<b>”I lift my face, and he brushes his nose back and forth against mine. "You're worth it, Daphne," he says, hand soft on my jaw and eyes closed.</b>

So tender. Emily Henry’s books are like standing in sunlight.

Sensitivity note regarding family dynamics: feeling not worthy and themes of abandonment (her dad) and emotional abuse (his mom) are present throughout.

✨ THINGS AND STUFF ✨
-children’s librarian
-ROOMance: forced proximity
-opposites attract
-my ex is dating your ex
-fake relationship
-rebound crush
-chardonnay is a misunderstood wine
-heartbreak playlist
-dyslexia rep (him)
-he’s human sunshine. she’s a cranky pessimist
-neil young’s harvest moon
-he drops off a chai for her on his way to work 🥹🤭
-#IsThisAKissingBook: open door. "I want to kiss you every time I walk past your bedroom and hear your laugh through the door,"

thank you berkley romance for the advanced copy!

Emily Henry doesn’t write straight up romance books, but more so novels that examine many emotions including love and romance, and Funny Story is no exception.

Daphne was engaged to Peter, and Miles was dating Peter’s best friend Petra…and then Peter and Petra decided they loved each other instead of their exes, and due to financial necessity Daphne find herself having to move in with Miles. Other than being jilted by their former significant others Daphne, a children’s librarian, and Miles, a winery tasting room attendant, have little in common…yet start to build a relationship first based on deceit (a thankfully not overdone “fake dating” scenario to get back at their exes), and then a real desire to each get past childhood traumas that still influence how each character identifies and relates to others. As a librarian, I appreciated the realistic portrayal of library life, and I loved the characters in the town of Waning Bay that support Daphne and Miles as they grow. For those who enjoyed Henry’s other books, or anyone looking for a realistic, modern day story about love and belonging.
I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased review.

If you have been lucky enough to experience a summer by Lake Michigan, you know how special it is. There's a spark of magic; a feeling in the warm breeze that makes you pause and take everything in. The sun warms your face and after a cold and unforgiving winter, you feel grateful for the softly crashing waves, the people sharing a stretch of the sandy beach with you. It's a kind of bliss you feel down in your bones. Emily captures this feeling in every book, but especially in Funny Story. I loved Daphne & Miles and the quaint little town of Waning Bay and you will too.

Many thanks to Berkley & Netgalley for the ARC.

Henry does it again! Her books never disappoint and while I didn't love her last one, this one was great! The book flowed and made me laugh on multiple occasions and really pulled me into the story. Pick this one up!

Happy Place is still my favorite Emily Henry but this is a new close second! I liked both Daphne and Miles a lot as main characters and thought the charming lake town vibes of the setting were well done. The final act felt a bit rushed and I do wish the fake dating aspect had actually come into play a bit more but overall it was a really strong book.

Another great love story by Emily Henry! Two people who find themselves in an almost unbelievable and unlikely situation.
The love story between Miles and Daphne, two people who could let be more different, it’s one full of all of the emotions. After their significant others dump them for each other they find themselves as roommates. They get invites to the wedding and in a drunken night of trying to forget they decided to RSVP. After Daphne gets a call about it from Peter and tells him a little white lie the Funnt Story begins. You will not be disappointed by this book at all!

This might be my favorite Emily Henry book to date. I really really enjoyed it. At first, I was hesitant. As a librarian I can be a bit of a stickler for librarian characters, and I was nervous that Daphne wouldn't seem like an actual librarian. I was wrong. I could relate a lot to her struggles and successes when it came to her job. I loved the whole story of the book and the dynamic between her and Miles at every point of the story. All of the characters were funny and interesting and I loved seeing them interact. I will definitely be recommending this book. Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for this ARC!

