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lindsaysofia_25's review against another edition
emotional
funny
fast-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
4.75
Yet another slam dunk from Emily Henry! I honestly only have nice things to say about this novel; the only thing holding me back from a 5-star review is that I feel like I'll only know if it's a 5-star in a few weeks when I see if I'm still thinking about it. Plus, Book Lovers remains my favourite Emily Henry novel so elevating this to that status feels like a big deal I should give myself time to think about.
Something Emily Henry does really well in all her novels that I think was really showcased in Funny Story is writing love as part of her characters' lives, not their only important aspect. While Daphne and Miles both grew through their relationship, they also experienced major changes in their personal lives. They applied things they learned elsewhere in their lives to their romance and things they learned in their romance elsewhere in their lives. A related thing that was emphasized in Happy Place (although also certainly present in Henry's earlier works too!) that I'm glad to see highlighted here is that forms of love beyond romantic are also highly valued. Daphne's familial love for her mom is a constant in the novel, as is Miles' for his sister.On that note, I really like that while both characters had parent issues, Henry showed that in some cases, you can keep loving but change your expectations (Daphne and her dad), while in others you have to cut those people out of your life (Miles and his parents, especially his Mom). Henry does a great job of showing how important friendships are by giving major moments in Daphne's friendship with Ashleigh the same weight she does her major romantic moments with Miles, and describing the swelling feeling of platonic love just as beautifully as she does romantic.
I also think the titular idea of a 'story' was used really well as a motif throughout the novel. The idea of the stories we tell about meet-cutes and relationships was a perfect vehicle for some of Daphne's character development and to demonstrate how sharing personal stories deepens relationships, both romantic and platonic. This is a dimension of the novel I only have more thoughts on the longer I think about it after having finished the novel. It also compliments well the parallels Henry incorporates (which I expect to notice even more when I eventually reread) between different relationships and events in the characters' lives. I feel like she's just a master at using literary techniques to convey lots of information about how relationships take shape for her characters without having to write them out explicitly. Even the countdown subtitles of the chapters take on additional meaning over the course of the novel!
Per usual for Emily Henry, I love how real the complexities of the main romance feel. There's no third-act breakup caused by a stupid miscommunication or ridiculous grand gesture, instead there are real people with real problems riding the ups and downs together. Their major issues established early in the novel aren't magically solved because they decide to be together: they decide to work on their issues and solve problems together. Over the course of the novel, Miles and Daphne both introspect and figure out why certain things tend to upset them so much and how their patterns affect one another and the other people in their lives.I particularly love that Miles tells Daphne flat out that the way she constantly minimizes his wanting to spend time with her and his compliments to her signals that she doesn't value his opinion or that she thinks he's being dishonest. Of course Daphne is doing that out of insecurity, not to hurt Miles, but it does hurt him and it's important that she sees how her actions affect other people! Somehow, Henry just keeps writing romances that make me genuinely stressed at the end that they might not end up together, even though I know that they must by virtue of the genre.
Last but not least, I have to say that Emily Henry's writing style will never stop amazing me! I love the way her prose flows and how she manages to develop atmosphere and set while also using first-person narration to pull readers through the internal journey of her protagonist. I legitimately laughed out loud pretty frequently, which is impressive considering that this romcom also had some serious emotional storytelling to complete so I can't imagine it was easy to get the 'com' part in. The banter, both between the couple and between friends, was fantastic! Henry had me kicking my feet and giggling constantly!
It's hard to really convey everything I want to say about Funny Story in a monologue like this since I'm sure if I spoke to someone else about it, I'd just keep coming up with more things to talk about, but in general just know that if you're a romance lover, I think you should read it! In fact, I think a lot of litfic lovers, especially those who like love stories that aren't quite romances (think Taylor Jenkins Reid's first 4 novels), will probably thoroughly enjoy this and much of Emily Henry's bibliography as a foray into the romance genre.
Something Emily Henry does really well in all her novels that I think was really showcased in Funny Story is writing love as part of her characters' lives, not their only important aspect. While Daphne and Miles both grew through their relationship, they also experienced major changes in their personal lives. They applied things they learned elsewhere in their lives to their romance and things they learned in their romance elsewhere in their lives. A related thing that was emphasized in Happy Place (although also certainly present in Henry's earlier works too!) that I'm glad to see highlighted here is that forms of love beyond romantic are also highly valued. Daphne's familial love for her mom is a constant in the novel, as is Miles' for his sister.
I also think the titular idea of a 'story' was used really well as a motif throughout the novel. The idea of the stories we tell about meet-cutes and relationships was a perfect vehicle for some of Daphne's character development and to demonstrate how sharing personal stories deepens relationships, both romantic and platonic. This is a dimension of the novel I only have more thoughts on the longer I think about it after having finished the novel. It also compliments well the parallels Henry incorporates (which I expect to notice even more when I eventually reread) between different relationships and events in the characters' lives. I feel like she's just a master at using literary techniques to convey lots of information about how relationships take shape for her characters without having to write them out explicitly. Even the countdown subtitles of the chapters take on additional meaning over the course of the novel!
Per usual for Emily Henry, I love how real the complexities of the main romance feel. There's no third-act breakup caused by a stupid miscommunication or ridiculous grand gesture, instead there are real people with real problems riding the ups and downs together. Their major issues established early in the novel aren't magically solved because they decide to be together: they decide to work on their issues and solve problems together. Over the course of the novel, Miles and Daphne both introspect and figure out why certain things tend to upset them so much and how their patterns affect one another and the other people in their lives.
