emily henry just knows how to write the perfect romance. not only do you feel in love with the main characters but you fall head over heels for every side character.

This romance was so beautiful. I don’t think I will be over this book any time soon

I may have used the phrase 'compulsively readable' about Emily Henry's books before. If I have, I stand by it and this one is no exception. I was swiftly and thoroughly drawn into Daphne's journey from finding herself suddenly single in a town she only moved to for her fiance, to her discovery of who she is both as an individual and part of a community. I particularly liked the changes in the chapter header countdowns to reflect Daphne's state of mind and her slow realisation that there's more to the town than Peter showed her (and in parallel, less to their relationship). The best part, though, is the interaction between her and Miles: the chemistry practically leaps off the page and made me laugh more than once. But while their relationship is central to the story, it's not just about the two of them, and that adds even more depth and nuance to a truly wonderful book.

I always feel I’m in the safest of storytelling hands with Emily Henry’s books. A masterclass in romcom structure and well observed characters whose flaws and wounds are expertly unfurled layer after layer as we go. This story of two jilted people finding each other had it all for me, laughter, depth and insight. Funny Story met all my hopes and expectations. Loved it.

Funny Story does what it says on the tin.
I laughed out loud so many times. I also cringed, teared up, and smiled throughout this wonderful story that begins so awfully.
I loved Miles and Daphne, and Ashleigh was a wonderful sidekick. I loved every minute of this story, and I'd love a "5 years later" just to see what the gang are all up to!
Emily Henry has done it again.

Getting to read this book was the most exciting thing to happen to me (and I moved across Europe this year!).

My expectations were sky-high: not only had Emily Henry never missed for me, but she always managed to surpass her previous self.

Keeping that in mind, I didn't love Funny Story, not in the way my eyes can still automatically tear up if I think even a little bit about Happy Place, or Book Lovers, or People We Meet On Vacation.

For the first time, I found myself reading about characters in a completely different place in their life compared to me. Relatability doesn't have to weigh in on your enjoyment of a book, but I guess that's what I was used to and expecting. I didn't feel big feelings about Daphne and Miles's relationship. Theirs didn't feel like a big love. Perhaps I struggled to believe they were entirely over their past relationships when they started their own. Most of the time, it felt like acquaintances with benefits that could become good friends, but nothing more.

The writing was impeccable, and I was a big fan of the 3rd act conflict, yet it didn't stir up any feelings.

There isn't a world where Emily Henry is deserving of less than 4 stars (3.5 rounded up), and I will be re-reading this body of work once it gets released into the world to see if anything will change.

I am very grateful to have received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Total strangers, only thing they have in common is a …funny story.

Listen its Emily Henry this could have been her grocery list with doodles and I would have given it a 5 star. But as always this queen delivered.

Tropes I loved:
🍷Forced proximity
🍷Fake relationship
🍷Making their exes jealous
🍷Roommates
🍷Opposites attract
🍷Friends to lovers

The book is actually something I normally would not pick up as it has a-‘HER EX DID WHAT’ type of intro. Picture this: Daphne, engaged to Peter until he literally at his bachelor party breaks off their engagement because he is in love with Petra,childhood best friend. ‘She’s just friend, babe.’ But he was at-least kind enough to tell her she has a week to pack up while he and his new girlfriend go to the coast. Daphne now ringless and homeless finds Miles, Petra’s ex boyfriend who was also dropped like a hot coal. The only question Daphne could form in that state was- do you have a vacant room at your apartment?

I must say Miles personally is one of my favorite men that Emily Henry has written. So damn thoughtful, golden retriever who always puts others needs before his. I loved their FUNNY STORY, I loved the journey to it and I loved how even tough relationships with family weaved its way into the plot.

A billion thanks to Netgalley and Vikings publishing for this eARC.

Emily Henry owns my heart, she really knows me. I loved this book and by quite a far mile more than I liked Happy Place and it might just be tied with Book Lovers.

Funny Story is the funny story of how Daphne falls in love with her ex-fiancé’s new fiancée’s ex. A Love Story that starts with Heartbreak. I had no idea, honestly if this was even a concept I was into, I didn't know if it would work. All I knew what that Emily Henry was the author and that meant I was probably going to love it and I was right.

Daphne is a librarian who is engaged to Peter (bleh), but surprise surprise when he breaks off the engagement for Petra is childhood friend, when they realised that actually it had been them all along. Daphne is forced to move out and who else could she ask to move in with if not her ex-fiancé’s new fiancée’s ex's or Miles as he's better knowns flat who has also recently become single. When Miles and Daphne receive an RSVP to Peter and Petra's wedding and Daphne receives a certain phone call Fake Dating ensues.