Emily Henry has the unique talent of taking a typical "meet cute" and turning it into a story with greater import. What starts out as a kind of funny living arrangement between two spurned partners to the step-by-step journey to a real relationship. Ms. Henry leaks little snippets of the personalities of Daphne and Miles by allowing them to slowly find out about (and fall in love with) each other. There are also quite a few really interesting characters--Ashleigh and Julia in particular, plus eventually parents, exes, and townspeople. The bonus of this book is that Daphne is a librarian--who doesn't love a story about a librarian?

4.5⭐️

I feel like I have to preface every Emily Henry review with a recap of how I feel about her other books so you can gauge where your opinions stand in relation to mine.

My current EH ranking for reference:

Book Lovers 5⭐️
Beach Read 5⭐️
Funny Story 4.5 ⭐️
Happy Place 2.5 ⭐️
PWMOV 2.5 ⭐️

Funny Story is about Daphne and Miles. Daphne is engaged to her fiance Peter at the beginning of the book, but he leaves her for his "platonic" best girl friend (who was Miles' long term GF). As two sad adults mourning the losses of their respective breakups, Daphne and Miles move in together.

Ok first of all LOVE the meet (not so) cute. It was so creative but also not unrealistic?? It also put both characters on the same playing field since they were both in vulnerable positions after their breakups.

Miles and Daphne are opposites that complimented each other PERFECTLY. Daphne is high strung and introverted, and Miles is free spirited and charming. I think really often when we have this golden retriever type male love interest they are also oblivious and struggle with weaponized incompetence, and Miles did NOT. He was thoughtful and intentional and observant, which I loved. He is also FUN. He really added a great levity to the story that was much needed at times.

Miss Emily Henry went back to writing her female MC as someone in the book industry (Daphne is a librarian) and I'm SO GLAD. She should def keep writing what she knows because it's what she does best!

Outside of the relationship I loved Daphne's journey trying to make friends as an adult (very relatable for my fellow post grads) and her struggles with her dad.

The book is also single POV which is my FAVE. It allows some mystery and tension to build, whereas I think that juicy info is given too freely in double POV.

The author used the word "chortle" so many times I never wanna see that word again.

OVERALL GREAT and I can't wait to see what everyone else thinks of it!

*Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

Funny Story is a top 3 Emily Henry for me. Daphne and Miles are layered characters with real substance and I love how this book doesn't just stick to the rom-com narrative. It also dives into identity as one ages, abandonment, and relationships in general. The ending brought the story full circle and I walked away feeling better than when I started.

This book was an easy read and for the most part moved along pretty well. The characters had depth and the storyline was good as a whole, there were some hiccups here and there which made it not my favorite. For some reason the ending kind of dragged on and on for me, I'm not sure why but the book basically flowed at the same pace and then the ending just took awhile. Overall, I liked the storyline and the characters grew on me as the story went along. The writing was good, the side characters were hilarious and heart-warming, the plot was good, and it was a fun read. The ups and downs of the book were good and it was nice to follow.

Thanks to NetGalley & Edelweiss for the ARCs!

My reactions to Emily Henry’s books have gone down star by star each new release – to the point where I have so far managed to avoid Happy Place place completely. But then I got an email offering me this one and my FOMO was going through the roof! Not to mention I am well aware of how lucky I am to be someone who receives Berkley widgets so I’m not about to look that gift horse in the mouth.

The “funny story” (or meet/cute, if you will) here was a cute one. Daphne’s fiancé calls it off after realizing at his bachelor party that his lifelong BFF is really the girl for him, leaving Daphne scrambling for a place to stay in said fiancé’s home town after relocating herself halfway across the country for him. Miles has a place to stay (including an extra bedroom) and is the other dumpee – this time of the aforementioned BFF. Thus begins a co-habitation period and Daphne’s countdown clock to the big all-night Readathon for kids at the library where she works. After that event is over, Daphne can move away from Michigan with a clear conscience. But when an invitation to the wedding of Peter and Petra (barf, right?) arrives, Daphne makes a bit of a boo-boo and openly defines the relationship with Miles . . . into a romantic one.

