This story is about two best friends Sam and Bree. Sam is a comedy on a hit show called “Comedy Hour”. He has been best friends with Bree since kindergarten, so it’s a no brained to spend time on Bree’s couch get over his ex’s release of a song all about him.

Bree has a secret she has been keeping from Sam. Bree is secretly in love with Sam and is afraid to tell him. Rather than share her feelings she decides to find a job in another state, but doesn’t tell Sam.

I would have liked to see more of Sam and Bree’s relationship and how they worked through their differences. There were so many ads this story could have went for me.

I liked it.

My sincere thanks to Montlake and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read Funny Guy by Emma Barry and give my unbiased opinion of it in the following review.

Bree has been secretly in love with her best friend Sam since they were young. They grew up together and have both lived through tough childhoods and shared experiences. They have always been there for each other. Sam is trying to get back on his feet as a stand-up comedian after his ex-girlfriend exposes his secrets in a song. Bree is trying to find the courage to reach for her dreams even if it means going on without Sam. Unrelenting paparazzi force Sam to beg Bree to let him crash on her couch for a while and the forced proximity is messing with both of them. I found this friends to lovers romance very satisfying and not all that rom com-ish funny as the title makes you think it will be. This was not a bad thing. Sam is a pretty complex character and seeing his layers peeled back one by one made for some good reading. I did think that Bree's main conflict took a little too long to be resolved, which made the ending a little more abrupt than I wanted it to be. I would have loved to have seen more of them together at the end. 4 solid stars and I'm off to check out some of Emma Barry's other books and read some more romances with comedians to see how they compare.

I felt absolutely no connection with these characters and the random virtue-signaling was unnecessary. DNF’d at 63%.

Thanks to NetGalley for the Arc! Funny Guy is a solid 3.5/5 stars. I was entertained the entire book, and I couldn’t wait to see Sam and Bree together. The main drama dragged a little bit for me, and then seemed rushed at the end. But I was still rooting for Sam and Bree and I will definitely recommend this to readers who are looking for friends-to-lovers stories.

*4.5

I really enjoyed the character development in this book. Sam wanted to be the best person that he could for Bree so that he could deserve her and it was so sweet. The scene where he tells her that he loves her and he came to understand that is adorable. They are just so cute and so clearly soulmates.

I received an arc through netgalley.

Thank you for the advanced copy, it is always great to discover new authors. This story has a great premise, the bones of the book are really good. A story of two friends who have escaped their pasts and become successful in their own worlds is uplifting. These two have loved each other their whole lives, now they are realizing the reason it didn't work with anyone else was because they were always in love with each other. It's a great story, I felt a little bit of Pete Davidson and Ariana Grande's story in there, I chuckled at that.
The editing of this book needs some attention. At times, it felt as we were reading the author's stream of consciousness not the edited version in third person. There are some editing errors, like "putting the cart before the house." I am sure they meant horse in this instance. There is a brief mention of one of the women in there being "Like the world's best butch big sister." That made me cringe a little, I am not sure is appropriate use of that term.

"Funny Guy" was a heartfelt, romantic story between two childhood best friends who have too much history not to be connected forever. Sam's childhood trauma showing up as self-inflicting humor and a penchant for pissing people off balanced well with Bree's sweet and strong personality. It was a slow burn with less spice than I'd prefer (hence only 4 stars), but overall I loved the characters and the way they worked through their individual shortcomings in order to find their happily ever after.

Don't be fooled into thinking this is a RomCom. It is a friends-to-lovers, angsty romance. There is workplace drama X2, overcoming bad parenting X2. Everyone around them knows that Sam and Bree are meant to be together. It takes them the entire book to wake up to reality. Very satisfying ending.

3 stars

Funny Guy by Emma Barry is about Sam and Bree who have been friends since childhood and can’t seem to be lucky in love. Bree knows it’s because she’s in love with Sam. When Sam is trying to revive his comedy career after his ex fiancé exposes his childhood trauma in a song, he turns to Bree for her support and finds that maybe his feelings towards Bree are more than just friendly.

