Emily Henry has done it again. Funny Story was everything I wanted it to be, tied with the perfect bow of an ending that will have me thinking about this book until it comes out and I can buy it and read it again.

Thrilled with EmHen's newest, bringing the humor and setting similar to Beach Read but with a fresh protagonist and love interest. She writes with her signature emotional depth and laugh-out-loud scenarios.

6 star read!!! ⭐️

This is for the ones who so desperately want to feel accepted + wanted despite how broken you bright feel. For the girls who always feel like the second choice, but somehow always end up shining brighter.

One thing about emhen is she will immediately draw you into story from chapter. I was immediately captivated by Daphne + Miles. I truly felt all the emotions and I was only 10% in the book. That’s how enraptured you get while reading Emily’s work. There’s always an ease between the characters Emhen writes even when they just met or early on into their relationship. It just feels so right.

Both characters were so real, raw, and vulnerable and it was refreshing to read. I truly felt like pieces of myself were woven between both Miles and Daphne.The bond and intimacy that grew within their friendship was breath takingly beautiful. This book felt very archer + matilda coded!! I’ve said this before I’ll say it again never met an Emily Henry book I DIDNT LOVE!!!!

Thank you so much NetGalley + Berkley for the arc!!

EMILY HENRY DOESN’T MISS!!
I received an arc copy of this book for an honest review- and I am HONESTLY in love with it. The premise is GOLD: her new roommate is her ex-fiancés new girlfriends ex boyfriend. And naturally they’re going to fake date to shove it in their ex’s faces 😌

DAPHNE: has realistic insecurities and hang ups that she needs to work through- and her growth through the book is just *chefs kiss*.

MILES? Nick Miller coded. If that doesn’t immediately do it for you, then you and I are not the same. But for real, his character is lovable, even in his imperfections.

One of my fave EH books so far, I read it in literally less than 24 hours.

Note: content warning for difficult childhood/neglect. It’s not on page, but it should be taken into consideration if you are sensitive to that.

It is important to note that most of the themes explored in this book deal with sensitive subject matters. My review, therefore, touches on these topics as well. Many people might find the book's subject matters & those detailed in my review overwhelming. I suggest you steer clear of both if this is the case. Please note that from this point forward I will be writing about matters that contain reflections on parental abandonment, parental abuse, psychological abuse, parental neglect, Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, & others.

n all the stories of romance, the epicentre of the narratives that leak love derive their fluorescent nature from darkness. Whereas once the lonely heart beat on its own, enjoying the days as one must when one is alone; now the heart beats in a thrum, like hands over the steady skin of a drum.

What makes the romantic narrative so engaging? Which part of the lovers’ odyssey sings to the lonely-hearted auditor? The nature of love is that it is attainable to all, no matter the pestering pain or deep-rooted ache; every single monstrous fear & deeply hopeful dream leaves room in their catacombs for the visually invisible magic that changes the world, one person at a time.

When I learnt Henry was publishing another book I was less than enthused. I have read every single book she has published & only one (1) mildly settled my reader’s soul. I have always advocated for readers to find the books that speak to them. Not all books are for every reader but, it is good to try something different; like an aroma unplaced at a fancy dinner. However, I tried & we never met at a place where the efforts of the author were appreciated by me; my efforts never reached her ears, falling, rather, into the wasteland of reviews that I have written over the years.

Who is to blame? I wanted to love each of Henry’s books because everyone else did but, I am not everyone else. Yet, time after time, I was reminded of the type of reader I am; a reader who longs for realism even when writing about the most mystifying aspects of life.

This has left me not a little sad. The Romance genre appeals to so many readers & though I knock my skull against the library shelves, I have yet to find the cozy warmth so many readers have nestled themselves into. I suppose it is to my credit that I did not abandon all hope. I do not say this to be coy, rather, I know Henry can write & this is why I was disappointed.

Throughout our time together, I have found her books to cater to a very particular reader, one who is perchance rather dedicated to the online world of acronyms & a tragic lack of vernacular. I cannot be unkind to these readers; I admire them & their eagerness to love all books. It is refreshing to see people approach reading freely, without the inhibitions of a mind that critically deconstructs & analyses at every turn.

