Reviews with content warning for Child abuse - Funny Story

Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

Funny Story by Emily Henry

117 reviews

themichine's review against another edition

4.5

emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

'It's about the journey, not the destination' is what I'd say about this story. While the premise is something you could find in many books or fanfics, the story itself and the interaction of characters was a blast!

One thing I really liked about this was that the side characters had rich inner lives. They were opinionated and guarded and real, which makes reading so much fun. It wasn't just about Daphne's relationship with the main character, but her relationship with herself, her friends, and how she views the world.

Content Warnings

jkatris's review against another edition

4.5

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-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

Content Warnings

mandas_bookcorner's review against another edition

4.0

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

In this book, readers follow a woman named Daphne. Daphne is planning her nuptials to her fiancé, Peter, or so she thought. When Daphne and Peter are reminiscing over their meet-cute in the park the day after his bachelor party, he informs Daphne that he is in love with his childhood best friend Petra and calls off the wedding. This situation forces Daphne to reevaluate her life and move in with Petra's ex, Miles, as roommates for convenience.
Daphne and Miles are opposites. Daphne is practical and orderly whereas Miles is a scruffy, messy free spirit. Miles and Daphne adjust to living together by acting standoffish with each other. That doesn't last long though. One day, while bonding over their mutual breakups, Daphne and Miles form a flimsy friendship and a plan for some casual revenge. 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?
Overall, this book is cute, funny, and engaging. The book's title is fitting as I found myself chuckling many times while reading. I was not an Emily Henry fan before but now, I am slowly warming up to her writing This was hilarious, heartwarming, and raw. However, Emily Henry's overuse of the word chortle was maddening. I also hated that Peter wanted to have his cake and eat it too. Peter gives me the ick, I stan Daphne and Miles though.

Content Warnings

onetwo_bre's review against another edition

4.0

emotional funny reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I really enjoyed this book. I listened to the audiobook, and I think that made it a more enjoyable journey through Emily's created world.

There is a lot of reflection within this book from both of the main characters, as well as considerable trauma caused by familial and romantic relationships. Overall, I really enjoyed the story and the personal journey of the FMC.

Content Warnings

beckyyreadss's review against another edition

4.0

emotional hopeful 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

As always, Emily Henry is adored in the book community, so when this book was finally released on Paperback, I instantly pre-ordered it. I have loved some of Emily’s book, I have struggled with Emily’s book, so I was a bit nervous going into this seeing how hype it was, and I enjoy it.

This book is based on Daphne, and she has always loved the way her fiancé, Peter, told their story. How they met, fell in love, and moved back to his lakeside hometown to begin their life together. He was good at telling it, right up until the moment he realised he was 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, and proposing to be roommates with the only person who could understand her predicament: Petra’s ex, Miles Nowak. Miles is 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?

I enjoyed the storyline, and it was an interesting way on a meet-cute, both of the exes dating. I liked the character development Daphne went through where she was putting herself in a box to have this perfect family and joining in their traditions and changing herself, to sticking up for herself and what she wanted and making her own traditions, even when Peter came back, she realized how much she has changed and that she doesn’t need or want him anymore. I love how she managed to stand up to her dad because hearing Daphne talking about her relationship with her dad and how fucked up it was, well, it hit a little too close to home and I'm glad that Daphne got the ending and how she managed to say stop doing this dad, you are hurting me and I'm done. Miles was funny and I loved his attitude to get Daphne to enjoy the town and to not hate the town and to hate Peter instead. Ashleigh, Miles’s sister and Harvey saved this book from being 3 stars. I loved them and how they were calling them both out on their bullshit but also going through it themselves and the found family that they built within the small town.

I felt like it took a good while for the relationship to feel like a relationship or proper feelings. I would have loved for this to be a dual POV, I think it would have made the book 1000% times better. I was getting sick of the repeated thoughts from Daphne being “he’s just my roommate, I'm leaving, he is still in love his Petra, he deserves better”. I thought Miles was just going along with it for Daphne and to help him move on, so I would have LOVED for Miles’s POV to see this man pinning over Daphne and seeing her in a different light. I think I was wanting as dual POV as well because Daphne was giving me a headache sometimes throughout the book, being in her brain hurt my head and I found myself skimming over her monologue and her “I’m unlovable” thoughts. The third act conflict wasn’t needed, miscommunication on both of their parts and it just took a conversation to resolve it all.

