Book Review: Funny Story by Emily Henry

Funny Story by Emily Henry is a great summer read for romance readers, who enjoy a book that is not only about love, but about friendship and self-identity and worth too.

I've read hundreds of different books in my lifetime, but throughout the years, I've always had some authors whom I return to. They vary in genre, but there are always some authors whose books I will always buy, even before reading.

One of these authors is Emily Henry.

I first discovered Emily Henry's books on holiday three years ago. I picked up Beach Read in Norwich's Waterstones and began reading it on the Norfolk Broads.

My friend had picked up Book Lovers, and not long after the holiday, I decided I wanted Book Lovers too. I then read Happy Place last year, leaving two of Emily Henry's books to be read.

You and Me on Vacation was her first romance, and I recently bought that for my mum. I still haven't read it.

However, I have just finished reading Funny Story. I really enjoyed this one, so I thought I'd share my thoughts with you all.

My review of Funny Story by Emily Henry

Genre: Romance

Tropes:

• Roommates

• Friends to Lovers

• Forced Proximity

• Fake Dating (ish)

• Small Town Romance

• Opposites Attract

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Funny Story is a romance novel, and the synopsis is:

"Daphne always loved the way Peter told their story. That is, until it became the prologue to his actual love story with his childhood bestie, Petra.

Which is how Daphne ends up rooming with her total opposite and the only person who could possibly understand her predicament: Petra's ex, Miles.

As expected, it’s not a match made in heaven – that is, until one night, while tossing back tequilas, they form a plan.

And if it involves posting deliberately misleading photos of their adventures together, well, who could blame them?

But it’s all just for show, of course.

Because there’s no way Daphne would start her new chapter by falling in love with her ex-fiancé’s new fiancée’s ex . . . right?"

Credit: WriteWatchWork

Credit: WriteWatchWork

Credit: WriteWatchWork

I had been wanting to read Funny Story by Emily Henry for ages, but it wasn't until a book bestie gifted it to me that I was finally able to read it.

The first thing that caught my attention was the premise. I love a fake dating romance and I always adore friends-to-lovers; however, I'd never read a book about dating your ex-fiancé's new fiancée's ex.

It intrigued me because it adds so much complexity in terms of relationships and handling feelings to the plot that I knew I had to read it. And I'm glad I did.

It is a single point of view narrative from Daphne's perspective. As a female protagonist, I really liked Daphne. She grabbed my attention from the very first page.

I thought she was funny, smart, and very relatable. The chapter headings link to her as a character, and they piqued my curiosity by counting down days. But at the beginning, you don't know what the countdown is for.

Daphne's character is the driving force of this novel, and I became invested in her journey. There are a lot of layers to her personality, and I loved the fact that she was a librarian and got to work with books.

Miles is the complete opposite of Daphne. He works in a winery, everybody loves him, and he is more laid-back and friendly than Daphne. However, the two of them work very well together.

At first, I wasn't so keen on Miles based on the description in the book, but over time, I did like him a lot. However, he definitely isn't my favourite character of this book, or my favourite EmHen MMC.

That being said, I really enjoyed reading about the two of them dealing with their past relationships and trying to move forward with their lives. There was a lot of banter, flirtatious behaviour and general kindness between the two of them.

I think I would have liked to see some more fake dating, but that's possibly because I thought that was a key trope. However, the book does work well with the trajectory of the relationship, focusing on Daphne and Miles as friends first.

A real highlight of the book for me was the female friendships. At the start of Funny Story, Daphne is very much her own person, doing her own thing and keeping to herself.

But throughout the novel, she learns to open up and make friends for herself, including her co-worker, Ashleigh.

I loved reading about the friendship between Daphne and Ashleigh and watching it blossom. Plus, Julia's character was a fab addition that made the trio really great.

The theme of friendship links to my overall takeaway of the book.

Emily Henry does write romance, but I've always found her books to have a deeper, more profound meaning behind them. Funny Story is no different.

Whilst this book is about Daphne and Miles finding love again with each other, it also explores what it means to be happy by yourself and to live a life you want. To be an 'I', not a 'We'.

Daphne discovers what she truly wants as the novel goes on, and she learns to find her own place in town, with her own identity and her own friends. I love how thought-provoking this book was, much like Happy Place, because it makes you, as a reader, reflect on your own life.

Overall, whilst there were a couple of things about the book that did annoy me — mainly Miles' actions at one particular moment — I did really enjoy reading Funny Story by Emily Henry.

It is a perfect summer read, set throughout the summer months, with a colourful cover.

If you fancy reading an Emily Henry book, this is a good place to start. Let me know your thoughts down below in the comments.

Until next time...