Readers, like myself, who pick their books as though it were their last meal; seated to devour the prose, the scenery, & the intimacy with the author like being born anew while keeping the skin they have always lived in—are less likely to simply love a genre meant for the causally earnest consumer of words.

It is with gratitude to the publisher that I come to you now, ravishingly pleased with the story I have read. I prepared myself by reading nothing of the synopsis & no word of the praise her dedicated fans brought to her door; I came to Henry’s writing desk & asked her to give me a chance to see in her efforts the skill I knew she possessed. She obliged.

Daphne is thirty-three; she has no idea where she fits into the world or how her life has gotten to a point where, on the flip of a coin, her days could become so devastatingly empty. Whereas one spring day she was engaged to a man who was tidy & scheduled, on the eve of a new life, he cast her aside to run away into the sunset with his best friend.

The tale as old as time is rather not the dramatics of being abandoned by someone whom you thought would care for you, but rather, that love is in the small things; the cool breeze, gentle waves of the river; the warm Chai, the fresh bedsheets; the person who wandered the periphery casting light into all your cloistered shadows.

The romance that develops between Daphne & Miles—the roommate; the ex-boyfriend of her fiancé’s best friend turned lover—is slow. It is not painstaking but earnest. Neither character is entirely sure of themselves but, this does not mean that they are incurably flawed.

What I found in Henry’s writing was her ability to make real the dark ink on the page; her characters are people who breathe life into their own stories. Henry’s ability to present readers with entirely genuine characters is a skill that should be admired; it is not altogether easy to achieve vivid images of people while asking the reader to empathize with something they might not understand.

The characters in this book have had difficult childhoods. When I went into this book, I did not expect to see reflections of myself in the blank faces of people that did not even exist but, there I was. I applaud Henry for incorporating the essence of cruelty & lasting pain into characters who fought for their day on the page; their spot in the sun & the peace that was brought to them in the conclusion.

That is to say; trauma is a very difficult thing to present to readers. Some people go through life unscathed & the presentation of complex human experiences is tedious to explain. Not everyone has lovely relationships with their parents but this does not mean that they were abused. Therefore, an author must either choose to present a middle ground or, encourage their reader to follow them into deep dark water.

In Henry’s case, she allowed the reader to remain safe outside the book. Ultimately, readers know that love will prevail—it always does. However, readers such as myself, who have personal experience with the events that cause Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (c-PTSD) & who have read more than their fair share of books, might linger & that is, as Henry allows it, entirely to their discretion.

Somehow, Henry has welcomed the array of readers to the sandy beach where they will root for the tender touch of Daphne & Miles, while still allowing for the mind of the reader who will become stuck in the memories that cloud their mind. This is an extraordinary skill.

Though stories can be accessible to all, it is challenging to write for everyone; this is something no author can do. However, Henry has gotten very close. While reading about the escapades & trials that Miles & Daphne endured in their own lives, I found myself relaxed & eager to see what life had in store for them. It was helpful to have characters walking the roads in a town that was filled with good people. We live in a world that often seems starved of tenderness, leaving readers malnourished.

Whereas Miles was a complicated man, he never came across as stupidly egotistical. The fine line was drawn by the author when she accentuated Miles’ gentility & friendliness. Once again, veterans of life & lore will see in Miles the characteristics of a person who is friendly without being profound & their walls might begin to rise.

I found the repetitive nature of Daphne’s compliments towards Miles rather trite. It is not a good thing to be liked by everyone; one cannot be friends with the world or one is rather hollow. I found myself annoyed that Miles was only known as a nice person & that the sole compliments Daphne could give him were that he was adventurous, super nice, & hot. These traits are not very telling. Who is Miles?

I am not altogether convinced that Daphne understood who Miles was as a person; rather their interactions skimmed the surface of a shallow pool. Yet, as the book went on & the essence of their person was elaborated upon, I felt confident in the direction that Henry was taking her story.

Though I do not trust a person who likes everyone & whom everyone likes, I can appreciate the desire to avoid the needless conflict that arises by allowing people to see who you are. In Miles’ case, his pattern of avoidance was to ensure his protection. Whereas he was a good person, his kindness was used against his inner peace to satisfy the world around him.

