Reviews with content warning for Toxic relationship - Funny Story

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Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Funny Story by Emily Henry

159 reviews

gracescanlon's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful sad 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

4.5

This one just surpassed Book Lovers as my favorite Emily Henry to date. Funny Story and Book Lovers are my favorite of her books, though I haven’t read Happy Place and don’t plan to do so.

Peter and Petra having essentially the same first name AND last names that began with the same letter definitely made me hate them just a little bit more. Also, Peter was vindictive, short-sighted, and petty, which was worse than Petra’s selfish thoughtlessness.

Daphne and Miles’ relationship progression was a cool glass of water on the hottest day of the year. I loved that they truly became friends and then got involved romantically with each other. Their relationship progression was organic and healthy, even if it was a little quick and originated from a horrible situation. Given that Daphne and Miles are in their early- and mid-thirties respectively, the rapid development of their relationship didn’t bother me as much as it would have if they’d been ten years younger. Also, given that their previous partners left them for each other, it didn’t surprise me that Daphne and Miles got along so well.

I think my favorite thing about Funny Story is something I’ve rarely seen in similar contemporary romances, especially those not written in dual-POV. (An aside: can we stop relying on those in romance? They’re overdone, and this book in particular is a masterclass in accomplishing the same result without flipping back and forth between characters.) Though the book is told exclusively in first person from Daphne’s perspective, we see Miles’ (and also Ashleigh’s) character growth as well. So often in romance I find that one character, usually the non-POV love interest, is essentially flawless, which is boring. Henry doesn’t fall into this pattern in Funny Story, though. Miles says outright to Daphne that he feels dismissed by her insisting he spends time with her because he’s just a genuinely nice person. He expresses to her that his time with her isn’t altruistic; it’s for his own pleasure, because he likes her and spending time with her.

With a unique premise, incredibly lovable cast of characters, excellent character arcs, and MCs who respect one another and communicate, Funny Story is definitely a romance I’d recommend.

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hrh_victoria's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

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

4.5

As with all Emily Henry's books, I enjoyed this one! The concept was fun and the romance felt appropriately messy. The Traverse City setting and librarian career were fun to read through, too, and I can attest to Henry's general accuracy in covering both topics.

Reading it on the heels of Just for the Summer changed my perspective, though. Our main character could have used a little more development and applying an informed understanding of Attachment Theory could have been an interesting angle to add more depth. Overall, this is not my *favorite* Emily Henry book, but I still enjoyed it immensely!

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daniellekat's review against another edition

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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.

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vaguelyredhead's review against another edition

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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

kelly_e's review against another edition

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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."

Content Warnings