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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:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
๐
I had a wonderful time with this book. I liked the writing style and the plot kept me entertained.
I had a wonderful time with this book. I liked the writing style and the plot kept me entertained.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Abandonment
Moderate: Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Alcohol
Minor: Child abuse, Drug use, Vomit
emotional
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
It took the rapidly approaching release date of Emily Henry's next novel to get me to finally read last year's release and I'm kicking myself for not doing it sooner. Funny Story has quickly established itself as my favorite Henry novel by a landslide.
I see pieces of myself in both Daphne and Miles, and for that I love them dearly. I've not come so close to crying while reading in a long time. To be a children's librarian, establishing herself in a picturesque town, with the love of her life...that's what I want.
Henry's way of writing dialogue and intimacy remains top-tier, I don't know how she does it. It feels effortless. There is no such pleasure like reading one of her stories. Bravo.
I see pieces of myself in both Daphne and Miles, and for that I love them dearly. I've not come so close to crying while reading in a long time. To be a children's librarian, establishing herself in a picturesque town, with the love of her life...that's what I want.
Henry's way of writing dialogue and intimacy remains top-tier, I don't know how she does it. It feels effortless. There is no such pleasure like reading one of her stories. Bravo.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Alcohol
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Alcohol
Moderate: Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit
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 โญ๏ธ
Spicy Level:๐ถ๏ธ/5
Funny storyโฆ 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 knowโฆ MORE romance (which this book was missing entirely).
๐๐ฎ๐ฃ๐ค๐ฅ๐จ๐๐จ:
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 isโฆ 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, Iโve 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-fiancรฉโs 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?
๐๐๐ค๐ช๐๐๐ฉ๐จ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐๐ก๐๐ฃ๐๐จ:
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!
๐๐ง๐ค๐ฅ๐๐จ:
โถ Roommates to Lovers
โถ Single POV
โถ Fake Dating
โถ Opposites Attract
โถ Ex's New Partners Ex
โถ Cinnamon Roll/Golden Retriever
โถ Slow Burn
โถ Miscommunication
โถ Third Act Breakup
and ๐๐๐๐ง๐ค ๐๐ง๐ค๐ฅ๐๐จ:
โท "More"
โท Undressing/Dressing Help
โท Rolled Sleeves/Forearms
โท Tattooed MMC
โท Forehead Kisses
โท "Hold on to the..."
โท "Don't Stop"
โท Chin Lift
I honestly canโt wrap my head around how this book won Best Romance of the Year. Itโs 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.
Spicy Level:๐ถ๏ธ/5
Funny storyโฆ 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 knowโฆ MORE romance (which this book was missing entirely).
๐๐ฎ๐ฃ๐ค๐ฅ๐จ๐๐จ:
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 isโฆ 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, Iโve 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-fiancรฉโs 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?
๐๐๐ค๐ช๐๐๐ฉ๐จ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐๐ก๐๐ฃ๐๐จ:
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!
๐๐ง๐ค๐ฅ๐๐จ:
โถ Roommates to Lovers
โถ Single POV
โถ Fake Dating
โถ Opposites Attract
โถ Ex's New Partners Ex
โถ Cinnamon Roll/Golden Retriever
โถ Slow Burn
โถ Miscommunication
โถ Third Act Breakup
and ๐๐๐๐ง๐ค ๐๐ง๐ค๐ฅ๐๐จ:
โท "More"
โท Undressing/Dressing Help
โท Rolled Sleeves/Forearms
โท Tattooed MMC
โท Forehead Kisses
โท "Hold on to the..."
โท "Don't Stop"
โท Chin Lift
I honestly canโt wrap my head around how this book won Best Romance of the Year. Itโs 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
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Abandonment
Moderate: Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Alcohol
Minor: Child abuse, Drug use, Vomit
emotional
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
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Sexual content, Gaslighting, Abandonment
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-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
cute and fast book.
This is my second Emily Henry book. Honestly, I despised Happy Place but decided to give Henry the benefit of the doubt and try this one. I like this one much better. I really related to the FMCs personal struggles. However, I didnโt really feel immersed in the characters or story. I still enjoyed the read though! Thinking about trying Book Lovers after this since Iโve heard itโs her best one.
1 ๐ถ๏ธ
* please disregard grammatical errors due to voice texting. Thanks.
This is my second Emily Henry book. Honestly, I despised Happy Place but decided to give Henry the benefit of the doubt and try this one. I like this one much better. I really related to the FMCs personal struggles. However, I didnโt really feel immersed in the characters or story. I still enjoyed the read though! Thinking about trying Book Lovers after this since Iโve heard itโs her best one.