When an older crowd of onlookers took the time to converse with him, I am inclined to believe that their eyes saw through the casual kindness of a person who understood how far manners got them. In this way, I grew protective over Miles, in a laid-back sense. I wanted to see his success as much as I hoped he grew to understand that safety was now in his hands.

This observation made me fearful that Daphne would be the ever-annoying character I have seen so often in this style of book. When she was first introduced I found Daphne to be someone who harped on a nearly insignificant aspect of her life far too much. I wanted her to tell the reader why she kept putting herself down; this was not attractive, cute, coy, or funny, it was mean. Her nostalgia for a time when she was small & relied wholeheartedly on adults who were out in the world, living a life they were unsure of, made it clear to me who I was dealing with & then, I felt afraid she would misunderstand Miles & in turn, me.

When I go into books, I do not expect to meet myself nor do I need the ego wrapping of a Christmas gift to appease my innermost self. I read because the world is filled with people who I am not & in some corner of the earth, someone is probably very alike to me, & in some special niche cases, we meet in the pages of a storybook.

When I come upon classically telling features of a person I can clock like the hands of a round timekeeper I become somewhat defensive. I worried that the author would misunderstand the very clear reality that I have lived; already living in the shadow of truths I shall never reveal; I hope to find these revelations written with earnest intent. That is to say, when Miles spoke about the shadow he became & when Daphne revealed the despair of being left to wait while life moved on, actively without her; I grew protective of something I know well.

It is not easy to trust an author. Some stories seek out the controversial & they do so with the intent to advertise misdirection. Somewhere deep inside, I hoped that Henry would write in a way that spoke to those of us who stood solid on the beach; waiting in the library aisles; experiencing a childhood that is not known, shown, or seen.

It was not her responsibility to do her characters justice. Ultimately, this could have been a story about lovers who were so tortured & traumatized, that they could not overcome the very real struggles that resulted from years of parental neglect & active harm. However, as I have said—love does prevail & in this case, I am glad to have seen it steaming around the corner with rosy cheeks.

What this story sought to present to readers was the complexity of timing. Daphne & Miles are people in their thirties; they have loved people, & had their love cast aside; their parents hurt them & could not protect them from the adult world that loomed over their childhood spirit. The magic in their relationship comes down to their desire to reverse the tides of trauma in their life & the lives of those around them.

Henry has presented a slew of secondary characters who experienced their own levels of mistrust of others. Via the tormented & often strained relationships that each of the characters held with family, & friends, & their struggle to overcome that which held them back; readers were allowed to see how a person can be both complex & blithe of the life they wish to live.

In this sense, Henry’s storyline was able to see the multiplicity of having a parent be absent; a friend forgetting their promise; a love dissipating; & the weight held by speaking truth to secrecy. In all of these experiences, readers grow intimately alongside the characters. Their path is not unbound by struggle but, the characters trust in themselves, even if only a little; enough to put their faith in tomorrow’s promise of a warmer sun, a cooler breeze, & a more restful moment along the way.

Perhaps this is what made me appreciate this story. Through the jaunts around a town that casually reminded me of the town in which I grew up, I found in this story the charm of a gentle tug; there is beauty in life & so much more light than there ever was dark. In a theoretical sense, light can mean anything. One can find light sitting in a dark room via the memory of a smile or the warmth emanating from a person they loved. Technically, the universe & all her Black Holes might swallow us up tonight, but this does not mean that the soul dies.

Therefore, what can a reader take away from this story? Daphne learns that her place in the world is just as important, if not more so, than the space she has held for the people who left her in waiting—the parents who are far away & who have walked away from her life, expecting her to be stagnant until their return. Miles has allowed a breeze in the locked room of his mind—the stale space where he has hidden himself is now being freed. The secondary & tertiary characters of this story reveal a truth that is useful to all readers; the life we lead is as good as our luck, our efforts, & the dime we flip to encourage hope to flourish in ourselves & our choices.

Ultimately, I find myself grateful that Henry allowed me to read her book. I am grateful for Daphne & her desire to intricately read the pages of her life to ensure that her narrative is sound. I am grateful for Miles & his desire to create tenderness in the confines of his mind for an everlasting glow.

