I loved this book. My husband asked what I was listening to because I was smiling so much. Some moments tugged on my heartstrings, but this story made me feel happy while reading it.

This is a slow burn, friends to lovers, fake dating, forced proximity, opposites attract with a children's librarian, literary references, and found family. It's a well-crafted and engaging romance with likable, relatable characters. And each character feels like someone you could know in real life.

The main characters, Daphne and Miles, had a dynamic that was swoon-worthy and deeply emotional. They were friends first, which made their blossoming relationship even more heartwarming. Both had past family trauma, and the author touched on some complex issues through them, leading to tender moments and character growth. The chemistry and romantic tension between them were palpable. I loved them both, but Miles is my favorite MMC Henry has written. He is perfectly imperfect, humble, exceptionally kind, a great guy, and hot, too.

Henry's talent for witty dialogue is on full display in this book. And it isn't just the MCs who get great lines. The secondary characters also get funny and insightful scenes, making them endearing. I adored the friendships in this one. This will stand out among my top reads of the year with its blend of humor, heart, heat, and hope.

I alternated between the ebook and audiobook and enjoyed both formats. Julia Whelan narrates the audiobook and shows again what a talent she is! I love her voice. She embodies all the characters with nuance and emotion, and her narration adds another layer of depth to the story.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing, Penguin Random House Audio and Netgalley for the free book and audiobook.

Thank you @berkley and @letstoalkbooks for a free e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book will be a hit because it has all of the elements: a cute meet cute; witty banter that is Emily Henry’s trademark; compelling characters who are somewhat relatable and a place (Michigan) that is its own character. If you love Michigan or want some love for your home state, Funny Story is for you.

Here’s the start: Daphane is a children’s librarian who has moved to Waning Bay, Michigan to marry her fiancé, Peter, whose family were vacationers turned homeowners in Waning Bay. She has no friends in Waning Bay and her job, which she loves, barely pays the bills. But that’s ok because Peter is loaded. As they are heading toward their wedding day, Peter realizes he is in love with his childhood best friend Petra. Petra dumps her finance and moves in with Peter, leaving Daphne homeless. Until she moves in with Petra’s ex-fiancé, Miles, who is the opposite of Peter. Insert fake dating troupe here and go…….

It’s cute and well written if you need something lighter with substance. Did it surprise me? No. Emily Henry is all about the HEA.

A HUGE THANK YOU TO NETGALLEY FOR ALLOWING TO HAVE THE PRIVILEGE TO READ THIS ARC.

Funny Story by Emily Henery follows the story of Daphne & Miles who are both semi fake dating once the receive save the dates to through through exes wedding.

It been a while since I read an Emily Henry novel and truly this book just made r,entered all this things I love about her writing. I love how this book is not heavily focused on the fake dating trope and invested so much character development our main characters. I love the communication in this novel between and I genuinely felt I was watching a friend fall in-love. I love how our characters family problems reflected in their personal relationships but also their platonic ones. The side characters eat down it didn’t feel like they was just thrown in there but genuinely helped the plot move forward. Just wow the banter and the tension. Truly was such a phenomenal novel.

I absolutely adored this book. ADORED.

I think I started off this book with a goofy smile on my face and it never quite left me throughout my entire read. I laughed, I cried, and finished this book with a skip in my step. Emily Henry knows how to write a romance with deep adoration and Funny Story is definitely Emily at her finest.

From the very first page you can't help but love these characters. Miles with his kind open heart and Daphne with her passion for reading and willingness to grow. Both characters have to deal with testy family relationships and one of my favorite parts was them falling in love but also supporting the other through that as a package deal.

I loved the themes of loving people for who they are even when they aren't at their finest. The comfortable, easy friendship melted deliciously into a love that made my chest ache. There's nothing I quite adore more than strangers, to friends to lovers and this was done so effortlessly. Because these two start off as friends due to shared circumstances they have a vulnerability and candor with one another that really takes their relationship to the next level.

