Buckle up Emily Henry fans, because she is back with another fun contemporary romance that is bound to be another summer hit!

Her newest is set in the small town of Waning Bay, MI and has some forced proximity, a dash of fake dating, and your typical wholesome vibes. Daphne originally moved to the small town for her fiancé, but weeks before their nuptials, he has left her for his childhood best friend. With no place to go, she finds herself rooming with Miles—the ex of the woman she was left for. Daphne is counting down the days until she can leave Waning Bay, but of course things get complicated once she and Miles form a friendship of sorts.

As is usual with her stories, there was a lot of heard and sweet moments that I did enjoy about this book. I appreciated the in depth and messy backstories of both our MCs and I did find them to be pretty likeable. Though I guess it helped that their exes really did them dirty! Aside from that, I liked the themes of self discovery, starting over, and finding yourself a home. There was also a fun and erratic cast of supporting characters that added some good vibes.

I do think I struggled a bit to fully connect with the characters and the story like I have with EH books in the past and that lack of relatability for me personally, made me not enjoy quite as much as I had hoped for, particularly when compared to her past work. However, that’s where reading is super subjective because while I may not have connected with some things, I am positive there will be many others who will and will love it because of that!

Overall this was still nice read with a sweet ending and I am excited to see what everyone else will think once it finally releases to the world!

4.5 stars
I feel like the more I read, the more rare it becomes for me to find a book where I'm genuinely and actively enjoying myself the entire way through. And yet, somehow, Emily Henry manages to do it every time. One of the things that I found so compelling about Book Lovers was the way she subverted the typical romance trope to explore what happens to the woman left behind in those small-town romances, so I loved seeing the similar elements here as we focus on the partners left behind after the childhood friends become lovers.

I think one of the biggest things that always make EH's books so enjoyable for me is the way she makes her characters feel like they have real and full lives. It's so easy (and fairly common) in romance books for the romance to be so front-and-center that the characters are rarely defined outside of their relationships with one another. With Henry's books, though, I feel like you could remove the romance entirely, and while the book likely wouldn't feel quite as complete, it would still have some solid legs to stand on.

All that to say, it was thoroughly enjoyable to follow Daphne's journey to rediscover her identity and what it means to be an "I" rather than a "we". She felt very much like a real person in her thirties as we see her struggle to make new friendships, find new hobbies, and discover the things she enjoys outside of her job. While it a super minor element, I also really liked the depiction of Daphne's mom as someone making her own full and fulfilling life as a single woman, without needing a relationship to "complete her arc".

I also just really enjoyed the pairing between Daphne and Miles. Even though the breakup with their respective ex's was what brought them together, it felt like that wasn't a device used to keep driving their proximity longer than it needed to. After having read so many romance books lately where it felt like the only justification for why the opposites attracted and wanted to be together was "just trust me bro", I appreciated the emphasis on the aspects of their personalities that did truly complement one another. As much as I love a slow burn, I do also tend to appreciate when her characters act on their obvious attraction before the 4th act, rather than denying it for 300+ pages just because that's the convention of the genre.

Only reason this wasn't a full 5 stars for me was just because I didn't think the B plot in this book was quite as strong as I'm used to with her other books. The main thing giving structure to the book was the countdown to the readathon that was reinforced in every chapter header, but because it was just a thing that was mentioned but that we never felt involved in until it happened, it didn't feel like the glue holding the plot together as well as it was intended to. Thus, at least for me, the plot outside of the romance felt a bit more haphazard than I'm used to with her work.

Even if this isn't my new favorite Emily Henry book, I did unquestionably have a great time with it, and she will never stop being an auto buy author for me.

I am a huge Emily Henry fan, and this book lived up to all of my expectations and EXCEEDED them. It was so different to her last books but in a good way. I loved the banter between the main characters and seeing Daphne find herself and her individuality. I related to Daphne so much and saw myself so much in her. Miles was also the most adorable, greatest green flag of a man i ever seen. Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for the Arc of this book! Truly an honour.

