Miles and Daphne have been both recently suffered break ups and in fact, theirs exes are now dating each other. They were practically strangers but circumstances has them living together at this emotional time in their lives and we see how they become friends and support each other.

This book has fake dating, small town romance and brilliant banter. It is a funny, moving and romantic story with Henry's typical character journey to self discovery and acceptance. I loved the wonderful bookish setting of the library, the great protagonists and brilliantly crafted side characters. I think this is a serious contender for top spot of my Emily Henry reads.

Emily Henry is definitely one of my favourite authors, I have loved every single book of hers, they never fail to make me smile, reflect on life and think about something I hadn't necessarily considered. I also find that when I relate to a character, she manages to get the feelings that I often struggle to get into words down in such a flawless way.

Thank you to Viking books for my review copy of this one that is out in April 2024.

What a gorgeous, powerful romance. I adored the friendship, humour, vulnerability and growth in both Daphne and Miles stories. Daphne and Miles are presented with a pretty dire state of affairs - being jilted by their partners - and end up sharing Miles’ apartment. This is, of course, a perfect recipe for a little frisson of romance to bloom and my god but was I ready for it? Despite knowing a good trope when I see one, I really was not.

MILES. Charming, funny, irreverent, totally capable, implied slight jack-of-all-trades, wine bar manager and total ‘normal guy but super hot dreamboat’ is an utter gem. His story was so perfectly revealed as the novel developed and his past problems with family are explored and meaningful. His and Daphne’s conversations had depth and a genuine care to them, which so many novels miss in favour of getting to the steamy, teasing parts. But fear not - the steam was there, the teasing was palpable and the scenes were gorgeous!

Daphne is one of my favourite EmHen protagonists. Her journey and growth in addressing family issues, the relationships she navigates post traumatic dumping and the friendships she developed endeared me to her a lot. I loved seeing her friendship with Ashleigh particularly and could honestly read a book about her alone!

It goes without saying (but I will anyway), that Emily Henry has done it again. A true master of a beautiful, romantic, funny story.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me the chance to read this in exchange for an unbiased review.

Another fabulous book by Emily Henry. I have always loved fake dating romance but it can be done well or terrible and this one was perfect for me.
Daphne for me was a breath of fresh air. And interesting character with a background and personality I have not had the joy of reading about in a while. The male main character miles was also really interesting. I love how when we first meet miles we see him through daphnes eyes which is based on what her jealous ex told her, then we get to see him evolve into an actual person with value, emotions and personality as she gets to know him.

A quote I loved:
“You are either the friendliest man on the planet,” I say, “or a world‑class serial killer.”
“Why not both?”

The way the story is written you get to see such a natural progression in their relationship and I love how it’s illustrated with small mini instances and moments that allows you to see it building bit by bit. One of my favourite parts of a good book is how it allows us to live through the character and experience their life as it happens to them.

With Emily’s writing each book give us a chance to see different characters with interesting personalities and traits and we get to learn about their backgrounds and what built up to their insecurities and their joys. Learning about people in this way allows us to attempt to empathise and feel the experiences and emotions of people that we will never be and to find ways to relate to all humans in some aspect.

Overall really enjoyed reading this. Another 5 ⭐️ read. I just love it when a book starts off good and you get the feeling that this one will be a 5 star book and that actually carries through all the way to the end and doesn’t fall flat midway.

well, well, well.

This is my most anticipated release of the year, alongside Carley Fortune #3.

if there's one thing I can guarantee in my life, it's the ability to fall in love with an Emily Henry book (except you, Book Lovers). Funny Story is absolutely no exception to that.

This is in my top 3 EH books now, alongside Beach Read and Happy Place.

Funny Story is, at times, a funny story. I laughed! I may have also wanted to cry! That's just the duality of Emily Henry's works. Funny Story hit a little TOO hard at some points (much like Happy Place & Beach Read did), but that's what I love about the way EH writes.

Sure, her books are categorised as romance and are irrevocably, romance novels, but they feel much more human than that. The way EH writes about real, human experiences, troubles, longing, heartbreak, and struggles is so considerate and beautiful it really elevates the reading experience and makes you see yourself within her pages of writing. She weaves the contemporary and real struggles into it to really develop the plot and the story wonderfully, and this feels more evident than ever in Funny Story. I feel like her writing growth from Book Lovers to Happy Place is continuing to shine through in this novel.

