A review by jasonaurynho
Funny Story by Emily Henry

5.0

I can't believe how much this blindsided me. What starts as a premise that could easily feel contrived, two people whose partners left them for each other decide to become roommates, became one of the most genuinely moving and real relationships I've ever read.

The setup is that both main characters, Daphne and Miles, get completely blindsided when their partners leave them for each other, and they end up as reluctant roommates out of financial necessity. Daphne moves to a new town for her fiancé only to be left without him or any independent social life, whereas Miles gets dismissed as an unambitious loser because of his career choices. One thing I immediately respect is how both Daphne and Miles might look like losers from the outside, but Emily Henry writes them with such genuine affection that you never see them that way.

Another thing I respect is how the book handles vulnerability and emotional mess.

Spoiler

Miles being a heartbroken wreck at the start feels so human and real, and it's so damn refreshing to see a male character allowed to be genuinely hurt without it being played for laughs. The fact that both Daphne and Miles are comfortable seeing each other at their absolute worst when they first meet, creates an authenticity that carries through their entire relationship. When they worry about jeopardizing their friendship or having nowhere else to go if things go wrong, those fears feel genuinely high stakes instead of manufactured drama.

The conflict resolution at the end was also extremely satisfying. Even when everyone screws up spectacularly near the end, I never felt like any character (even Peter, Petra and Daphne's dad) was being unfairly stupid or carrying the idiot ball. Their mistakes come from genuine fears and flaws, not plot convenience. More importantly, everyone put in real work to overcome their issues.

Funny Story consistently shows that you can't make up for neglect with grand gestures, that real love requires consistent effort and commitment, threads through every single relationship in the story. It's romance done right: messy, imperfect people learning to be better for each others, with no one having to fundamentally change who they are.

After finishing it, I can picture these two dorks having problems in the future because they're still human, but I completely believe they'll work through them together, because Henry showed me their genuine respect and love for each others rather than just telling me about it. Nothing's perfect or idealized, it's just people learning and growing, which is actually my favorite thing about romance when it's done right.