REVIEW: Funny Story by Emily Henry

In Funny Story by Emily Henry, Children’s librarian Daphne Vincent moved to Waning Bay, Michigan thinking that it would be her forever home. The place where she and her fiancé Peter would set down roots and maybe even raise a family someday. It was not the place she thought it would all fall apart, where Peter would decide that he no longer wants to marry her and instead is going to move his childhood best friend Petra in so *they* can eventually get married. Left with nowhere to go and not many resources, Daphne ends up moving in with the unlikeliest of people, Petra’s now ex-boyfriend Miles Nowak. A guy who couldn’t be more different than her. But who is as kind as he is laid back.

“It’s weird because I haven’t kissed anyone but Peter in, like, five years, and I didn’t think when I finally did, it would be my ex-fiancé’s new fiancée’s ex-boyfriend.”
“When you put it like that…”

Miles shares Daphne’s sadness and misery, knowing all too well it will take them both time to get over something so shocking and painful. As Daphne counts down the days until she can possibly either get her own place or move out of town, she slowly opens up her eyes to what she already has in her new life. It’s a chance to get to really know herself. And to see what she’s made of. Daphne definitely isn’t looking for a new relationship–friendship, absolutely–but after she and Miles agree to fake date to tick off their exes, she finds herself falling a little bit at a time for him. Opening herself up to potential heartbreak wasn’t on Daphne’s to-do list. But she can’t help herself from wondering if what her shattered life needs is some of Miles’s positivity, kindness, and affection.

“That guy is such a loser, Daphne. You can do way better.”
“You know what, Peter,” I say, “thank you for pulling me aside today.”
His face brightens, relief flooding his features.
“It’s always nice to be reminded that your ex really *was* as big of an asshat as you remember him being.”

If you’re a fan of great banter and a quirky, likable cast of characters, FUNNY STORY is for you. Add in its lighthearted humor, solid plotline, and unlikely opposites attract couple, it’s easy to see that Emily Henry has another delightful novel on her hands.

‘I’d wanted so badly to escape myself, my life, that I forgot about all the beautiful little pieces of it I’ve been acquiring like sea glass these last few months. Things that no one can take from me.’

CW: View Spoiler »Cheating, child abuse (verbal) and neglect. « Hide Spoiler

FUNNY STORY was a mostly lighthearted read that tickled me to no end. While it didn’t break any new barriers per se, it was the type of romance that will entertain readers with the charming characters and their fun, lively conversations. Something that Emily Henry excels at in my humble opinion. The setting was also a huge part of Daphne and Miles’s story. Waning Bay, a fictional town in Michigan, was like another cast member with Henry’s vivid descriptions that made me feel like I was right there in every scene.

The premise behind Miles and Daphne’s situation was a wonderful setup for lots of friction, drama, humor, and sparks of attraction. Okay, so maybe it wasn’t necessarily realistic that Daphne and Miles’s significant others would dump them and then get together immediately–or that Daphne would then move into Miles’s apartment and fall in love after fake dating to get back at said exes. But…it worked. And even though it was relatively easy to see the issues they would face, it didn’t distract from the poignant moments or the scenes fraught with delicious tension between them.

I truly did like both Daphne and Miles. She was a children’s librarian (how cool, right?!) who was a bit standoffish when it came to friendships after a childhood that unfortunately taught her that most people couldn’t be trusted. However, Daphne really came into her own after her breakup. She realized what she wanted in her life, what she wanted from the *people* in her life, and that she needed to do what was right for herself for a change. Then there was Miles. Instead of being rather buttoned-up like Daphne, he was a laid back, absolute charmer of a guy who never met a stranger. But there were some hidden depths to him as we learned about his childhood and the roles he played in Waning Bay. I adored Miles’s kindness and thought it paired perfectly with Daphne’s caring, protective ways.

QOTD: Do you have any funny stories about how you and a partner or a friend met?

Book Info:

Publication: Published: April 23rd, 2024 | Berkley |

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?