I have been a major fan of Emily Henry since I first read Beach Read four years ago. Since then, I have read all of her new releases. I usually do not pre-order a lot of books, especially since I am really trying to tackle my physical TBR this year. But for Emily Henry, I made an exception. I was so excited that I read this book the day after it was released, a rarity for me!
After reading Funny Story, this beautiful fan art popped up on my TikTok one day, and I had to share it with you!
Funny Story is currently available for purchase at most bookstores.
GENERAL INFO
Funny Story by Emily Henry
Published on April 23, 2024
Genres: Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 400
Format: Hardcover
Daphne always loved the way her fiancé Peter told their story. How they met (on a blustery day), fell in love (over an errant hat), and moved back to his lakeside hometown to begin their life together. He really was good at telling it…right up until the moment he realized he was actually in love with his childhood best friend Petra.
Which is how Daphne begins her new story: Stranded in beautiful Waning Bay, Michigan, without friends or family but with a dream job as a children’s librarian (that barely pays the bills), and proposing to be roommates with the only person who could possibly understand her predicament: Petra’s ex, Miles
Scruffy and chaotic—with a penchant for taking solace in the sounds of heart break love ballads—Miles is exactly the opposite of practical, buttoned up Daphne, whose coworkers know so little about her they have a running bet that she’s either FBI or in witness protection. The roommates mainly avoid one another, until one day, while drowning their sorrows, they form a tenuous friendship and a plan. If said plan also involves posting deliberately misleading photos of their summer adventures together, well, who could blame them?
But it’s all just for show, of course, because there’s no way Daphne would actually start her new chapter by falling in love with her ex-fiancé’s new fiancée’s ex…right?
.
First things first, I absolutely adored this book. Whenever I think Emily Henry can’t keep writing bangers, she releases another one to prove me wrong. Funny Story was a pleasant change from Henry’s last release, Happy Place, which was not a favorite of mine (I still gave it 3.5 stars, but it ranked second to the bottom in terms of her other books).
In classic Emily Henry fashion, this book hits. HARD. The main character, Daphne, has recently been left by her (now) ex-fiancé Peter…who is now marrying his childhood best friend, who was also in a relationship with our male love interest, Miles. And then Daphne and Miles move in together!? This might be one of the most complex, dramatic starts to a romance novel, and I was here for every second of it.
“I’m a cynic. And a cynic is a romantic who’s too scared to hope.”
Funny Story has what has probably become my favorite romance trope of all time: Fake Dating. I don’t know what it is about fake dating, but there is something about watching two characters think they won’t fall in love even when it is so obvious. I eat it up every time.
Both of the characters have complicated backstories, which Emily Henry does so well. She blends real-life elements into her romances brilliantly, and it makes all of her characters feel real to me. Daphne has to learn to adapt to living in a town where everyone she knows is through Peter, and—I’m not going to lie—I teared up at a few different parts in the story. She is also trying to find her true purpose in life while working at a library in town.
Our love interest, Miles, is also fighting heartbreak, but he has a complicated relationship and history with his family, which leads him to live a “chill” lifestyle full of fun and adventure. While seemingly immature, Miles handled situations very maturely.
I read a review somewhere that Miles is Nick Miller-coded, and I could not get it out of my head. This was an automatic plus for me because Nick Miller is probably one of my top five TV boyfriends of all time. Honestly, I think Miles might be my favorite of Emily Henry’s book boyfriends (although I plan on rereading her books sometime in the future so I can remember them better).
“You can’t force a person to show up, but you can learn a lesson when they don’t.”
The characters were by far the best part of Funny Story. I could relate to so many aspects of both Miles and Daphne, which made any of the situations feel even more real to me. But the best part? Both of the characters are aware of their flaws. Anytime two characters communicate with each other and talk out their issues!?I physically swoon every time. 😂
Anyway, I could literally blab on all day about how much Emily Henry seems to write for my soul, but I won’t bore you all to death. If anyone says that Emily Henry is a bad writer, they are lying. I have a friend who did not like her books at all (she is not a contemporary romance girlie), but she told me multiple times, “Man, she was such a strong writer, though.”
While Funny Story is not my favorite Emily Henry romance, it is pretty darn close to the top of my rankings. It’s only been one month since I read it, and I already have the urge to read it again. That to me is indicator enough that I truly loved the story.
Final Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Have any of you read Funny Story yet? Even if you haven’t, comment down below your current Emily Henry rankings. I love seeing how everyone ranks her books.