If you do one thing in 2024, let it be prioritizing this GEM of a book. This was the easiest 5 star rating I gave to a book this year.

When this hit my Kindle, I knew I was shoving all my other books to the side. Whatever Emily Henry writes, this bookworm will read. I've determined that if books are involved in the story line of Emily's books then there is a high probability that the story is going to be a hit in my eyes. I loved that our main character works at the local library and spent a lot of the book prepping for a big event.

Miles and Daphne were a great down to earth couple with their own flaws and moments of healing. This felt like a real story plucked from a small town in Michigan that felt believable and not over the top. Two deeply hurt people finding each other and learning how to process their heartbreak and transform it into something new. The side characters were a joy and integral to this nearly perfect story. There were moments I busted out in laughter and other times having the biggest grin on my face out of pure happiness. This will easily be a top contender for romance of the year in 2024.

This is a top 3 candidate for me when it comes to EH books. New official ranking goes: Beach Read, Funny Story, and Book Lovers. I also loved the tiny nods to Beach Read found within this story :)

Emily Henry isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Readers who know her work won’t be disappointed, but this also provides an ample entrance for new romance readers exploring the genre to find a new favorite!

Absolutely beautiful! Emily Henry always manages to write a book that gives me no choice but to binge it as quickly as possible. Miles is utter perfection and will absolutely be the book boyfriend of the year…or dare I say it….eternity.

I LOVED this book!! I love Emily Henry's other books and so I was so excited for this one. I especially loved it because the main character is a Children's Librarian and so am I. Also it is set in Michigan and I am a proud Midwesterner. I definitely related with Daphne, the main character. It was like reading a book with myself as the main character.

Daphne is ready to begin her life with her fiance, Peter. However, Peter comes home from his bachelor party and declare she is in love with his best friend Petra and he is breaking off the engagement to be with her. In a moment of desperation of finding a new place to live, Daphne moves in with Miles, Petra's ex-boyfriend.
A few months later, a wedding invitation arrives and Miles and Daphne decide to attend the wedding and pretend they are together. As the summer progresses, fake begins feeling very, very real. Can they weather this without breaking either of their hearts?

When Daphne’s fiancé Peter dumbs her for his childhood best friend Petra, she is left stranded. Alone in a new city with no friends, Daphne soon finds a temporary living situation with Miles Nowak - who just so happens to be Petra’s ex. Opposites in every way shape and form, Miles and Daphne find themselves avoiding one another almost entirely, until one night, after drowning their sorrows together, they devise a plan to get back at their exes.

It should come as a surprise to absolutely no one that I ❶ binged this book the day I received it and ❷ loved it and rated it a very enthusiastic 5 stars. I will forever be first in line to read anything Emily Henry writes, including her grocery list. At the end of the day, no one tells a love story like she does.

One thing I love most about her writing is how she takes common and well-used romance tropes, and yet somehow present them in a way that makes them feel original and fresh. The concept of this quirky love square dynamic was so much fun, and I found myself cackling throughout. In fact, I think this may be her funniest yet, but in that subtle way that’s witty, sly, and so gloriously sarcastic.

Of course I always end up emotionally invested in the lives of her characters. They are multifaceted, quirky, relatable mensches who you’ll think about long after your time with them. Daphne’s love of books was entirely relatable to this Bookstagram bookworm (hi it’s me) and Miles, the most down to earth, humble and sexy good guy, is sure to top everyone’s list of book boyfriends. Unlike some authors who focus primarily on their main characters, Henry writes equally incredible side characters who are kooky and fun, and usually steal the show. And with pitch perfect pacing that never causes the story to drag, you cannot help but be totally sucked into this charming world she has created.

Do not be surprised when I reread this one on audio, narrated by my favorite Julia Whelan. I simply cannot get enough of Funny Story.

Read if you like:
•swoony romance
•opposites attract
•roommates
•forced proximity
•found family
•librarian MC
•book references

Thank you Berkley for my gifted copy. Pubs April 23, 2o24.

There's something about a book by Emily Henry that just hits differently, and Funny Story is no exception! From the start, Miles and Daphne are the perfect "opposites attract" pairing. They meet in the midst of heartbreak, become movie-watching, snack-eating friends, and then so much more. But will they be able to work through their own traumatic pasts to create a relationship that lasts? Read to find out! And as a children's librarian, I can attest that the scenes from the public library are spot on and hilarious!

Thank you to Berkley Romance for this ARC!!!

Emily Henry is magic. I'm not sure how she manages to pack so much tension and clever banter into each and every book she writes but I'm so in love with her books👏 every 👏 single👏 time. In a surprise to no one, I absolutely adored this book. I always tell myself that I'm gonna take my time with each new Emily Henry release but I am physically unable to and devour it in a day (and then I'm sad because it's over, but there's always a reread).

