My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice level: 🌶️🌶️

Read if you like:
▫️opposites attract
▫️reverse grumpy x sunshine
▫️roommates to friends to lovers
▫️fake dating
▫️found family

Emily Henry cannot miss. I adore all of her books, and this might be my favorite one yet! It was sweet, tender, heartbreaking, and comforting all at once. It had her signature witty dialogue and well-rounded, complicated characters, and I quickly fell in love with Daphne and Miles.

Their relationship so beautiful and raw that I felt like my heart was going to burst multiple times throughout this book. It felt realistic and grounded, and their chemistry was amazing! I loved their progression from roommates, to best friends, to dating.

She really broke the mold with Miles. He’s caring, charming, selfless, easy-going, adventurous, sweet, playful, fun, friendly, and genuinely nice to every he meets. He’s basically a golden retriever in human form. And on top of that he’s hot and tattoos…none of us ever stood a chance.

I devoured this book in less than a day and want to immediately reread it. I loved every single thing about it.

Thank you to Berkley, Berkley Romance, NetGalley, and Emily Henry for the ARC. I received an advanced copy for free, and am leaving this review voluntarily.

Emily Henry has done it again! This book is a masterpiece. I absolutely love how she intertwines women’s fiction and romance, and it was done so seamlessly in this one. I loved Daphne and Miles’ relationship, but what I adored more were their characters individually. I was so invested in their individual character development and rooting for them as characters, it made it so easy to root for them and their happily ever after. This is also some of Emily Henry’s best writing and prose, if not THE best. I related to Daphne on such a deep level and felt so seen. Can’t wait to buy a physical copy of this one.

This book is not just a love letter to book lovers but also to those that have ever felt like they aren’t enough.

I cannot state enough what an Emily Henry stan I am. I stalk her instagram for easter eggs. I love when she posts unfiltered real photos of herself. My summers are better because of her books. Up until now, Beach Read was my favorite of her stories but Funny Story now holds top spot.

This story is entertaining, heartfelt, swoony, angsty, funny, charming, and one I tried to stretch out for as long as I could but was only able to make last for two days. I don't reread books really but I am highly considering rereading this one because I miss it already. I really love when a story makes me feel like, “well now what do I do with my life,” and I felt that the minute I finished.

I loved the main character, Daphne. She is like most of us book readers with so much heart and a quiet bravery waiting to be seen. I love that she works in a library and the whole story is building to a readathon date. I swear I wish I could be a librarian. I also love her friend Ashley and I can’t wait for you to get to know Miles too.

Miles is… perfection. Just wait until you meet him. I am not ruining that one for you. I will say what he brings to Daphne’s life will make you smile, cheer and swoon. I also love who Daphne is when she is with him. He may be Emily Henry’s best book love interest yet.

This story has themes of self exploration, finding your voice, friendship, and what it means to be loved for exactly who you are. I devoured every second of it!

I also highly, highly recommend the audio. Juila Whelan narrates and completely immerses you in Daphne's world. I had many, many moments where I drove a little further for no reason, worked out a little longer on purpose, so that I could keep listening. It is 0 days until I may have found my favorite audio book of the year!

i adore emily henry, and i have since her magical realism days. i'd happily read her to-do lists if she released them once a year, and i'm sure even those would have more banter and loveliness and whimsy than your average full-length release just by virtue of being written by her. i'd say the same about her grocery lists, but i already do read those. (the woman writes a mean substack.)

there were a few things i didn't love about this book. it tries to fit <i>so much</I> into a few hundred pages: our protagonist, daphne, is left by her fiance weeks before her wedding, causing her to move in with miles, her fiance's new girlfriend's ex-boyfriend, realize she has no friends, and begin a quest to find herself. along the way, she makes at least two new friends, joins neighborhood activities, makes her job her dream job, solves her daddy issues (?), and falls in love with miles. all of this is happening so much.

