I love a good friends to lovers romance and “Funny Guy” delivered just that.

Sam and Bree are childhood friends who survived growing up in an Ohio trailer park with crappy parents. Now in their early 30s and successful professionals in New York (He’s a standup and the star of a SNL style show, while she’s an urban planner) they are each other’s emotional support.

When the book begins, Sam flees to Bree’s apartment after his pop singer ex fiancé drops the catchy tune “Lost Boy” that lays bare Sam’s immaturity, particularly when it comes to relationships. Sam and Bree’s chemistry really shines, even in the earliest chapters in the book. It’s clear immediately how much they mean to one another as friends and how much anxiety they both have about telling the other person how they really feel for fear it would damage their friendship.

This was a quick and fun read with engaging main characters. Thank you to NetGalley for the Arc in exchange for an honest review.

For some reason I thought this book was out already? And then it wasn't? Thankfully NG had it as "READ NOW" so I could instantly download it and continue my Emma Barry reading spree!! And I really enjoyed this one.

Possibly enjoyed it more than Chick Magnet? But mainly bc there was a lack of chickens here.

I really like how Emma Barry writes characters that feel real. Both characters grew up poor and have quite a bit of baggage because of that. Neither of them are perfect and Sam is a hard guy to like for parts of the book. But I liked seeing his flaws and seeing Bree accept him despite them. She makes some mistakes too and they have to deal with them. I'm not interested in seeing perfect people fall in love. And seeing Sam and Bree work for their HEA was so rewarding.

I will say the ending didn't entirely work for me, I don't like public ~ things ~ and part of it felt too easy, but it's fine. And I was happy where both characters ended up.

TW: bad relationships with parents (both MCs), trauma from being poor , implied domestic violence (prior to story)
CW: poverty,

Thank you netgalley and Emma Barry for this opportunity.

But I had to DNF this book at 24%. I was supposed to give this. a 1 star but it's a friends-to-lovers trope and it's one of my favorite trope so I'll add another star to that 😊
I just couldn't continue reading it. I can't feel the connection between the main characters. I really though this was a romantic comedy because of the title😅

Funny Guy was an entertaining friends-to-lovers rom-com, with an interesting set-up. There were some parts of this story that were a hit and some that were less so.

Sam's life is exploding. He is a wildly successful comedian, but his latest ex-girlfriend has written a very revealing song about his character. Bree has been his best friend since childhood and has been in love with him for years. She never plans to share her feelings but when a job opportunity in a new city comes up, things start to get more complicated between the best friends.

Sam was a very well plotted out character and this largely felt like his book. He had strengths and numerous flaws and definitely had some growing to do. I felt sympathy for his background and his tendency to self destruct. I also liked the details about his job on the faux SNL set. Bree, on the other hand, felt a little more flat. At one point I had the distinct thought that her only personality trait was pining for Sam. I enjoyed the first part of this book with Bree longing for Sam and him coming around to thinking of her in a more than friendly way, but the reveal of their feelings felt a bit sudden and anti-climatic, as did their relationship. I did really like the third act and the epilogue, because it felt like something was finally happening.

I would recommend this book. It was a quick, entertaining read, filled with drama and longing. If you are a fan of friends-to-lovers, give this one a try!

Thank you to Montlake and NetGalley for the free e-book in exchange for my honest review.

I'm sorry to say I was a bit disappointed with this book.
On paper the story was supposed to be funny and romantic, but in the end I found it boring; but that is probably because it felt real, like a story a friend of mine could share, not a romance book story.
It was actually really similar to my relationship with my boyfriend.
That's why I gave it 3 stars, because it's nice to see for once a story that does not have great gestures (ok, it has one, but it's still relatable, kind of), or great plot twists; it just feels normal, real life.
On the other hand that is exactly what pops the sparkly bubble I look for while reading romance books.