1 ๐ถ๏ธ
* please disregard grammatical errors due to voice texting. Thanks.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Abandonment
Moderate: Infidelity, Sexual content, Toxic relationship
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
This book was like a warm hug in so many ways. Nice, comfy, and sometimes, a little heart breaking.
The whole time while reading this, I felt like I was reading the book version of When Harry Met Sally. And, well, that's my favorite rom-com movie of all time. So guess what?
This is my favorite rom-com book of all time.
Incredibly well written and each character was clearly well thought out.
The whole time while reading this, I felt like I was reading the book version of When Harry Met Sally. And, well, that's my favorite rom-com movie of all time. So guess what?
This is my favorite rom-com book of all time.
Incredibly well written and each character was clearly well thought out.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-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
I picked this up on a whim from the Lucky Day Reads* section in the library. Like the other books I've read by Emily Henry I finished in 2 sittings and had I not had to sleep the other night it would have easily been done in one.
Funny Story I feel is more about making friends as an adult, the stickiness of ones 30's, complex relationship with family members and a story about love in all its forms and the raw-ness in finding oneself after what was a terrible relationship with shallow narcissistic people. The book started off like a classic rom com but quickly delved into deeper parts of life without feeling heavy. Emily Henry has a knack for writing the breadth of a person's being that feels light, airy and fun with serious deep soulful scรจnes in between. This one despite being classified as a romance, and there is a heavy focus on romantic relationships didn't feel like a romance. it felt more like a little "Ode to Close Friends" .... and probably the reality of how hard it can be to make friends as an adult and how we sometimes mess that up.
All in all great fun and good times with plenty of laughter (or in my cake outward chortling). Recommend for readers who enjoy romance, stories about friends and self discovery after heartbreak.
*Lucky Day Read: 7 day loan, no renewal
Funny Story I feel is more about making friends as an adult, the stickiness of ones 30's, complex relationship with family members and a story about love in all its forms and the raw-ness in finding oneself after what was a terrible relationship with shallow narcissistic people. The book started off like a classic rom com but quickly delved into deeper parts of life without feeling heavy. Emily Henry has a knack for writing the breadth of a person's being that feels light, airy and fun with serious deep soulful scรจnes in between. This one despite being classified as a romance, and there is a heavy focus on romantic relationships didn't feel like a romance. it felt more like a little "Ode to Close Friends" .... and probably the reality of how hard it can be to make friends as an adult and how we sometimes mess that up.
All in all great fun and good times with plenty of laughter (or in my cake outward chortling). Recommend for readers who enjoy romance, stories about friends and self discovery after heartbreak.
*Lucky Day Read: 7 day loan, no renewal
Content Warnings
Minor: Body shaming, Child abuse, Cursing, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Grief, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Classism
emotional
funny
lighthearted
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment
Moderate: Emotional abuse
Minor: Infidelity, Gaslighting, Alcohol
emotional
funny
inspiring
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
This is my first Emily Henry book but won't be my last! This is also the first audiobook I listened to that had sex scenes and it was kind of surreal sitting on the train listening to some of this lol.
I really liked this one. Faking dating is a fun trope, but this book had my absolute favourite trope of all time too - found family. So much sweet, entertaining moments between the main character and her newfound family/friends.
As much as a romance novel can be, I think it was really realistic in it's depictions of interpersonal issues (conflict with parents, breakups, drifting apart from friends). I liked the main character a lot and I think the audiobook was such a great way to take it all in because the narrator was SO emotional in certain parts, it really added to the intensity of the dialogue.
There was a tiny bit of that awful miscommuncation trope that all romance novels seem to rely on but I think it was resolved in a really good way. I'm not sure which Emily Henry book to try next (I have Beach Read, Books Lovers and Happy Place) so if anyone has a suggestion as to which one to read next I'd love ideas!
I really liked this one. Faking dating is a fun trope, but this book had my absolute favourite trope of all time too - found family. So much sweet, entertaining moments between the main character and her newfound family/friends.
As much as a romance novel can be, I think it was really realistic in it's depictions of interpersonal issues (conflict with parents, breakups, drifting apart from friends). I liked the main character a lot and I think the audiobook was such a great way to take it all in because the narrator was SO emotional in certain parts, it really added to the intensity of the dialogue.
There was a tiny bit of that awful miscommuncation trope that all romance novels seem to rely on but I think it was resolved in a really good way. I'm not sure which Emily Henry book to try next (I have Beach Read, Books Lovers and Happy Place) so if anyone has a suggestion as to which one to read next I'd love ideas!
Content Warnings
Minor: Emotional abuse