it comes at a cost, which is that typical emily henry magic. and i don't just mean the bygone magical realism i mourn every day and never shut up about. this book is not quite as funny — jokes feel forced, sometimes to the point that you can only identify something as reaching for funny because the character "joked" or "played along" instead of "said." it is not quite as polished, with writing feeling a bit unconfident, full of words italicized for emphasis and, you know, the whole verbs that aren't said thing. and the characters have none of their usual better-version-of-reality charm. miles' nick miller archetype would never work for me personally, but my real issue with him is that his character traits fade once we're supposed to see him as a romantic prospect. our side characters, ashleigh and julia, feel like interchangeable joke-bots to the point of being vaguely threatening. (when they pop up on page in tandem i feel a sense of unease.)

and to be honest, daphne has no self awareness. because there's so much happening in this book, everything has to be incredibly simple: daphne's issue with her dad, AND daphne's issue with miles, AND daphne's friends' issue with daphne all has to be the same, which makes for some moments of ridiculousness — like how can daphne be melting down about being wronged on the same city block where she realized several hours earlier she had wronged someone in that exact same way? how could she be so unwilling to give the grace she expects for herself? and how could emily henry set scenes of this book on a cherry farm in michigan when she knew what it would do to me, specifically?!

sorry. that's the last time i'll bring up magical realism. i think.

ol' daph just has too much to figure out about herself. i think this abandonment would be so completely traumatic even if she HADN'T built her entire life around peter only to be left entirely alone, and even if it WASN'T eerily similar to her daddy issues, and even if she DIDN'T have a bunch of unresolved things going on up in ye olde memory palace, that the last thing she'd be doing is sticking around someone else's hometown flirting with her new roomie. especially since what she ends up doing is repeating the exact same cycle with no awareness at all.

and in the worst offense, miles' illiterate texting style reminded me of the himbos i used to date (date doing a lot of heavy lifting here) in my wayward youth. which should be jailable to do.

Emily Henry has done it again and wrote another 5 star book. Honestly, can Emily write anything bad?

Happy Place is still my favorite book of hers, but Funny Story is a close second. I always feel like I can relate to the characters and once again I fell head over heels for Daphne and Miles. This romance was swoonworthy and laugh out loud funny, while also getting me right in my feels.

I adore how Henry writes her characters. They're not perfect and never claim to be and I love how realistic Daphne and Miles were. The plot itself was absolutely *chefs kiss* along with the slow burn, forced proximity, friends to lovers tropes.

One thing I will forever shout from the rooftops is that Henry creates the BEST side characters to ever exist (Christina Lauren does as well). The cast of characters in this book make this book so much more. I got really emotional reading this because found family was a big trope.

I don't need to explain the plot because it's Emily Henry and if you're a romance lover you have had this on your tbr for months. If you want a book full of romance, silly and sweet moments, and one that you just hold close to your heart then read Funny Story!

I mean, at this point, I feel like I'm never going to not like an Emily Henry book, so no surprises that I loved this one. It had everything I want in a romance: humor, heart, and a perfect HEA. Emily can do no wrong!

EMILY HENRY!! HOW I LOVE YOU!

This story was so sweet🥹 I binged it in a few hours!

As with all Emily Henry books, the banter was top tier, as was the romance, as were the characters.

I love Daphne. And I totally relate to feeling like the secondary character in your own story. Being a tag along and feeling like you’re no one’s favorite. And her GROWTH. Making new friends and really surrounded herself with people that love her for who she is. Made me tear up. Her seeing her own worth and standing up for herself cause she DESERVES to🥹 I also relate to having a sh** dad tbh😂

And Miles🥰 this messy man! The man who is nice to everyone he comes across and who loves his friends and sister dearly. I love you, my new book boyfriend.

And can’t not mention the secondary characters!! Who also were just amazing and such a part of the story and really pushed Daphne and Miles to be even better versions of themselves😭

The slow burn, friends to lovers, fake dating JUST UGHHHH!! I just thought the build up of their friendship and love was so natural and real! They really fell for each others hearts🥲

This was so emotional and sweet, but also sexy and swoon worthy.

With her signature blend of heartfelt emotions and a wonderful love story, I’m not alone in eagerly anticipating the newest Emily Henry novel each year! Funny Story is another genre-blending delight, centered around two people who couldn’t be more different, except for the one horrible thing they have in common…

What is Funny Story about?

Daphne used to love when her fiancé Peter would tell their story. The blustery day they met, the errant hat, the decision to move to his quaint lakeside town and begin a life together. Daphne and Peter had the perfect love story, until the day that they didn’t.