Cute, right? You’re right. It is cute. This one will most likely make Henry fans swoon because all of the rom com feels will be felt. But I didn’t much like either of the main characters so it didn’t quite work for me. Note to Miles: It doesn’t matter how many people say you’re a “great guy.” If you are so easily distracted and get caught up in random conversations that make you late for scheduled dates/your job/whatever – you’re kind of NOT so great. Punctuality is a real thing for me – especially if you plan on some before dawn sort of excursion. Don’t come to me with coffee and an excuse, just GTFOOH. And note to Daphne: You are not a good friend. If you never let anyone in, they certainly aren’t the jerks for choosing to hang out with other people. And again, if you make plans with someone like me and then stand me up? You can GTFOOH too and don’t let the door hit ya where the good lord split ya on your way out.

ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

AMAZING. I love Emily Henry. I loved the characters, the story, everything about this book. I want to read it over and over again. My new favorite Emily Henry book!!

Yes!! Loved this. Emily Henry has a formula and in her I trust. I did have one moment of like "wait, really?!" But overall LOVED this book. The humor, the small town vibes, the character arcs!! So good.

Another funny, sexually tense love story from Emily Henry! This novel was full of great one liners, inspiring quotes, and sexual tension so thick it made me flail about in my office chair. Emily understands so much in the world of books (as we learned in Book Lovers) but she hits the nail on the head with librarians and library life.

"The library is, like, the single best cross section of humanity...you meet all kinds of interesting people."

"It's a library...If you can't be a human here, where can you?"

These quotes stuck out to me so much, because yes! these words embody so much of what a library is. So, I appreciate that insight that Emily Henry added to her book so much.

To the romance, the chemistry between Daphne and Miles is amazing, their personalities play together wonderfully and bring out the best in the other. The cast of supporting characters are amazing as well, from Ashleigh the scary librarian whom Daphne befriends (or does Ashleigh befriend Daphne?) and grants access to poker night to Miles's sister Jules, you'll love everyone that comes to life on the page. It's a wonderful work of spicy build up and you'll want to devour the book to find out the rest of this funny story...

Henry has a captivating way of offering up a fresh, delightful romance that is fast-paced and filled with sparkling dialog. This is the story of Daphne, a librarian who moved to Michigan for her fiancé Peter. He seems too good to be true, but then he does the unthinkable. Just weeks before the wedding, he tells Daphne that he realizes he loves his longtime best friend, Petra. Now Daphne is alone and stranded far from her home and turns to the one person she knows has an extra bedroom – Petra’s newly dumped fiancé. Daphne’s new roommate Miles is very different from Peter, but his place is convenient.

Things get even more chaotic when Daphne and Miles get caught up in a scheme to pretend to be a couple. In the meantime, Daphne has initiated inquiries about finding a job back home near her mother. It’s no surprise that Miles turns out to be much more thoughtful and alluring than he first seems.

Waning Bay, Michigan comes across as a charming, delightful place to live. Having family who live near the lake in Michigan, the passion for the area comes as no surprise. Daphne works as a children’s librarian and clearly loves her job. She's a great asset for her library and will be dearly missed if she leaves.

The trope involving a fake romance is not new, but Henry makes the ride such a pleasant experience. It’s a fun, cute read that is well worth checking out.

You know I love my thrillers but when Emily Henry has a new release, I drop all the things. I am so thankful to my #partners at Berkley for the early digital copy but you better believe I’ve already preordered that gorgeous UK cover and plan on picking up a US copy on pub day, my actual birthday, April 23!

Here’s a quick synopsis: Daphne and Peter have a love story that is so much fun to tell and Peter loved to tell it! Until he realized he was actually in love with his childhood best friend, Petra. Daphne is a children’s librarian (which barely pays the bills) and now needs a place to live. Guess who else is looking for a roommate? If you guessed Petra’s ex, Miles, you’re absolutely right! After a short period of wallowing in self-pity, these complete opposites form a friendship and even fall into a fake dating situation that pushes them onto a path of self-discovery, adventure, and a summer of “what ifs”.

