Emma Barry's latest rom-com Funny Guy is an incredible read. A sketch comedy star gets the "thank you next" treatment from his musician ex. His childhood bestie offers her tiny apartment as refuge from the paparazzi, but then pesky feelings for crop her! Heart, humor, and oh, the pining! This is Emma Barry at her finest.

A fun, steamy, dual POV, friends to lovers romance set in NYC that sees Sam and Bree, two childhood best friends finally taking a chance on love when the playboy sketch comedy actor finally decides to admit his feelings for his friend who has secretly been pining after him for years.

I didn't like this one quite as much as Chick magnet - Sam was a little bit too much of a playboy rake/badboy and Bree felt a little too much of a wallflower for my tastes but they definitely had a sweet friendship and great chemistry. Good on audio narrated by Lucy Rivers and Teddy Hamilton.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review. Recommended for fans of authors like Vi Keeland or Pippa Grant.

Steam level: open door

Funny Guy by Emma Barry is an adorable rom-com. Sam is a comedian on a hit show. Bree is his best friend. Sam has been spending a lot of time on Bree's couch to get over his ex. Bree is secretly in love with Sam and instead of telling him she finds a job in a different state. This was a cute friends to lovers, relationship building read. I really enjoyed it and have really liked this author from the few things I've read by her. Looking forward to more!

Thanks to Montlake and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. Opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed Chick Magnet and was looking forward to reading this book. The set up is friends to lovers, with cool jobs - Sam is a comedian on an SNL type show, and Bree is an urban planner. He's obnoxious and reckless while she is careful and kind. Following Sam's latest public antics, he stays with Bree to avoid the paparazzi and their mutual attraction rises to the surface.

There is a growth arc for Sam moving from basic man baby to almost adult and I guess his apology is grand gesture-y enough to warrant a HEA. I had trouble with Sam because he swings from being oblivious and self-centered to loving and supportive and then right back around again. The supporting characters are just there to advance plot and it's generally heteronormative and white.

#FunnyGuy #NetGalley

mf - contemporary romance - moderate steam - white MCs - ARC - best friends to lovers - celebrity - childhood friends - forced proximity - sickbed. The MMC is a comedian (like on SNL) and the FMC is his best friend. They grew up super poor in terrible households. This book wasn’t as funny as I thought it would be, but I enjoyed a hero who is completely different than I’d ever read before. He was a walking disaster in that he struggled so much with emotions and abandonment issues that he imploded. I got a little tired of the heroine and the predictable break up, but will read more Emma Barry.

I confess I was a bit put off when I learned that Saturday Night Live was part of the inspiration for the hero, as I don't get a lot of the humor, or indeed many of the pop culture references around it. Thankfully, the writing is mostly about the characters, even where it touches 'the Industry'--more on this below.

Our main characters are two best friends who have been in love with each other for a very, very long time, but for reasons--that actually make sense--have avoided telling each other.

The story is set in New York City, and though I can't confirm from first hand knowledge, it feels well grounded; the characters walk, bike, and use the subway frequently. There's some commentary about the state of housing, from the rent and mortgage prices to gentrification, that jibes with what I've seen on social media from people who live there.

The same is true for the descriptions of the fictitious Comedy Hour, the show Sam's in; the brutal schedule, as the show works with rotating hosts every week, while also addressing up-to-the minute political and social developments; the internal politics of the show itself, and the pressures from the business side of the entertainment industry, match what I have gleaned about the internal workings of SNL through social media and media in general.

The novel is narrated, thanks to all the gods that ever were, in third person past tense, with chapters alternating almost evenly between our two main characters.

There is a lot of characterization, and very little wasteful filler; when the author describes what a character is wearing (perhaps three times in the entire novel?) it's either because it's relevant to what is happening, or because it builds characterization, and I was absolutely delighted by this.

Our hero, Sam, is quite profane. Whether out loud or in his internal monologue, swear words are frequent, and generally well applied. Bree, on the other hand, is generally more...well, safe for work, as it were.