I really connected to the main character Daphne and her thought processes. Miles is easily one of the best boy next door, easy to love male main characters. I loved the female friendships presented and all the side characters even in smaller roles.

JUST so dang charming. Easily a top favorite romance of the year for me. I could not put it down!

Librarian Daphne moved to a small Lake Michigan town to be with Peter, her seemingly perfect fiancé. Right before their big day, Peter cancels the wedding when he and his beautiful best friend Petra realize they are in love and can't live without one another. They leave town for a week so that Daphne can pack up and leave Peter's house. Petra's heartbroken boyfriend Miles, continually playing sad love songs, invites Daphne to move into his spare bedroom. Miles is the total opposite of Peter as well as Daphne. But Daphne soon learns that Miles is a good guy as the two jilted exes get to know one another. Daphne has a major children's event planned at her library and after it is done, she plans to leave town and is counting down the time to leave her heartbreak behind. Unless there becomes a new reason for her to stay.

Funny Story, the new Emily Henry contemporary romance, reaffirms her place as one of the best authors in the genre. The fake-dating, opposites attract, friends-to-lovers tropes have been done so many times before, but Henry makes it all fresh and thoroughly enjoyable. The story deals with family relationships and how they impact future relationships. You'll care about the main characters as well as the secondary ones, the sweet people of the town who all seem to adore Miles. You will too. Make this charming book your first beach read of the year.

I adored everything about Miles and Daphne's story and everyone in their lives, especially Julia and Ashleigh!! It was really great to see Daphne and Miles work on themselves and help each other as well as their community. I wasn't a huge fan of the immaturity in Happy Place and was a little concerned going into this book but the character development and just everything about this book is chef's kiss perfection!

Thank you @berkleypub and @prhaudio for the free #gifted copies of this book.

Funny. Full of heart. OH, how cheered for this couple!

Dumped by her fiancé, Daphne must find a new home... and quick! As it turns out, Miles, who’s ex is now shagging Daphne’s former fiancé, has an extra room. Total opposites. Both pining after love gone bad.

Enter scene ➡️ TV blaring a wine-fueled Bridgett Jones in pajamas singing “All by Myself.” Miles can’t listen to it loud enough. Daphne thinks she might lose her mind if he rewinds the scene one more time.

And that’s the moment I knew this story was perfect for me!

I fell head over heels for Henry’s writing when I was introduced to her in Beach Read. It checked ALL the boxes (and then some! 🥵).

Then last year, I felt such intense letdown when I found no happiness in Happy Place.

But then this book came along. And not only did it feel reminiscent of everything I loved in Beach Read, but it also gave it a run for top billing as my favorite. (5 letters--- Miles. 😮‍💨)

All the little details... they just worked for me. The witty banter. The friendship that emerged into so much more. The introspection. The heat and chemistry. 🔥 The adventures they went on. The read-a-thon! The way they accepted and respected each other as they were.

I closed this book with a big ole cheesy grin from ear to ear after having spent the entirety of the read blushing and giddy. Funny Story perfectly satisfied.

🎧 @justjuliawhelan delivers yet another brilliant performance. I’ve come to think of her as the voice of Emily Henry’s books. She effortlessly breathed life into both Daphne and Miles giving each nuance and distinction, and her delivery accentuated the tenderness, connection, and chemistry. Does anyone else get a bit weak in the knees listening to Julia’s male voices? 😮‍💨 Whelan is at her best here, which should come as no surprise.

I LOVED THIS BOOK. I love Miles’ dry sense of humor and laid back attitude about life, and I would love to attend Daphne’s storytime at the library.

I thought that the story was paced really well, and I laughed out loud so many times. Ashleigh is an excellent side character and I loved all the people Daphne and Miles interacted with, from the local cheesemonger to the members of a recurring poker game.