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for the free eARC to review. Funnily enough I read Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld, another romance about a comedian on a late night comedy sketch show, around the same time that I was reading this one. Unfortunately, this one fell flat in comparison to that one. I like a slow burn friends to lovers romance, but Sam was just an idiot who went from having no feelings for Bree to having all the feelings for her seemingly overnight and the progression of his feelings seemed very abrupt. Because of this, their chemistry felt a little off to me. And, Smoosh? Really? That’s the nickname you give your childhood best friend? That was a little too cheesy even for me. I think there are some people who would really love this, especially if they don’t read it alongside another SNL type romance, but this one was just ok for me.

I really wanted to love Funny Guy, but wasn’t quite able to connect with the lead male character. Bree was very relatable and I was rooting for her to get the love she deserved with Sam. However, I didn’t LIKE Sam and thought that Bree deserved better.

Sam’s grumpiness and anger made me wish Bree could fall out of love with him.

That said, the characters did get their HEA and that is all that counts.

This friends-to-lovers romance is a sweet and heartfelt story about two childhood best friends who find themselves stuck together in a small New York City apartment. Sam, a comedian, is struggling with the aftermath of being immortalized in a hit song by his pop-singer ex, which threatens to ruin his career. Bree, his best friend, has always been there for him, but secretly harbors feelings for him that she has never revealed.

As Sam tries to get his career back on track, he turns to Bree for support and soon realizes that he may be falling for her. The two share a charged dynamic as they navigate their feelings for each other in the close confines of Bree's apartment. But Sam is hesitant to act on his feelings because he doesn't want to ruin their friendship.

The story is well-written and engaging, with relatable characters and a plot that keeps the reader invested. The author expertly portrays the struggle of falling in love with a friend and the fear of ruining the friendship. Overall, this book is a satisfying and enjoyable read for fans of the friends-to-lovers romance trope.

Sam can’t escape the smash hit “Lost Boy” because, well, he is the lost boy. His pop-singer ex immortalized him in a song about his childish ways, and now his comedy career is on the line.

At least he still has Bree, his best friend and confidante. Bree has always been there for Sam, but she’s never revealed her biggest secret: she’s in love with him. To help herself move on, Bree applies for her dream job across the country―and doesn’t say a thing to Sam.

But as Sam tries to resuscitate his career, he turns to Bree for support―and maybe more. In the confines of her tiny apartment, they share a different dynamic. A charged dynamic. But she’s his friend. He can’t be falling for her.

Except he is.

Are his feelings for Bree just funny business? Or is their smoldering attraction the real deal?

I love a good friends to lovers story. Especially paired with the will they, won't they yearning. I really enjoyed this story. Will recommend to others.

Troubled man. Supportive female best friend. Ignored feelings. It's a tale as old as time and yet Emma Barry infuses this story with a fresh perspective with compelling characters.

Sam, is a paid funny guy suffering the humiliation of his foibles aired in public via his pop-singer ex-girfriend's song. His brand of comedy is caustic, borne out of his childhood, but now he's seeing tables turned on him.

With his career in near-tatters, he yet again comes to rely on his long-suffering best friend Bree, who is hiding not only her feelings for him, but her plans for the future which involve physically distancing herself from him. Both of them are bonded from their shitty childhoods, with Sam suffering from the after effects, while Bree has managed to carve out a successful career as an urban planner.

This book was such a surprise as the cover made me think it was going to be an easy-breezy and slightly cliche friends-to-lovers book. Not that there's anything wrong with that, I love an easy read, but I also love the challenge this book brought. Barry infuses the inner turmoil and self-sabotage of Sam well He knows he has massive issues and needs to sort himself out, while also trying not to deal with his long hidden feelings for Bree. You could see that his ways of coping weren't serving him well and struggling to be a better man. I loved him slowly taking a younger comedian under his wing as through that, he could see he truly was worth something.

I also love that when we open the book Bree has already made a decision to finally deal once and for all her feelings for Sam, but moving forward with her life - literally and figuratively. Too often I read books where the heroine is stuck in the same loop over and over. While that is relatable and realistic, it was refreshing to see Bree make the difficult but necessary step to set herself free from a man she can't have.

This book is sharp, witty, but also poignant. I really felt the character's vulnerabilities and how that made them not communicate directly with each other. Now I want to go through Emma Barry's back catalogue. If you love a good friends-to-lovers trope, this one should be added to the top of our TBR pile.