Last but not least, I have to say that Emily Henry's writing style will never stop amazing me! I love the way her prose flows and how she manages to develop atmosphere and set while also using first-person narration to pull readers through the internal journey of her protagonist. I legitimately laughed out loud pretty frequently, which is impressive considering that this romcom also had some serious emotional storytelling to complete so I can't imagine it was easy to get the 'com' part in. The banter, both between the couple and between friends, was fantastic! Henry had me kicking my feet and giggling constantly!
It's hard to really convey everything I want to say about Funny Story in a monologue like this since I'm sure if I spoke to someone else about it, I'd just keep coming up with more things to talk about, but in general just know that if you're a romance lover, I think you should read it! In fact, I think a lot of litfic lovers, especially those who like love stories that aren't quite romances (think Taylor Jenkins Reid's first 4 novels), will probably thoroughly enjoy this and much of Emily Henry's bibliography as a foray into the romance genre.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse
Miles (love interest) tells Daphne of his childhood,gaelstorm's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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
5.0
This was a really cute romance; exactly the lighthearted feel-good story that I needed! I loved the romance between the two main characters but I also loved the friendship relationships that blossomed.
❤️ What kind of romance can I expect in this book?
(no major plot spoilers but still hidden if you don't wanna know)
Genders: f/m
POV: 1st person FMC
Themes & Tropes: Fake Dating, Roommates, Friends-to-Lovers
Sex Scenes? Yes
Explicit Rating: R
How Much: 2-3 explicit scenes
❤️ What kind of romance can I expect in this book?
(no major plot spoilers but still hidden if you don't wanna know)
Genders: f/m
POV: 1st person FMC
Themes & Tropes: Fake Dating, Roommates, Friends-to-Lovers
Sex Scenes? Yes
Explicit Rating: R
How Much: 2-3 explicit scenes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, Abandonment, Gaslighting, and Emotional abuse
quasinaut's review
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
There are a lot of aspects of this book that I loved, and some that didn't quite hit for me.
The setting, most of the main and side characters, the conversational banter - both flirty and friendly, not just between Daphne and Miles - the get-to-know-Waning-Bay side quests - all of these were pretty great.
For me, though, it was frustrating that Daphne's choices and reactions were all based on her history with her unreliable father: her distrust of Miles for being charming, her judgement of Ashleigh as unreliable for running late, and so on. I wanted her to recognize sooner that she wasn't really seeing them as individuals, but conflating them with her dad and his behavior, and it harmed her developing relationships with them.
As a librarian, I am so grateful for how libraries were portrayed, both the good (community!), the bad (inappropriate patrons!), and the in-between. But there were still parts that bothered me - why was it totally cool for unattended adults to crash storytime? Why did only like four people work at the library? Why was Daphne planning a fundraiser? Why was it her sole focus for months? Why did Daphne do so much work when she wasn't at work?? Pet peeves of mine, sure.
Despite my complaints, the wonderful characters and humor and descriptions made this overall another fun Emily Henry read!
The setting, most of the main and side characters, the conversational banter - both flirty and friendly, not just between Daphne and Miles - the get-to-know-Waning-Bay side quests - all of these were pretty great.
For me, though, it was frustrating that Daphne's choices and reactions were all based on her history with her unreliable father: her distrust of Miles for being charming, her judgement of Ashleigh as unreliable for running late, and so on. I wanted her to recognize sooner that she wasn't really seeing them as individuals, but conflating them with her dad and his behavior, and it harmed her developing relationships with them.
As a librarian, I am so grateful for how libraries were portrayed, both the good (community!), the bad (inappropriate patrons!), and the in-between. But there were still parts that bothered me - why was it totally cool for unattended adults to crash storytime? Why did only like four people work at the library? Why was Daphne planning a fundraiser? Why was it her sole focus for months? Why did Daphne do so much work when she wasn't at work?? Pet peeves of mine, sure.
Despite my complaints, the wonderful characters and humor and descriptions made this overall another fun Emily Henry read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Alcohol, and Abandonment
larissanapolitan's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
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? No
5.0
This was one of my favorite Emily Henry books!
Content Warnings
Minor: Emotional abuse
jpfortmiller's review against another edition
emotional
funny
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment and Sexual content
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Gaslighting
shelbylynnn's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Abandonment
rchulin1's review against another edition
emotional
funny
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? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Sexual content, Addiction, Cursing, Drug use, Emotional abuse, and Alcohol
justsmileandread's review
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Abandonment, Alcohol, and Emotional abuse
chemeducator's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug use, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Abandonment
samchase112's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
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
5.0
Oh MAN this book — and Daphne and Miles and all their issues — burrowed its way into my heart. I spent four hours reading in the sun on the dock, because I absolutely could not put it down. All of Daphne and Miles’s hardships hit deep, and watching them work through it as individuals and together… gods, it was beautiful. And I will defend them as long as I need to, because anyone who doesn’t love Miles is wrong.
Shelve this beside Book Lovers on my Emily Henry favorites list!
Shelve this beside Book Lovers on my Emily Henry favorites list!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Drug use, and Child abuse