Omg guys, Emily Henry does it again!

💙Fake Dating
💙Roommates
💙BANTER
💙Opposites Attract
💙Friends to Lovers
💙Revenge to Exes 😈

I am obsessed with this book. I kept telling myself one more chapter…one more chapter and I kept saying that til I got to the end of the acknowledgments. I just couldn’t stop reading.
When Daphne’s fiancé leaves her for his childhood best friend, Petra she’s crushed. Her whole life was Peter and with nowhere to go she ends up living with the guy Petra dumped for her fiancé. She plans to leave and move once her read a thon is over at the library.
Both of them are heartbroken but they develop a friendship with each other. Now, Daphne isn’t so sure if she wants to leave….
I loved the characters. Miles and Daphne are the perfect opposites attract and I just love their story.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Berkeley for a copy.

I absolutely adored this book! Emily Henry truly knows how to craft characters that are funny, relatable, and unique. The chemistry between the two main characters in this book was so incredibly palpable and such a joy to read. This book had me laughing out loud multiple times and I finished it in two days, as I couldn't put it down!

I really enjoyed this book! I have read others by Emily Henry and wasn't that impressed, but this story really got my attention and I liked that the main character is a librarian. A perfect summer read and I'm definitely going to be recommending this one to others.

Maybe Emily Henry's best book?!? She somehow just keeps getting better and better. Or maybe I just really love this fake dating/forced proximity/opposites attract/friends to lovers set-up. And she nails it! Like well and truly creates flawed, realistic characters that don't always click, but their chemistry (their chemistry!!!) is off the charts. So they try and make it work and it gets messy in the process. Just like life!

That's what I enjoy the most about Henry's romances: yes they have a lot of the tropes and cliches you expect in a romance novel, but the paths she takes us on to get to those outcomes don't feel cliched.

Also this book is so New Girl-coded. Daphne Vincent is a buttoned-up librarian with commitment issues and Miles Nowak is an easy-going bartender with like three other side jobs. Daphne is left with almost no choice but to move in with Miles when her fiancé Peter leaves her for his best friend, and girlfriend of Miles, Petra. What else are two dumpees supposed to do when their lives built around their 'perfect' partners are completed upended?! Move into his warehouse loft and pretend like they are happier together.

But then of course, feelings start to arise and Daphne's fear of building her life around someone just to be disappointed—like she was with her absentee father most of her life and her fiancé who just abandoned her before their wedding—arises.

What Emily Henry does over the next 400 pages is nothing less than giggly, romantic, sweet, silly and page-turning perfection. No notes. I loved it. Great side characters too. A really realistic 3rd act conflict that doesn't make you want to pull your hair out. A setting (Michigan in the summer!) that makes you want to run away to the lake and drink white wine and eat cherries and dip your toes in the water.

I loved the relationship between Miles and Daphne, if there’s such a thing as book boyfriend Miles is it!! It was so cute to watch them slowly open up to each other. There’s also so much more to the story too, the way Daphne finds herself rediscovering who she is and all the new possibilities that life throws at her. Her character was so relatable! I loved it!

Daphne and Peter’s meet cute was a love story worth telling. And so Peter did- over, and over… and over. Until, of course, he decided he was in love with someone else, leaving the rest of their love affair unwritten.

Now forced into a rewrite, Daphne moves out of the house she loved, and into an apartment with a fellow newly inducted member into the lonely hearts club, Miles Nowalk. Although the two don’t know each other well, they each know what it’s like to be loved and left, their exes leaving each of them for one another.

As the lovelorn librarian throws herself into her work, she also can’t help but commiserate with her new roomie. Subscribing to the adage, misery loves company, the jilted pair haphazardly hatch a plan, curating a make believe relationship to make their former significant others green with envy. But some stories, no matter how mapped out, can still go off course. In this new chapter of their lives, is it too much to wish for a happily ever after?