Daphne is having a quiet evening at their home when Peter is out celebrating his bachelor party. She has gotten over the weirdness of him inviting a woman who was a childhood friend of his, Petra. It makes sense for her to be there when she’s his closest friend. Until Peter comes in to tell her that he and Petra are in love (and have been) and he’s breaking off their wedding. In a show of “chivalry”, he even gives Daphne a week to move out while he and Petra are away on vacation together. He hands Daphne a list of apartments he “thoughtfully” looked up.

Daphne is reeling from the news and Peter’s abrupt departure, when the doorbell rings. It seems Petra also broke off her relationship with her boyfriend Miles at the same time, and he’s at the door to see if she’s at Peter’s house. Daphne and Miles don’t know one another very well, but they find themselves in an unfortunately similar predicament. So Daphne decides to pop the question… can she move in to Miles’ spare room?

Miles and Daphne are complete opposites. Miles is scruffy, into sad love ballads, and works a nontraditional career at a winery with odd jobs to fill in the slow seasons. Daphne is buttoned up, obsessively organized, and works at a library. Miles is charismatic, instantly charming everyone he meets. Daphne is so bad at small talk and opening up that her coworkers suspect she may be in witness protection.

Both are heartbroken and going through their own grief, but they also form a friendship and support system for each other. Searching for calmer waters, both are grateful to have someone going through the exact thing they are. Until they receive their invitations to Peter and Petra’s wedding. Drowning their sorrows in a few too many drinks at the bar, their walls come crashing down and they bond for the first time over a shared plan to post strategically misleading photos of their summer together in hopes of making Peter and Petra jealous.

The line between putting on a show and developing real feelings become more blurred as the summer goes on. And when a few unexpected family members show up, they learn more about one another. Can heartbreak eventually bring them to heal and find true love?

What did I think of Funny Story?

The opening sequence of Funny Story is honestly a jaw-dropper. Even though I knew that Peter was going to come home and beak off the engagement with Daphne for his best friend, I was still shocked at the audacity to do it at all, let alone how he did it (leaving to go on vacation with Petra and asking her to move out). One layer to this story was that Daphne had moved to Michigan for Peter. A big part of her story is about how she struggles to open up to people and get to know them. It made it extra shocking that she now was in a place with no real ties to anyone or anything.

I don’t think Emily Henry is capable of writing anything less than 4 stars. While this wasn’t my personal favorite Emily Henry book (I think I would give that honor to Happy Place), I did think that this book had several things in its favor that may make it top the list for many readers. The first of those is that while Funny Story is heartfelt and certainly emotional, it wasn’t as heavy as some of her other books (she loves to pull our heart strings on the way to getting her couples together). The second is that the leading man is an all-time character. I think Miles must be my favorite of her MMCs across all of her books.

One of my favorite subplots was Daphne’s developing friendship with her coworker Ashley. Even more than Miles, I felt Ashley played a large role in Daphne’s journey of self-acceptance and growth across the novel. Ashley is a single mother and works with Daphne at the library. She’s the first to directly confront Daphne with how closed off she is. When Daphne says it is because she isn’t interesting or likeable and people don’t want to get to know her, Ashley calls her on it. As their friendship develops, Ashley also shows Daphne how she has allowed herself to become lost in relationships. And that didn’t only happen with Peter (who it’s clear is the wrong match for her), but Daphne begins to repeat the pattern with Miles. Ashley is the type of friend everyone needs—the one who is unafraid to call you out and does it from a place of caring about you.

As I’ve come to love and expect with Emily Henry, she writes a fiction novel that happens to have a romance element and she blends together tropes and flips them on their head. In this book we see opposites attract and fake relationship. I normally don’t love fake relationship, but when Henry uses that trope, it’s with weight and gravitas. It delves deeply into their feelings rather than being fluffy and verging on ridiculous. Henry has said that she is proud to call herself a romance author, even though she knows her books straddle the line with fiction and often cross into it. As a teenager, Henry never read romance books because they had the reputation of being “trashy” books. Once she read one, she realized how much tension, character development, and growth they can offer their characters. Plus it can be hard to dislike a happily-ever-after ending!