As always, her characters are so well-written and fleshed out. Daphne is so relatable; her thought processes and struggles were so real to me and she might be my favorite Emily Henry MC yet. Daphne's relationship with the library feels especially relatable to me, as someone who spent a lot of time there (one might say *too* much time there) in my youth to be out of my parents' hair. Libraries truly are amazing places and I love the passion and love that Daphne has for them.

Miles might be my favorite Emily Henry boyfriend, but let's be real: "men written by Emily Henry" is my actual type. The things I would do for a Miles POV chapter...

I loved this book so much, on top of the top tier banter + tension + shenanigans we also have parts that made me cry and characters working through issues that left me feeling a little raw (in a good way). I can't wait for pub day so I can reread in the form of Julia Whelan reading to me.

One million stars. This book had all the best features of EH's previous titles in one neat package. The friendship story in this one rivaled the romance!

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of Funny Story.

I absolutely adore Emily Henry and everything she writes- I've literally been checking NetGalley for this arc since she announced the book- MONTHS. I saved it for my first read in 2024 because I knew it would be absolutely perfect . . . and then- it wasn't.

So maybe it's my fault that I didn't completely love this one. Maybe I built it up SO MUCH in my mind and was so excited that when I finally started it, I was inevitably going to be a bit let down. Look- this book isn't bad. I loved the ending. I enjoyed the middle immensely (although can we skip the 3rd act breakup meltdown bs just once, EH?) Something about the beginning just didn't work for me- too slow, too . . . boring?

Look, I eventually came to adore our two main characters, Daphne and Miles, especially when it's just the two of them. I enjoyed Daphne getting to know her coworkers, as well as meeting many of the locals (I always love a quirky local.) Unfortunately, that all is interrupted repeatedly by family members. Miles' sister? Sure, she's young and means well. Daphne's dad? Stop. Our mid 30s characters suddenly acting like 20 year old's who have never adulted in their life? NO.

I'm sure most people will love this book- in the end, I enjoyed it and honestly, I went from not being sure about it, to not being able to put it down pretty quick. It's not my favorite EH but they can't all be perfect bangers. I just felt like there was too much in this one and it took away from the stuff I did really enjoy. 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4, because even a "just okay" EH is pretty great honestly.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I will say it didn't live up to the standard I set for Emily Henry in my head, but it was still a very good romance novel. I liked the setting of a Michigan town in the summer, I liked having the countdown at the beginning of each chapter to heighten the stakes of the plot, and I liked the charming cast of characters. The amount of back-and-forth will-we-won't-we that Miles and Daphne did when it was clear they were both really really into each other did begin to exhaust me, but the other aspects of the book made me happy to keep reading. As a children's librarian there were certain descriptions/elements of Daphne's job that read as absurd to me (random adults being invited to storytime is horrifying to me, but sure, have your absent father and some woman named Starfire come to an event for young children and their caregivers).

Overall a very lovely and fun read! I will definitely recommend it to friends.

My first three-star Emily Henry, alas! This is a perfectly serviceable romance novel, but it doesn't really have that zing that her books usually have. I think Miles is the weak link; he seems like a nice guy, but there isn't much in the way of drama or tension, and his "big weakness" (I panic when things get real, or whatever) doesn't really manifest. He's just kind of...there.

And (unrelated to the quality of the book, but just because I don't want anyone to get the wrong idea): "Story Hour" (aka storytime, as most people would call it) is not just an hour of uninterrupted reading aloud. Sing a song in there somewhere, Daphne, please. I'm not going to complain too much about a sweet, sunny depiction of children's librarianship, but that part (and the part where she's going to read The Stinky Cheese Man as a storytime book?? No one would ever) truly made me shudder.

Another absolutely delightful read by Emily Henry! Those who have already come across her work will be delighted with this romp of a novel, and new readers are sure to be swept away as well. Daphne is a likeable and well rounded character - human in her heartbreak and triumphs.
(My only quibble as a children's librarian is that the books she picks as read-alouds for her storytime - while delightful! are too long for her described audience.)

That aside, an excellent read I'm sure to recommend!

Emily Henry's novels always focus on female friendships almost as much as the romantic relationship and Funny Story is no different. I enjoyed the Michigan setting and the details of Daphne's career as a children's librarian. Henry must have a very close friend who is a librarian, because she nailed all the details, from small budgets to trying to earn the trust of moody teens. Overall, this was another fun one that will be beloved by Henry's loyal fans!