The characters of Daphne and Miles are SO awesome. I adore them both. Miles is truly giving Gus a run of his money of being my favourite EH male character, he is so great and you can't help but fall in love with him. His banter with Daphne is >>>>>

Daphne is an incredible character and is one of my favourite EH females. I love the focus on her female friendships and familial relationships, this is another aspect of the depth and humanisation of this story that is so well-done. She is relatable, funny, and loves her chai lattes (very much me core).

You cannot help but fall in love with Daphne and Miles and their relationship.

I don't have anything bad to say about this, besides the silly miscommunication in the latter quarter of the story (a huge pet peeve of mine; just communicate!), but the journey Funny Story takes us on is a great one and once again EH delivers a banger.

Thank you Emily Henry for writing these novels <3


Thank you endlessly to NetGalley and Penguin General UK for the arc, this means the world to me!

I just added this book to ny top 3 reads of 2024.

The chemistry between Daphne and Miles was immense. (He's total book boyfriend material).

Their individual stories and personal development was utterly charming.

The whole thing warmed my heart and I was gripped. It was truly a fabulous, perfect, blend of soulful characters, solid story development and let's not forget the steam.

So very well written. Would highly recommend.

Do NOT pick this book up or consider reading it if you have anything you need to do urgently. I started it, the found myself ripping up my entire to-do list and I achieved precisely nothing until I turned the last page.

Emily Henry's books just get better and better. and Funny Story is no exception. It's quirky, romantic, foodie, bookish and wonderful. It's even centred around a library, in case you just wanted that little extra incentive to dive in. You won't regret it.

Emily Henry is an autobuy author for me - and Funny Story is no exception. A fantastic rom com where people truly end up with the lives they deserve. This is perhaps not as layered or nuanced as some of her earlier books, but it's still a really captivating read.

Here we are again to review another Emily Henry book. Always a fun time because reading Emily's books is the best time, so talking about them is something I could do for hours. In fact, I do talk about them for hours but everyone who's picked up her books after my recommendation loved them so...time well spent.

"Funny story" has now moved to number 2 on my personal ranking of her books. I love all of them but I have to say "Book lovers" is the one I've reread the most and the one that got the biggest emotional reaction from me. "Funny story" is a close second. Actually, that's what made me fall in love with it after just a few pages. It was so easy for me to get into the book and care about the characters, as it happened with Nora and Charlie.
Same as with "Book lovers", Emily plays around with a typical romance trope: childhood friends to lovers. But, again, we don't see it from the POV of the new happy couple...but from the POV of the exes left behind. It's something I love about Emily's writing so much because it's done with love, not to mock those tropes. But to see the other side of them. We don't see the friends who spent years denying their love only to realise they loved each other all along and the people they dated can be thrown to the side because who cares about them? We actually explore the selfishness of those exes who had no problems destroying someone else's life just because they wanted something else. It's refreshing.

Here, we also get to see how this affects both the woman (Daphne) and the man (Miles). Not just the woman as we did with Nora in "Book lovers". I adored that. I adored Miles in general because how could I not? New favourite book boyfriend? Maybe...
But what I loved the most from Miles' portrayal was his vulnerability. Because, often, men written by women become a bit of a parody when we want to show their softer side. I do not feel it was the case with Miles at all. His pain made sense. His reactions made sense. And then he was just absolutely perfect and, sure, written by a woman. But I'm obsessed with him.

Another thing I love about Emily's books is that the main female protagonist doesn't just deal with the romance aspect of the book. Here we have Daphne dealing with her relationship with her family in another very realistic way. And also, trying to understand how to be herself to thrive, make friends, be better at work, ... we see she's involved in this huge project at work, so she's got big things going on apart from her ex and potential future love. Her growth in the book is subtle but massive. There's no big revelation but a natural progression while she deals with different hurdles. All of Emily's female characters are so multidimensional that is easy for everyone reading to find something they can relate to. It was the case for me and it makes my attachment to Daphne bigger.

I could quote all the many parts of the book I highlighted, but that'd take too long. I just want everyone to read this book. Even if I like "Book lovers" a little bit more, I believe this is Emily Henry's best book yet. She keeps growing as an author and I'm so happy to be a fangirl who gets to enjoy reading all her novels and experiencing that evolution while I fall in love with new characters.

