A review by jnestwd
Funny Story by Emily Henry

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

 Daphne Vincent cannot wait to leave Waning Bay in Michigan after being jilted just weeks before her wedding for her fiancé’s perfect and beautiful best friend. She’s stuck in town however, until the charity Read-a-Thon she’s been organising for the local Children’s Library she works at takes place in 108 days. Homeless (the shitty ex kicked HER out), Daphne moves in with the only person she knows who is looking for a roomie - the (ex) boyfriend of her fiancé’s best friend, Miles Nowak. Daphne and Miles barely speak as they come to terms with truly the most hideous break-up in literary history, until they both receive invitations to Peter (Daphne’s ex) and Petra’s (Miles’s ex) wedding in a few short months. The pair hatch a plan to disrupt their wedding by RSVPing as a couple, and fake-dating until the event in the hopes of making their respective exes jealous. 
 
Well…. This is her BEST YETTTTT. 
 
Emily Henry and I have a bit of a tumultuous relationship. There’s a 50/50 chance I’ll either love or hate the book. E.g. Hated Beach Read, Loved People We Meet on Vacation. Loved Book Lovers, HATTTEEEED Happy Place (honestly what even WAS that?!). 
 
Well, I am extremely happy to report that I LOVED Funny Story and in fact, this is my favourite of her works so far. 
 
Maybe it’s because there are so many things I can relate to in this story (I was engaged to be married but called off my wedding the week the invites were due to go out and just two weeks later MY best friend decided to shack up with my shitty ex ((they’re married now lol wtf))), but I was totally hooked and engaged with Daphne’s storyline the whole way through. 
 
I know the feeling of sorting through wedding shit that is now surplus to requirements, figuring out who you are as an individual post-controlling-ex breakup, making new friends that aren’t your exes friends, and losing friends and family in the breakup process. But I also know what it’s like to have an absent dad, and much of what Daphne described was extreeemmmeeelly relatable. 
 
I also like that Emily Henry writes characters that are in their 30s since so much of romance is centred around young people. It’s nice to read about imperfect 30-somethings who are still tryna figure their shit out you know? Coz same. 
 
Miles Nowak was also my favourite male lead of Henry’s, I liked his quirks, his “odd jobs”, that he didn’t have some huge high-flying corporate career and had his own mummy issues to work through. He felt like one of the most developed male leads Henry has created. 
 
The setting of Waning Bay Michigan was dreamy too. Makes me wanna book a one way ticket honestly. 
 
Funny Story really IS a funny story, and at its heart ultimately it’s a story about learning to trust those that love you, and understanding that no one is perfect and it’s ok if your friends/family/partner occasionally screws up. It doesn’t mean they’re terrible, they’re just human. 
 
ALSO, I feel like this whole book is a sign to talk to someone you think would be a cool new friend. Coz it’s hard to make new friends in your 30s you guys!!!!! 
 
Anyways, five stars, loved it heaps, made a cute moodboard about it on Instagram <3