The incomparable Emily Henry once again seems to be unable to disappoint her legions of romance readers. Unlike her most previous angst ridden release and the love ‘em and leave ‘em jumping off point of this one, Funny Story is decidedly lighter fare all around. I enjoyed Daphne and Miles, both separately and together, and have high hopes others will too. No joke, Funny Story a serious contender in the swoon-worthy sector.

This book was just alright for me. Nothing great, but not terrible either. I love the writing style, but overall this book just left me kind of bored and wanting more. I didn’t feel any amazing chemistry between the main characters. I would have loved to see some more tension and more development of their feelings. What I did love about this book was the aspect of found family for the FMC.

I think Emily Henry writes in a really beautiful way where you picture the story playing out in front of you. I felt that in this book as she described Michigan I could just imagine spending a summer day there.

I liked that aspect of the story, but I felt overall that it fell flat for me. It was too long, so certain parts dragged and I found myself getting bored. I wasn’t as engaged with the characters enough to go through the motions of their relationship, and was just kind of waiting to see how the book would end.

Funny Story by Emily Henry follows Daphne and Miles, two people, who just got dumped by the loves of their lives. In fact the loves of their lives also got together and invited Miles and Daphne to their wedding. In a harebrained revenge scheme, Miles and Daphne decide to pretend they are dating. But what starts out as a fake romance quickly begins to sizzle with real heat.

In my opinion, Funny Story made for a perfect rom com. It was witty and over the top at times, but in a feel good rather than a ridiculous way. I think lifelong readers and fellow introverts will be able to relate to Daphne's struggle to make new friends especially as an adult. And readers will definitely want to give him a hug after figuring out why Miles' always seems so laid back. Funny Story is a book that will make you laugh at Miles and Daphne's escapades and cry as they deal with their emotional baggage. This is the perfect book for a day at the beach or when you are looking for a something to give you a boost of serotonin after a long day at work.

3.5 stars

I usually love Emily Henry books, but this one fell a little bit short for me. Daphne's fiance breaks up with her and she decides to live with her ex-fiance's new girlfriend's ex boyfriend. Yeah it took me a couple times, too. Basically, Daphne and Peter were a couple and Miles and Petra were a couple. Peter leaves Daphne for Petra. So Daphne moves in with Miles. And falls in love with him.

There wasn't any real conflict. This was a strange we-barely-know-each-other to we-love-each-other romance that just didn't work for me. They didn't really bond over their heartbreak. They just fell into insta-love? It was really strange. And then, not a lot happened. Daphne waivers over whether to leave the state because she doesn't want to run into Peter and Petra.

She makes friends. She likes her job at the library. That's about it for a personality or anything remarkable about her. It was a cute book, but I just wanted more from the characters.

Absolutely LOVED this book! Maybe I relate to the characters way too much, but I love books with characters who have to overcome difficult family relationships and with through the baggage and suffocating traits they’ve developed due to dysfunctional families.

I thought the premise of this book was hilarious! A girl gets dumped by her fiancé who gets together with his best friend, so the girl ends up moving in with the best friend’s ex-boyfriend. Then to get back at their exes, they tell them they are dating. Obviously feelings develop, and character flaws are revealed and hashed out. Ugh, I loved it so so much! It all felt organic, and the miscommunication wasn’t overwhelming.

Only complaints are personal preference - the language (F bombs) and explicit sexual content (3 scenes).

Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy of this book to read and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own and a positive review was not required. I would have totally bought this or borrowed it from the library!

i wish i had more words in my head to describe the extent of my love for this book. emily henry is my favorite romance author for a reason, and she does not disappoint with this at all. henry knows how to strike the delicate balance of crafting a couple you want to root for while still making sure that the characters are people we want to root for on their own. henry is able to do this with her trademark wit and finesse and the arcs her characters go on never feel contrived. i absolutely loved it. emily henry remains the queen of the romcom

My only note is the minor side eye I had about the old Black character being twice described as a dead ringer for Morgan Freeman. It just felt a bit lazy. Also interesting having Ashley being... Asian? EH trying to diversify!