While the blurb has the broad strokes right, Sam is never fighting to 'resuscitate' his career; he's popular and at the top of his game even in the middle of this latest crisis. The problem is that he keeps landing himself in hot water.

Sam thinks that he knows himself pretty well; he has made a career as a stand up comedian by exposing the darkest spaces of his soul and making them funny. His real problem is his certainty that, sooner or later, he's going to crash his career--indeed, his life--spectacularly and irrevocably, and, rather than trying to figure out how not to do that, basically daring the universe on the daily.

Not quite a death wish, but not exactly not one.

For her part, Bree is the sensible one, a designer working for the same urban architecture firm for the past ten years or so; she's not likely to ever made the kind of money Sam is pulling now, but she's okay with that. Her life is stable, she's financially secure (or as much as anyone can renting an apartment in a city with such inflated real estate prices), and her work satisfies her need to try to help those around her.

There are only two flies in Bree's ointment: one, if she remains at her job, she'll stagnate into irrelevance; and two, she's completely, absolutely in love with Sam, to the point that no romantic relationship she's ever had has lasted or, really, progressed beyond the superficial.

The apparent conflict is Sam's self-destructive streak, and Bree not telling him about the excellent job offer she has received--which would have her move to Michigan.

The real conflict is that both of them are still coming to terms with childhood trauma. Poverty, physical and emotional abuse, and more. Bree and Sam have saved each other throughout their lives, for over two decades now, and they are at the point where something's got to give.

There are many things Ms Barry does here that are really, really good.

For example, most of the women in the novel are good people. Some are more sarcastic than others, but by and large they are three-dimensional characters, sensible and generous, good friends. Even Sam's ex is written as a full person, who wrote the song that sets up the story not to demonize or hurt him, but basically for the same reason Sam uses so much of his own pain in his own writing: to process her own feelings.

Independently of how close Bree and Sam are, and how important their friendship has always been to both of them, they each have their own circle of friends; friends who care about them beyond the superficial, and who show that care in their own way--which also fits, because Sam and Bree move in completely different circles, and approach life from very different perspectives despite coming from essentially the same background.

Something else that's really well done: their careers matter to them; they are not just background for the sake of defining the characters. While we see a lot more of the day-to-day detail of Sam's job, because of how much of the external conflict affects his career, what we see of Bree's is relevant, and makes it clear not just that her work matters to her, but that she's good at it.

Another thing that's really well done is the really frank conversations about sex--not just consent but the kind of things people often don't talk about, and that romance genre sex tend to gloss over: I don't enjoy this, I can't relax enough for that, and so on; this part is really good.

Sadly, we also got the "but with him it's different" thing and the "no condom because we are in love" thing in the same scene, which isn't as good--although I'm giving a pass to the latter because it is meaningful for these two characters who, despite having known and loved each other for decades, still struggle with trust.

Now, given the set up and the characters, you can see the bleak moment coming from a mile off, but--and this matters--it's earned. This bleak moment has to happen, because despite all the cheap marketing out there, love alone can't cure everything that ails you. Love can and does die when not tended, and people who are in pain often can't tend to themselves, let alone to those they love.

There's a banger of a grand gesture, which works considering the characters, and then the inevitable and wonderful reality letdown (you can't expect the other party to exist on your timetable), which engenders another, even more significant gesture that is ::chef's kiss:: perfectly romantic.

One could be tempted to dismiss this story as too fluffy, too much the 'fantasy' of genre romance: there are a couple of minor villains who get their comeuppance; both our protagonists do so well in their chosen careers as to be financially secure, and so on. And while the fantasy is undeniably there, the work of the characters goes well beyond that.

These are two people who can and will make it work between them.

Funny Guy gets 8.50 out of 10

A note regarding the 'contemporary' part of contemporary romance: the story is set in a world post-COVID 'lockdowns'; at one point there's a mention that Bree had had COVID sometime in the last couple of years and recovered without issues. When she gets sick in the course of the novel, it's presented as a given that it's 'just a cold'. None of the characters even entertains the idea that it might be COVID, even as thousands of people keep dying of it every week, and thousands more become disabled, either with LongCOVID or any of the many known side effects (heart conditions, digestive issues, mental processing issues). I would have appreciated it if someone had at least mentioned taking a test.

