I. AM. OBSESSED.

I'm going to try my best to put into words how I'm feeling because holy crap was this book amazing. I was hooked from the very start and genuinely didn't know whether to fly through this or take my time and savor it.

~ When Daphne's fiance breaks up with her for his best friend, giving her only a week to move out of their home, she has no choice but to move in with the man who is going through the same thing as her. With their exes so happy and in love so soon after their breakups while they're still nursing their wounds, fake dating seems like the best answer to show how better off they are without them. ~

The chemistry between Miles and Daphne is so explosive. I love how mature they were with their feelings especially so close to the breakups. The whole time I was screaming for them to get together but I love how things worked out for them, it was so much more enjoyable and angsty. IYKYK.

The friendships in this book though.. my heart was melting. I can't say it enough, the maturity of everyone in this book was so refreshing. I literally loved every single second of this. I already wish I could read it again for the first time.

HIGHLY RECOMMEND.

*I received an ARC of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review with my honest opinion.*

I finished the ARC (thank you endlessly, NetGalley!) only a few moments ago, so this review is going to be heavily skewed via the "oh my god, I just power read this book and I already want to start it over" emotion. The thing about Emily Henry is that she has this ability to make it seem like she's writing just for you -- at least that's what I feel like. Each female main character she writes holds a little piece of me inside and when reading their respective books I can relate to, love, cringe, etc. each of them in different ways. Daphne is different. Daphne is entirely and wholly me. Yes, even down to being a children's librarian.

Personal feelings aside, this checks all of the usual Emily Henry boxes; banter, chemistry, female friendships, found families. All of those, per usual, were top notch. I won't lie, this book at times made me audibly laugh, gasp, and even giggle, of all things, and that doesn't happen often! Miles was a refreshing and charming love interest that (shock!) was able to communicate his feelings, and his love language was, without a doubt, physical touch. Daphne is adorably relatable, aside from not being a coffee drinker, and perhaps my favorite thing about her was how easily and often she was able to throw in pop culture/book references into conversation/narration. It's VERY Lorelai Gilmore coded and I greedily ate up every bit of it.

Funny Story has all of the tried and true hallmarks of a romance, but it's so much more. I could wax poetic for paragraphs about how Emily Henry writes dialogue, how she is able to transport you to Lake Michigan so clearly that you almost have to squint away the bright reflection of the sun on the surface of the water, how you are able to read a page over and over again and glean different things from it each time. But I'll leave it at this; I treated this book like it was a piece of hard candy, savoring it as much as possible, enjoying the flavor little by little so it wouldn't end and that maybe, just maybe, if I read it slower, I'd finish it without feeling the all too familiar sting of leaving a great story, world, and friendship behind.

I cannot wait for the rest of the world to read Funny Story so that I can obsess over EH's characters and storylines alongside them.

This was my first Emily Henry book that I have ever read— I cannot wait to go back and read the other ones. This was a wonderful,book and so unlike the non stop thrillers and mysteries I read. I absolutely adored it!

Every year I think "this is the best one yet!" and every year, Emily Henry surpasses all expectations. A truly heartfelt story about finding love after heartbreak, not just with another partner but with yourself.

Emily Henry always reminds us that friendships are just as important as romantic loves, and nothing makes your life truly picture perfect like loving the people you surround yourself with.

She always makes me want to pack up and move to a small town in Michigan, but the cast of Wanning Bay might have really sold it this time. BRB looking up library jobs...

As a die-hard Emily Henry stan, it pained me to not absolutely adore this book the way I’ve loved her other adult romances.

The first half of this book was glorious. I wouldn’t be shocked to find out that this was inspired by Jess and Nick from New Girl; I loved the opposites attract chemistry between buttoned up librarian Daphne and stoner/bartender Miles. However, the back half failed to live up to the awesome setup. Steamy scenes are cut off by trauma dumps, messy family drama continually arrives on their doorstep (literally) to prevent the couple from having any alone time together, and the third act breakup/miscommunication was genuinely awful and didn’t make a whole lot of sense to me. The resolution of the story seemed less about the romance and more about healing past traumas and hurts involving other people. While certainly not a bad book, this one just didn’t work for me the way the rest of her romances have.

I would say this is another Emily Henry classic and who loved Beach Read will definately love this one because they have a very much similar feel (I did go and reread it straight after finishing Funny Story).
I loved the character work in this story and I was particulary (and pleasantly) surprised with Miles. I have always thought that her male characater tend blend a little bit together and I was surprised to see how she fleshed out Miles. It reminded me a lot of what she did with Gus in Beach Read.
She is gently shifting more and more towards woman fiction's with strong romantic elements and to be quite honest I don't mind it at all because I love to read the journeys her fmc go through. Daphne's journey in particular had some aspects that hit very close to home. I always find something of myself in her heroines so that's why I love her books so much, she has a way with words!

The ever brilliant Emily Henry paints the most picturesque Michigan summer setting in her newest story. From the sunny hot shores of Lake Michigan to the mouthwatering cherries to the hot and mouthwatering Miles and Daphne, Funny Story hits all the feels. Yet another knockout best seller 5 star no notes.

First of all, I would like to thank Berkley for the opportunity to read Funny Story by Emily Henry.

my rating for this book is 3.75⭐️

I really liked this book, and of course, as always, Emily Henry's writing is amazing.
I loved Miles, I think he is my favorite male main character from Emily.

However, I really didn't like the female main character much. In the end, though, I really liked her at the start of the book, but I think that it just went downhill from the 60% mark and after. She just said and did things that I didn't like, and that's really a me problem.

The story was good, I just wish that some of the tropes in this book were, I guess, heavier than they were. I feel like we didn't get much of the "Fake Dating."

Unfortunately, I didn't love this book as much as I thought I would, which makes me sad. But I still enjoyed it. And I loved Miles, he is such a sweetheart and incredible. Also, the side characters in this book were amazing!! I am in love in Ashleigh 🤩🤩❤️

Had so much fun with this one and I loved Emily Henry’s spin on the fake dating trope!

I think I enjoyed the first half a bit more because of the possibility of where I thought the trope was going to go, which was unfortunately not in the cards, but for a reason I could come to terms with! I will say I don’t think Daphne and Miles were mad enough at their exes for me lol. I noticed I didn’t highlight this book as much as her other ones either which took me by surprise, but the story overall was really captivating and easy to binge.

I did enjoy seeing the flaws in each of these characters, especially sweet baby Miles. He’s so charming in such a disheveled, puppy way. I found myself really wanting to just kiss his cheeks!! My sweet angel Daphne. Loved the route she took at the end of the book and I’m glad she was able to create a life of her own!

As a girly from Michigan I’m so glad Emily is highlighting the beauty of this forgotten state! Now I need her to do a signing here so I can embarrass myself by crying in front of her!

<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!