Oh my GOD?? I am both shocked and weirdly not surprised by how much I loved and devoured this book. The story follows Daphne and Miles, forced roommates after both being dumped by their exes who are now engaged. Sound complicated?? It is, and it was absolutely a funny story.

Daphne and Miles are complete opposites. Daphne likes her schedules, a bit of a pessimist, not the best at small talk. Miles loves people, genuinely loves talking and making connections, and is just slightly scattered. But somehow they worked perfectly together, brought out the best in each other.

And their character growth was AMAZING.
Daphne learned to trust others and miles did his best to trust HIMSELF and it was such an enjoyable read.

I cried at about the 80% mark, Daphne’s emotions were so easy to empathize with, and I found myself feeling like I WAS her and that’s just how good the writing was.

I did find myself relating to both Daphne and miles and their struggles. It was so real and raw and I CRIED. And anytime I cry that hard, it’s an automatic 5 star read

I also loved every single side character(excluding the exes!!!). Ashleigh was such a good character I want a book for her lol

I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this, because I’ve both LOVED and felt indifferent to Emily books, but I’m so happy I gave this one a chance, I won’t be forgetting about it anytime soon

I thoroughly enjoyed this one! Ahhh! First thank you so much to Berkley Publishing, Netgalley, and Emily Henry for a digital ARC. Emily Henry is the reason I made a Netgalley and Bookstagram account in the first place – I read Beach Read in 2020 and it pulled me from a year-long slump, so I instantly tried to figure out how to get an early copy of People We Meet On Vacation. I had been unsuccessful in attempts for early copies of her work untillllll…FUNNY STORY! So of course I had to immediately drop everything and read it.

There’s something about Emily Henry’s writing that makes me fall in love with her characters and feel their stories in my heart. She has a great blend of funny and deep conversations and none of her books feel “formulated” despite following the general pattern of incident, meeting, fun conversations, sexual tension, third act conflict, happy ending. One thing that really worked for me was how their emotional baggage lined up with each other. It meshed so well. Her not being able to trust anyone because of her dad and then him not being able to trust himself because of his mom gave the ability for some great understanding, empathy, and character development for Daphne & Miles.

I wouldn’t categorize this as a true “fake dating” trope because that was such a small subplot of this book. It’s kind of how they started talking a bit more, but it was very much EH’s take on fake dating. She gave them such bigger personalities than focus on tropes.

Other notes: I would rate this in my top 3 EH books. I absolutely loved the natural healing relationship between Daphne and Miles and thought their banter was entertaining and adorable. They gave serious Nick Miller/Jess Day vibes from New Girl and you know I love Nick Miller. (Or maybe you don’t know, but I mean…everyone should love Nick Miller.) The found family vibes were strong with this one for the ensemble cast and I really loved the relationships Daphne made moving forward to carve her own place.

Sidenote, I’m from Indiana and now somehow want to move to Michigan.

**spoiler starts here
I absolutely adored that Daphne found her own apartment and moved out at the end of the book but they stayed together. That was one of the most realistic parts – you can’t just move in at the start of a relationship, and she truly worked on finding herself and not relying on just fitting in Miles’ life. The fast-forward epilogue was a perfect ending and I’m happy they are happy.

Peter and Petra are the worsttttt (Jean Ralphio voice).

I appreciated that she reached out to Sadie and is working on rekindling that friendship. She took the needed break and neither of them knew how to get back to each other, but that small bit made me happy – friend break-ups are hard and that slow rebuilding can be healthy after some time apart.

Loved the premise of Funny Story. Daphne is dumped by her fiancé on the night of his bachelor party, because he’s fallen for his I-swear-it’s-platonic childhood best friend. Daphne finds herself suddenly heartbroken and without a home. A children’s librarian, she needs to find a new place fast and in budget - and with ample closet space for all the unused wedding detritus. When an apartment share becomes available, she moves in to find that her new roommate is none other than Miles, the jilted ex-fiancé of her own ex’s childhood best friend. Sticky, right?

What I loved: the beginning drama, Miles starring as best book boyfriend (ever?!), and the end. The forced proximity and fake dating started off well. This was a rare case where a third act break up worked in the story’s favor.

What I didn’t: the middle meandered. A lot. The fake dating trope was not well developed. Other than a couple social media posts, the expected amusement and cover-ups were glaringly absent. This is an EH book so, there were several side plots of heavy, messy emotional issues. While they could have created tension, instead the focus shifted to those and really took me out of the romance.

