Emily HenryFiction · Romance·b. 1991
Funny Story
Synopsis
Daphne moved to the small lakeside town of Waning Bay, Michigan, for her fiancé, Peter — right up until he called off the wedding because he'd fallen in love with his lifelong best friend, Petra. Now Daphne is heartbroken, nearly homeless, and stuck in a town where the only person who understands exactly how she feels is Miles Nowak: Petra's dumped ex-boyfriend.
With nowhere else to go, Daphne takes the spare room in Miles's apartment. They could not be more different — she's a careful, buttoned-up children's librarian; he's a warm, chaotic mess — and at first they barely speak. Then, almost by accident, they start pretending to be a couple, partly to save face and partly to needle the exes who left them.
What's meant to be a performance turns into long summer days at the beach, honest late-night conversations, and a friendship that neither of them planned on. Funny Story is a warm, funny, tender romance about rebuilding a life after it falls apart, and discovering that the person who gets you might be the last one you'd expect.
How it reads
- Writing4.0
- Impact3.0
- Characters3.0
- Plot2.0
- Atmosphere3.0
Prose complexity 1/10
Spice level
2.5 avg spice
Readers say (1)Moderate · Light · Funny · Romantic · Heartwarming · Fake Dating · Grumpy Sunshine
- Loved it.
- First 5⭐ read of the year !!! and I did NOT expect to get this attached 😭 Funny Story by Emily Henry completely got me. I went in thinking “cute little romance” and came out emotionally invested like I personally knew these people. I listened to it on audio and honestly… it made everything feel so much more alive 🎧✨ The way the characters talk, argue, and try (and fail) to navigate life and feelings really hit me. I laughed out loud, I grimaced at their awkward moments, and there were definitely times I had “okay wow that’s a personal attack” moments, the kind of situations and reactions you can’t help but relate to. me!! They’re messy, they’re human, they make questionable choices, but somehow it all feels authentic and totally believable. I felt like I was living in the story with them, and that’s exactly why I got so hooked, I cared about their victories, their failures, their embarrassing little moments… and maybe lowkey wanted to shake them a little too 😂💗
- First thing my girl Emily is M E S S Y. She clearly loves writing about messy situations and doesn’t shy away from the emotional tangles. Instead, she leans into them, letting her characters wrestle with uncertainty and imperfection in ways that feel deeply human. Funny Story is full of that beautiful chaos not just in romantic relationships, but in friendships, family, and self-discovery too. Yes, it’s witty. Yes, it’s charming. But Funny Story isn’t just a rom-com with quirky banter and cute moments, it’s a nuanced, introspective look at how we cope with betrayal, the stories we tell ourselves about love, and how healing often looks different than we think it will. At its core, it’s not just about falling in love with someone new. It’s about falling out of an old version of yourself, of letting go of a narrative that no longer fits, and learning to sit with discomfort long enough to grow from it.
- Esse é um romance muito gostosinho de ler, o relacionamento deles é de deixar o coração quentinho. Achei um livro muito real em questão de sentimentos, como mostra ela se redescobrindo depois do término e percebendo que tudo aquilo não era o que ela queria, e se reencontrando, foi uma jornada muito linda. E o Miles também é um personagem muito interessante, pq tem muitos livros de romance que os escritores focam muito no desenvolvimento da personagem principal q eles acabam esquecendo de dar personalidade pro interesse amoroso kkkkkk Amei eles conhecendo toda a cidade, me deu vontade de ir pro michigan e fazer tudo o que eles fizeram. Só levou nota 4 pq achei alguns momentos um pouco lentinho e enrolado. Ansiosa pra esse virar filme pra eu poder falar o quanto a adaptação não é tão boa quanto o livro.
- <div>As always, Emily Henry makes me want to believe in love and happy endings 🥹💗<br><br>Miles and Daphne have their own set of fears and the way each helps the other rediscover love <3<br><br>Though did not get as much feels as I usually do from Emily Henry's characters? Maybe it was me dragging it but didn't feel that attachment to the characters, felt like they lacked some depth, and they could've been explored more to make the Love story feel real or idk understandable?<br><br>Anyways lovedd it, Emily Henry just has something in her words which makes you want to fall in love 🫶🏼</div>
- I'm not too sure about this one. At times I did enjoy their banter, but I think they were better as friends. Things happened way too soon between them. They both needed help. I didn't find Miles to be a good love interest at all. I'm with Petra's parents on this one, he needed to grow up a little. Like I said, when they bantered, it was very good, but most everything else was not. I did not think they needed to be civil with their exes. This was not a funny story, it was more about self discovery and finding self worth. Good writing, but not the best characters.
- <div>I had too many emotions while reading the book, going from crying to laughing in the same scene. I liked it a lot, not as much as 'Book Lover,' but I was sure Emily Henry wouldn't disappoint me. </div><div>The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because I was expecting a bit more revenge against Peter and Petra, and because Miles and I didn't have a good start. To be honest, he's not my usual book boyfriend. </div>
- Absolutamente tudo nessa história correu de um jeito que me prendeu muito. Os personagens são incríveis, as histórias de vida, as personalidades, tudo. Com certeza entrou pra minha lista de favoritos da vida, porque sou facilmente agradada, e esse livro me agradou MUITO. Amei, amei, amei demais.
- Mix of a number of bollywood movies. Picked for some light reading.
- 4.5 ⭐️