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daniellekat's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Good, not great. I found Daphne sort of insufferable but I thought her ending as a character was redeeming. I liked the writing style and since this had a few of my preferred romance tropes (fake dating, forced proximity) that helped with the overall rating.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment
Moderate: Infidelity, Sexual content, and Alcohol
Minor: Child abuse, Drug use, and Toxic relationship
vaguelyredhead's review against another edition
emotional
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Abandonment
Moderate: Infidelity, Toxic relationship, and Alcohol
Minor: Child abuse and Drug use
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
divorcekatrinalamothe's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity, Toxic relationship, and Abandonment
Minor: Sexual content and Alcohol
underscoresyd's review against another edition
emotional
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Abandonment
Moderate: Infidelity and Toxic relationship
Minor: Child abuse and Vomit
lisettemarie's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug use, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Grief, Abandonment, and Alcohol
mj_86's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Abandonment
Moderate: Infidelity, Toxic relationship, and Alcohol
Minor: Child abuse and Gaslighting
bessadams's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Abandonment
Moderate: Infidelity, Toxic relationship, and Alcohol
Minor: Drug use
taliaalongi's review against another edition
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Toxic relationship
literarypenguin's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-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
Funny Story is the most recent release by Emily Henry and is by far my most favorite novel written by her to date! The town, love of books, and the romance all together made for a perfect book for anyone who loves books and happiness coming from less than ideal situations.
First off Daphne is one of my favorite and most relatable characters from an Emily Henry novel! Her background about her relationship with her estranged father and her love for her hardworking mother. How because of this she had developed issues with people leaving her behind or getting tired of her. It was extremely relatable to me as I have gone through something very similar like this in my life growing up. Also her struggle with making friends as an adult was very relatable and safely I think a lot of people struggle with that concept. Miles was super sweet and I loved his attention to details, how he remembered all these little things that Daphne liked. Such a sweetheart of a man! His background too was also tragic and explained why he was the way he was. Why he cared so much for his sister wanting what was best for her. Despite not paying attention too much to what he wanted or needed.
The small town setting was so good! I loved all the little stores and farmer's markets they had, Miles also being the guy who knows everybody and can help someone out in a pinch was a cool part of his character too. Deep down though there was more to him than just that though. The romance and bond Daphne and him shared, how it started as just a way to get back at their exes who cheated on them turning into a legitimate romance. How they both were able to move past the hurt that their exes gave them and find their own happiness with each other. They were a great fit and I hope to see more of them in the future.
The overall theme of moving past traumas that happened in your life, taking your happiness into your own hands, and finding a sense of belonging in either a place or a person I loved it. It really hit home for me as it probably did with a bunch of other people. That is one of the many reasons why I loved Funny Story and it is at the top of my list as my favorite book of Emily's that she has ever written!
First off Daphne is one of my favorite and most relatable characters from an Emily Henry novel! Her background about her relationship with her estranged father and her love for her hardworking mother. How because of this she had developed issues with people leaving her behind or getting tired of her. It was extremely relatable to me as I have gone through something very similar like this in my life growing up. Also her struggle with making friends as an adult was very relatable and safely I think a lot of people struggle with that concept. Miles was super sweet and I loved his attention to details, how he remembered all these little things that Daphne liked. Such a sweetheart of a man! His background too was also tragic and explained why he was the way he was. Why he cared so much for his sister wanting what was best for her. Despite not paying attention too much to what he wanted or needed.
The small town setting was so good! I loved all the little stores and farmer's markets they had, Miles also being the guy who knows everybody and can help someone out in a pinch was a cool part of his character too. Deep down though there was more to him than just that though. The romance and bond Daphne and him shared, how it started as just a way to get back at their exes who cheated on them turning into a legitimate romance. How they both were able to move past the hurt that their exes gave them and find their own happiness with each other. They were a great fit and I hope to see more of them in the future.
The overall theme of moving past traumas that happened in your life, taking your happiness into your own hands, and finding a sense of belonging in either a place or a person I loved it. It really hit home for me as it probably did with a bunch of other people. That is one of the many reasons why I loved Funny Story and it is at the top of my list as my favorite book of Emily's that she has ever written!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Abandonment
Moderate: Infidelity and Toxic relationship
Minor: Child abuse and Drug abuse