This story is romantic in that the characters fall in love; they remember the details that count, the time frames that shape their days & the sweet treats that make life nectarous. Readers will find in this book the tenderness of life in all its dimensionality, presented to them in a way that will guide the pages like a saw through wood; slowly building the home dreamt of in faraway fantasies, wherein love lived safe, soft & sound.

Thank you to NetGalley, Berkley Publishing Group, & Emily Henry for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

An excellent new romance from Emily Henry. Spicier than her previous novels, Funny Story embraces the fake dating trope with open arms, with a twist of and-they-were-roommates. Like most of her books, Funny Story is filled with a lively cast of characters, although the focus is primarily on our main character Daphne. I would recommend this to fans of Henry's previous books as well as readers who want something hotter than her usual.

5/5

OKAY y'all!!!! buckle in because I have A LOT TO SAY

So at the beginning I wasn't feeling it. The writing was bothering me (too many "I say" and "he says" like WAY TOO MANY esepcially between literally only Daphne and miles there'd be a break to say "I say to miles" like WE KNOW OKAY) and it was pissing me off.

However...

This book had the magic that happy place was missing, that I found in beach read and in book lovers. It had that same magic!

Daphne is another one of Miss Henry's complicated, early 30s character. Her fiance, Peter, just slept with a childhood friend and called it off with her. Leaving her to call up Miles and stay with him in the time being.

"Life isn't a competition, and neither is love, but I'm still the loser."

There are several layers to Daphne's character. First, we have some librarian representation, thank you EH. I feel seen! Second, and the main conflict we're introduced to, was her relationship with Peter. She kinda "chose" him and "chose" his lifestyle because it was easy, it was there. She was settling on something that was dependent, that was sure, that she knew the end from the start. (I'm not really supposed to include quotes because they aren't set in stone, but I can't help myself.) "I've always cleaved to the people I love, tried to orient my orbit around them. Maybe, I realize, I've been trying to make myself un-leave-able." There was also a part somewhere where she said with Peter and his family, she always felt like she was auditioning but never "got the part." that resonates heavily with me and I think with probably most people. To be somewhere you don't quite fit in but not knowing what to do about it and trying to pretend like it fits anyway.

"You can't force a person to show up, but you can learn a lesson when they don't."

Then we have Daphne's daddy issues. Emily Henry, I see you and you see me. Every single word written about her relationship with her father was like looking through a mirror. Waiting for a man to change despite how many times he's shown you his same, true colors. The betrayal you feel when they do exactly what you expected of them, but for some reason that time, you felt it'd be different. It tore Daphne in two to realize that, that after 33 years, no he isn't going to change. But that hope is always there. it always rekindles any time you get some sort of attention or affection. I thought that was so perfectly portrayed.

I loved Daphne's braveness to put herself out there and make new friends. Due to her living situations through childhood, she never could put down roots. But in Waning Bay Michigan, she found a circle of people she wanted to put her hooks into, but she was scared (reasonably so). Ashleigh is a recurring character and Daphne's friend, especially since Peter had "dibs" on her other friends (Sadie and Cooper). It was heartwarming to watch the two of them figure it out given that they were in similar-ish situations. No matter the age, friendships can be a rocky road!

Now, the entree.

Miles

I LOVED MILES! I love that name so there's that already, and I loved his character. From the start he was this mystery that I wanted to uncover. And like all of EH's other male main characters, they're like a clam. hard on the outside but so soft and delicate and fragile on the inside.

Miles was such a little baby (in a good way) and I wanted to hug him. He endured so much pain in his life and carried so much guilt regarding his sister Julia that it was hard not to empathize with him. Especially since he was also in the same boat that Daphne was in, his GF of three years leaving him (and cheating) to be with the "friend you don't have to worry about" (everyone knows how that goes.) He was charming and showed up for everyone he loved. Everyone knew him and he knew everyone. His energy was riveting, and I thought he was so lively. He reminded me *briefly* of Iwan from TSYS, especially with the baking and the drinking and the food markets etc.

I loved how delicately Daphne loved him. "Now I understand that the breezy, carefree Miles I first met is only his topmost layer, that his nonchalant way of moving through the world is a product of self-control, but beneath that surface, he wants. The last bite of cheesecake. The final sip of wine. The bracing cool of the lake. To be kissed. To be held. To be protected. He wants it all, even the things he'd never let himself ask for, or won't let himself have.