Three and a half stars.

Daphne was brought up by an effectively single mother because her father was absent more often than not. As a result, she has a desire for predictability, security, and someone who turns up when they say they will. She thought she had found that in her fiancé Peter, until on his stag night he realises he is actually in love with his platonic BFF Petra.

Now Daphne realises that she spent too much time trying to fit into Peter's life, Peter's house, Peter's city, with Peter's friends and Peter's hobbies. Now she's been forced to live with Petra's ex-boyfriend and housemate Miles, an easy-going guy who smokes a lot of weed and, according to Peter, has no real job. So she hatches a plan, she will find a new job, closer to her mother, just as soon as the readathon that she has been organising for the children she works with at the library has finished.

When Miles receives an invitation to Peter and Petra's wedding the two of them get really drunk and decide the best revenge would be to go to the wedding together and pretend to be dating (they were drunk and sad).

But soon these two heartbroken roommates find that they see each other more clearly than anyone else, will this be enough to make Daphne stay?

I enjoyed this, but for me it didn't have the spark of some of Emily Henry's other novels. TBH I think it also didn't help that I read another book with a similar MMC straight afterwards so they kind of merged together into a slightly too perfect man.

Anyhoo, an Emily Henry novel is still a great treat with likeable main characters, including a cast of secondary characters who are just as interesting.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.

Daphne has followed a man - she moved to his town, got to know his friends, lives in his house, and shows interest in his hobbies. This is all well and good until he breaks up their engagement because he realises his longtime best friend is actually the one for him.
Daphne finds herself without a place to stay, enters Miles (the other one dumped by the best friend who was actually the one) ; he has a spare room now and a heartbreak as well. So they begin this flatmate relationship until Daphne can move out of town after completing a big project at work, or until something happens.

I really liked the characters but I can see why they can be annoying to some- they are quite flawed but I appreciated that. Daphne has built her life around a man that promised stability and Miles has built his life around other people being ok.
I enjoyed seeing the way they worked through their issues, together but also separately, seeing Daphne come to her own conclusions on her attitude and her behaviour was quite satisfying- she is not the most likeable character ever but I appreciated her journey of realising when she fucked up and why and navigating how to amend her wrongs.

I must say I loved the first part more than the second as some bits felt a bit dragged out and unnecessary - but overall this is a great romance, it has great dialogue, I laughed and I also felt for most of the characters navigating complex relationships like it is in real life.

I appreciated that the characters were in their 30s because I feel that that is the point in life where things stop being so black and white (for some at least) and we start realising how messy we all are, how flawed and inexperienced with life we truly are. And we can see this especially in Daphne, she fucks up but she learns and does not repeat history. She also learns to embrace the parts of her that have not protected her, have not let her stand up for herself all this time and sets her terms in the relationships she has. I really enjoyed her character growth.

Miles is the air sign man from your dream- the one that is messy but somehow always pulls through (I wish!!) but again, I felt the point of the book is to show people starting their adulthood and messing up big time- not being perfect, hurting people along the way because..this is how it is sometimes. And it explores how it is possible to fix your messes, to make amends, to learn to not hurt people again and that it is possible to be human and make mistakes.

4 stars to this new Emily Henry- thanks to NetGalley for the arc!

Emily Henry is one of the few authors that I will read as soon as they release something.
I liked Funny Story due to its tropes like roommates to lovers, fake dating and so on. I would have loved more pages from the fake dating because I felt like everyone it was a fake relationship except Peter. But maybe that was the idea of this relationship, lovers in front of Peter and friends in front of the others. Anyway, I felt like the book was too short, I wanted and I needed more.
If you need a romcom or you need to take a break from the world with a funny, easy book or to overcome a reading slump than Emily Henry is your answer. You don't have to necessarily choose Funny Story, other books by Emily Henry are perfect as well.

Another fantastic book from Emily Henry!

There is an ease to Emily Henry's work; things never get too dense, and yet the story flows, the characters are always fleshed out, and each novel dives into a discussion on issues many of us face. This makes Emily one of my favourite authors. She is so consistently great, that I will never not read her work.

