The way this book landed in my inbox on Blue Monday had me gasping in delighted shock. The best surprise I could have wished for! Many thanks to Viking Books UK for the eARC!

Of course this is a "drop everything and read it" book, so that's what I did. And immediately, in the first chapter, I remembered why I love Emily Henry's writing so much. It felt like coming home.

The premisse of this story is really fun in two ways. Where a romance novel would usually follow the childhood friends to lovers couple who don't realize they're in love until his bachelor party, here we follow the people who were left behind. And Miles isn't exactly introduced in a meet cute. In the first chapter, he's described as a kind of pathetic, slightly disgusting stoner, leaving me wondering how these characters will fall for each other, and how I'll end up loving them.

But it turns out this is absolutely effortless for Emily Henry, because I was already fully in love with Miles when I reached the end of chapter 3. There's just so much heart, so much charm in this book, combined with witty dialogue, that it's impossible not to fall in love with the characters. I kept vividly picturing everything as if I was watching a romcom movie.

This is once again a perfect summer book, and it was amazing to read about all the trips Miles took Daphne on every Sunday to make her fall in love with this town. But I loved Daphne's personal journey outside of the romance equally as much. Throughout the book, she's learning how to build her own life outside of a partner, and how to make new friends, and particularly Daphne's friendship with Ashleigh was so wonderful to see.

While I absolutely adored this book, I didn't love it enough to dethrone People We Meet On Vacation as my favourite. My new Emily Henry ranking is:
1. People We Meet On Vacation
2. Happy Place
3. Funny Story
4. Book Lovers
5. Beach Read

Emily Henry really blows me away with every new release. Funny Story had me giggling, swooning, and crying. I really didn't want it to end and I know I'll re-read this over and over. Miles and Daphne formed the most beautiful friendship, and their romance felt believable and natural. I'm calling it already: this is going to my favorite read of 2024.

Getting this in my inbox absolutely made my day. Emily Henry writes excellent fictional boyfriends and Miles, her far more put together version of Nick.Miller is no exception.

So this is a classic love story, you know the one; boy meets girl, they fall in love, move in together, get engaged and then boy leaves girl for his childhood best friend and girl is kicked out of their shared home and has to move in with her ex’s current girlfriend's ex. Not complicated at all.
Peter dumps Daphne for Petra and Petra dumps Miles for Peter and out of sheer desperation and the need for a roof over her head, Daphne moves into Miles’ tiny spare bedroom. So the exes now live together, but they aren't each other's exes… Do you follow?

All jokes aside, I loved this.
Happy Place was hard hitting and heart wrenching in so many ways and it made me SOB but Funny Story feels much lighter and happier, even though the characters have both just been brutally heartbroken.
Honestly, Peter can go jump off a bridge and so can the friends who stand by him.

I loved Daphne so much (and not just because she's a children's librarian, a minimalist and therefore basically my twin). She's believable and strong and starts discovering herself after being freed from the hold that her ex had on her. Also she reads books about tacos and dragons at storytime and does voices (is she me?!) I loved reading about her becoming herself, more confident, more sure of who she is, making friends and being an excellent librarian too.

When we first meet Miles, he's kind of a mess. But a very lovable mess, and it becomes clear very quickly that there's more to him than Daphne realises (especially because Peter has been bad mouthing him for years). I love that Miles offers to be her tour guide and we get to discover Waning Bay with him and Daphne, kayaking at sunrise, visiting wineries and discovering secret beaches only the locals know. Their connection grows in a way that feels organic, built initially on a shared living space and circumstances but then developing in a way that feels so distinct from their two exes. The spicy scenes were well written as per usual in Emily Henry's books and there were such sweet / tense moments between the pair that made me want to push them towards each other when they were trying to deny their feelings.

The side characters were great and I adored the relationship between Miles and his sister Julia. One of the more understated elements of this novel is the commentary on how relationships and being a “we” person can impact friendships. I've never really seen it properly shown in books before and it was very insightful and refreshing. It's unavoidable that romantic relationships cause changes to friendship dynamics - especially if you're friends with single people or friends with other couples and then become single. Just a small part of the story but I enjoyed it and it made me think. Another element that Emily Henry explores is toxic parental relationships, for Miles it's his mum and for Daphne it's her dad. I think these scenes were discussed with care and consideration but they were also undeniably sad so just be aware as a TW.

Overall, highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and Viking Books UK for the eARC.

Let's start by clarifying a few things. It seems impossible, given the sheer quality Emily Henry delivers every year, but "Funny Story" is, by far, her best work yet. Also, she is the undisputed queen of banter. Really, if banter was a cake, she could have it and eat it too.

The dialogue in "Funny Story" redefines 'unputdownable' and is addictively engaging. It's not that you can't put the book down; you just won't want to. The dialogue flows through you, with each sentence gracefully carrying you to the next, as if in a dance. This is Emily Henry at her best: her finest skills, her most compelling writing, her most memorable characters - the romantic voice of a generation.

Now, let's talk about the plot. Crafting a romance that starts with two deeply heartbroken individuals, clearly hung up on their exes, is no easy feat. It sounds like a deranged plotline, but that's precisely where the magic happens. Daphne and Miles are fleshed out; they feel real because they come with intricate backstories, traumas, and conflicts. The town, the places they visit, the people they interact with—they all have "normal" everyday problems, and this proximity makes you fall in love with them bit by bit, just as Daphne is falling in love with this little town, this new life.

It's not perfect, and it's not easy. But what works is that Henry doesn't rely on everything resolving perfectly. She treats her readers with respect, guiding us through this story and showing rather than just telling. It's phenomenal, heartfelt, and captivating.

There's no other way to end this review than to say: just go buy this book already. Binge-read it, fall in love, and when you reach the last page, you'll be itching to start all over again. Miss Henry, you deserve all the hype because you simply deliver.