Sam has always used humor to deal with childhood issues, which he turned into a successful career as a comedian. The only person who really understands him, who he can be real with, is his best friend Bree. Which is why he ends up crashing on her couch after his pop singer ex blows up his life with her new hit single based on him.
Bree has been in love with Sam for a long as she can remember, but he'll never return her feelings. The only way to move on is to move away. She's considering a new job in another state and is scared to tell Sam. Especially when he's finally seeing her in a new light while staying with her. But Sam never takes relationships seriously, so how can she trust that his feelings are real?
This was a fun sweet read though a bit predictable. I like how Sam uses comedy as therapy but he can be his true self around Bree. And Bree finally decides to live for herself instead of being Sam's doormat all the time forcing him to grow and change.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This one wasn't for me. She spun her wheels too long (not in reality, in text; too repetitive) and I could get over him being a jerk if he wasn't a comedian who didn't understand why people laugh when they do? That was it for me, I think. But I did like the shared history, the grand gesture, and the way they both still had habits from poverty that they carried with them. I do wish there'd been more showing than telling and maybe more of his POV since he has so much more character growth and it wasn't an equal POV swap anyway.

It did have a lot of cozy feels and maybe if this hadn't been the second SNL romance I read this year, I would rate it higher. But maybe not.

thank you to netgalley and montlake for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for my honest thoughts :)

a masterpiece if you ask me!!! sam is a mess. he is totally fine burning his comedy career and life to the ground after his ex-fiancee releases a song detailing his biggest failures. to avoid the paparazzi outside his apartment, he stays with his childhood best friend, bree in her cramped apartment. the forced proximity that ensues is stunning <3

bree has always been in love with sam. sam has always been in love with bree (but he isn’t aware of it). sam is going to ruin it, because that’s what he does best.

dear god, y’all, this book was fantastic!!! emma barry has such a talent for writing yearning in moments big and small. from the first sentence i was obsessed with this!!! i wish i could tattoo funny guy on my brain for all eternity!!!

this was the perfect follow up to chick magnet despite being its total opposite. please read if you like friends to lovers and even if you don’t because this book is everything to me!!!

This story is about two best friends Sam and Bree. Sam is a comedy on a hit show called “Comedy Hour”. He has been best friends with Bree since kindergarten, so it’s a no brained to spend time on Bree’s couch get over his ex’s release of a song all about him.

Bree has a secret she has been keeping from Sam. Bree is secretly in love with Sam and is afraid to tell him. Rather than share her feelings she decides to find a job in another state, but doesn’t tell Sam.

I would have liked to see more of Sam and Bree’s relationship and how they worked through their differences. There were so many ads this story could have went for me.

I liked it.

My sincere thanks to Montlake and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read Funny Guy by Emma Barry and give my unbiased opinion of it in the following review.

Bree has been secretly in love with her best friend Sam since they were young. They grew up together and have both lived through tough childhoods and shared experiences. They have always been there for each other. Sam is trying to get back on his feet as a stand-up comedian after his ex-girlfriend exposes his secrets in a song. Bree is trying to find the courage to reach for her dreams even if it means going on without Sam. Unrelenting paparazzi force Sam to beg Bree to let him crash on her couch for a while and the forced proximity is messing with both of them. I found this friends to lovers romance very satisfying and not all that rom com-ish funny as the title makes you think it will be. This was not a bad thing. Sam is a pretty complex character and seeing his layers peeled back one by one made for some good reading. I did think that Bree's main conflict took a little too long to be resolved, which made the ending a little more abrupt than I wanted it to be. I would have loved to have seen more of them together at the end. 4 solid stars and I'm off to check out some of Emma Barry's other books and read some more romances with comedians to see how they compare.

I felt absolutely no connection with these characters and the random virtue-signaling was unnecessary. DNF’d at 63%.

