Funny Story by Emily Henry Review - A Laugh-Out-Loud Romance That Brings the Warm Fuzzies

As a Cincinnati-born girl, I’ll try out pretty much any author with a connection to the great state of Ohio. That’s how I first found out about Emily Henry, the beloved contemporary romance author who happens to reside in my hometown of Cincinnati. Today we are covering her latest novel, Funny Story.

At this point, Emily Henry is an auto-buy author for me. But that doesn’t mean that all of her books hit the same. This year, I grabbed her latest, Funny Story, eager to see where it would stack up with her other books for me. If you’re on the fence about whether to pick this one up, I hope this review can help.

**While we do discuss tropes, I stick far away from any real plot spoilers beyond what the synopsis reveals.**

Details

Author: Emily Henry
Publisher: Berkley
Cost: $29 Hardcover; $12.99 eBook
Where to Buy: Amazon; Bookshop.org; Barnes & Noble
Review Copy Provided: No
Age: Adult
Spicy Level: 3

Funny Story Synopsis

Funny Story is an adult contemporary romance by Emily Henry, which features tropes like forced proximity and fake dating, as well as a bit of found family. Here’s the official synopsis from Berkley:

“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?” – Berkley

What I Liked About Funny Story

Photo of Funny Story by Emily Henry, surrounding by Out of Print Emily Henry merch — Collage compiled in Canva with images from Out of Print and Berkley Publishing

I don’t know what to say except that Emily Henry just gets me. The humor in this book is spot on and genuinely had me laughing out loud at the situations Daphne finds herself in and how she thinks about them. The writing is witty and sparks off the page, both easy to read and deceptively smart.

The setup is a bit implausible, but you totally buy it. Why wouldn’t Daphne move in with her ex-fiancé’s new girlfriend’s ex-boyfriend? In the world of the story, it all makes sense… and so does the chemistry between Daphne and her new roommate, Miles.

The love story in this one is great, with all the pining and slow burn I adore. Emily Henry is a master at taking beloved romance tropes and giving them just enough of a twist to make them feel fresh, and her use of fake dating and close proximity here is no exception.

Though this is indeed a light and entertaining read, it’s not without a bit of emotional heft. Daphne and Miles both have complicated pasts with love and family that come into play with their budding romance. We get to see them both struggle to decide who they want to be and how they want to move forward from the disaster of their prior relationships. I love a romance that isn’t afraid to admit that the love story isn’t the only thing going on for the main characters, and Funny Story pulls this off beautifully.

There’s also a nice found family element as Daphne realizes her only friends were Peter’s friends. We see her put herself out there to make new connections and decide if Michigan could ever be her home, not just the place she moved for Peter.

What I Didn’t Like About Funny Story

Here is the part where I’m supposed to make this a balanced review and tell you something I didn’t like about the latest Emily Henry novel. That’s not an easy one for me because Funny Story is a definite 5-star read in my book, with plenty of heart and depth.

I do wish we got a bit more of the loose ends tied up by the end of the book, as there are still some unresolved questions surrounding Daphne’s father and Miles’ sister. As with many modern romances, we rush to the Happily Ever After (HEA) at the expense of resolving certain subplots. But I’m willing to forgive it because Daphne and Miles are just such a cute couple.

Final Score 9.5/10

Amanda Kay Oaks

Editor

Amanda Kay Oaks is a writer, book witch, and video game enthusiast based in Latrobe, PA. She writes about books, games, and more from an office packed with crystals and Pokemon plushies. When not engrossed in work or fictional worlds, Amanda can be found in the kitchen, on her yoga mat, or walking her dog, Azula.

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