Final Thoughts

Henry can do no wrong in my eyes, and this was another wonderful story with characters that you won’t be able to help loving. I did the audiobook of Funny Story narrated by Julia Whelan and it was fantastic. If you think Emily Henry can do no wrong, Julia Whelan falls into the at same exact camp. Her narration always captures emotion, relationships, character development, and dialogue expertly. She’s considered one of the best in the business for a reason! Miles is the most loveable leading man we’ve gotten from Henry yet. He’s an all-time character and is so pure of heart that the reader can’t help but fall for him right alongside Daphne. He’s a healer and an empath. While he has his own growth in the book, its much less than what we’ve seen in other books with MMCs. This is a book about Daphne’s growth and how Miles, Ashley, and a few other characters are her support to get to a place of happiness. Charming, poignant, and full of heart!

Daphne Vincent’s life appears to be on track. Engaged to Peter she has relocated to Waning Bay where they live in the lovely house Peter bought for them. Bonus, Daphne has the best job as a children’s librarian. Peter suddenly calls off their engagement saying he realizes he is in love with his childhood friend Petra.
New to Waning Bay Daphne doesn’t know many people. All her “friends” were Peter’s friends. Desperate to find a place to live Daphne ends up becoming roommates with Miles, Petra’s ex-boyfriend.
Since the good looking but scruffy Miles works most nights at a restaurant, the two roommates rarely meet. They eventually become friendlier after a night of commiserating about their broken hearts.
I loved FUNNY STORY. I think this is Emily Henry’s best novel to date. If you read enough romance novels you are familiar with the various themes. You might sense where the story is going but, it is the way it gets there that makes FUNNY STORY a great read.
Thank you to the Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for access to an advanced digital edition of FUNNY STORY.

It’s no surprise that Emily Henry is one of my all time favorites, so it’s probably also not a surprise that I loved FUNNY STORY!

I loved the concept of this romance — Daphne and Miles have both been dumped by their partners and wind up becoming roommates. They pretend to date to ruffle the feathers of their exes, and find themselves falling for each other in the process.

💙 forced proximity
💙 friends to lovers
💙 fake dating
💙 opposites attract
💙 bookish FMC

I loved Miles so much 🙌 I wasn’t having all of the shade Daphne’s ex threw towards Miles 🙅‍♀️ I adored Daphne and her job as a librarian — loved how much books were talked about in this story. I’m always so impressed with Emily’s writing — she makes it so easy for her readers fall in love with the stories and characters she creates.

Her books are truly so hard for me to rank because I’ve loved them all 🥹 I don’t know how she does it 👏

𝘍𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘺 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺, coming out this Tuesday, is a heartwarming romance that will also have you laughing out loud. The story revolves around the very unexpected friendship and romance between Daphne and Miles, who find themselves as roommates after a series of unfortunate events.

I loved that Daphne is a librarian (the Read-a-thon!) and that she has more in common with Miles than she initially thought. The chemistry between them is fantastic, and their banter is both witty and endearing.

Emily Henry's writing style is engaging and filled with humor, making this book an enjoyable and very entertaining summer read. The author skillfully balances the lighthearted moments with deeper emotional moments, creating a perfect blend of romance and self-reflection.

𝘍𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘺 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 is not just a simple love story, but also a tale of overcoming personal obstacles and finding happiness in unexpected places. Emily Henry has crafted another delightful and entertaining book that will leave you with a smile on your face. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a feel-good romance with a good dose of humor.

Many thanks to @berkleyromance for providing a review copy in exchange for my honest review. As always. All opinions are my own!

I loved the characters and the small town setting in this one. Just like with all her other books the funny banter makes them so special. Just an all around pleasant and fun read. Many thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this copy for read and review

"Somebody recently told me that feelings are like the weather. They just kind of happen."

I was smiling reading this the whole time. I cannot remember the last time a book made me do that or feel this way. Laughing out loud for so many moments talking to myself and kicking my feet giggling. What a feeling to have when reading! Miles and Daphne are just so easy to love and the starting premise of the book jumps you right into their lives with sympathy for their situation of their past relationships, but you know how they always say everything happens for a reason...and for them, it really did.