Thanks to NetGalley for the Arc! Funny Guy is a solid 3.5/5 stars. I was entertained the entire book, and I couldn’t wait to see Sam and Bree together. The main drama dragged a little bit for me, and then seemed rushed at the end. But I was still rooting for Sam and Bree and I will definitely recommend this to readers who are looking for friends-to-lovers stories.

*4.5

I really enjoyed the character development in this book. Sam wanted to be the best person that he could for Bree so that he could deserve her and it was so sweet. The scene where he tells her that he loves her and he came to understand that is adorable. They are just so cute and so clearly soulmates.

I received an arc through netgalley.

Thank you for the advanced copy, it is always great to discover new authors. This story has a great premise, the bones of the book are really good. A story of two friends who have escaped their pasts and become successful in their own worlds is uplifting. These two have loved each other their whole lives, now they are realizing the reason it didn't work with anyone else was because they were always in love with each other. It's a great story, I felt a little bit of Pete Davidson and Ariana Grande's story in there, I chuckled at that.
The editing of this book needs some attention. At times, it felt as we were reading the author's stream of consciousness not the edited version in third person. There are some editing errors, like "putting the cart before the house." I am sure they meant horse in this instance. There is a brief mention of one of the women in there being "Like the world's best butch big sister." That made me cringe a little, I am not sure is appropriate use of that term.

"Funny Guy" was a heartfelt, romantic story between two childhood best friends who have too much history not to be connected forever. Sam's childhood trauma showing up as self-inflicting humor and a penchant for pissing people off balanced well with Bree's sweet and strong personality. It was a slow burn with less spice than I'd prefer (hence only 4 stars), but overall I loved the characters and the way they worked through their individual shortcomings in order to find their happily ever after.

Don't be fooled into thinking this is a RomCom. It is a friends-to-lovers, angsty romance. There is workplace drama X2, overcoming bad parenting X2. Everyone around them knows that Sam and Bree are meant to be together. It takes them the entire book to wake up to reality. Very satisfying ending.

3 stars

Funny Guy by Emma Barry is about Sam and Bree who have been friends since childhood and can’t seem to be lucky in love. Bree knows it’s because she’s in love with Sam. When Sam is trying to revive his comedy career after his ex fiancé exposes his childhood trauma in a song, he turns to Bree for her support and finds that maybe his feelings towards Bree are more than just friendly.

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for the free eARC to review. Funnily enough I read Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld, another romance about a comedian on a late night comedy sketch show, around the same time that I was reading this one. Unfortunately, this one fell flat in comparison to that one. I like a slow burn friends to lovers romance, but Sam was just an idiot who went from having no feelings for Bree to having all the feelings for her seemingly overnight and the progression of his feelings seemed very abrupt. Because of this, their chemistry felt a little off to me. And, Smoosh? Really? That’s the nickname you give your childhood best friend? That was a little too cheesy even for me. I think there are some people who would really love this, especially if they don’t read it alongside another SNL type romance, but this one was just ok for me.

I really wanted to love Funny Guy, but wasn’t quite able to connect with the lead male character. Bree was very relatable and I was rooting for her to get the love she deserved with Sam. However, I didn’t LIKE Sam and thought that Bree deserved better.

Sam’s grumpiness and anger made me wish Bree could fall out of love with him.

That said, the characters did get their HEA and that is all that counts.

This friends-to-lovers romance is a sweet and heartfelt story about two childhood best friends who find themselves stuck together in a small New York City apartment. Sam, a comedian, is struggling with the aftermath of being immortalized in a hit song by his pop-singer ex, which threatens to ruin his career. Bree, his best friend, has always been there for him, but secretly harbors feelings for him that she has never revealed.

As Sam tries to get his career back on track, he turns to Bree for support and soon realizes that he may be falling for her. The two share a charged dynamic as they navigate their feelings for each other in the close confines of Bree's apartment. But Sam is hesitant to act on his feelings because he doesn't want to ruin their friendship.

The story is well-written and engaging, with relatable characters and a plot that keeps the reader invested. The author expertly portrays the struggle of falling in love with a friend and the fear of ruining the friendship. Overall, this book is a satisfying and enjoyable read for fans of the friends-to-lovers romance trope.