Title: Funny Story 
Author: Emily Henry
Genre: Romance, Romantic Comedy
Publisher: Berkley Romance
Publication Date: 2024
Format: Paperback
Length:  387 pages

Read if you like: self-discovery, opposites attract, forced proximity, fake dating, small-town romance, healing and new beginnings

Rating: 

I have never read an Emily Henry book I didn’t like and because of that, I tend to hoard her books and only pull out a new one when I’m desperate from something that I know I’ll enjoy. I saw so many good things about Funny Story when it first released that I knew this book would hit just like all her others have for me, and I was not disappointed. 

Funny Story is, as the title suggests, probably the funniest of Henry’s stories yet. The premise was ridiculous in the best way, the humour flowed naturally, the plot was paced impeccably, and both main characters were utterly loveable. 

There is not a single thing I didn’t like about this book. I’ll continue to sing Henry’s praises as the queen of romcoms, and no one can convince me otherwise.  

The Synopsis: Funny Story by 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?

The Review

Another Emily Henry story that just knocked it out of the park for me.

I loved the premise of this and how utterly ridiculous it was. A woman who has been recently jilted who moves in with her ex-fiancé’s new fiancé’s ex-boyfriend was delightfully insane, but even better was seeing it executed so perfectly. The balance of tender emotion, ludicrous situations, and a wonderful slow burn romance had me simultaneously laughing out loud and swooning. It was one of those stories that quite literally has you kicking your feet while you read it, the highest of compliments that I can give to a romcom.

I also loved Daphne as a main character. She had emotional baggage, but was mostly quite self-aware, which I always appreciate in an adult female lead. Daphne’s light streak of cynicism combined with an introverted disposition worked so well and played perfectly off the cast around her. Her dynamic with Miles, who himself presents as predictable but surprises you throughout the story in profound ways, was a real demonstration of Henry’s ability to build and develop characters. I could not stop turning pages and was so keen to find out where they would end up in the end.

This one felt both unique and familiar and had that addictive, bingeable quality I love about Emily Henry books. This is an instant comfort read to me and an easy 5-star recommendation.