Overall 3.5, rounded up.
This was miles (see what I did there) better than Happy (ahem, Misery) Place, but not in the league of Book Lovers or Beach Read, for me.

Funny Story is a contemporary romance. It is my sixth book by this author.

I loved this book. I went into it completely blind. And I'm so glad that I did. I look forward to reading the author's new book every year. And I just find with romance that I prefer not to know the tropes in advance and just discover the story for myself. Funny Story is a wonderful read. And I think that the title works very well for the story.

The narrator is 33 year old children's librarian, Daphne. I loved her so much. And I adored her job so much.

This book does use some common tropes. But I sort of loved them here. And all of the characters were so great. I really liked Daphne's coworker Ashleigh. Her friendship with Daphne was one of my favorite parts of the book.

The romance was really good too. I loved Miles, I loved his sister Julia. And I was really interested in Daphne's relationship with her dad. This added a lot to the story.

The last part of the book was so good. I really enjoyed how the author included Peter in the book (Daphne's former fiancé). And I thought that there were some really fun reveals. Overall this book is amazing. Definitely one of my favorite books of the year. I highly recommend it!

There is nothing Emily Henry can write that I will not enjoy! I polished off her latest novel Funny Story in one sitting. The premise of this story, our FMC moving in with her ex-fiancé’s new fiancé’s ex, I mean, COME ON!! Daphne is an underrated-ly funny and genuine person who you can’t help but empathize with, especially when her life is completely upended. And Miles, well Miles might be one of my new favorite EmHen boyfriends (#1 Charlie Lastra, you will always be famous). At first, they “play” a newly minted couple to perfection, but as the story unfolds it becomes clear that Peter and Petra (those names, I mean, COME ON pt. 2) getting together was the best thing that could have happened to this duo. I don’t know how she does it, but Emily Henry managed to put a refreshing spin on this trope that could have very easily become super messy, and she does so in a way that is always delightfully sweet and heartwarming, never cheesy/corny.



With all of that said, I do think EmHen is still working on striking the perfect balance between the romantic situation occurring with her main characters and the other dimensions of their lives: complex family dynamics, new and/or strained friendships, and personal mental health, to name a few. At times, it seemed like I was struggling to keep my focus on the main conflict and that the plot was a little too unruly for a book of this length. Don’t get me wrong, I really appreciate how characters in Funny Story and Happy Place have more complexity to them, but it seems like there is a better balance amongst these elements that can be established.

Emily Henry has written another unforgettable story. I liked getting to know Miles and Daphne and watching their friendship grow in such a short period of time. I can highly recommend reading FUNNY STORY if you like fake dating, smiling, and laughing out loud.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Berkley and PRH audio for the complimentary copy.

This review will be shared to my Instagram account (@coffee.break.book.reviews) in the near future.

Funny Story took me by surprise in the best possible way!

When we first meet up with Daphne, she's had her heart broken by her fiance, who's already moved on with his best friend. YIKES! And that's how Daphne ends up moving in with Miles, whose ex-girlfriend is now with Daphne's ex-fiance. What. A. Mess. Miles and Daphne are complete opposites who are just trying to mend their hearts and move on. That is until one day while drowning their sorrows, they form a wild plan....

Overall, I thought this book was a really enjoyable read. I'm quite the sucker for a jilted bride and opposites attract romance. But, when you add in a fake relationship, you just know you're in for a treat. There's just something about a fake relationship that speaks to me and let me tell you, Miles and Daphne do not disappoint. I was captivated from beginning to end and had the absolute best time getting lost in Miles and Daphne's story.

I LOVE THEM YOUR HONOR

I didn't think Emily Henry could top Happy Place for me but boy did she with this one!

First of all, a children's librarian MC? Hells yes. I loved reading about Daphne's work life and being like 'oh hey, I did that two weeks ago' and 'oh dang it's not just my library where people do that?!' and also I really want to have a Read-a-Thon at my library. And just add Miles to the long, long list of my book boyfriends. I immediately loved Daphne and Miles as a couple as well. All the accidental touches and glances and 'fake' kissing- phew. Talk about tension. And the way they learned about and understood each other- chef's kiss.

The side characters were perfect as well. I loved Ashleigh and I really enjoyed seeing Ashleigh and Daphne's friendship grow. The poker group was excellent, all Miles' contacts and friends around Waning Bay were not only fun in and of themselves but they helped us see who Miles was as well. Also, obviously I love all the library patrons- the storytime crowd was adorable.

