Thank you very much to the publishers and Netgalley for sending me an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I have since purchased my own copy of this book.
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?
Like many other readers Emily Henry’s books are always my most anticipated reads of the year, for good reason. Her books are always funny, romantic and realistic and Funny Story is no different. I adored it!
Daphne always loved how Peter told their story until it became the prologue to his love story with his childhood best friend, Petra. That is how Daphne ends up being roommates with her opposite, Petra’s ex, Miles.
It isn’t a match made in heaven, until they make a plan which involves posting misleading photos of their adventures together. But, it is all just for show because there is no way that Daphne would actually fall in love with her ex-fiancé’s new fiancée’s ex, is there…
The characters in Emily Henry’s books are always delightful and Daphne and Miles are exactly that. Daphne is introverted, bookish and caring. She is a librarian who struggles to make friends as an adult and as a librarian who struggles to make friends I related to her a lot. I loved watching her grow, learn about herself and create a group of friends who love her. She is amazing.
Then we have Miles who I would argue is the best love interest Emily Henry has ever created. He is selfless, caring, adventurous and charming. I loved reading about him, seeing the little things he does for the people he cares about and how well he and Daphne work together.
The pair are excellent together. They are honest with each other, know their own flaws and weaknesses and care deeply for each other. They find themselves in a messy situation at the start of the book but thanks to this a beautiful and unique relationship is created. They are incredible together.
Not only are the main character amazing but I also loved all of the side characters in this book. In particular, the poker group that Daphne ends up being a part of. They were a joy!
I feel like this book tackles a lot more than just romance too. I won’t give any spoilers but expect Emily Henry’s usual adorable romantic story weaved with harder-hitting topics in a perfect way. On top of that there are some amazing quotes and as a librarian one in particular was my favourite. The quote is: “Sometimes the job of a librarian is to simple not ask.” which I immediately wanted to put on the wall at work.
Overall, Funny Story is an adorable, heart-warming and joy-filled book which I cannot recommend enough. Emily Henry’s novels are always a joy to read and I will be talking about this one for a long time.
Loisreadsbooks 