Besides that, this delivered in almost every way I would expect from an EH novel. Excellent banter, three-dimensional character development, and humor that felt refreshing. Miles is SO CUTE and might be my favorite of all of EH's heroes. I know, I'm shocked, too. I'm also convinced this is the antithesis to People We Meet on Vacation, because it explores the people who get left behind when a childhood-friends-to-lovers situation happens. :')

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

Finally--a book with a librarian lead that's realistic! This one is top tier for me. Miles and Daphne have my whole heart. I would move to this fictional town in a minute. The ending speeches wrapped things up a little quickly to be realistic, but hey, who am I to judge?

3 stars because I love Emily Henry and her writing. I was really disappointed by this book though. It lacked the usual Emily charm I felt from her past books. I couldn’t get emotionally invested in the characters and they didn’t feel as built out as her characters typically are. That is something I love about Emily’s book, writing such deeply relatable characters that you feel for. It didn’t happen here for me.

Daphne I understood, she’s someone who is used to being let down by people and kept to herself. If she doesn’t let anyone in, there’s no way to get hurt again. After her breakup, plus getting to know Miles and Ashleigh and others, she accepts that isn’t always the case and there will always be some risk to opening herself up to people. But it’s worth it. Miles I felt like I only knew at a surface level. He’s the “nice” guy that knows everyone and everyone loves him. You know there’s something he’s been through in the past and while we get some explanation, I wanted more.

Again, I love Emily and I think she has beautiful writing. There are some one liners in this that I think people won’t be able to get out of their heads. This book didn’t meet the expectations I have for her though. Felt more surface level romance than the beautiful love story she typically writes.

🏠 roommates
😊 strangers to friends to lovers

single POV
3/5 stars ⭐️
1/5 spice level 🌶️

Funny Story by Emily Henry is a rom-com/dramedy novel about two opposites. Daphne, our heroine, is a children’s librarian, who is wonderful with the kids; where she is happy and content. To her shock, her fiancée Peter, decides to dump her (so close to her wedding) after his bachelor party, to be with his childhood friend, Petra. With no place to go, Daphne ends up sharing an apartment with Miles (Petra dumped him).

Miles is very likeable, as he is charming, caring, easy going and loves to have fun. In the early days, the roommates mainly avoided one another, but one day, they get an invitation to Peter and Petra’s wedding. Daphne finds herself becoming comfortable around Miles, with them becoming friends. After a night out a bar, they accept the invitations. Miles and Daphne tell their exes that they are now dating (fake), and are happy together.

Both Daphne and Miles have their own family issues, which bring them closer to each other. Daphne’s mother lives further away, and speaks to her weekly; her divorced father she rarely sees, and to her surprise, he will show up later in the book. Miles is close to his sister, Julia, who also decides to show up, but sooner than later. Miles is exactly the opposite of practical and socially awkward Daphne in her journey to self-discovery. Miles goes out of his way to get Daphne out, as he takes her to different places, including where he works at a bar, where she meets other great friends of Miles. I also liked Ashleigh, a new found friend, and loved Julia, who was lots of fun. In a short time, she finds herself falling for Miles, as he also has feelings for her. I really loved Miles and Daphne together. What was great about Miles was his putting others before him, warm hearted, caring, and helping her open heart in rediscovering herself.

What follows is a sweet wonderful story about two opposites who eventually find love. Miles was always there for Daphne, and she managed to find friendship with Ashleigh, Julia and others that Miles introduced to her. Funny Story was a very good story, that kept us unable to put the book down. Funny Story was very well written by Emily Henry. This was a fun read, which I suggest you read Funny Story.

Emily Henry can do no wrong for me, Her writing draws me in from the very first page. Her characters are so human and their mistakes feel so real. Truly one of the greatest love confession writers out there, I actually shed a tear. This was my most anticipated book of the year and it definitely did not disappoint.