I love that Emily Henry talks about how hard it is to make friends as adults, especially for so many people who can relate to Daphne in this story. Between the two main characters, I reallllllllly related to Miles socially - how he's the friendliest man on the planet and how so many people view you as someone they easily tell their life story to. "He looks, as ever, like human sunshine, totally engaged, completely interested in this stranger, and it makes my chest pinch.". How Miles felt about that and explained to Daphne how she views him because of it, it's just how he naturally is, but how others view this as selfless. I can't explain it but I REALLY appreciated the conversation on this between Daphne and Miles. Felt seen in a book in a way that I've also never seen.

The banter in this!!! Every time I read a book from our Miss Ma'am here, I'm always so SHOCKED how she does it. The dialogue, the pacing of conversations and hit by hit point of jokes. It's an ART. I loved the setting of Northern Michigan and everything outdoors about it, all the activities Miles and Daphne did on the water. <b>"Out here, you're small and there's no one else around, but you're not lonely. It's like you're connected to everyone and everything."</b>

Processing their traumas, why they are the way they are with their feelings. UGH. The word chortle! PAUSE, we must talk about this. I have never heard this word before yet I know this word, like I know it means laughing??? I honestly accepted the word by the end LOL look I am chortling.

Miles always touching Daphne's chin! I WOULD DIE FOR THIS MAN—the horniest book by Emily Henry by far. Hot all the way through. By far her steamiest book. I can't get over what I love the most about Daphne and Miles is how they truly lusted for each other in that forced proximity, to becoming best friends first, before they were the lovers they became. It felt so natural. The character growth for these two individually and their relationship was much applause. The love of books and reading in Funny Story with Daphne being a librarian (so much love for our libraries and librarians) was astounding. All of the side characters literally ALL OF THEM, I loved them and they enhanced the story.

A jargon of thoughts and I'm still figuring out my Emily Henry ranking! This did not knock off my #1 spot but again and again, it proves why Emily Henry is my favorite author. I don't even want to share any love confessions or quotes (obviously) but Miles love confession at the end <333 Sorry for the long review, I'll try and condense it later lolz.

Genre : Contemporary Romance
Rating : 4.2/5

Thank you Berkley team for the gifted ARC!
Heartwarming, Hilarious, and occasionally heartbreaking. This is everything you'd want and hope from an Emily Henry book!

Read if you like these tropes :
~ Fake dating
~ Slow burn
~ Found Family
~ Female friendships
~ Roommates-to-dating

Daphne has been dumped right before her wedding. Forced to move out and nowhere to go immediately, she ends up moving in with her fiancé's new girlfriend's ex - Miles. Because if anyone can empathize with her situation, it is him. With both going through a terrible heartbreak, when invited to their exes' wedding, they decide to pretend to date each other.
Such a simple plot and yet so perfect. And only because it is Emily Henry.
I am not a huge romance reader, but if anyone can make me read it, it is her!

Miles gave me such Nick Miller vibes (from New Girl), and that's a character I'm obsessed with. He is cute, charming, goofy and the funnest guy I've read about in a while.
The thing I like about her books is how the characters feel much more relatable and in tune with their emotions. Very real-life coded, and I'm here for it. I loved how the protagonist struggled to make friends in a new city, because isn't that so many of us. As someone who has always struggled with it, I felt so seen. And also, maybe hopeful? that I'll find my own Ashleigh.
The one thing - as a lit fic reader, I have always liked the realistically nuanced romance angle the author brings in with her words. More grounded and realistic. I felt it slightly missing here, with the whole steamy-romance-with-roommate thing, but I'm sure it's right up a romance reader's alley!

This book (as you can guess from the title) is Funny and hilarious, and I kept giggling at so many points! But that doesn't take away the emotional aspects of it. It's just another fantastic Emily Henry book out in the world which everyone's going to love!

Funny Story has such a chaotic set up for how the two main characters meet, but i guess you could say it’s fitting for the title. Miles is such a sweetheart with a bright and warm personality and I just found him so charming. Daphne is more pessimistic and the grumpy to Miles’ sunshine, but both characters have depth to them and the way the author portrayed their individual struggles made these two seem more realistic. I loved the side characters too, specifically Ashleigh and Julia and I genuinely felt like Miles and Daphne had great chemistry. I will say it took me a minute to get into the story in the beginning and I wasn’t a fan of the third act break up.. but other than that I really enjoyed this book!

