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kelly_e's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Title: Funny Story
Author: Emily Henry
Genre: Romance
Rating: 4.00
Pub Date: April 23, 2024
T H R E E • W O R D S
Refreshing • Chaotic • Cheerful
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Daphne always loved the way her fiancé Peter told their story. How they met (on a blustery day), fell in love (over an errant hat), and moved back to his lakeside hometown to begin their life together. He really was good at telling it…right up until the moment he realized he was actually in love with his childhood best friend Petra.
Which is how Daphne begins her new story: Stranded in beautiful Waning Bay, Michigan, without friends or family but with a dream job as a children’s librarian (that barely pays the bills), and proposing to be roommates with the only person who could possibly understand her predicament: Petra’s ex, Miles Nowak.
Scruffy and chaotic—with a penchant for taking solace in the sounds of heart break love ballads —Miles is exactly the opposite of practical, buttoned up Daphne, whose coworkers know so little about her they have a running bet that she’s either FBI or in witness protection. The roommates mainly avoid one another, until one day, while drowning their sorrows, they form a tenuous friendship and a plan. If said plan also involves posting deliberately misleading photos of their summer adventures together, well, who could blame them?
But it’s all just for show, of course, because there’s no way Daphne would actually start her new chapter by falling in love with her ex-fiancé’s new fiancée’s ex…right?
💭 T H O U G H T S
There is no denying the popularity Emily Henry's book garner, yet none of them have been that memorable for me - until now. I was so excited when my local library finally got some new books that I immediately checked this one out before anyone else could. I read it on the train during my recent solo getaway to Quebec City and it was a case of the right book at the right time.
I wanted to escape into this universe so badly and become Daphne's bff. From the charming small town setting, to the endearing, well-crafted cast of characters (minus Peter and Petra), to the witty banter and laugh-out-loud moments, this book felt like a hug. Fake dating can oftentimes be a struggle for me, yet it wasn't overdone here. Daphne and Miles' chemistry was believable and I loved all of the little details, like Daphne being a librarian and Miles' job at the winery.
What Emily Henry does so well is go beyond the romance. In fact, I wouldn't say the romance is the central focus at all here. Rather she explores past childhood trauma, very real insecurities, and making new friends as an adult - all topics that I related and which connected me to the story on a deeper level.
With Funny Story I finally understand all of the hype surrounding Emily Henry's books - this is easily my favourite (thus far) and will encourage me to continue to pick up her new releases in the future. It was a quick and enjoyable experience, especially tandem reading with the audio read by Julia Whalen who brings the characters to life with her narration.
📚 R E A D • I F • Y O U • L I K E
• fake dating
• witty banter
• endearing characters
⚠️ CW: abandonment, infidelity, cursing, drug use, alcohol, divorce, death, grief, sexual content, emotional abuse, toxic relationship, child abuse, gaslighting, panic attacks/disorders, vomit, classism, death of parent
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"You’re the first person who’s really seen me. Past what I want people to see."
"You can't force a person to show up, but you can learn a lesson when they don't."
"But no one person can be everything we need."
Author: Emily Henry
Genre: Romance
Rating: 4.00
Pub Date: April 23, 2024
T H R E E • W O R D S
Refreshing • Chaotic • Cheerful
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Daphne always loved the way her fiancé Peter told their story. How they met (on a blustery day), fell in love (over an errant hat), and moved back to his lakeside hometown to begin their life together. He really was good at telling it…right up until the moment he realized he was actually in love with his childhood best friend Petra.
Which is how Daphne begins her new story: Stranded in beautiful Waning Bay, Michigan, without friends or family but with a dream job as a children’s librarian (that barely pays the bills), and proposing to be roommates with the only person who could possibly understand her predicament: Petra’s ex, Miles Nowak.
Scruffy and chaotic—with a penchant for taking solace in the sounds of heart break love ballads —Miles is exactly the opposite of practical, buttoned up Daphne, whose coworkers know so little about her they have a running bet that she’s either FBI or in witness protection. The roommates mainly avoid one another, until one day, while drowning their sorrows, they form a tenuous friendship and a plan. If said plan also involves posting deliberately misleading photos of their summer adventures together, well, who could blame them?
But it’s all just for show, of course, because there’s no way Daphne would actually start her new chapter by falling in love with her ex-fiancé’s new fiancée’s ex…right?
💭 T H O U G H T S
There is no denying the popularity Emily Henry's book garner, yet none of them have been that memorable for me - until now. I was so excited when my local library finally got some new books that I immediately checked this one out before anyone else could. I read it on the train during my recent solo getaway to Quebec City and it was a case of the right book at the right time.
I wanted to escape into this universe so badly and become Daphne's bff. From the charming small town setting, to the endearing, well-crafted cast of characters (minus Peter and Petra), to the witty banter and laugh-out-loud moments, this book felt like a hug. Fake dating can oftentimes be a struggle for me, yet it wasn't overdone here. Daphne and Miles' chemistry was believable and I loved all of the little details, like Daphne being a librarian and Miles' job at the winery.
What Emily Henry does so well is go beyond the romance. In fact, I wouldn't say the romance is the central focus at all here. Rather she explores past childhood trauma, very real insecurities, and making new friends as an adult - all topics that I related and which connected me to the story on a deeper level.