I LOVE HIM!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE HIM SO MUCH. There is always something so gentle and precious about EH's MMC's that just have me absolutely heartbroken for them.

And he, too, was there for Daphne. He drove all the way to her dad after he dipped to curse him out!

I wished this book was out so I could vent about the PARTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT that broke me but I have to wait. but y'all!! I was ready to CRY

There were some issues I had with the book, aside from the writing style itself as mentioned previously. Like, Miles is apparently 36, and despite his traumas from growing up and his inability to let himself have things he won't ask for, I found it extremely immature of him to disappear to (view spoiler) It felt like I was reading two twenty-five year olds with the way Daphne literally kept running away (like, literally) and the way Miles texted, too. Like??? grow up a little? Pushing 40 and you still haven't had a heart-to-heart with your sister?

The cherry on top was how Peter and Petra didn't work out. The entire length of the book was the length of their relationship. and that scum came crawling back to Daphne asking for a second chance, basically saying he needed to figure out if it could work with Petra before he settled down. FUCK him and FUCK that. I was so glad Miles had told her forthright that that was what peter was doing. he was testing the shiny new rock before realizing he left home a diamond.

And trust me when I tell you that this is not that spicy. It's spicy if you think salt is spicy, alright?

I loved this book and all it's ups and downs and twists and turns. It bleeds Emily Henry and it was so good. It is one of those books that I will reread just because it feels so homey. And that epilogue? Shit! That epilogue had me giggling and swinging my goddamn feet in the air!

Everyone needs themselves a Miles 🥹🥹 I'm so in love with this man. This was fun, relatable, and heartwarming ❤️

The character development for both our MCs was amazing 🫰🫰🤌🤌

This has the best third act I've read in contemporary romance thus far! Ugh, it was so perfectly executed. I felt for both of them & I love them both. Definitely one of my favorite reads this year.

Don't wanna say too much, but definitely, 1000% recommended!! Worth the wait for the release!!

Emily Henry is just a hit every time!

Also, thanks to NetGalley & Berkeley Publishing Group for this arc!

Emily Henry has became an instant “auto buy” author for me, I’ll read absolutely anything she puts out. Her books are such a wonderful blend of laugh out loud hilarity and heartbreaking tenderness, and I’m happy to say that the newest addition, “Funny Story”, is no different. You will wish you could befriend all of the characters IRL. You will yearn to visit their ultra hip hangout spots. You can’t, because life is tragic, but at least reading the book is the next best thing.

This might be Emily Henry's best work yet. It was simultaneously so funny and charming and also so gutwrenching and I love Daphne and Miles more than anything. This is a MUST read.

Oh my god she’s done it again. Received the ARC just in time for Christmas and oh. my. GOD. Can’t wait to read it again and talk about it with everyone!

Five big fat stars, oh my god, I loved this!

This book was *perfection.* It was SO funny, THE BANTER, I cannot. By far her funniest book yet, I cackled aloud more times than I could count. But it was also real. It was messy. It wasn’t perfect, but it worked perfectly. I love Daphne and Miles and each other their journeys in this book, and I love that it wasn’t just about finding each other. The depth of the story is what made this work.

In terms of Emily Henry rankings, Book Lovers is still my forever favorite, but I think this takes #2, closely followed by Beach Read.

Thank you so much Berkley and NetGalley for this e-ARC. I’ve placed my pre-order for a physical copy already!

4 STARS!!

Emily Henry you will always be famous!!!

While I’m sure it was evident to others for some time, I’ve never realized how EH tends to write
fiction + romance vs. contemporary romance. Instead of HEAs that leave you wondering if the couple makes it another week without breaking up, let alone the epilogue time jump of 5 years and a baby, Funny Story takes you on a personal journey of healing for both the FMC and MMC. I love how she writes characters that feel so authentically human. Daphne (a loveable neurotic with abandonment issues) and Miles (100% modeled after Nick Miller from New Girl) have strong character development and a chemistry that left me audibly saying, “AW!” multiple times in the final pages.

