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bookedandbusy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Sexual content, and Abandonment
Moderate: Alcoholism and Toxic relationship
Minor: Drug use
mikaylawood's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Abandonment, Emotional abuse, and Sexual content
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Drug use
lex_is_bookish's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Abandonment, and Sexual content
aksmith92's review against another edition
- 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
The Setup: Funny Story by Emily Henry is a heartwarming story that resolves around Daphne and Miles, two people whose lives are upended when their respective partners leave them for each other. Stranded in a beautiful town - but not HER town - of Waning Bay, Michigan, Daphne, a passionate children's librarian, finds herself pretty much homeless and completely heartbroken after her fiancé tells her he is in love with his best friend. Miles offers her a place to stay since he is now without the love of his life (the said best friend just mentioned).
Then, after an awkward conversation with her ex, Peter, Daphne lets it slip that she and Miles are "dating," which is a straight-up lie, something that Daphne rarely does but feels is the most straightforward course of action at the moment. Therefore, a fake relationship ensues, partly to make their exes jealous and partly to support each other through grief.
Daphne and Miles bond unexpectedly as they navigate their pain and anger. Daphne, who has always struggled to trust others due to many fleeing her life in the past, learns to prioritize her own needs and desires. Charming yet troubled by a tumultuous childhood, Miles faces issues head-on with Daphne's support. Together, they rediscover their identities and what they truly want in life.
In her signature style, Emily Henry crafts a narrative of healing, self-discovery, and unexpected love. Yet, Funny Story goes beyond the typical romance, delving into themes of family, career, and friendship. It also paints a vivid picture of a small-town setting, with its charming lake vibes and picturesque descriptions of Waning Bay.
What I loved: I loved this book. Many people I talk to share that they have a favorite Emily Henry book because they related to it, or it was just a great book that made them feel lovely in a moment of their life. My favorite was Beach Read, which may be outside the majority for most folks. However, Funny Story came in with a close second or even a tie. This novel met me in my moment. This book's main character, Daphne, felt real to me - the first female character in an Emily Henry novel where I didn't cringe at moments or become frustrated at her internal monologue. (I love most of Emily Henry's stories and have rated them mostly in 4s, so that statement may seem bad, but I still love her books, so don't fret.) I understood Daphne. Additionally, I loved the romance - Henry built it nicely and made it seem semi-relatable (if I'm being honest, this whole situation is a little extreme - living with your ex's ex.). But it worked. I also absolutely adored Henry integrating many aspects of life - Daphne dealing with a lack of friendships, having a passion for her career as a librarian, and navigating the relationship with her family, and Miles working in more of a gig economy, emphasizing his cheery personality that may not be as cheery as we think, and building his beautiful relationship with the town of Waning Bay. Lastly, some other characters were well fleshed out, especially Julia, Miles's sister, and Ashleigh, Daphne's fellow coworker at the library and a new friend.
Oh, and this novel was plain funny to me at times—I laughed out loud in parts. So, not only was it amusing, but it was also heartwarming, beautiful, and poignant. All-in-all, this worked for me, and I am oh-so-happy about it.
It's pretty spicy and steamy, by the way, definitely more so than some of her other ones. Still, I think it worked!
Anything That Could Be Improved? Listen, an Emily Henry novel may or may not work for you. I did think the whole situation was a little unbelievable. In addition, the main characters were supposed to be in their mid-thirties, which I believe was mostly on point but possibly still felt a little young. And yes, in typical Emily Henry fashion, there was SO much info dumping about Miles and his woodstove smell (and he was just a bit of a ding dong at times). However, all those things didn't bother me this time, and I just had a good time reading this book.
I have zero complaints, and like Beach Read, I can't wait to re-read it eventually. Thank you, Emily Henry, for always drawing me back into the contemporary romance genre.
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Sexual content, Cursing, Drug use, and Alcohol
Moderate: Mental illness, Abandonment, and Toxic relationship
howlinglibraries's review against another edition
- 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
While Miles is also a delightful character and I definitely enjoyed his golden retriever energy at first, I loved the reveals about his own inner turmoil and found him so easy to root for. The chemistry between these two was perfection! I love a good best-friends-to-lovers romance, and despite the bizarre circumstances that first brought Daphne and Miles together as roommates, that's exactly the vibe this story gave me: best friends first, partners second, and I adored it.
I'd be remiss to review this book without talking about the side characters, too: Miles' sister Julia and Daphne's co-worker Ashleigh were incredible and I'd happily read a spin-off novel about either of them, should Emily Henry ever choose to write one (or both). Honestly, Ashleigh finding joy would probably be an instant Book of the Year for me. *nudge nudge, Emily*
Emily Henry knocked it out of the park again, and nobody is surprised. I adored this book and am so glad I read it. Thank you yet again, Emily Henry, for gifting your stories to the world. 🥰
Thank you to the publisher and LibroFM for the gifted audiobook! All thoughts are honest and my own.
Graphic: Drug use
Moderate: Child abuse, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, and Alcohol
kaitrates's review against another edition
2.0
The sex thankfully was a marked improvement from Beach Read…but it was still confusing and hard to picture!
I’m glad I gave EmHen a second chance. I’m glad the first ~50 pages drew me in. I won’t be reading more of her work though.
Graphic: Abandonment
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Child abuse, and Sexual content
Minor: Infidelity
caitlinspeachyreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Gaslighting, Grief, Misogyny, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Cursing
kturner_16's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Minor: Emotional abuse
betweentheshelves's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
As a co-worker mentioned, you can tell Henry is a book person because she actually references children's books that kids actually read. Daphne felt authentic as a children's librarian, and we love to see it. Her and Miles have great chemistry, and they were just thoroughly fun to read about.
A bit different from what I normally read, but I could see having a good time with other Emily Henry books! It was a great palate cleanser from a couple of darker reads.
Graphic: Abandonment, Emotional abuse, and Sexual content
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Infidelity, and Alcohol
Minor: Child abuse and Drug use
infjkiki's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Infidelity, Grief, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, and Abandonment