I’ve read Beach Read and People We Meet on Vacation, but this was my favorite Emily Henry book! The connection between Miles and Daphne was great, and they didn’t dislike each other to start! The growth together was so fun to watch, from both being heartbroken to becoming friends and then the added spice. It was great and I want more!

Gosh, Emily Henry just does it every time - well-thought out characters, beautiful romance, steamy scenes, and a talent for making you want to go to middle-of-nowhere places in the US. Can't wait to read what she writes next!

Great love story that's more about the main character finding herself (in a non-weird self-care way) and also making a real realtionship work.

I wasn’t a fan of Happy Place last year.. so I was very nervous to read this one despite enjoying other of EmHen’s past books like Book Lovers. But I am so happy to report Funny Story is now 10000% my favorite of hers so far and this is one of my top romances of the year now!

I read a lot of contemp romance, so it’s hard to find new and creative plots to get fully invested in. I really loved the premise of this one - two people (Daphne and Miles) who are complete opposites lose their fiancées to each other’s fiancees. In other words, their significant others run off with each other. In a bind, Daphne and Miles move in together as roommates and eventually begin the fake dating game to make their exes jealous. We all know how the rest goes! 😉

I absolutely loved the banter and chemistry between these two and by the end, I was so invested and never wanted their stories to end! Daphne is incredibly relatable as a fellow bookworm, and Miles is a genuinely nice guy who knows his way around some wine. Book boyfriend material for sure!

My rating: 4.5/5 stars

Thank you to Emily, Berkley, and NetGalley for the e-galley!

She does it again! Another amazing book
I think this one hits extra hard bc I felt personally attacked by some of the things happening in this book.
Every book has a location as a character and somehow she made me love Michigan (somehow it feels like a very romantic city-or maybe it’s not the city but the people you love that make it amazing).
And every book touches a different theme of literature and the joy of reading and this one is all about libraries and the impact it has on so many young readers!
Found family trope and also finding yourself after a breakup.

Review: Emily Henry’s ‘Funny Story’ Has Everything Romance Readers Want—and More


On April 19, our countdown to one of the most anticipated albums of the year ended. But if you’re a rom-com lover, The Tortured Poets Department isn’t the only thing you were looking forward to in April, Emily Henry’s fifth adult romance novel, Funny Story, is on bookshelves and e-readers everywhere. Emily Henry is one of our favorite romance authors in the game, but the question remains, how does she keep doing it? And by “it,” I, of course, mean writing romance novel after romance novel that hit us right in the feels. If you’re wondering if Henry’s hot streak continues with Funny Story, you’ve come to the right place. Here are all the reasons Funny Story is yet another must-read romance. TL;DR: Just order it now, you won’t regret it.


Its simple premise isn’t actually simple at all

The premise of Funny Story is simple in the way that it can be boiled down to a sentence: When her fiancé breaks up with her, practical and buttoned-up Daphne moves in with scruffy and chaotic Miles, her ex-fiancé’s new fiancée’s ex. But there’s nothing simple about that situation. It gives us two characters who have been left by the people they thought they would spend the rest of their lives with. Both Daphne and Miles need to process their heartbreak, navigate their new living situation, and decide what is next for them. That’s a lot for anyone to handle, but it leaves the door open for endless possibilities.


It plays with almost every trope

Emily Henry is known for using classic romance tropes in unexpected ways. Here, she tackles the most tropes yet, giving us friends-to-lovers, forced proximity, fake dating, and opposites attract, to name a few. But Emily Henry’s use of tropes never feels contrived. When we meet Daphne and Miles, they are both reeling from devastating breakups. So when they decide to fake date in the hopes of getting back at their exes, it makes perfect sense. And later, as they start to heal, of course, they see potential in each other.


It encourages you to be a tourist in your own town

When Daphne moves to Waning Bay, Michigan, she lets Peter, who grew up there, show her the town. Daphne and Miles spend every Sunday together, going to farmers’ markets and kayaking. Each scene is made real by Emily Henry’s detailed description of the gorgeous landscape. It made me want to travel to Michigan, but more than anything, it made me want to appreciate everything there is for me to do right here in my home of Charlotte, North Carolina.


It shares a refreshing take on friendship

Sometimes, it feels like there are two guarantees in romance novels: 1) The characters are going to end up together in the end, and 2) The female main character has a ride-or-die best friend. But that isn’t the case in Funny Story.

When we meet Daphne, she doesn’t have a best friend—or really any friends at all. When Peter broke up with her, he took her friends, including her college best friend, who happens to be dating Peter’s childhood best friend, with him. The end of Daphne’s romantic relationship forces her to start over with not just her love life but also her friendships. This is a painful yet relatable reality so many of us face when our relationships end; sometimes, we not only lose our partners but also our friend groups. In some cases, that loss can hurt even more than the breakup.

Don’t worry, though—in true rom-com fashion, Daphne doesn’t stay down forever. She eventually comes out of her shell at work, developing a true friendship with a coworker and building community by meeting local business owners and joining a poker night.