I literally could not put this one down! All of your heart strings will be pulled and twisted with this one. The whole hearted love between Daphne and Miles was so enjoyable to read; you felt like you were a fly on the wall to their budding relationship. And the audiobook was absolute perfection with Julia Whelan as the narrator!! Highly recommend this read!! Emily Henry has done it again!!

*Thank you @berkleypub and @prhaudio for the #gifted egalley and audiobook in exchange for an honest review.*

#FunnyStory:⁣
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Thank you @prhaudio @berkleyromance @librofm for my gifted copies! #PRHAudioPartner #BerkleyPartner #berkley ⁣
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“Are we evil or just immature?” he says. ⁣
“I think maybe just bitter.”⁣
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Am I Ashleigh? Like down to the height and bun, Emily Henry am I supposed to name my next kid Mulder? All doppelgänger jokes aside, I liked Funny Story. Did I LOVE it? No, but would I pick this one up instead of the other 500 romcoms I see at the store? Yeah, I would. ⁣
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Audio, Julia Whalen. You already know what it is. She had some great depth in this one, and I few times I stopped and said “ok Julia Whalen. I see you with the narration” so yeah, one of her favorite works to date from me. That’s saying a lot since I’ve listened to 5011 of her audio narrations. ⁣
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Plot: I liked it, great concept. I loved Miles and Daphne. I loved them together. I hated the big miscommunication. It hurt me, and I’m not even this book. (well, kind of l, but that’s just being delusional) I felt it could have been resolved easier and I mean, outside communication should have been cut off. (Trying not to spoil it) I wish we got Daphne’s mom more because she was awesome. I loved their phone conversations and clearly she’s a badass strong mom. ⁣
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The tension was tensioning. The slow burn was worth the wait. The overall giddiness I got from their cute interactions was kicking feet in air worthy. ⁣
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A solid audio and great beach read! Out Tuesday 4/23.

This book was so difficult to get through. I am an Emily Henry girl through and through, but I feel like absolutely nothing happened in this book. The first few chapters were so promising, as were the last couple, but this book felt more like a first draft than anything. All of the characters were perfect and lovable, I just could not get over how dull the plot was.

Thank you @BerkleyRomance #Berkley #BerkleyPartner for the advanced reader copy and to @PRHAudio and LibroFM for the complimentary audiobook. These opinions are my own.

When Daphne's fiance Peter leaves her for his childhood best friend, Daphne ends up moving in with her ex's ex. She and Miles are both broken-hearted but need a new living situation after their break-ups. Daphne counts down the days until she can leave.

The beginning of this novel is rough and not at all funny. But once the background and characters are established, I quite enjoyed it. As always, Emily Henry writes absolutely amazing prose. And her characters are fantastic. I felt with Daphne and so deeply resonated with her hurts and fear of abandonment. I especially loved her relationship with her mother. I wasn't sure at first if I would like Miles, but he grew on me. And I really enjoyed him showing Daphne around the city as they fake dated.

Ashleigh stole the story in all her scenes and was an absolutely phenomenal secondary character. And I adored all of the scenes at the library and the many references to the importance of children's librarians.

The story got better and better as it proceeded. I had to pause the audiobook because I couldn't hear it over my own laughter. And I absolutely adored Julia Whelan. She can make any book fantastic through her narration.

This won't be my new favorite Emily Henry (Book Lovers wins there!), but I greatly enjoyed it and highly recommend it.

4.5 stars rounded up

I always say that the latest Emily Henry book that I’ve read is my absolute favorite of hers, but this time it’s actually true. I’ve never seen myself so fully in a character until Daphne. Down to the helplessness and overwhelming feelings being a state away from all of her loved ones for a failed relationship - cue my own previous marriage and how I moved across the country from Arizona to Ohio.

I went in blind, and it didn’t disappoint. At all.

Long story short without ruining the big pieces, Daphne’s fiancee leaves her after his bachelor party for his childhood best friend: Petra. Petra leaves her long term boyfriend: Miles, in the same process. Daphne is now homeless, and Miles needs a roommate - so this broken duo pair up and become the most unlikely of friends. And enter my favorite: friends to lovers trope.

This was everything I needed, especially while on my healing journey and watching just how these two heal together and figure out how to move forward with life.