It’s no surprise that Emily Henry is a master at storycraft, and this is easily my second favorite of her books. (Beach Read, you’ll always be my first and forever favorite!)

I cannot wait to re-read as an audiobook and hear Julia nail Miles’ sexy man voice. 🤩

Thank you to Berkley Romance and NetGalley for an eARC. All thoughts are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this title early!

I love Emily Henry. That alone could be the whole review. I love her and I need you to trust me.

I end up saying this about every book that she writes, even the ones that I didn't love quite as much as the others. This one I did love. I am so happy she went back to writing about books and people who love books--I am someone who has made a home and a career in libraries and I was so happy to read about all the things that make me love libraries (especially in a world that isn't always super nice to them lately!) through Daphne's voice.

Miles was REALLY enjoyable as a love interest--he was charming and funny and a real breath of fresh air. I am so tired of grumpy/brooding/whatever. It's boring! Miles felt like a guy I could run into at any point and not in a scary way. I really enjoyed the dynamic between him and Daphne, as well as his sister! The supporting cast was really delightful.

Emily Henry also seems to just know what's going to GET me--without spoiling or oversharing, I felt what Daphne felt so viscerally in a way that I wasn't ready for. I've been where she is. I'm actively there. I'll probably always be there.

As always, we get another banger from the Henryverse. This one was a delight.

Thank you to NetGalley, author Emily Henry, and Berkley for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

Even when I doubt Ms. Henry, she finds a way to redeem herself!! Being fully transparent, I am rounding up my true rating of a 4.25/4.5 because rounding down seemed too low but also this was not quite a full five stars for me personally. I am ~unique~ in that my favorite EmHen book is actually Happy Place because I lean more towards women's fiction with romance rather than romance books, and Happy Place definitely reads more women's fiction. So, for me, reading Funny Story as her direct release after Happy Place, I was a bit disappointed because I feel like this is definitely a more generic story overall. Regarding my opening statement of this review, my biggest complaint with the novel was that there was a major conflict that happened around 86% that I truly thought was going to derail the book for me. Luckily, once it was explained and resolved, Henry found a way to make it okay and justified within the story to where I was okay overall with what happened. It did still read a bit too late in the story for what happened for me personally, and I would have liked to see more time given for the resolution. I also wanted to see more of the characters and the side characters throughout, as again, this read a bit shallower than some of her other books. HOWEVER, I wanted to get the "negatives" (which are not really negative and more just pickiness from me) out of the way first because I had a blast reading this, and I think the public is going to love it!! Daphne and Miles are SO fun, and I loveddd the banter in Funny Story. There were truly so many moments throughout that had me giggling!! I was pleasantly surprised that this book was a little bit flirtier and snarkier through the characters than her previous ones, and it also felt a little bit steamier!! Reading this felt like watching a rom-com, and Miles is perhaps now my top EmHen man. As a children's librarian myself, I cannot tell you how much the children's librarian representation meant to me reading Daphne's perspective with her job. It was truly SO ACCURATE, and it made me cry how Henry truly made this a love letter to the job. Overall, I truly believe Emily Henry deserves all the hype she gets, and Funny Story is a great new addition to her work. Now, time for a reread of all her works this summer, so I can properly decide a ranking now that there's 5 books!

You did me proud Emily Henry, BRAVO! I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of Emily Henry’s newest release, “Funny Girl” and if you can’t tell by the 5 star rating, I LOVED it.

FMC Daphne is living the dream, she just moved to her fiance’s home town, in a beautiful Victorian house and started her dream job as a children’s librarian. Until all of that falls apart when Daphne’s fiance falls in love with his best friend, Petra. Given a couple of days to find a new place to live in a town where she knows none, what better solution than to move in with Petra’s ex-boyfriend. Enter our MMC Miles, the most charming, scruffy and romantic bartender you’ve ever met. Literally, Miles is the definition of cinnamon roll and may be leading for our leading MMC of the year…I said it. Will opposites attract?! THE TENSION!