Overall, it was an enjoyable read, and I enjoyed the character development both went through. I think I was just expecting more with how hype it has been.

Content Warnings

mbwoconnor's review against another edition

4.5

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted 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: Complicated

This was a great rom-com read. The first three quarters of the book were laugh out loud funny and the last quarter the two MCs got in their own ways, so it was a little rough. Thoroughly enjoyable would read another by her.

Content Warnings

crfellers_99's review against another edition

3.75

emotional funny hopeful reflective 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

Enjoyed the story for a light read. Too spicy for my taste in parts, with a bit more language than needed, IMO.

Content Warnings

abby_can_read's review against another edition

4.0

emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

📖
I had a wonderful time with this book. I liked the writing style and the plot kept me entertained.

Content Warnings

koistyfishy's review against another edition

3.0

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective 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

3 Cheesemonger Stars ⭐️
Spicy Level:🌶️/5

Funny story… How? Just how is this the best romance of 2024?

I know the phrase "Did I read the same book as everyone else?" is overused and some people don't like it, but apparently 170,000+ people voted for this book as the best romance of the year. And honestly? That just makes it worse! LIKE THIS BOOK... This is what people set AS the standard and claim that this is the epitome of the ROMANCE genre. Funny Story is the book that represents everything great about romance! It just makes me so sad. Because I can name multiple romances that had better character development, better storytelling, better emotional depth, and, you know… MORE romance (which this book was missing entirely).

𝙎𝙮𝙣𝙤𝙥𝙨𝙞𝙨:
Our FMC, Daphne, is a very average librarian (borderline forgettable librarian because I basically forgot everything about her when I finished the book) who thought she had "the perfect life." She was engaged to the "perfect" man, and their relationship was straight out of a storybook. That is… until his female best friend (of course) confessed her love to him on the night of his bachelor party. And instead of sticking to his commitment to Daphne, he thought fuck it, I’ve always wanted to tap that and broke off the engagement. Now Daphne is homeless, boyfriend-less, and generally pathetic (sorry, but she kinda is). So what does she do? She moves in with Miles, who just so happens to be the ex-boyfriend of her ex-fiancé’s new girlfriend. Because why just suffer alone when you can double your trauma by living with the guy who got dumped for the same reason?

𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙁𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨:
This book was painfully predictable... Daphne moves in with Miles who she has been told is basically a "waste of space stoner", but SHOCKING... He is actually a nice guy and the more she spends time with him she realises how nice he actually is and how everything she has been told about him is wrong because he is sweet, likeable, and just generally the best person ever!

Like don't get me wrong... THIS BOOK IS NOT BAD... I am just upset that it means so much more!!!

Daphne just felt very underwhelming... She's not a very good friend, not overly witty, or has anything that makes her stand out. She is boring and as such I felt it very hard to connect with her and Miles's romance...

AND WHAT WAS THE WHOLE THIRD-ACT BREAKUP MISCOMMUNICATION MESS? LIKE I wanted to throw my earbuds out the window when that shitstorm happened... Like I cannot deal with that idiocy!

𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨:
▶ Roommates to Lovers
▶ Single POV
▶ Fake Dating
▶ Opposites Attract
▶ Ex's New Partners Ex
▶ Cinnamon Roll/Golden Retriever
▶ Slow Burn
▶ Miscommunication
▶ Third Act Breakup

and 𝙈𝙞𝙘𝙧𝙤 𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨:
▷ "More"
▷ Undressing/Dressing Help
▷ Rolled Sleeves/Forearms
▷ Tattooed MMC
▷ Forehead Kisses
▷ "Hold on to the..."
▷ "Don't Stop"
▷ Chin Lift

I honestly can’t wrap my head around how this book won Best Romance of the Year. It’s not terrible, but it is entirely forgettable. please be better next year

I do want to give kudos to Julia Whelan, as she did a phenomenal job with the narration of this story... It was not her fault it was just a meh story.

Content Warnings

fernwehlaurel's review against another edition

5.0

emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense 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

Content Warnings

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