Funny Story was a fast-paced, moving and romantic story, but as always it was more than just a romance. With a wonderful bookish setting, great protagonists and side characters, it ticks all the boxes for a satisfying novel.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin for the much-appreciated ARC in return for an honest review!

Funny story

Oh how I love Emily Henry! This woman can do no wrong! Even with this plot, which in any other circumstances would not work, she makes it work!!!

I’ve been very lucky enough to have been given the proof/arc sent to me by netgalley and I am beyond grateful because anything Emily Henry writes is an IMMEDIATE read for me.

So, without any spoilers, this funny story (see what I did there) follows Daphne and Miles coming together in the most heartbreaking and awkward of scenarios. You see, on her fiancés stag party, her fiancé decides he actually loves his childhood best friend, Petra, instead. Oh and she just happens to be the girlfriend of Miles. So, desperate times call for desperate measures and Daphne moves in with Miles and so their funny story begins!

Honestly on paper this really shouldn’t work but it is brilliant! Daphne and Miles have so much else in their lives that they work through that you seriously fall for these characters separately before anything happens with them as a potential couple.

As a primary school teacher and once a children bookseller at Waterstones, I LOVE how Daphne runs the children’s department in a library! It made me so nostalgic! I also love a lot about Miles, but the setting of where he works seems utterly dreamy!

This should be an automatic read for everyone as soon as you can get your hands on it!

Emily Henry strikes gold again!

Absolutely obsessed with Daphne and Miles, with I do believe a brand new trope of roommates that are only roommates because their exes have run away with each other to friends to lovers, and their epic Funny Story!

Of course we’ve also got some great side characters with a bookish setting - this time a community library which I absolutely adored and wanted to be so much a part of the readathon (I volunteer for refreshments!) .
Deep diving into our characters flaws based on their childhoods was poignant and upsetting but glad Daphne got that phone call in at the end to finally say her piece and set those important boundaries!

Dare I say - her best one yet?!

(Thank you so much to the author and the publisher for gifting me this ARC in exchange for an honest review 🤍)

✨ Rating: 5/5 stars

I absolutely loved this! I was instantly in love with the banter between Miles & Daphne, it had me laughing out loud in places and absolutely sobbing in others. 😭

This book has a special place in my heart and I think it might be my favourite Emily Henry book to date 🩷. The angst, the tension, the pining all had me obsessed with this book. I could not put this down and ended up breezing through it so fast. I feel like Emily Henry has really hit her groove here because the writing style is addictive, a total breath of fresh air and so well done. The characters are flawed in the best of ways and the setting is so perfect for the story. I see so much of myself in these characters (a lot of people will also relate, I think) and to me, that will make the book totally unforgettable 😭. This book is so perfect for summer/spring it just fits the vibes and I can’t wait to re-read it over and over again across many summers. A new all time favourite. 💌✨🌷💐

3.5 rounded up

Daphne and Peter are chalk and cheese, but they’re meeting is fate when her hat blows off in the breeze, lands at Peter ‘s feet, and then swoops into a trashcan. Kismet. Peter tells the funny story (amusingly well) every chance he gets as the pair move in together. Happy ever after? That will be a no as after his stag do, one week before the nuptials, Peter dumps her for his best friend Petra, realising he’s been in love with her all along. Now, Daphne is all by herself, living the dream in Waning Bay, North Michigan and working as a librarian she struggles to pay her bills especially now she’s a singleton. She has a new roommate too in Petra‘s ex, Miles. Yes, I do a double take too. He’s everything she isn’t, dishevelled, chaotic, untidy in a tornado has struck his room kind of a way. She’s reserved, buttoned up even, exactly his opposite enough said. To their utter astonishment, they both receive an invitation to Peter and Petra‘s wedding, well, that’s rubbing your nose in it and then some. When Peter calls Daphne to tell her she’s not obligated to attend (the ****) she has a great comeback, that she’s dating Miles. Good for you Daffers. Is she? Obviously not, but what will happen next for Daphne and Miles? Will that be another funny story? Let’s hope so.