This was VERY similar feels to Happy Place- beautiful character development from both leads and yearning for friendships as an adult. I think as long as people know that this is more of women’s fiction that features romance, they’ll enjoy this for what it is. Personally, it was the slowest start of an EH read for me and I would’ve DNF’d if not for the chokehold this woman has on me. But I’m so so glad I stuck it out.


(If this is helpful to you my favorite EH books ranked are Book Lovers Happy Place Funny Story Beach Read PWMOV)

Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and publishers Berkley Romance / Penguin Random House for the ARC! Funny Story is out April 2024

if I didn't already love Emily Henry this would have done the trick. Her writing is just beautiful. This story had me laughing, crying and just smiling like a lunatic. How do I get myself a Miles? I'm asking for a friend.

Thank you thank you thank you for the early copy! I'm telling everyone

4.9 Stars

Daphne + Miles

Daphne should be on her honeymoon with Peter now.
But things went wrong somewhere.
And now she's stuck in Peter's little hometown by the lake in Michigan. Living in a tiny apartment with Miles. Who is the ex of Peter's new girlfriend Petra.
Daphne and Miles are both grieving what they lost. They're sad and teary most days and nights. But then P+P's wedding invitation comes in the mail. And they're so RSVPing to that thing. And not only that ... why should they sit around at home all sad and mopey? Let's start to live again! Let's start having fun again...

WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO DAPHNE + MILES?
READ THE BOOK TO FIND OUT ☺

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Adorable!

Such a sweet book.
It starts all sad and grievy for Daphne and Miles. But then they start to get to know each other and things get better. Daphne starts to like the town and the people. She's not counting down the days until she can leave anymore.
Miles is so much more than what she always thought - or what Peter told her about him.
Daphne's job at the library is her absolute dream job. She starts making friends. She starts having her own life. Not the WE-life she had with Peter, where it was always only about him.

I just loved reading this.
Daphne and Miles are so perfect for each other. Both so broken and sad. And both not really ready for anything new. But at the same time so ready for their very own amazing happily ever after.

It was a really great book. Great cast of people. Great locations. Just a very beautiful story!

I need to see this as a movie one day!

► FUNNY STORY was such a sweet and adorable and funny love story. Run to your nearest book dealer for your own Miles - he'll be sold out in no time!

This is BY FAR Emily Henry’s best book!!

The love story gave me “Cruel Summer” by Taylor Swift, and I absolutely ate it up. I love how Emily Henry took a common trope, “childhood friends-to-lovers,” and asked herself “What happens to the two exes left behind in the wake of a childhood-friends-to-lovers trope? Yeah, I’m going to write THAT story.” IT WAS SO FRESH.

Emily Henry stands out in the romance genre in a few different ways:

1. While the love stories are always central, the external factors are not glossed over. They affect the romance and the characters’ relationship arc. This creates very clear and defined motivations for each character. Funny Story was especially good at this.

2. Her dialogue!!! Holy crap it’s so well done that I feel like I’m watching a movie scene play out. The dialogue is always realistic and witty as hell. The banter between Daphne and Miles was next level and had me laughing out loud, gasping, and everything in between.

3. The spice is relevant. It’s not thrown in there for shock value, it always moves the plot forward. She was very intentional about this in Funny Story— a book that could’ve easily devolved into trope-y smut.

I am so excited for everyone to read this!!!

Thank you to Berkley publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The best Emily Henry yet. I always forget not to start her books on a work night. Without fail I stay up way too late to finish her books, usually after ugly crying and then happy crying at the end. . This story is just divine. Daphne and Miles are two damaged people who are afraid of inflicting more damage on themselves and each other. Seeing them find the best versions of themselves was the best. Henry’s books are so beautifully written, it makes me happy to just be a reader in a world where her books exist.

From the second I read the description of this book I knew I had to read it. Funny Story sounded like the ultimate fake dating trope and I was here for it.

“he nodded, somberly, and headed for the door, totally empty-handed. Like he had everything he needed and not a lick of it was in this house.”

Emily Henry has slowly but surely been making me love her work.

In my opinion Happy Place has been her best work yet… However this comes close to that.
Happy Place was heavier writing style and plot wise. Almost like grey overcast and you’re waiting for sunshine. Funny Story is its opposite. It felt real, funny, and had witty banter, but not the self deprecating kind that, let’s be honest, we all love so much. The banter was comical and didn’t take itself too seriously. It worked so well in this book, and had me giggling.

Though Happy Place holds a special place in my heart Funny Story definitely has one BIG thing over it…. It’s two main leads. Miles and Daphne are written so well. Though they are figuring themselves out after their breakups, their personalities feel fully developed. Even feeling like you’re being dropped right into everything happening (promise that’s not a spoiler) it felt as if I already knew them. Couldn’t get enough of them together. It’s probably why I consumed the whole book in a handful of hours.

“It makes me feel a teensy, tiny bit better to think she could see a picture of me sitting in your lap and staring adoringly at you and remember that you deserved that all along.”

I won’t go to deep into the plot for obvious reason (doesn’t come out till April and I’m a non spoiler girlie), but I do want to rattle off a few more things:
The pacing of this book was spot on, never felt it dragged on too long. The side characters were in it just enough to give some life, but not to overpower. The way Henry describes scenes, moments, and feelings has 100% developed from her past writing. A lot of the verbiage she went with is beautiful. Chef’s kiss truly.

My only negative is I really wanted something to happen in the book that doesn’t. I was actually DYING to see it play out, and then I never got it. It’s the only thing that kept me from rating this a bit higher.

Oh and one last thing… I saw a few people who have also read this talking about how this is Henry’s spiciest book yet… I feel I need to let everyone know this isn’t a spicy book. Don’t get me wrong there are some spicy scenes, but they’re not SPICY if you get what I mean. You’ll enjoy what you get because it fits this book, but let’s not get it twisted.

Romance done right! All the feelings of love with a hearty helping of the human condition and millennial uncertainty.

infinite stars.
– first, thank you to berkley and netgalley for the arc. i am immensely grateful <3

it should come as no surprise to me, or anyone, that emily henry has, yet again, created a literary masterpiece. that she has, yet again, simultaneously made me laugh til it hurt and cried like i never have before. emily henry's ability to create characters that transcend fiction, that literally feel like she reached inside the deepest, darkest, depths of your mind is both INCREDIBLE and a wee bit terrifying.

daphne and miles are two incredibly raw, genuine, realistic, and comforting characters that expose the beauty of "opposites attract". i relate so heavily to these two characters, in a way that is hard to explain without either bawling my eyes out or spoiling it for you.

daphne is for those who never felt like they were enough to be remembered, to be put first, to be chosen first. for those who so desperately want to stay within their comfort zone, have their futures make sense, and hate surprises because the unknown is too scary. those who believe hope is a fickle thing. for those who feel immensely, who are a tad bit stubborn, kind, and caring. she is so real, she is so raw and vulnerable, and so well-written. her depth, her complexity, and her growth was so incredibly beautiful. i love her to death, she is so special and lovely and amazing to me.

miles is for those who aren't sure how to be comfortable with their emotions because they've never had the chance to be. those who want to be the first in line to help everyone else, even if it means putting yourself to the side. those who want to make people smile, spread kindness and joy and love, while deep down, never knowing if they truly deserve for it to be reciprocated. those who love spontaneity and "living in the now" because the past is scary, the future is far more terrifying, but the now is good. his vulnerability, depth, and overall character were so incredibly well-done. i love him so much, he is so wonderful and beautiful and special to me.

miles and daphne's relationship is SO beautiful. its a bit gut-wrenching in the way that emily henry's romance always is, but it is so damn beautiful. their friendship and their love is so special. the vulnerability, depth, and growth within their relationship was incredible. getting to see them heal and let themselves find comfort, safety, and belonging with each other.... im gonna cry thinking about it. their banter was INCREDIBLE (obviously, its emily henry). the chemistry, the tension, the intimacy was top tier, elite, out of this world. i love these two so much. the way that they match each other in ways that shouldn't make sense but 10000% do, UGH. so perfect. so lovely and amazing and wonderful and i love them.

this is also emily's spiciest book, which was FANTASTIC. miles is absolutely delectable and dreamy and wonderful, daphne is right there with him and i am absolutely so in love with them!!!!!!!!

april cant come fast enough because i cant wait to see the world fall in love with another emily henry novel :)