I really enjoy the way Henry writes- she knows how to balance the funny moments and the sad/angsty moments perfectly, and I think she did this exceptionally well in Funny Story.

My new favorite Emily Henry!!

Daphne has spent her whole life trying to find what the meaning of home is. When she meets Peter, she falls head over heels and believes she's finally found what she's been "missing". Until a few weeks before their wedding when Peter tells her that he's in love with his best friend, Petra, and he's calling off the wedding and kicking Daphne out of their house. Daphne finds herself turning to the most unlikely person, her ex fiance's new fiancee's ex boyfriend (just by saying that line, you know a good time is ahead!). Miles needs a roommate to help with rent now that Petra has moved out and Daphne doesn't let the chance pass her by, at least until she can figure out what to do with her life now that it's in shambles. After receiving wedding invitations from Petra and Peter, Miles and Daphne decide to get back at their exes(and hopefully make them jealous) by pretending to date. Now the scene is set and Emily Henry is just beginning the wild ride that is Funny Story!

I fell in love with Daphne and Miles and characters and relationships are what Henry does best! It's not just a straightforward rom-com, Henry fleshes out all her characters so well, adding beautiful complexity and nuance. You feel like you really get to know them and their backstories of what makes them unique. You cry, laugh, swoon and ache for these fictional characters like they're real and it's what I look forward to the most when I read an Emily Henry novel! And she also makes you really want to visit Michigan and see if it's as amazing in real life as it is in her books!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to @berkleypub for this advanced copy of Funny Story. You've added so many wonderful feelings to the end of the week, so extra thanks for that. 🫶🏻

Now, to @emilyhenrywrites - how do you do this every time? How do you reach in, give my heart a bunch of squeezes, make me smile, laugh, and cry within a few pages, and then just expect me to go about by life?!

What am I supposed to tell work on Monday when I'm daydreaming about beaches and cherries and even asparagus? I don't even like asparagus!

Miles has carved out a space in my heart and I guess he'll live there forever. I'll have to figure how to explain that to my husband. Oh well!

It is the expectation that when an Emily Henry book is on the horizon, we as readers of the romance genre (limited to approximately 3 authors we enjoy because we are not actually romance readers) will love it. And guess what, Ms. Henry can do no wrong because Funny Story is a contender for my top 3 Emily Henry books – after Beach Read and Book Lovers but honestly, on par!

If you are familiar with the show New Girl, you will very quickly realize that Miles Nowak, the most recent man written by Henry is very Nick Miller coded and romance-ish girlies, unite, we are here for this!

Miles Nowak is everything. He is quite possibly my favourite of the heroes of the Emily Henry universe! And Daphne, the librarian female main character with her bookish references is all of us.

Funny Story is funny, I did laugh out loud, but it is also romantic and quirky, tender and sarcastic, and unputdownable. I loved every minute of it.

I also loved the cast of characters Henry brings to life in this story and the friendships, the attraction of opposites and above all the moments. After all, isn’t it the many moments strung together that tether us to each other?

If Beach Read has been one of your favourite romances thus far, this one is not to be missed. You will LOVE it!

I liked Funny Story, though I can’t say it’s a standout amid Henry’s other books. Still leaps and bounds better than 95% of others in the genre but for EH super fans, that’s my first thought. It felt more “standard romance”.

It had a sweeter and more adorable vibe to it even while tackling emotional issues and a traumatic beginning. A little push and pull, slow-ish burn, and a lot of great build. What stands out is the fantastic banter and convincing conversations that Henry always writes. Daphne and Miles are incredibly likeable and believably fallible while navigating some classic romance tropes.

I really enjoyed the secondary characters but I selfishly wanted even more from them. I wanted to fill out our lead characters live’s even more using their newfound friends and family and even more locations. I loved all the outings they go on, building relationships, but I definitely craved more unique chapters dedicated to all the people and places. That might just be a me thing though.

Overall, it was enjoyable, slightly impactful, if not entirely emotionally shattering like I’ve come to expect. Still a must read.

Daphne's life falls apart when her fiancé confesses that he is in love with his best friend, Petra, and gives her one week to vacate their home. Which is how she ends up becoming roommates with Petra’s ex, Miles.

On paper, Daphne and Miles are complete opposites, but soon they realize that they have more than just heartbreak in common. Childhood trauma has left deep emotional scars in both of them; scars that still affect their lives and actions as adults.

After agreeing to a fake relationship in the hopes of exacting revenge on their exes, Daphne and Miles start spending a lot of time together and develop a true friendship. They also develop a very real attraction that frightens both of them and that they desperately try to ignore.