Bree has been in love with her best friend Sam since childhood. Sam can’t pull his head out of his keister long enough to realize he’s about to lose her. When Bree finally realizes that she’s choking on the fresh scene of pine-ing, Sam starts to realize there is one woman he’s never wanted to let go of. But can he resist the temptation to let his past wreck the only love he’s ever known?

Funny Guy is a friends to lovers celebrity romance about a successful comedian who is on an SNL type show and his best friend who has yearned for him unrequited. Both characters bonded over trauma as kids and that makes their fears about actually sealing the deal feel a lot more realistic than just “what if we mess up the friendship.”

Friends to lovers can often be hard to pull off, because at some point we all want to slap the characters upside the head and ask them to just get it over with. Here, that doesn’t happen, with Bree and Sam both being reticent about hurting the other to the point that they hurt each other. That factor made Funny Guy a much more emotional read than many other books that tackle this trope.

I’d recommend Funny Guy to fans of Vi Keeland/Penelope Ward, Lauren Blakely, and Kate Clayborn.

Spice Level: 2/5, open door
Tropes: Celebrity Romance, Friends to Lovers
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Thank you to NetGalley and Montake for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Expected publication date May 16, 2023.

Sexy, witty read!! This was so much more fun than I had expected from the description. Kept me reading and grinning. Emma Barry will be one for me to watch.

This book is about Sam and Bree who grew up together and have been friends for a long. Bree has been in love with Sam but is afraid to tell him how she feels since he is her best friend. This is the first book by Emma Barry that I have read, and I really enjoyed it and look forward to reading more books by this author.

What I did not like about this book was that it was too short and there need to be more between the time Sam and Bree broke up and got back together. I have never read a book where the hero's career is as a comedian, and I enjoyed reading about it. While I enjoyed reading about Sam's comedy career, I wish there was more romance in the book because it takes too long for Sam and Bree to get together and then the book ends. While I wish the book was longer, I did enjoy reading it and would recommend this book to my friends and family.

Many thanks to Montlake & NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely loved this book. The premise is great: the ex-fiancée of a well-known stand-up comedian writes a catchy song about how much of a child he is. Sam, the comedian in question, doesn't handle it very well and hides out with his best friend since childhood: Bree. Bree has been in love with him for a very long time but Sam has been oblivous. He's also not really in touch with his own feelings. So the first part of the book is full of pining. So much glorious pining.
Sam is an interesting character because he can actually be a bit of an asshole, and defnitely has some growing to do. By the end of the book he's taken some important steps in that direction.
Just like Sam, Bree has been damaged by the way she was brought up, but it has shaped her in a different way. Over the course of the she also finds herself more.
The relationship between Bree and Sam is founded on complete trust and love. They know each other better than they know themselves and that provides an interesting dynamic. The unconditional trust, love, friendship (or whatever you want to call it) is what makes this such a good book. I loved how they moved from friendship to lovers to a healthy longterm relationship.
The secondary characters were great as well, as was the attention to detail (including the correct, Dutch spelling of De Stijl). Fabulous book.

A sweet friends to lovers that follows the friendship of Sam (comedian, who has just had his heart broken) and Bree (his best friend, who is secretly in love with him).

Pros:
1. Friends to lovers trope - always fun waiting for them to realise they were in love with their best friend all along
2. Strong female lead
3. Single POV - I prefer these!

Cons:
1. I think Sam was loosely based on Pete Davidson - it's my own personal dislike, as I was picturing him as I read this and I'm just not a fan

All-round good book and I'd read it again on a lazy Sunday.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for this advanced copy!

Another funny, heartfelt novel from Emma Barry. I love a good friends-to-lovers story, which this delivers. Sam is adorably flawed.

This is my second book by Emma Barry, and the didn’t disappoint. I love how she can take a lighthearted story and add depth and nuance to her characters that’s relatable to the reader. One of my favorite tropes is a good friends to lovers because of the shared history , and this one was done nicely. This author wouldn’t even be on my radar without NetGalley, and I’m so glad I’ve found her books.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy.

Thank you netgalley for the e-arc!