I forgot how much I love an Emily Henry book. The fat that this one includes a librarian as the main female character is even better. Quick and fun read with some surprises along the way. Highly recommend. Thanks for the advanced copy NetGalley. #NetGalley #FunnyStory

4.5 solid stars for "Funny Story" by the reigning new Queen of Rom-Com's, Emily Henry!!! I really enjoyed this latest title so much more than the previous "Happy Place" - mostly because of the male MC, hottie Miles!! This one is a fun "friends-to-lovers" and "Fake dating" tropes combined as we see jilted children's librarian, Daphne get together with fellow-dumped Miles, and bonding over their exes. Very well done & well written, I was totally engaged with this one & also found it quite humorous at times, which is an Emily Henry trademark. This one will be uber-popular, for sure!! My deepest most thanks to NetGalley & the publisher for the complimentary DRC, my very sincere pleasure to review this one!!

This may be the very best one of her books… Funny Story has officially overthrown Book Lovers for me. The pacing of this book was perfect, I was pulled in right from the start. Daphne and Miles’ chemistry did not feel forced (even though they were fake dating hehe). Gosh, I honestly feel like this book takes all the best parts from her others. It has the banter from Book Lovers, the steaminess from Beach Read, the emotional impact from Happy Place, and the deep conversations from People We Meet On Vacation. I already want to re-read this book again. Thank you to the Berkley Team for sending this ARC because I officially cannot get it off my mind.

A huge huge thanks to Berkley for an advanced copy of Funny Story by Emily Henry. This was one of my highly anticipated books of 2024! I was so exited to get an advanced copy in January and I read it the week I got it.

But unfortunately, this was just meh. I was very underwhelmed and it didn't feel like an Emily Henry book to me. I loved Beach Reads, People We Meet on Vacation and Book Lovers but found Happy Place just okay and Funny Story comes in dead last of her books.
The idea is cute -- falling in love with her ex-fiancé’s new fiancée’s ex and I loved the Michigan setting and that Daphne is a librarian/library love in this book but that's all I liked.

The romance and characters felt flat to me. I read most of the book on a flight and while I read it quickly, I was kinda bored through most of the book.

I know this will be an unpopular opinion.

And my first 5 ⭐️ read of 2024 goes to Emily Henry!!! I’ll admit I may stan her a little but her books have a way of reaching into my shriveled little black heart and making me feel all the good things.

I went into it totally blind - after getting an unexpected netgalley approval. The premise is a jilted bride moving in with the ex-boyfriend of the girl who is now dating her ex-fiancée. Yup. That’s some 70s key party shit right there and lemme tell you…I AM HERE FOR IT!

They were both flawed and fractured people and they felt real and genuine. I love this book and I hope you will too!

I love that I just read what will no doubt be one of my top books of 2024 in the first week of the year.

It is absolutely no surprise to anyone that I could not put this down. I don't know how Emily Henry does it but every single book just feels like it was written directly for me. She always manages to write a story that has me needing to know what happens from the first page. And while the title might have been Funny Story, there were of course some tears shed along the way.

Even with the tears, the banter in this was SO good. Miles and Daphne's chemistry had me smiling so hard at the pages. The way Miles shows how much he cares for her actually squeezes my heart in such a good way. There was so much growth between the both of them that was both fun to read but also had that emotional part that Emily Henry does so well and left me in tears. On top of that, the friendships and relationships that were formed made my heart so happy. I loved watching each character learn how to open up to each other and add even more to their relationships. The depth of the characters makes them that much more relatable and I love this story for it. Emily Henry never fails with a love confession and this one has been living rent free in my mind since I finished the book.

Daphne and Miles have made a little home in my heart and I already cannot wait to reread this.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for the digital arc in exchange for my honest thoughts!

This is now my number one Emily Henry book. I’m sorry Happy Place, but Funny Story takes the favorite spot. The only character I’ve ever read about that I could 100% relate to was Jacob Maddox, until I read Funny Story and met Daphne. Daphne is my soul character through and through. Every thought, every emotion she had, I’ve had. Reading about her literally felt like looking in a mirror. The Archer girlies, this book is for you.

Besides that, the romance and plot in this book was perfect to me. Miles is now my favorite emhen mmc. SWOON!!! I loved who he was for and to Daphne. The progression from roommates, to friends, to lovers was done so well and I was rooting for them the whole time. The banter and tension were perfect and the spice!! Done so well. The character growth was also one of my favorite parts of this book. I love how Emily’s books are always so fun and flirty but deal with more serious topics underneath. I think the balance in this book was perfection.

I finished this book in December but am already itching for a reread. I think this book is incredibly special and will be relatable for so many, and I can’t wait for the world to experience this book. This is the definition of my perfect book. Infinity and beyond stars ✨🫶🏼