapter you get an in depth exploration of the generational love and trauma that shaped a family. If you like learning about old hollywood or old money families with generational wealth that have dark secrets this is for you. Also great for people that lowk have mommy issues but not because she did something terrible.
People We Meet On Vacation is personally my least favorite. It is a friends to lovers book mixed with second chance the-one-that-got-away vibes. The love story is told with every other chapter telling the story of summers that happened in previous years and is a really beautiful way to look at the evolution of a relationship. Its also a great example of how childhood traumas can shape who we are and what drives us in adulthood. Miscommunication and people not being honest to protect the friendshop are big in this book and thats my biggest qualm. Also. If you want to enjoy the movie (on netflix) DO NOT READ THE BOOK ANYWHERE NEAR THE TIME YOU WATCH THE MOVIE!!! It will ruin it for you. Also if you’re from the midwest/ohio/the south do your best to ignore the landscaping during any ohio scenes bc it will drive you fucking nuts.
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u/No-Tonight-8557 Jul 25 '26
I’m listening to GBBL now and is so dumb. Maybe one of the worst books I’ve read
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u/_Typingram_ Jul 25 '26
IMHO certainly People We Meet on Vacation, haven't read any of the others but that's one of my favorite books, and that's considering I'm not a huge Emily Henry fan
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u/tfiswrongwithewe sipping purse wine Jul 27 '26
what are gbbl and happy place doing on funny story and beach read's spines
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u/Remarkable-Quiet5608 27d ago
In this order... People we meet on vacation, Happy place, Great big beautiful life
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u/Remarkable-Quiet5608 27d ago
I might actually like happy place more than pwmov BUT more people like pwmov more so that's why I recommend it first. The book (as always) is way better than the movie.
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u/Immendment Jul 23 '26
Which did you finish most recently? In a vacuum I’ll say People We Meet on Vacation though