What I loved about Funny Story was the character exploration that took place, we really got to know Daphne, flaws and all. The focus on the characters relationships was emotional to say the least, why they were the way they are and how the way you perceive yourself can be completely different to the way others perceive you. Miles is kind and empathetic and is clearly acts of service as a love language but boy would him being late most of the time annoy me, but he's perfect for Daphne. Daphne who is so independent, found a friend in Miles first then love. There's something to be said about a person who remembers your drink order.

Funny Story is wonderfully messy and emotionally crushing. To keep this as spoiler free as possible, I'm going to end the review here but I do want to say - the third act... how could you.

Thank you to Penguin General UK - Fig Tree, Hamish Hamilton, Viking, Penguin Life, Penguin Business, Viking and Netgalley, for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Review to come....accidentally attached Happy Place one

[Loved loved loved this latest from Emily Henry. The miscommunication and yearning between Harriet and Wyn was so tangible, it made me cringe in places. Emily Henry is a master of character development and this was perhaps her most accomplished book yet. They just keep getting better and better!]

Emily Henry is a great writer, and me, I like to suffer, because every time I read one of her books, my heart is quietly but surely torn apart and then put back together piece by piece ❤️‍🩹Daphne, a youth librarian, is in love with her fiancé Peter. He’s quiet, liable, measured. But when he comes back from his bachelor party, he tells her that he is in love with his gorgeous best friend, Petra. And Daphne has to leave their house. So she asks Miles, Petra’s ex, if she can live with him…
Lots of self discoveries, Daphne realises she has to live for herself and not through a man, she has to stop expecting the others to show up for her and instead stand for what she wants. This is a beautiful story of two broken people who learn together how to love again and I loved it. And also, did I say she’s a librarian?

Ahhh she's done it again!! I've been the biggest EH fan for the longest time, and this book keeps that strong. Beautifully written, I loved the characters and found the tension/ stumbling point much stronger than in some of her previous work. I also loved the small hint/ cameo to Book Lovers!!!

Emily Henry is just the best. I love her books, I love her characters. I will greedily inhale everything she ever writes.

The best Emily Henry yet, 5 stars. From the outset I immediately felt connected to the characters, Emily does a fantastic job of writing people who are somehow simultaneously aspirational but also very real and relatable.

I think the reason this book in particular stood out to me were actually the other themes covered outside of the romance (though that was also fabulously done). You could feel the genuine passion and love for books throughout, and it was really refreshing that female friendships were prioritised, almost more so than the romance, which was the cherry on top.

I stared at the last page with tears in my eyes for longer than I'd care to admit. I think I'll be thinking about this one for a long time to come.

Miles and Daphne are thrown together after experiencing heartbreak. Daphne learns to strike out on her own and escape the past of her ex. Lots of romantic tension and an emotional read. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book.

Thank you NetGalley for the advance copy!
I was very excited to get access as I LOVE Emily Henry’s previous work - apart from the last one (don’t hate me, but I really didn’t like it and would have never guessed it was written by EH) - but despite not liking Happy Place, I was intrigued to see how I liked this one and was optimistic that she would be back on form!

Daphne has been with Peter for years, they moved to a nice house and are engaged and she thinks everything is going fine until Peter comes back from his Stag and breaks it all off with her for his childhood best friend Petra.
This leaves Daphne with no home, no happy ever after and very alone, however there is another person feeling the exact same…
Petra was not single and so she also dumped her boyfriend Miles, who now happens to need a roommate.
Both wallowing in their sadness, they get drunk after receiving wedding invites from Peter & Petra and have the great idea to RSVP yes. Peter calls to reassure Daph she doesn’t have to come, especially as she’ll be alone and angrily decides to tell him she won’t be alone she’ll bring her boyfriend who’s also invited: Miles.
Cue the faking dating & close proximity…

It’s cute, it’s funny, it’s hot, it’s charming, it’s EH! Maybe not as steamy as previous books, but I know some people prefer that!
I’m just so happy I got to enjoy this one! I knew EH wouldn’t let me down 2x in a row!
I really liked it, lovely story line, pace & characters too!
And I managed to read it in 24hours (possibly motivated to get book 15 of January completed) but I did throughly enjoy reading this one!

I read Emily Henry’s latest book, Funny Story, super quickly. It was engaging, as the rest of her work usually is, but I felt like it didn’t have the spark that usually characterises her work. It plays on common romcom tropes - the protagonist’s fiancé leaves her for another woman, and she falls for the other woman’s ex. Would recommend for an easy, beach read, but it wasn’t my favourite of Henry’s works. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher!

It was such a treat to receive an email to say that I had been sent an early copy of Emily Henry's latest book, Funny Story. This was one of my most-anticipated titled for this spring and, had the publisher not kindly sent a copy, I would certainly have pre-ordered it since Emily Henry has become one of a select group of "auto-buy" authors whose work I will always look out for and get hold of as soon as possible. This brings with it a certain amount of pressure for the book to live up to my high expectations, but I'm pleased to say that Emily Henry has always delivered.