This is a game of two halves for me. The first half has plenty of good, funny moments where I smile, and occasionally chortle. I love the setting, I never thought of North Michigan as a destination but Emily Henry makes it sound very attractive and uses the locations to great effect in some scenes. The two main characters of Daphne and Miles are very likeable which obviously Peter and Petra are not. They both have some good back stories and carry baggage, but that makes them more sympathetic and likeable. There’s some great dialogue between them with Daphne being much funnier than she realises. Miles is probably Emily Henry’s most attractive male protagonist yet, in a dishevelled kind of way. I like him immediately! Their story is a story of growth in any number of ways and it’s really heartwarming in places . The story has a very sweet ending though, obviously as a romcom it’s predictable but there’s no harm in that. I love the bookish elements with her job as a librarian and some of the characters and scenes set there are really good allowing us to see what a lovely person Daphne is.

However, there are some scenes that I think are just plain silly. For instance, post dumping what Daphne throws at his car. Seriously? Choose something to do a tad more damage already. The second half in my opinion, becomes a masterclass in prevarication. We all know what’s going to happen, just get on with it. It’s too long at nearly 400 pages, it’s too drawn out, there are too many lulls and too many unnecessary situations and too much on/off. At times for thirty somethings it feels very YA behaviour wise. Although others may enjoy (? not necessarily the most appropriate word) the open door scenes I’d much prefer my blushes to be spared and the door firmly shut.

Overall, despite the issues, it’s a well written nice story though not my favourite Emily Henry novel. She has created two very likable central protagonists, it has a good message of two brokenhearted people who are cruelly dumped, who learned to live and love again. It’s something to distract us from the mad, mad world that we live in and that’s to be applauded.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Penguin General UK for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

I will never not love a book written by Emily Henry. As a giant fan of Book Lovers, this book was equally funny, comforting and altogether, a great read. A giant thank you for the ARC!

as all my friends know, i don’t give a five star review lightly. and yet everytime i say emily henry cannot do better, she somehow exceeds all expectations (i don’t know how she does it)

i can guarantee funny story is responsible for laughs, but it was also responsible for some of the most gut wrenching tears a book has ever scored from me. this is one that came at such a perfect time in my life, and maybe because i also hate surprises and small talk and letting people in and rule my life by my calendar, this was just what i needed.

this was a book that reminded me why i love to read and why i love reading and libraries and why i am so thankful for my mother who inspired this love, and encouraged it. it answers why i choose to escape to seaside towns and imagine two imaginary people fall in love to make up for the lack of romance in my life (or rather the fact that it’s non existent). this is one of emily henry’s best (book lovers will always hold the number one spot, but this was a close second)

funny story combines everything great about an emily henry novel whilst also being wittier and somehow more mature as she tackles sensitive topics that will have you quietly sobbing at 1 in the morning so you don’t wake everyone up.

the banter, the chemistry, the characterisation in miles is one i fear i will never get over. he is the perfect balance of charming and funny and tortured that makes him the best emily henry book boyfriend yet (sorry gus & charlie).

the individual characterisation of daphne and miles, and their growth was so perfectly written that when they were combined it was such a joy to read. i cannot even begin on the development of the side characters and how emily henry had me caring about the smallest details! emily henry has done her best thing yet, and in doing so she bestowed upon society a masterpiece that is so beautifully written i am
surprised i have been able to get words out after finishing it.

through funny story, i can guarantee that emily henry will break your heart but she definitely picks up the pieces and slowly puts it back together for what may be one of my favourite book endings! it was so well thought out and wonderful and is responsible for making this book such a a pleasure to read. funny story is my ‘a pleasure to have in class’ and it will stay with me for a long time.

Daphne's life takes a turn when her fiance returns from his bachelor party confessing that he was in love with his female best friend after all.
In a strange twist of fate she moves in with said best friend's now-ex boyfriend and the two strike up an unexpected friendship.

This was a fast-paced, humorous read with a brilliant cast of characters. An honour ti receive an Emily Henry ARC, huge thanks to netgalley and the publisher.

I picked up book lovers on a whim a few years ago and have been obsessed with Emily henry ever since. There has been whole in my soul since finishing happy place and this filled that hole perfectly. Emily henry is one of the best I have seen with writing female friendships, relationships and heart warming stories with relatable characters. You can tell Emily henry loves books because there is always something book related in her stories and I love this. The characters and their relationships are well built , loveable and their banter is unmatched. This was everything I wanted and more and I am so glad I got to read this book. Now I just have to re read the previous books before the films come out and until a new book comes.