A review by fantasticallyfabled
Funny Feelings by Tarah DeWitt

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Farley Jones is a lot of things. But ask anyone, and the first thing they will tell you is, that she is funny. Like really, REALLY funny. But booking gigs as a woman in comedy is hard. Especially when you’re crass, high-maintenance, and have no filter—consequences be damned.

Meyer Harrigan was once a very successful standup comedian. He retired from comedy when he unexpectedly became a single dad and the sole caregiver to his daughter, Hazel.

It’s Hazel’s 7th birthday, and things aren’t going well. A freak rainstorm tears through LA, ruining her perfect water park party plans. Every child-approved indoor party option is booked, so Meyer is forced to improvise. Out of options, he goes to the place he knows best—the comedy club where he started his career.

Like a (soaking wet) wrecking ball, Farley comes crashing into the club to ask for her bartending job back. When she notices Hazel’s less-than-stellar party, she takes over and turns it into a smash hit. While Farley is jumping in puddles, telling ASL jokes (Hazel is deaf), and generally entertaining a gaggle of seven-year-old girls, Meyer finds himself letting loose and having fun for the first time in years. 

Feeling a bit smitten, Meyer convinces the club owner to give Farley mic time that night, and he and Hazel stay to watch Farley’s set. Meyer is mesmerized. Farley is a natural—on stage and with Hazel. Afterward, over ice cream, Meyer offers to mentor Farley and eventually becomes her full-time manager. 

Meyer quickly falls for Farley, and Farley can’t help but fall madly in love with Meyer (and Hazel). But they are both oblivious to the other’s true feelings. They’ve convinced themselves that their amazing friendship and solid working relationship could never turn romantic. So, they lock their feelings up tight and explain away every little flirty signal that they both want more. That is until Farley is invited to tour with two other very successful female comics, and a little publicity is needed to help Farley’s career take off. A fake boyfriend is required, and Meyer is the ideal candidate. Not only is he a former famous comic, but he’s also her best friend. They already spend all their free time together, so what’s a bit of planned touching and canoodling going to hurt? Everything will be fine if they create rules and guidelines for their fake relationship. But being flirty together, going on dates, and holding hands feels really good and incredibly natural. The lines of their fake relationship quickly blur, and their rules get thrown out the window. Maybe this relationship thing could work after all.

I laughed out loud, swooned, and cheered when Meyer and Farley finally got together. Despite several stops at the miscommunication frustration station, Funny Feelings is an excellent read for friends to lovers feels and found family warm fuzzies. The little family that Meyer, Farley, and Hazel form is absolute GOALS, and they deserve to be stupid with love.