Dear Reader,
Where is your happy place? Close your eyes and imagine it for a moment. Is it in the corners of your indie bookstore, searching for that perfect beach read? Or the restaurant where you first whispered those three magical words to your partner? What about your first apartment where friends came over for family dinners–not caring about how cheap your hand-me-down furniture was? As summer begins, we are turning towards our beloved Emily Henry in her latest book Happy Place.
For Harriet, her happy place is Maine. A cottage actually, where her closest friends have spent every summer for the past eight years. It’s where she found herself, where she fell in love, and this summer: she’ll be coming clean about how she and her fiancee Wyn have been broken up for the past five months.
Only her confession dies on her lips as she walks into the cottage and sees Wyn. He puts his arm around her, pretending like everything is ok, that they’re still engaged and still very much in love. Soon an entirely different secret is revealed: the cottage has been sold and this is the very last summer the group of friends have together. So everything has to be perfect, even if that means Harriet and Wyn have to keep their ruse up a little longer.
Our Cottage in Maine - Walk the Sea by Kerosene
notes: sea salt, ferris wheel rides, and chosen family
try it first: sample
With notes of fresh sea salt, cedar, and white florals, this fragrance is the epitome of a happy place. It smells like cozy memories with best friends, skin after a day on the shore in the east coast sun, and fresh cut bouquets on the counter. The perfect scent for capturing the feeling of watching the tide roll in as the summer sun sets beyond the horizon.
What was always their happy place, a way to escape from real world problems quickly feels anything but happy as Harriet and Wyn find themselves sharing a room. Harriet immediately is drawn in by the familiar scent of Wyn, and we begin a week of push and pull. There’s a simmering heat between every touch, every witty conversation, a pain that neither one of them wants to talk about all while still pretending to be together.
Wyn - Bowmakers by D.S. & Durga
notes: varnished wood, slow release hot, and long nights at the workshop
try it first: sample
Ambery pine notes that remind us of the great outdoors that make up Wyn’s beloved home in Montana. Escape from city life, escape all of the unhappy memories and relish that this scent has a few secrets of its own. Spiced tree resin, mahogany and moss, whisper, “Don’t get over me,” late at night when nothing can be heard except the waves outside your window.
It’s not just Wyn and Harriet who are going through big life changes. One by one Harriet realizes how all of them have changed, how different their lives are now compared to the wild college kids they once were. Each lobster roll, activity Sabrina has planned, and glass of wine poured reminds Harriet of another summer–another moment in the happy place she’s desperately clinging to.
Harriet - Another 13 by Le Labo
notes: second chances, jasmine, and finding your true self
try it first: sample
The crème de la crème of ‘your skin, but better’ scents, Another 13 is all at once intoxicating, yet surprisingly simple. It opens up with a fruity set of top notes including pear, apple, and citrus while the middle notes offer a hint of floral with jasmine, mossy bits, and ambrette. The perfect fragrance to wear after seeing your ex (post 5 month break up), search for the ambery notes on your old rodeo t-shirt the morning after a long night of dancing and drinking way too much.
Unlike most romances, this second chance romance reminds us of Harriet and Wyn’s best and worst moments. You discover why they fell in love in the first place, what caused them to drift apart, and why Harriet isn’t ready to let Wyn go. From ferris wheel rides, endless seafood platters, to steamy kisses in the swimming pool–you’ll beg for a resolution while also never wanting their story to be over.
Secret Cellar Moments - Seek by La Folie a Plusieurs
notes: skin on skin, pink pepper, and wine
try it first: sample
This fragrance is sultry like warm skin touching in the quiet dark of the wine cellar. A secret between two people, it has notes of pink pepper, musk, and bed sheet linens piled on the floor. The lingering wine notes remind us of the heady scent of hiding in a cellar full of aged dusty bottles. It smells like reigniting old flames and warm breath on your lips before a kiss.
Like most of Emily Henry’s novels, Happy Place deals with some pretty heavy topics. From the grief of losing a parent, navigating post graduate education, and depression–this story weaves the mentioned topics throughout. Take care when reading and remember that happy endings are always earned–never given. We are fierce believers that romance novels must have a HEA (happily ever after), so trust us when we say this novel is worth the small investment of tissues you’ll likely make.
This month we’ll be celebrating our first birthday as a newsletter while also reading Jasmine Guillory’s The Wedding Date. Is there a romance you think we’d love? Let us know!
Until next time, find us on Instagram & TikTok.
Scent-cerely,
Cassie & Taylor