Ugh, I love Emily Henry’s writing, but I especially loved this story and characters. I also enjoyed how Emily was able to build this romantic relationship while keeping the FMC’s independence in check. Also, have I mentioned the MMC?!!?

This is my favorite Emily Henry book to date, I cannot recommend an add to your TBR enough!!

Thanks to Berkley for the advanced copy!

Every single offering from Emily Henry gets better and better! This book was exceptionally readable and equal parts heartwarming and funny. I loved it.

I think this might be my favorite Emily Henry yet. Happy Place really bothered me due to lack of communication but I loved Funny Story!

I really loved Funny Story! I’m a fan of Emily Henry’s contemporary romances in general but this one is probably one of my favorites so far! Daphne and Miles were great! I loved them as characters and as a couple. The storyline and all the side characters were great as well. Another great one from Emily!

Daphne and Miles are in the unfortunate situation of having been dumped and now their partners are together. Which is how Daphne finds herself living with Miles in his spare bedroom. When their exes decide to get married, Daphne's put on the spot to say that she's bringing a plus one and that plus one is Miles. It's absolutely a romance, but it's also a book about friendship and identity. Daphne's whole life was built around her ex and now she has to figure out who she is without him. Her work as a librarian and her friendships are delightful additions to the story. I love the examination of how difficult it can be to make friends as an adult. The characters are nuanced and I love them all.

It should come as a shock to absolutely no one that I loved 𝗙𝗨𝗡𝗡𝗬 𝗦𝗧𝗢𝗥𝗬. Perfect banter, a book-loving heroine, fun side characters... it has it all. And Henry's writing never fails the amaze me. The only issue I have with her books is debating whether to read them to to listen to Julia Whalen amazing narration. I opted for the audiobook but pre-ordered a physical copy because I know there are parts I'll want to re-visit.

4.75 stars rounded up.

Thanks to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for the copy to review.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟/🌶️🌶️

Berkley publishing, gave me an early copy and it 👏🏾 did 👏🏾 not 👏🏾 disappoint 👏🏾. This has officially become my favorite Emily Henry book (I haven’t read Beach Read yet so let’s see if it still holds up this summer.)

Funny Story follows Daphne and Miles who were both just dumped by their partners. The catch is that, their partners are now dating each other. Throughout Funny Story we get to see Daphne's personal growth from becoming a “we girl” to her own person. Miles learns to trust himself and know his worth which he’s struggled with from coming from a toxic family.

I became absolutely obsessed with Miles and Daphne's relationship arc. From strangers to friends to best friends to lovers, it was such a fun journey and beautiful to read. The slow burn was BURNING.

Also this book has turned me into a women’s fiction lover, so thank you Emily Henry!!!

Read if you love:
Forced Proximity
Summer Romance
Fake Dating
Opposites attract
Slow Burn
Women’s fiction

Check TWs before reading.

I've found myself completely captivated by the book I'm currently immersed in. It's a captivating blend of mystery, humor, and passion, which have woven together seamlessly to create an emotional journey that resonates with me on so many levels.

With each turn of the page, I'm drawn deeper into the lives of the characters, feeling as though I'm experiencing their joys and struggles alongside them. The mystery elements of the plot keep me eagerly guessing, while the moments of humor and levity provide much-needed relief, allowing me to connect with the characters on a more personal level.

Moreover, the steamy scenes in the book ignite a fire within me, making my heart race with anticipation. It's rare to find a story that manages to strike such a perfect balance between these different elements, but this book does it flawlessly.

As I continue to delve deeper into the story, I find myself completely engrossed in the rich tapestry of emotions it evokes. I'm constantly amazed by the depth and complexity of the characters and their relationships, and I can't wait to see how their journey unfolds.

In a world where every book I read seems to surpass the last, I'm thrilled to have stumbled upon this literary gem. It's a journey I never want to end, and I eagerly anticipate each new twist and turn that awaits me.