Emily Henry’s words have once again destroyed me emotionally and no one is surprised. The slow burn, the heartbreak, the longing, the angst, the friendships, and the beautiful love story solidified Funny Story as my new favorite Emily Henry novel.

Emily Henry can do no wrong. and it being Nick Miller coded?! she really did us Nick girlies right. the friends to lovers and forced proximity of this book was actual perfection. I loved this story with my whole heart. People are not ready for the goodness the is Daphne and Miles. end of story.

Emily Henry is a hit or a miss with me. I either hate her books or love them and I loved this one. So cute. So fun. I adore Miles and his sunrise kayaking.

I doubt I have to tell readers to read an Emily Henry book. She's one of the most popular romcom authors out there right now and for good reason. All her books are incredible! Funny Story included.

Emily Henry, you've done it again. This book follows Daphne, who's fiancé has just declared hes in love with his childhood best friend, Petra. In her shocked state, (and in desperate need of a place to stay) she moves in with Petra's ex-boyfriend, Miles. They don't talk much, (well, really ever) and communicate via nods and Daphne's very well oragnized calander on the wall. That is, until one night they recieve some news, get drunk and devise a plan to get back at their exes.

Both Daphne and Miles were both such intricate characters who exisited beyond the scopes of their relationship, which I loved.

Daphne, my favourite pessimistic girl. Rightfully so, every single man whos been in her life has just let her down. (ugh men.) After realizing the life she thought was hers was really just Peters (her ex finacé), she decides that she needs to start making her own life. The friendships she makes and the characters we meet through that just make the book even better.

Miles is the kind of guy that if I met in real life I would marry. He's charming, selfless, adventurous and he cares about the people he loves so deep and throughly and would do anything for them. Hes the kinda guy who can just walk into a bar, strike up a conversation and get free drinks for the rest of the night. I think he may be my favourite Emily Henry book bf. Even before anything happens between them he is an incredible friend to Daphne, and he makes it known that he cares about her.

Their relationship was genuinely everything to me. They both were always up front and honest about their feelings about the situation they were both in, so there was never any confusion about that. They also just understood each other. Miles knew exactly the kind of reaffirming Daphne needed and when she needed it, and she knew the confirmation and understanding Miles needed. I think they're my favourite Emily Henry couple...

Okay, I genuinely jumped into this book head first, knowing nothing besides the fact that Emily Henry wrote it. This book just reaffirms the love I have for her, whatever she writes I WILL read. This book is basically reverse grumpy-sunshine and fake dating, two tropes I will absolute eat up everytime I read about them. 110% recommend, I love Emily Henry SO MUCH!!

Looking to break-up your back-to-back thrillers with a sweet, contemporary read? One that’ll have you smiling till your cheeks hurt? Laughing till tears flow? This is THAT book!

Just weeks away from her wedding to Peter, Daphne is over the moon in love. Unfortunately, Peter has developed a wandering eye, believing the grass is greener somewhere else and calls off the wedding. Freeing him up to dive into a relationship with his life-long best friend, Petra.

Left (almost) at the alter, Daphne needs to move out of Peter’s home but has nowhere to go. Ironically, she turns to Petra’s ex-boyfriend Miles. He offers her a spare bedroom and the two become roommates, forming a friendship over their equally broken hearts. (Misery loves company!)

I absolutely adored this unusual and original love story! The feel good book of the year!

A buddy read with Susanne

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group via NetGalley.

Emily Henry’s books are always a win for me, especially when Julia Whelan is narrating. This one was filled with so much depth and heart. The subplots were well developed, especially Daphne’s story of finding her place. Miles will be everyone’s new book boyfriend. His kindness and banter (chef’s kiss).

Read if you like:
-Opposites attract
-Fake dating
-Forced proximity (roomies)
-Libraries and read-a-thons
-Witty banter
-Michigan setting
-Strong self-growth
-Found family

Socially awkward librarian Daphne suddenly finds herself dumped and scrambling for a place to live after her fiancé's bachelor party. She agrees to move in with Miles, the heartbroken ex of the woman she was left for. Fake dating shenanigans ensue, and Daphne finds herself falling for her scruffy, adventurous roommate.

Yes, this sounds clichéd but it's an absolutely delightful comfort read. Witty banter, likable and well-developed characters, found family that warmed my heart. I devoured this in one sitting!

Thank you to Berkley and Netgalley for this ARC to review!