With Funny Story I finally understand all of the hype surrounding Emily Henry's books - this is easily my favourite (thus far) and will encourage me to continue to pick up her new releases in the future. It was a quick and enjoyable experience, especially tandem reading with the audio read by Julia Whalen who brings the characters to life with her narration.
📚 R E A D • I F • Y O U • L I K E
• fake dating
• witty banter
• endearing characters
⚠️ CW: abandonment, infidelity, cursing, drug use, alcohol, divorce, death, grief, sexual content, emotional abuse, toxic relationship, child abuse, gaslighting, panic attacks/disorders, vomit, classism, death of parent
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"You’re the first person who’s really seen me. Past what I want people to see."
"You can't force a person to show up, but you can learn a lesson when they don't."
"But no one person can be everything we need."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Death, Infidelity, Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
Minor: Cursing, Drug use, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, Alcohol, and Classism
divorceabidavisf's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Ugh, Julia Whelan, the narrator you are! Funny Story is already everything I want in a book: sexy, funny, emotional, and so smart. Add Julia Whelan’s narration on top? We’ve got a winner, folks.
The Funny Story audiobook brings Miles’ quick wit to life in a far better way than I can in my head. He is cuter and more heartwrenchingly gentle than I thought possible. I felt more impassioned for Daphne while listening too - she and I have so many similarities in our anxieties, and I felt myself wanting to reach through my phone and hold her constantly.
Funny Story is perfect, and its audiobook only increases that perfection. Love. A must listen.
The Funny Story audiobook brings Miles’ quick wit to life in a far better way than I can in my head. He is cuter and more heartwrenchingly gentle than I thought possible. I felt more impassioned for Daphne while listening too - she and I have so many similarities in our anxieties, and I felt myself wanting to reach through my phone and hold her constantly.
Funny Story is perfect, and its audiobook only increases that perfection. Love. A must listen.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Classism
Minor: Infidelity, Grief, and Toxic friendship
kdailyreads's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Moderate: Cursing, Drug use, and Classism
euphoricallydreaming's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Classism
mariposa517's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Moderate: Infidelity
Minor: Classism
elledanie's review against another edition
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Infidelity, Abandonment, and Classism
Minor: Cursing, Drug use, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
jourdanicus's review against another edition
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Uuuuugh... I hate not loving an Emily Henry novel. I just have no feelings about this one. It's like the characters had too many feelings for there to be any room for my own 😂
I heard someone on a podcast say that in this book (at least, I think it was about this book) all the characters really needed therapy but instead just had each other... And I totally agree. There's a difference between revealing some of your flaws/difficult childhood to a new romantic partner versus trauma dumping - and trauma bonding! I feel that Daphne and Miles were doing much more of the latter.
Maybe rebound romances just aren't for me, I don't know, but I had a hard time buying into the setup. What newly single woman grieving an engagement would like, immediately move in with her ex's new partner's ex? And then fall in love with him (in mere weeks) after giving the reader the impression that she thinks he's just a deadbeat pothead? That seems like a stretch and needed more development to be believable.
3 stars because I enjoyed it enough to finish it (and Julia Whelan always makes audibooks listenable just by being the narrator), but meh. I'll still eagerly await the next Emily Henry though!
I heard someone on a podcast say that in this book (at least, I think it was about this book) all the characters really needed therapy but instead just had each other... And I totally agree. There's a difference between revealing some of your flaws/difficult childhood to a new romantic partner versus trauma dumping - and trauma bonding! I feel that Daphne and Miles were doing much more of the latter.
Maybe rebound romances just aren't for me, I don't know, but I had a hard time buying into the setup. What newly single woman grieving an engagement would like, immediately move in with her ex's new partner's ex? And then fall in love with him (in mere weeks) after giving the reader the impression that she thinks he's just a deadbeat pothead? That seems like a stretch and needed more development to be believable.
3 stars because I enjoyed it enough to finish it (and Julia Whelan always makes audibooks listenable just by being the narrator), but meh. I'll still eagerly await the next Emily Henry though!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Abandonment
Minor: Drug use, Infidelity, Alcohol, and Classism
melissaslibraryy's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Cursing, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Grief, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Classism
Moderate: Sexual content
straybutterfly's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Sexual content, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Minor: Classism
fanboyriot's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
♡ Fake Dating
♡ Roommates
♡ Unexpected Friends to Lovers
This was honestly such a funny book. The humor was amazing, I laughed so much.
Daphne moves in with Miles after their significant others break up with them to date each other, childhood friends who just had to break off a wedding and crash two lives apart. Though without spoiling things, it works out in both Daphne and Miles favor. So what better way to get back at their trash ex’s than to fake date each other?
Miles and Daphne had such a great dynamic, they were hilarious together, friends before anything else genuinely worked so well. Both of them learning how to trust people again, healing from heartbreak and their past.
While this did have some more serious moments character history and their childhood traumas coming into play with their lives still. I thought the character development with this was done really nicely.
For the most part things are lighthearted and a simply funny enjoyable read.
Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️ (2/5)
Angst Level: 💧(1/5)
POV: First Person
Release Date: 23, April 2024
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Abandonment
Moderate: Cursing, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Gaslighting, and Classism
Minor: Cancer, Child abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol