SUMMARY
A shimmering, joyful new novel about a pair of opposites with the wrong thing in common, from #1 New York Times bestselling author Emily Henry.
Daphne always loved the way her fiancé, Peter, told their story. How they met (on a blustery day), fell in love (over an errant hat), and moved back to his lakeside hometown to begin their life together. He really was good at telling it… right up until the moment he realized he was actually in love with his childhood best friend Petra.
Which is how Daphne begins her new story: stranded in beautiful Waning Bay, Michigan, without friends or family but with a dream job as a children’s librarian (that barely pays the bills), and proposing to be roommates with the only person who could possibly understand her predicament: Petra’s ex, Miles Nowak.
Scruffy and chaotic—with a penchant for taking solace in the sounds of heart break love ballads—Miles is exactly the opposite of practical, buttoned-up Daphne, whose coworkers know so little about her they have a running bet that she’s either FBI or in witness protection. The roommates mainly avoid one another, until one day, while drowning their sorrows, they form a tenuous friendship and a plan. If said plan also involves posting deliberately misleading photos of their summer adventures together, well, who could blame them?
But it’s all just for show, of course, because there’s no way Daphne would actually start her new chapter by falling in love with her ex-fiancé’s new fiancée’s ex… right?
Image and summary from Goodreads.
REVIEW
Funny Story was my second Emily Henry book of the year and I think it’s safe to say she’s quickly becoming one of my favourite contemporary romance authors. After finishing People We Meet on Vacation, I couldn’t wait to pick up another one of her books, so I decided to listen and read Funny Story as an audiobook and on my kindle. It ended up being one of those stories I found myself wanting to finish in one sitting.
One thing I’ve realised after reading three of Emily Henry’s books is just how much I love her writing style. There’s something about it that’s so effortless to read. She has this incredible ability to balance humour with genuine emotion and her dialogue always feels natural. I never feel like I’m reading characters in a romance novel, I feel like I’m getting to know real people. Before I know it, I’m completely invested in their lives and desperately hoping everything works out for them.
Funny Story follows Daphne, whose life is turned upside down when her fiancé leaves her for his childhood best friend. Through an unexpected twist of fate, she ends up living with Miles who just so happens to be the ex-boyfriend of her ex-fiancé’s new partner. It’s such a fun premise and while it’s packed with plenty of awkward moments and humour, it also explores heartbreak, starting over and figuring out who you are when life doesn’t go according to plan.
I absolutely loved watching Daphne slowly come into her own throughout the story. She starts off feeling lost and unsure of where she belongs and seeing her confidence grow was one of my favourite parts of the book. Miles was also such an easy character to like. He had a warmth about him that balanced Daphne’s more reserved personality and together they had the kind of chemistry that felt effortless. Their conversations, little moments together and growing friendship made the romance feel believable rather than rushed.
I think that’s one of Emily Henry’s biggest strengths. She doesn’t just write romances, she writes people. By the time I reached the second half of the book, I wasn’t reading just to see if Daphne and Miles ended up together. I genuinely cared about both of them as individuals and that’s something I don’t often find in romance novels.
The audiobook was another highlight for me. I thought the narration captured the humour, vulnerability and emotional moments really well which made the whole experience even more enjoyable. It was one of those audiobooks where I didn’t want to pause it and just listened through it in one sitting.
The only reason this wasn’t quite a five-star read for me was that I felt the pacing slowed down slightly through the middle. There were a few moments where I wanted the story to move forward a little quicker, but it never affected my enjoyment enough to put the book down. Emily Henry’s writing is so engaging that even the quieter moments felt worthwhile because they gave the characters room to breathe and develop.
Overall, I had such a lovely time with Funny Story. It made me laugh, it made me smile and it had plenty of heartfelt moments that reminded me why I enjoy contemporary romance so much. More than anything, it confirmed that Emily Henry has an incredible talent for creating characters that readers can’t help but fall in love with. Even after finishing the book, I found myself thinking about Daphne and Miles and hoping they were out there somewhere living happily ever after.
This was an easy 4 star read for me. Emily Henry continues to impress me with her beautiful writing, relatable characters and romances that feel both comforting and genuine. I’m so glad I finally started reading more of her books this year because she’s quickly becoming one of those authors whose new releases I’ll pick up without even reading the synopsis. I already can’t wait to see which Emily Henry book I read next.
-Rachelle
I’m on Instagram at @rachellesbookshelf
