Scan barcode
A review by sikonat
Funny Guy by Emma Barry
5.0
4.5 stars
Troubled man. Supportive female best friend. Ignored feelings. It's a tale as old as time and yet Emma Barry infuses this story with a fresh perspective with compelling characters.
Sam, is a paid funny guy suffering the humiliation of his foibles aired in public via his pop-singer ex-girfriend's song. His brand of comedy is caustic, borne out of his childhood, but now he's seeing tables turned on him.
With his career in near-tatters, he yet again comes to rely on his long-suffering best friend Bree, who is hiding not only her feelings for him, but her plans for the future which involve physically distancing herself from him. Both of them are bonded from their shitty childhoods, with Sam suffering from the after effects, while Bree has managed to carve out a successful career as an urban planner.
This book was such a surprise as the cover made me think it was going to be an easy-breezy and slightly cliche friends-to-lovers book. Not that there's anything wrong with that, I love an easy read, but I also love the challenge this book brought. Barry infuses the inner turmoil and self-sabotage of Sam well He knows he has massive issues and needs to sort himself out, while also trying not to deal with his long hidden feelings for Bree. You could see that his ways of coping weren't serving him well and struggling to be a better man. I loved him slowly taking a younger comedian under his wing as through that, he could see he truly was worth something.
I also love that when we open the book Bree has already made a decision to finally deal once and for all her feelings for Sam, but moving forward with her life - literally and figuratively. Too often I read books where the heroine is stuck in the same loop over and over. While that is relatable and realistic, it was refreshing to see Bree make the difficult but necessary step to set herself free from a man she can't have.
This book is sharp, witty, but also poignant. I really felt the character's vulnerabilities and how that made them not communicate directly with each other. Now I want to go through Emma Barry's back catalogue. If you love a good friends-to-lovers trope, this one should be added to the top of our TBR pile.
Troubled man. Supportive female best friend. Ignored feelings. It's a tale as old as time and yet Emma Barry infuses this story with a fresh perspective with compelling characters.
Sam, is a paid funny guy suffering the humiliation of his foibles aired in public via his pop-singer ex-girfriend's song. His brand of comedy is caustic, borne out of his childhood, but now he's seeing tables turned on him.
With his career in near-tatters, he yet again comes to rely on his long-suffering best friend Bree, who is hiding not only her feelings for him, but her plans for the future which involve physically distancing herself from him. Both of them are bonded from their shitty childhoods, with Sam suffering from the after effects, while Bree has managed to carve out a successful career as an urban planner.
This book was such a surprise as the cover made me think it was going to be an easy-breezy and slightly cliche friends-to-lovers book. Not that there's anything wrong with that, I love an easy read, but I also love the challenge this book brought. Barry infuses the inner turmoil and self-sabotage of Sam well He knows he has massive issues and needs to sort himself out, while also trying not to deal with his long hidden feelings for Bree. You could see that his ways of coping weren't serving him well and struggling to be a better man. I loved him slowly taking a younger comedian under his wing as through that, he could see he truly was worth something.
I also love that when we open the book Bree has already made a decision to finally deal once and for all her feelings for Sam, but moving forward with her life - literally and figuratively. Too often I read books where the heroine is stuck in the same loop over and over. While that is relatable and realistic, it was refreshing to see Bree make the difficult but necessary step to set herself free from a man she can't have.
This book is sharp, witty, but also poignant. I really felt the character's vulnerabilities and how that made them not communicate directly with each other. Now I want to go through Emma Barry's back catalogue. If you love a good friends-to-lovers trope, this one should be added to the top of our TBR pile.