allingoodtime 's review for:

Funny Story by Emily Henry
4.5
emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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: Complicated
All of the books by this author I have previously read were slow starters for me. That wasn’t the case with this one. And while there was plenty of angst, I found it lighter than the previous stories. Not light as in fluffy, but with the characters having more optimism.

Boy, do I love Miles. Yet the introduction to him makes it seem he is going to be hard to love. Not so! Once the first time he’s on page is over, the next time he’s on page, it’s clear he is a wonderful guy. The thoughts and opinions of Daphne’s ex regarding Miles had swayed her impressions of Miles, which she doesn’t realize until they get to know each other by being roommates of circumstance.

Daphne does a lot of soul searching and grows a lot throughout this book. It’s not that she is a bad person. Not at all. But she has certain ideas about her life, how things should be, etc., that have limited her world. She’s also kept herself from branching out further than her relationship with her ex, which bites her in the butt when he leaves. Daphne learns that she’s not as independent as she thought, but her journey in this story gets her to where she needs to be on that front.

Miles and Daphne develop a fantastic friendship. It may start because of the devastation left behind when their significant others leave them, but it blossoms into something wholly separate from that. I love the way they could talk to each other and how they supported each other in ways they didn’t even realize they needed.

Of course, with this book being set in Michigan, I have thoughts on the accuracy. The author did a mostly great job, and I assume what she didn’t get right was due to “romance reasons”. The location of this story is hours north of me, and I can guarantee nobody is sitting on the beach of Lake Michigan in May (or even June) without a sweater. The water of Lake Michigan is cold, even in the summer. And the beach at night in the late spring is beautiful, but brisk. 
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