Funny Story starts with an ending: an abrupt break-up places our protagonist in pretty unusual circumstances and the reader is plunged straight into a compelling plot. Although this is a love story, with many of the tropes and features readers have come to expect, I also appreciated the insights into family and friendship and finding one's purpose and identity as an individual. What I particularly like about all of Emily Henry's novels is her depiction of the wider community, with a fully fledged cast of loveable and sometimes quirky characters.

I'd highly recommend this for readers looking for a pick-me-up!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for a free advance copy of Funny Story in exchange for an honest review.

Ooh I was ridiculously excited when I saw the email for Funny Story in my mailbox!

So far I’ve loved everything I’ve read by Emily Henry. She never fails to write a story that engages me. Her characters have so much depth and her writing style is perfect for me as a reader.

Funny Story is about Daphne and Miles, two people who are very different but have one awful thing in common: their significant others have realised they are more than just childhood best friends. Suddenly Daphne finds herself homeless and living in Miles’ spare room. Despite having little in common, the pair build up a friendship and a plan on how to deal with their current situation, which just so happens to involve some fake dating.

As with most of Emily’s books, Funny Story is about relationships and how they shape your future and the person you become. It’s a fake dating romance with a found family that features brilliant main characters both heavily influenced by their childhoods and their relationships with their parents.

I loved both Miles and Daphne but I have to say, Miles stole the show for me. What an absolute gem of a man. He is genuine and caring and I could not love him more. We need more people like Miles in the world!

I’m keeping my review spoiler-free so I’ll leave it there but Emily is one of my favourite authors and I can’t wait to read whatever she writes next as it’s sure to be brilliant.

4.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (rounded up)

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Viking Books UK for my early copy.

This was another wonderful Emily Henry romance story. I love the worlds she creates with vivid imagery. I can picture the beautiful scenery in which Miles and Daphne fall in love. I was rooting for these two the entire time. Their love story developed so naturally. I would highly recommend.

I’m not sure at this point if Emily Henry’s odd-numbered adult romances being better than her even-numbered ones is a real thing or just… some kind of psychological effect that numbering has on me because I’ve enjoyed her odd-numbered ones more consistently. Anyway, all this is leading up to the following: maybe this phenomenon is real. Funny Story joins Beach Read and Book Lovers as being the superior Emily Henry books in my eyes.

The start to this one is quite a bit messier than any previous of her romances (which, looking back on the other four, is quite impressive). That is to say, both the protagonist and love interest feel less put together than in previous books. I don’t know quite how to explain it further than that so I hope it’s clear enough, but what I’m driving at here is that I loved that mess. Add into that the sheer pettiness of Daphne and Miles’s campaign to post misleading photos together to get some form of revenge over their ex-fiance(e)s? So, messy.

At this point, I’m not sure I have much more to say regarding things like Emily Henry’s writing, or plots, or just… the books in general. I knew what I was getting into and I knew that I would like it. My only real worry would be how would the third-act break-up land for me (since Henry has a… strong propensity, let’s say, for inserting those). The worst so far for me has been in People We Meet on Vacation (a fact I know I’ve mentioned before), so at this point all I really ask is that it makes sense based on characters’ established motivations, pasts, and personalities. Here it did (although I maintain they’d talked things through just a bit much beforehand, so it almost toppled over into are you kidding territory).

I’ve probably been circling around the point up until now, so let’s get to it: the characters. As I said, they’re noticeably messier and less put together from the very beginning than earlier Emily Henry characters and I loved that. Along with the fact that they were petty and vindictive over what their respective fiance(e)s had done to them? Sign me up! And I liked that they balanced one another out in an opposites attract kind of way, almost harkening back to January and Gus and Beach Read for me (speaking of, I did feel a sudden urge to reread that and Book Lovers the moment I put this one down. I have, thus far, resisted).

To conclude, though, I think if you’re already an Emily Henry fan you’ll enjoy this just as much as the previous ones (and maybe it too will confirm your suspicions that the odd-numbered books just have something else in them). If you’re not, well you may just find it much of a muchness… but (to me) that’s in a good way.

I am not a regular reader of romance - not in a snobby way, but I generally don't find that it appeals to me. Emily Henry is very much the exception to this: after discovering her via a Netgalley arc of Book Lovers, I have avidly kept up with her new releases.

Funny Story has what I now know is a classic Henry set-up: throw two unlikely people together into a situation where they have to spend a lot of time together and romance (and sexytimes) ensue. In this case, the odd couple are librarian Daphne - newly dumped by her fiancée, Peter - and Miles - the now ex-boyfriend of the woman Peter has just left Daphne for. Forced by circumstances to live together, what ensues is a fairly predictable but nonetheless enormously enjoyable 'they were roommates!' romance.