After a particularly harrowing read of Happy Place by Emily Henry, I was inspired to write about what actually makes a good book. Some people think it’s just one thing: the writing style, the plot, the characters, the tension, pacing. But really, it’s everything.
Writing a book is like baking a cake. The recipe and the ingredient list are vitally important. Every ingredient has its place and its very important role in making the cake taste, well, good. And just like any baker knows, if you miss an ingredient or put too much or too little, your cake may come out a complete disaster. That’s exactly how it is to write a whole, compelling book.
Your plot and characters can be great, but if your pacing is off your readers might think it’s boring or over too quickly. Your tension and pacing can be perfectly leveled, but if your writing style is less than remarkable, readers may find your book difficult to get through. If your writing style is spectacular but the plot and characters are insufferable, the same problem emerges: will readers make it to the end?
Nobody wants to eat a cake simply for the icing and fillings, they want the cake itself to taste good. If the cake is bad, no amount of the other facets will make you want to finish the cake. If you get through it, it’s sheer will. Of course it’s also subjective, not everyone likes the same cakes, fillings or frosting, as is the same with books. Hence why my 5/5 star book may be the worst book you’ve ever read.
Now how does this relate to Happy Place by Emily Henry? For me it felt like the not-quite-right cake. The writing was absolutely beautiful, you could feel every complex, wrenching emotion the main character had and you yearned for what she yearned for and yet...the romance was just off. And for a romance book, that felt like a pretty big deal.
If you want to know my full thoughts on Happy Place, my review will be coming out very soon!
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