I love a good friends-to-lovers story, with all the angst and the mutual pining, but with this one, I don't know, I just didn't really get that.
In the book, it is mentioned that Bree has been in love with Sam since forever, but the moment they got together, there were barely moments between them. I didn't feel their love or connection with each other; it just went flat.
I had trouble when Sam's Comedy Hour was involved; I think it was fine in moderation, but when it got a little too much, I got bored. I mostly just scan through that quickly.

This was actually very charming and emotional. Both Sam & Bree have a lot going on on their own, and there is a decent amount of growth for them. There is probably a bit more telling than I think is ideal (them each being in love with each other, and how the relationship comes together, mostly), and I was very taken aback with the third act, becuase I didn't feel the ground had fully been laid for it. That being said, very cute, very easy read, glad Emma Barry is writing more.

Bree and funny guy Sam are best friends. I love Bree’s passion for her job and inner confidence and was nicely irritated by Sam’s self destruction and idiocy. You kind of want them to settle together but also want Bree to fly, a really written, mostly comedic, tale. An excellent escape.

Oh, MAN. This book nails a bunch of things. First of all, it is one of the truest distillations of a self-loathing performer I have ever seen. Having been an actress (fun fact: I went to college with someone who went on to become an SNL writer!) and knowing quite a few of this type of person, it was by turns painful and heart-turningly tender to see it portrayed with such accuracy. "Why would anyone love a person like that?" some might ask. Well, because they're often brilliant and loyal. Are they also mercurial and difficult? Yeah. People are messy. I know why Bree was in love with Sam. And I know why it took so long for Sam to understand he was in love with Bree.

I loved both characters for such different reasons. I get why Sam and Bree are the way they are: their respective family situations, the opportunities and challenges life has thrown at them, their "you and me against the world" ethic - it all makes sense. And watching Sam slowly remove his head from his backside while Bree is slowly and carefully trying to extract herself from the situation was perfectly calibrated: a tango of a romance plot.

I just loved this book, okay? It made me keyboard smash and I never keyboard smash.

I am friends with the author on social media, but that does not change my thoughts about this book.

3/5 stars! This is a friends-to-lovers contemporary romance. It was ok. I enjoyed the comedy angle of the book, probably because I go to a lot of stand-up. The romance was where I struggled in this book. It felt like Sam and Bree love each other but are not in love with each other. The chemistry scenes just didn't feel real, which pulled me out of the story.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

I am so glad that Emma Barry wrote this book because in other hands it would”t have had the same emotional impact. This so easily could have been a surface level my best friend is a celebrity friends to lover tale which would have been fun to read but wouldn’t have had me clutching my pillow to my heart when the heroine notices the hole in the hero’s sock. The characters were given such depth in their backstories and the history of their friendship that was so lovely to read about and gave their handling of their feelings such urgency .I loved this book.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review..

3.25 ⭐️’s I started this book because I’ve read a few friends to lovers and I loved them so I thought why not start this one. I did semi enjoy this book but it didn’t have me over the moon about it. There was just something missing. I had a hard time connecting with the characters and that’s always something I look forward to when I read a book. It makes the book more enjoyable for me when the characters and I can connect. I’m not saying not to read this book because you could love it and have a totally different view of everything about it.

Enjoyable friends-to-lovers romantic comedy. He's a semi-famous comic who stars in an SNL-esque weekly comedy sketch who recently got publicly dumped by a famous pop star (literally ripped from the headlines) and his longtime BFF is always there to catch him fall but she has recently decided to move on - and literally move away. Enter climax of plot - is this the real thing? Will it last?
I felt the peak came a little too soon, and I skimmed from roughly 70-90% because the building tension was no longer there. However the chemistry is good, and the open-door intimacy scenes were decent (although personal pet peeve, I don't like it when a character utters "baby" in the heat of the moment).
Overall good writing and an enjoyable read, recommend this one.

Thank you to Montlake Publishing / NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book will be released May 2023.