Funny Story has officially snagged my top spot for Emily Henry’s books, and truly cant find any fault with this story.

Miles is now the one and only book boyfriend that I need, and honestly, it’s because I felt so much of my husband in Miles and how he stayed and tried when no one else had… and honestly, I am Daphne, the broken girl that questions everything because of complicated parental relationships that sucks at friendships and just wants to be loved and enough but never spoke up for herself.

Read if you like:
💔 Heartbroken Characters
💋 Fake Dating
🏡 Roommates to more
🤗 Friends to Lovers
🤣 Banter

I don’t know about you but I’ve been exactly where Daphne was where she found herself single, the guy she thought was the one now dating the girl that he kept saying was just a friend, and realizing all your friends are actually his friends and so so so very alone, and not so shockingly with that ex, I too somehow convinced myself that lying saying I was with someone else was a good idea (luckily my fake dating was just a verbal lie and didn’t have to be acted out)

So all that to say, I felt so seen in how Daphne was written from this brokenness post break-up to the brokenness of the feelings of not being enough and having complex parental relationships that spur that on even more.

And then for Miles to be written as the golden retriever nice guy but has all the self doubts truly felt like reading a fictionalized version of my husband because I’m truly the grumpy to his sunshine especially when it comes to the way I see others viewing him and how he makes people feel so welcomed and open all while not believing he is enough even though he truly is so much more than enough.

All this to say, books that make me feel seen & make me cry, and laugh deserve all the stars and I really hope everyone that reads romance picks this one up and feels all the feels.

Also, I highly recommend the audio as Julia Whelan knocked it out of the park again! Thank you so much to Berkley for my ARC and to PRHA for my gifted audiobook!

Thank you to NetGalley, Berkley, and Ms. Henry for the opportunity to read an ARC of this story. An honest review was requested but not required.

I really enjoyed this. It was more on par with Beach Read for me than People We Meet On Vacation, which I was decidedly lukewarm on. Daphne is no manic pixie dream girl (THANK GOD), but instead, a buttoned-up children's librarian in a small west-coast Northern Michigan town. [Sidebar: as a Michigan native, I had to smile wryly at all the gussied-up west-coast Northern Michigan vibes. This would be a distinctly different story on Michigan's much less glamorous east-coast/Lake Huron side.] And Miles is no old-man in a young-man body, although like Alex of PWMOV he assumed a certain degree of responsibility for his younger sibling and harbored the resultant emotional baggage.

Daphne and Miles are pushed into proximity when Daphne's fiancee Peter leaves her for Miles' girlfriend Petra, who has been best friends with Peter since childhood despite vowing there was "nothing else" going on. In a panicked moment Daphne blurts out that she and Miles are dating and thus begins the Miles-and-Daphne show. Frankly I really enjoyed Miles and Daphne as friends. I'm still not entirely convinced that Miles was/is emotionally ready for a relationship, despite all Ms. Henry's hard work persuading the reader that he is. And to be COMPLETELY honest, I was more invested in Daphne and Ashleigh's friendship than anything else. Daphne has never made a true individual friend in her whole adult life, only "we" friends. Daphne, as Ashleigh points out, is a "we" person: i.e., "we go to the farmer's market every Saturday" and "we watch Stranger Things". Daphne doesn't really know how to be an I, and Daphne doesn't really know how to make her own friends: she's too used to making friends with her boyfriend's/fiancee's friends. Ashleigh and Daphne's fight nearly broke me. Way worse than any disagreement Daphne had with Miles, lol.

Overall I still enjoyed this a lot. Ms. Henry has a knack for authentic characterization, even when it's to build characters I don't personally love. Hey, she's not writing for me personally, so no complaints here. And she certainly did a nice job making NW Michigan sound like a great place to visit (to the point that I half-wondered if this book was sponsored). Four stars, highly recommended, especially to readers who enjoyed Ms. Henry's other books.