I really liked this story! I love comedians because I feel they can be such nuanced, unique characters. Sam was a bittersweet character to me because he seemed so sad and lost during the first part of the book unwilling to do the things he needed to get better (like many of us struggle with). But he was so sweet and loving to Bree who I absolutely loved! She was kind and loving and gave Sam maybe too many chances all because she loved him so much. Just when she's resolved to leave for her own benefit is when they finally get together and that was kinda aggravating because it continued to put off Bree's valid concerns. I felt like there wasn't much build up to friends to lovers. It was like one minute friends the next... doing it. I wish we had more of their backstory, a little bit more of what their families were like growing up just to round out the characters more. I also had a hard time following the point of view here too. Overall, I really liked this unique story and am so thankful for the ARC :)

A funny four-star read. This was a great story, but it could have been shorter, there was a chunk that just felt repetitive and I hated it, as I loved the rest of the story. I adored the friends to lovers and understood why it took them so long to realise all the different forms of love. Bree needed to pick herself up a little, and how she worked it went well, and I adored Sam and his way with people, yes he is a little lost boy, but there is so much more going on with it. What surprised me was how much I liked Salem, that surprised me lots.

Thanks to NetGalley and Montlake for the e-arc.

This is the first Emma Barry I have read and I really enjoyed it.Often a friends to lovers story where the MCs have known each other since childhood has uncomfortable echoes. In this case, Sam and Bree have been best friends for years. Both - consciously or unconciously - have been going into relationships either knowing they will end or self-sabotaging. Sam and Bree are both successful in their careers and both come from disadvantaged backgrounds. Sam is famous and on TV and known to everyone. Bree is great at her work in urban planning so not so famous.

With the paparazzi staking him out as the object of his ex's hit pop song, Sam stays with Bree for a few days. It has been a long time since they've spent a great deal of time together and they both learn anbout themselves and each other and grow.

I found the relationship between the two of them touching and believable - with occasional frustration as it is obvious the given actions will make things worse. The characters are equally aware they aren't making the best decisions so it works. The secondary characters are strong and support the narrative.

I intend to follow-up on Barry's back catalog.

Recommend.

Sam and Bryony/Bree's story is NOT one you should start later at night, or during your lunch hour, or on a weeknight, or any other time when you cannot devote yourself to just sitting and reading their entire narrative without interruption. I'm talking from experience. I started it late one night, lost sleep, and then read during a Zoom meeting the next day! Sam, the funny guy, uses his self-deprecating (or is that self-sabotaging) humor instead of therapy to deal with the demons from his childhood, while Bree, Sam's best friend, uses her drive to escape. It's them against the New York world, but as friends only. That is, until Bree gets an offer for her dream job in Michigan. As she tries to decide if she can leave, Sam drives his career off the edge of the cliff he's been flirting with for years. And that's before they reveal to each other their lifelong secret .... An absolute must read!

FUNNY GUY by Emma Barry comes out in May, but is available now in NetGalley.

The story of two childhood friends who experienced similar difficulties growing up that molded them into the two main outcomes of childhood trauma: one is risk averse and the other takes unnecessary risks. And yet of course, they are in love with each other.

Barry does a good job of creating three dimensional characters. The self-destructive a-hole Sam is not completely irredeemable, so we aren't left wondering why the almost too-good Bree has been in love with him her whole life. Their problems feel real, too. Like sometimes the conflict in a relationship feels too constructed, like makiking mountains out of molehill, but this one works. It's also just very funny...which is good, since he's a stand up comic who works on a very SNL-ish skit show.

It's a very realistic take on friends to lovers without all the bookish drama, grandiose scenarios, and implausibility of this being how someone's real life may play out.

It was a little boring for me specifically because I went in expecting a fictional romcom, heavy on the comedy, but what this book delivered was exactly what the blurb promised about this being a more heartfelt and emotional read. I just didn't feel particularly invested in the characters or their feelings, I am glad this all worked out for them but not glad enough that I'd reread this just to witness their love story all over again, y'know?

The best part about this for me was honestly that the MMC read as an extremely thinly veiled Pete Davidson, which may or may not have been an accident but was fantastic all the same. Love that guy.

I knew I needed to read Funny Guy after seeing the MMC had a song called "Lost Boy" written about him. Instantly made me think of Kelsea Ballerini's song!

If you're going into this thinking it's a cute romcom, you're going to be disappointed. This is an emotional roller-coaster of a book. The two main characters are both dealing with a lot and turn to each other for comfort. This is made more complicated because they are best friends, hence the drama of the book.

I think the two main characters were really well developed. I could totally relate to Bree (who hasn't been in love with a guy friend?) and I thought Sam was a complex character too. They were really good together and I found their journey to love to be heartfelt and angsty.

Would recommend to those who enjoy: angst, friends to lovers, drama, celebrity romance, contemporary romance, and emotional stories.

I’m in love. These hero and heroines were purely amazing. I had so much fun trying to see them to navigate their relationship and their very own feelings. I definitely loved and enjoyed it

I think my expectations for Funny Guy might have ruined my experience reading it a bit. In my head, Funny Guy would be funny, a romantic comedy. That title, that cover, a comedian as one of the MCs... I was wrong. The blurb with its "heartfelt friends to lovers" probably should have tipped me off. This was an emotional romance with both MCs having a lot of growing up, backstory drama to deal with. It was an emotional and sweet romance, but I had a hard time connecting with the characters. The third person narration created a detachment between me and them. That's not to say I didn't like them; I Just didn't connect with them. I have a feeling everything I've said here is very much a "me" thing and that other readers are going to fall in love with this romance. It was unique and emotional.