Its characters are still figuring things out

If I had to name one thing that makes Emily Henry’s novels so successful, it would be this: Her characters don’t have it all figured out, just like all of us. Daphne loves her job as a children’s librarian, but she isn’t sure if Waning Bay is the place for her. Miles is a friend to everyone in town, but his lack of a relationship with his parents still hurts him. Miles’ sister, Julia, is incapable of not leaving her things scattered all over the apartment.

Whether major or minor or both, each and every character has something they are dealing with. And although it isn’t easy to change, they all end up in better places by the time you turn the final page. That’s why reading Emily Henry’s novels is so comforting. They remind us of the joy in not just the destination but the journey.

I would just like to take a moment and say that Emily Henry can do no wrong. This is probably one of her best books. I truly thought that nothing could top happy place, and this just blew it out of the water. I absolutely devoured this book and will most definitely be considering this for a reread. The way I want to visit waning Bay is concerning the way that Emily describes these locations just transports you Miles is such Nick Miller coated that this just made me love the book even more their humor as well as relationship with Daphne is so freaking cute

Funny Story starts out with Daphne about to marry her fiancé, Peter. They moved to Peter’s hometown, Daphne has a great librarian job, and their life is about to begin! But then Peter confesses he is in love with his childhood best friend Petra. Peter and Petra – it’s giving ick! Peter calls off the wedding while Petra breaks up with her boyfriend Miles. With no connections and nowhere to go, Daphne finds herself roommates with Miles. You see where this is going?

I had such a good time reading this. I loved the forced proximity and opposites attract tropes. Emily Henry has this incredible gift to present tropes in ways that feels fresh and new. For example, the chaotic start that led to Daphne and Miles to becoming roommates. This was a fantastic hook at the beginning and something I hadn’t seen done before with the forced proximity trope. And Miles? Smash. That man loves his community and smoking a lil weed. I felt that.

However, the word “chortle” was used a lot. Daphne LOVES a chortle. You’re probably asking how many times it was used. At first, I was like “hmm don’t see that word often, what is that?” and then kept reading. The second time I was like “okaaay, I think I know what it is through context but not 100%.” Then the third and fourth chortles appeared, and I was too embarrassed to look it up – I was in too deep. Then enters the fifth chortle. You win EmHen, ya got me! If you didn’t know, a chortle is a breathy, gleeful laugh. It’s like nobody wants to chuckle these days.

I’m always so excited to read a new Emily Henry when it comes out. I was even more excited when I was able to get an audiobook copy from libro and prha.
The story starts off with the fiancé dumping his bride to be for his lifelong best friend (whom was also in a long relationship) and was given a week to leave his (their) apartment! A week isn’t much time to find a new place to live. She realizes her fiancées new girlfriends now ex boyfriend just lost his roommate, so why not be roomies with him.

If you following so far, you are good lol. At this point I was scratching my head very skeptical if I wanted to read anymore….but I’m so happy I kept at it because I fell in love with this couple.
They became friends and decided to fake date to prove to their exes that they were fine.
In true EH fashion, she delivered on making me feel like I was another character in the book.
4.25 stars

3.5🌟

The real funny story is how I received this arc and was sooo excited about reading it and then two days later my (now ex) fiancée and I split up 🤡 so yeah, it took me a while before I wanted to read romance again, let alone romance that has to do with fiancées breaking up. But I’m glad I finally was able to read it because it broke my month and a half long reading hiatus and I couldn’t put it down!

I really love how Emily Henry’s romances are so much more than just romance. She focuses a lot on parent/sibling/friend relationships almost just as much as the romantic ones and she does it really well.

That being said, I don’t think I loved this quite as much as I have some of her other books. I definitely enjoyed it, but I felt like the banter didn’t didn’t hit the same as it usually does.

Overall, a solid Emily Henry romance 🤌🏼

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the arc in exchange for an honest review

emily!!! you can't keep getting away with this (this = releasing excellence every year)!

we have some really classic tropes here ~ opposites attract, fake dating, forced proximity ~ and all of these combined made for such a fun story. daphne is a librarian and i love to see emily henry characters in bookish spaces, because you can tell how much of a love letter it is to libraries, books, and bookish spaces where we can find community. miles is such a lovebug, his personality really shines through even though we have a single pov style! he's very charming and easygoing, but he's also observant and he takes really good care of the people around him, sometimes to his own detriment. daphne is a little more reserved and careful, and she wants to make bonds with people that stick, which stems a lot from her childhood. going hand in hand with that, i loved the found family element of getting to explore daphne's budding friendship with her friends from work, i think it's very relatable to anyone in their late 20s/early 30s trying to make friends as an adult.

i personally loved happy place, but if you're someone who read that and didn't find the romance to be central enough, this one might hit the right balance. we still get these layered characters who go on these really deeply emotional journeys on their own, but its also paired with the fun romcom beats. i love that these characters were definitely flawed and they make mistakes on page, but we always find them coming back to each other even stronger than before. great banter! great chemistry! (and physical touch is both of their love languages, so...)

thank you berkley & netgalley for the eARC!