4.5 stars rounded down. Loved this one! This book was both funny and touching, with complex and relatable characters. The hero Sam was a celebrity stand-up comedian working on an SNL-type show, and he gave just enough Pete Davidson vibes to be sexy and damaged without being full-on crazy. The heroine, Bree, was a smart and savvy urban planner (be still my nerd heart).

Bree and Sam grew up together in circumstances that were at best poor and unhealthy, and at worst neglectful and abusive. They’re now 30+ and have remained best friends, but Bree can’t let go of her unrequited feelings for Sam. I normally don’t enjoy friends to lovers with pining, but this worked for me because the story flowed well and there were believable reasons why they hadn’t hooked up.

Great character growth is one of my favorite things, and both Bree and Sam matured through the book. While the end conflict was predictable, it was also understandable and the author devoted enough time to a satisfying resolution. All in all, a great read!

I love Emma Barry and her writing style so much and this was not an exception. This was fantastic and one of the few I haven’t read yet but I loved it so much and kept turning the pages.

REVIEW
⚠️cw: childhood trauma, abuse⚠️
When snarky comedian Sam Leyland's ex writes a less-than-flattering song about him, he's humiliated. Seeking solace from the constant barrage of attention, he temporarily moves in with his best friend. Urban planner Bree Edwards grew up with Sam in a trailer park and has been in love with him since she was fifteen. Now 32, she knows she needs to set herself free. But Sam might have other ideas.
This was a moving story. As someone who really hates musicians trading on openly humiliating their exes, I immediately felt for Sam. He was a really interesting character. Outwardly snarky, yet internally incredibly vulnerable and self-sabotaging. He could sometimes come across as needy around Bree but was also an absolute sweetheart with her. I also loved how he looked after Marc, the new writer. Sam struggled with imposter syndrome and had a massive destructive streak, but I really loved him as a character, especially as the story progresses, and we learn all the little ways he'd been there for Bree. I loved Jane and Roxy, his colleagues at the SNL style comedy show.
My heart broke for Bree so many times. In many ways, she was just as vulnerable as Sam, and you could feel how much her seemingly unrequited feelings were exhausting her. I could empathise with her worries about potentially ruining their friendship if he only loved her as a friend, given how close they were. While I'm not a fan of miscommunication, Sam's initial reaction confirmed Bree's fears, and once. That said, they were SO cute together, and the intimacy was hot but also incredibly sweet. I LOVED the resolution and really appreciated that Sam did the work to exercise his demons.
This was a nuanced, emotional ride, and I loved it.

Overall Rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Heat Rating: 🔥🔥
Emotional Rating: 😬😂👏🏻💔💓😢💓🥰💔😢💓😬🙈😍😢💓🥰🤦🏻‍♀️😢💔😢💓👏🏻🥰😍

*Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to leave an honest review. Funny Guy is published on 16th May in the UK*

Favourite Quote:
Salem had told the world Sam was a lost boy—but Bree knew that when they were together, Sam didn’t feel lost. She didn’t either. Together, and maybe only together, Bree and Sam were found.

I have never been a big fan of friends to lovers. So when I found out this book deals with exactly that trope, I had doubts. The first chapter really drew me in, though. I instantly took a liking to Sam's character.

To put it kindly, he's acidic. But his brand of acidic is the exact kind that tends to draw me in. Then we got introduced to Bree. And guess what? I like her too!

One of the main things I hate in friends to lovers is how it is almost always the girl who pathetically does the pining. Well in this, she's still the one who pines, but she doesn't feel too pathetic. She's great at her job and she generally feels like she has a life outside of Sam, subdued as it may be.

But—and here comes the but—my attention started to fizzle out a little bit over the halfway mark. And I never really regained it until the end. The resolution of the conflict also felt a bit too easy. Plus, I felt the grand gesture near the end to be a bit meh, tbh. I did enjoy how Salem is pretty much inspired by Taylor Swift while "Monsieur Exocars" is obvi a jab to Mr. Melon Husk himself though lol


Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free digital copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to love this book, I've read many books by this author and have loved them all. I think early on, I understood that Sam was a stand in for Pete Davidson and Salem, his ex, was clearly Arianna Grande and the Comedy Hour was obviously SNL. Not really sure who Bree would be in this scenario - perhaps a question that Mr. Davidson himself is probably trying to answer.