What I Loved:

- Daphne and her coworkers deal with some truly unique individuals at the library and I was cry laughing! Being a librarian myself, I felt each of those scenes in my bones.
- Miles WILL BE your next book boyfriend, I guarantee it.
- I love fake dating and this one is perfection.
- Both Daphne and Miles are broken in their own ways and support each other in the sweetest ways.

Funny Story by Emily Henry

Daphne and Peter make a good match. He has everything all planned, organized, and scheduled and she's happy to just slip right into his list of To-Do things, keeping life orderly and just the way he likes it. Soon to be married, living in their own home (in Peter's name for tax purposes), Daphne has all her wedding gear bought and ready for the big day. She loves her job at the nearby library, life is good, life is just wonderful.

Peter and his friends, including his woman best friend forever since third grade, wild child Petra, attend Peter's early bachelor party and for the first time ever, Peter doesn't come home on time. Turns out he and Petra have realized they are in love and want to have a life together. Peter "kindly" tells Daphne she and her things need to be out in a week.

Where to go on such short notice? Petra is leaving her long time boyfriend, Miles, and he allows Daphne to move into the spare room. Miles is all that Daphne is not, a slob, chaotic, not prone to schedules and promptness, rarely uses real words in his texts. For the first few weeks the two almost never see each other, each living their own heartbroken lives.

Then Daphne, in a fit of anger revenge, lets Peter know that she and Miles are now a couple (they aren't). And Miles lets coworkers know they are a couple, too (they aren't). It's when they have to fake PDA in front of others that they realize there is a spark there, one they never expected. They douse the chance of flames but it doesn't really work. Can two opposites get together without things being an unwise double rebound? These two have so much baggage that they are hiding, that they don't even want to face themselves, that they don't truly understand. Until that baggage is let out of the bag, can they really move on from where they are at this time?

Miles is oh so hunky cute. Daphne has never allowed herself to be herself. She has been so wrapped up in living Peter's life for the last years that her friends at work think she might be some kind of undercover something or other. Most of all, Miles and Daphne can be sort of boring, in a real life way, but not as boring as "got everything planned" Peter. How's life going for you, Peter, with your wild child forever best friend?

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for this ARC.

As always, Emily Henry nails humor and emotion - this time with some sexy pining. Miles is the perfect golden retriever stoner boyfriend, and the author also nails Phoebe’s job as a children’s librarian. The plot ended up feeling meandering in the second half, but I couldn’t help but root for these two and their character development as individuals and together.

Funny Story, much like Happy Place, is a deceptively ironic title for this story. Funny Story starts quickly with an awkwardly adorable rom-com meet-cute. However, the story switches to a sad tone living in the immediate aftermath of Daphne, our Librarian protagonist, being jilted by her fiance. Despite its seemingly lighthearted title, this book delves deep into the aftermath of heartbreak, masterfully balancing humor with poignant moments.

The characters, especially Daphne and Miles, feel incredibly real, and their pain became my own as I immersed myself in their story. Henry's knack for crafting authentic characters shines through, making it easy to connect with them on a personal level. The romance is equal parts swoon-worthy and raw, with moments that had me blushing and rooting for the characters wholeheartedly. This book is horny. Miles and Daphne have an undeniable chemistry that had me kicking my feet and screaming. Henry's writing effortlessly captures the complexity of relationships, break-ups, and life adding depth to the story and keeping me invested until the very end.

The setting of Waning Bay, Michigan, is vividly portrayed, creating a vibrant backdrop for the unfolding drama. From beaches to the eccentric cast of characters to the cozy library (my favorite), the town feels alive and inviting—I think I want to move to Michigan now.

I don't have anything constructive or negative to say. Funny Story is a standout romance novel with exceptional character development, captivating storytelling, and just the right amount of emotional depth. While it may not surpass Beach Read, Funny Story comes very very close.

4.5 Stars