This book was so beautiful I loved it so much and I did shed a few tears reading it !!! I loved Daphne and Miles story. I felt so connected to all the characters. Emily Henry’s books are written in a way where you can physically see yourself in the world she describes. The summer nights, the food , the perfect moments they all felt magical. I loved how Daphne and Miles met and how they took a bad situation and turned it into something great. I loved how Daphne was a librarian and how much she cared about the library and children. I also loved the small town vibes in this book and how everyone knew each other. I loved how Miles could befriend anyone and loved reading about him and Daphnes adventures. I also loved how they were first roommates and then turn into best friends and then lovers. I loved Ashleigh ( Daphne’s friend) and Julia ( Miles sister as well). I adored the farmers market , late night cooking and all the other

Funny Story Review


“The same universe that dispassionately takes things away can bring you things you weren't imaginative enough to dream up.”

Hopeful - Funny - Tender

This book is like a giant teddy bear wrapping you in a big hug.

Daphne thought she was living her and Peter's story. They met, fell in love, and moved back to his lakeside hometown of Waning Bay, Michigan. But when Peter confesses his love for his childhood best friend Petra, Daphne realizes she now needs to start her own story. First order of business when starting your own story? Finding a roommate, even if that said roommate is Petra's ex, Miles.


OPPOSITES ATTRACT
FOUND FAMILY
PTSD REPRSENTATION
ALL THE BANTER
STEAMY MOMENTS
READING BETWEEN THE TEARS
BOOKISH CHARACTERS

All the stars for an auto-buy author, Emily Henry.

I have truly enjoyed every book I've read by Emily Henry. Miles and Daphne are so lovable and of course her being a librarian makes this such a fun book! Funny Story is the perfect summer read and Julia Whelan is the perfect narrator! I will definitely be recommending this book to patrons who are looking for a fun and lighthearted romance.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Publication date: 23 April 2024

This is the fourth Emily Henry book I've read, and I think she is exceptionally talented at creating banter between her characters. However, the premise of this story didn't work for me. I was excited about the female main character being a librarian, but the storyline fell flat. Also, I favored the male main character's perspective over the female main character. There were likable characters in this story, and I can see how this book could be a good read for others, but it just wasn't for me. Thank you, Net Galley and Berkley Romance, for the ARC!

Emily is back with a new book that is quickly becoming a fan favorite! What would you do if your fiancé left you for his childhood best friend right before your wedding? If your answer was move in with the fiancée stealers ex’s boyfriend, you would be spot on. 🤣

This one follows Daphne and Miles as they try to mend their broken hearts together, while their former significant others are, together. Miles is quite fun and funny and I immediately fell in love with him. The interactions between Daphne and Miles were wonderful and I loved how their relationship grew. The sub characters in this one were some of my favorite too, they added a lot to the story, especially how important other friendships are.” Both MCs have pasts that they need to deal with they are hurting their future together. It’s just a really wonderful journey to go on.

4.5⭐️
Now THIS is a rom com baby!!!!

What do you do when your ex leaves you for another woman who is his friend and also in a relationship?

Well you move in with the other guy who got dumped and talk crap about how horrible ur exes are!

The way this couple Daphne and Miles just warmed my heart with their friendship blossoming into something more??? I loved reading them falling in love!

The aspect of fake dating was so good I just knew every time the exes would show up it was time to turn up the fake dating and I loved it!!

What do you do when your fiancé decides to leave you for his best friend? Well… it’s kind of a Funny Story… move in with her ex-boyfriend and pretend to be a couple to make them jealous. From there, I’ll let you use your imagination. Overall, it was a cute story about a girl navigating her life through heartbreak.

Emily Henry if you wrote a book about paint drying I would preorder it, request it on netgalley, read it imemdiatly, rave about it, post a review and then sit by the phone waiting for yoour next release to pop up.

yep she's that good.

Emily Henry's "Funny Story" is a heartwarming and humorous tale that delves into the complexities of relationships and personal growth. Set against the charming backdrop of a quaint Michigan beach town, the novel follows two protagonists whose exes have found love with each other. This unlikely twist leads them to move in together, sparking the beginning of an unexpected and endearing friendship.

As they navigate the peculiarities of their living arrangement, the protagonists' bond deepens, evolving into a staged romance that serves both as a source of amusement and a protective shield against their vulnerabilities. Henry masterfully portrays their journey, blending wit and warmth to explore the nuances of their connection.

The characters' internal struggles add a layer of depth to the narrative, making their eventual romantic revelation all the more satisfying. Through their interactions, Henry addresses themes of healing, self-discovery, and the courage to embrace genuine emotions.

"Funny Story" is a delightful read, filled with laugh-out-loud moments and poignant reflections. Emily Henry's signature blend of humor and heart shines through, making this novel a must-read for fans of contemporary romance.