I know authors often write romances based on real life celebrities or even the famous characters they are known for playing. I have no real objections to that. I will say, a Pete Davidson inspired romance wasn't really something on my personal wishlist but YMMV and I don't begrudge others what they like.

I think the pacing was a bit off and there was a lot of time and attention spent on Sam's workplace and a fair amount spent on Bree's colleagues as well, and that really impacted the attention paid to the actual romance.

This is a friends to lovers between two life-long best friends who grew up together in a shitty town in Ohio and both have really bad upbringings except all of that is just alluded to and never really explained in a very clear way. We're told that Bree's mom tried to steal her financial aid money from her and we know that Sam has a contentious relationship with his mom due to to how his dad treated them but it's all very vague. And yet, we're supposed to have sympathy for these characters and care about their happiness and their future. I did care about Bree but I had a much harder time with Sam, he came off as very unsympathetic and self-centered. And I get that he apologized but even the manner in which he apologized felt performative (literally, he used his show to do a very public apology on national tv) and attention-seeking and ultimately, disingenuous. I'm sure whatever his backstory is contributed to the kind of adult he was, forever running away from anything real, always half-assing most of his relationships, blowing stuff up in his personal and professional life because he always just expected things to go south. But the thing is, we don't know what his childhood was, we're really just guessing at it. And the friendship between Bree and Sam felt so codependent and needy and frankly unhealthy, that I wish more time had been spent with them being apart and working on their issues separately before they got their HEA. Everything in this book felt a little rushed and the timing felt off, with Sam blurting out his love declaration and them embarking on a relationship that felt very fragile all the while Bree is holding onto the fact that she's considering taking a job that will require her to move from NYC to MI. And the reason she's afraid to tell him is because of how he will react and when he does find out, her fears are realized. It feels unhealthy and dysfunctional to the point that I wanted to root for them but just couldn't quite get there.

I do like that the book makes a point to mention that Sam is finally in therapy but I do wish it had come sooner and before the HEA would have made the ending, at least for me, more viable.

CW: toxic parental relationships

3,5*

If you're looking for a funny book plenty of laughter think again, this is a friends to lover romance, about Sam, a writer and a performer of Comedy Hour, and Bree, his reliable best friend and the one who's always been secretly in love with him.

There's nothing really popping in this story, it just carries you in Bree and Sam lifes, their hard past: their actual struggle in life both with work and love. They just get under your skin.
It's not a life changing epiphanic book, nor some epical romance, but it is a good story about love, about how people cope when hurt, about friendship and choices.

Thanks NetGalley and Montlake for providing this book as an Arc in exchange of an honest review.

Disclosure: I'm mutuals with Emma on twitter. She's one of my favorite people in the romance community.

I thought the whole Pete Davidson/Ariana Grande inspiration would be the biggest hurdle for me to get into the book, but it ended up being my familiarity with SNL that hurt it the most.

There is so much time spent world-building what ultimately looks like a cheap facsimile of the show (and SNL already is the poor man’s version of what it was) that there was little time left for the relationship. And the relationship is toxic and co-dependent so it really needed that extra focus! I love messy, unrequited romance! I love a toxic friends-to-lovers story, but the problem with those is that there has to be thoughtful, nuanced character development both as individuals and together in the partnership for the romance to feel complete and viable. Instead, we have a man who unravels his life and career in a series of increasingly obnoxious public meltdowns, and then he has the sudden realization that he’s in love with the heroine, does the world’s most cringe public grovel/apology, and gets the girl and the career back. This guy is a very hard sell of a hero. And he takes most of the book’s attention away from a heroine who I thought was very interesting and deserved better. That said, hats off to the book because I legit feared that she would not take that new job. Not to wade into the poisoned waters of book twitter discourse, but this book should’ve been longer.

I’ll say this, tho, if Emma Barry can’t sell me on a stand-up comedian MC, no one else can.

Review copy provided by the publisher