Emily Henry

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 actually start her new chapter by falling in love with her ex-fiancé’s new fiancée’s ex . . . right?

Funny Story

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?

This is my problem. I don't know how to talk along the surface of things, but I also don't want to unearth the ugly stuff, over and over again, for people who are just passing through my life. It's depleting. Like every time I dole out a kernel of my history to someone who’s not going to become a fixture in my life, a piece of me gets carried away, somewhere I can never get it back.

Emma Hak-Kovacs

“You're the reason for the word wonderful. It really shouldn't be used for anything else.”

I want to know myself, to test my edges and see where I stop and the rest of the world begins.

“You make the people you care about feel like…” He pauses. “Like you want all of them. Not just the good parts. And that’s terrifying to someone who’s spent a lifetime avoiding those other pieces of themselves.”

The same universe that dispassionately takes things away can bring you things you weren't imaginative enough to dream up.

All those moments throughout the days, weeks, months that don't get marked on calendars with hand-drawn stars or little stickers. Those are the moments that make a life. Not grand gestures, but mundane details that, over time, accumulate until you have a home, instead of a house.

surtified™

“Funny story . . .” he says, but he doesn’t go on, just watches me and waits. He knows how much I love to tell it.

“We shouldn’t mope,” he goes on, with another shake of his head. “But I’m getting so good at it,” I whine.

“They,” I say, “suck.” “She’s the love of my life,” he says. “The love of your life sucks,” I tell him. He fights a smile. There’s something adorable about it, so puppyish that I find myself tempted to ruffle his already messy hair. When I do, his smile just barely slants up. The movement makes his dark eyes glimmer

these guys have the perfect chemistry dude.

Don’t be,” I insist. “You’re not the one marrying Petra instead of me.” He winces a little. “Shit! Now I’m sorry,” I say. He shakes his head as he sits back from me. “I just need a minute,” he says, avoiding my gaze. He turns his head to stare out the window. Oh, god. He’s crying now too. Or trying very hard not to. Shit, shit, shit. “Miles!” I’m in a panic. It’s been a while since I comforted someone. “I just need a second,” he repeats. “I’m fine.” “Hey!” I crawl across the couch toward him and take his face in my hands, proof that the wine has hit my bloodstream.

” He smooths my hair back with his free hand as I cry into his T-shirt, which smells only very faintly of weed, and much more of something spicy and woodsy.

we're 32 pages in and this guys already like this oml i'm gonna weep

Somehow, out of everything, that’s what does it: I start to cry. “Hey.” Miles moves closer. “It’s okay. It’s . . . fuck.” He pulls me roughly into his chest, his wine bottle still hanging from his hand. He kisses the top of my head like it’s the most natural thing in the world.

Cassidy Nolan

Miles slips his arms around my waist, the woodsmoke and ginger smell folding around me, my heart pattering at the feeling of him kissing the side of my neck. I let myself lean back into him, the best feeling in the world. At least, the best feeling that’s appropriate to have in front of your mother.

“You really don’t know this already?” I ask Elda.

“It’s how Daphne and I got together.” Miles’s arms tighten around me.

I crane my neck over my shoulder to look at him. His dimples sink into his beard, and it feels like my heart is unzipping, stepping out of its calloused skin, a glowing, sunlit thing.

“Funny story . . .” he says, but he doesn’t go on, just watches me and waits.

“You’re the most generous person I’ve ever met, even to people who’ve given you no reason to be generous, and you 

 come through for the people you care about. I honestly can’t totally figure out why someone as 

 as you would love me, when I can be kind of a pessimistic asshole. But I do feel like the luckiest person in the world, to be who you want. Because I want you too. I love you too. I love you in a way that feels brand-new. You make every single thing that went wrong feel like it was just a step in the right direction, and it - it makes me excited. For life to keep surprising me.

His voice thickens: “I didn’t learn what love was supposed to feel like. It doesn’t feel natural, or come easily to me, to let anyone close. But you - you make love so easy, Daphne. You make me think I already deserve it, exactly as I am.

“And I feel lucky every time you look at me. Not because I think I’ve managed to 

 you, but because it feels like you don’t need me to. Like you just . . . like me.” He shakes his head, voice fraying as he corrects himself. “Like you 

“And I know I’m not who you pictured yourself with, but I think I could be, eventually. If you’ll let me. So don’t go. Because I don’t want you to. Because you’re my best friend, and I’m in love with you.”

I love my coworkers, and I love the patrons. I love the lake and the farm stands and BARn and Ashleigh and Julia and Miles.

“No?” Miles gives a hoarse laugh. “How is that a response to what I just said? I just told you I 

 I undo my seat belt with trembling hands. “You don’t get to say that to me. You don’t get to disappear, and then show up and buy me fucking fudge and pick me up from work, and tell me you love me-“

“And you did panic. Even though you didn’t want to. And I 

 expect something, even though I tried not to.”

“Good!” he half shouts. “Expect something! You want to put me on a hook? Put me on the hook. I freaked out, Daphne, but that doesn’t mean I don’t love you.”

I don’t want to be a part of the wrong 

 I’d rather be on my own, even if it hurts right now.

My life, five months ago, was picture perfect, but it wasn’t the picture I wanted.

“I was so deluded, I thought they’d be on board with the whole Petra thing. And her parents were thrilled, but mine . . . they know me better than all this. They knew it was a mistake right away. You’re part of my family, Daphne. You 

As he’s saying it, I feel the telltale prickle behind my nose, the heat coursing into my cheeks. Tears are surfacing and I can’t stop them.

Taking this as encouragement, he moves closer. “We can get our life back,” he whispers. “It’s not too late.”

We’re cresting, and when we do, we’ll float back down into reality, into our two separate bodies.

But right now, he’s entirely mine and I’m his.

I knew being with him like this would be good, and fun, and maybe even funny, but I’m surprised how my chest keeps twinging like my 

 have too much weight, and my rib cage might crack under them. I keep catching myself just before the words can tip over my lips: 

Miles just nods as if agreeing, sneaks a hand under my neck, and kisses me again, so tenderly I could almost cry.

Super cute book but also felt like i knew what was going to happen and that the romance wasn’t real. 

Haley Bucklin

such a good wholesome story! i feel like everything just came full circle in the end, and this is the only emily henry novel that i loved the ending so much because it didn’t feel rushed with an epilogue for an ending. although i do have my doubts (currently) if they’re gonna stay together for long, but the 1 year skip was a clear indicator that they would considering they’re both mature enough to handle problems. 

i love the transparency and the dialogues exchanged between miles and daphne. they are so wholesome and so raw with each other throughout the book.

this may be the only emily henry novel that i didn’t feel so devastated and sad when it ended. like it took me awhile to finish not because it was boring, but because i didn’t want them to end yet. (maybe also because they aren’t dealing with grief because of a death of a loved one). they are such a comfort couple to me. and miles. mygod MILES. such an honest and ambitious and insecure male lead to whom i related to so much (more than daphne). 

such a good wholesome story! i feel like everything just came full circle in the end, and this is the only emily henry novel that i loved the ending so much because it didn’t feel rushed with an epilogue for an ending. although i do have my doubts (currently) if they’re gonna stay together for long, but the 1 year skip was a clear indicator that they would considering they’re both mature enough to handle problems. 

i love the transparency and the dialogues exchanged between miles and daphne. they are so wholesome and so raw with each other throughout the book.

this may be the only emily henry novel that i didn’t feel so devastated and sad when it ended. like it took me awhile to finish not because it was boring, but because i didn’t want them to end yet. (maybe also because they aren’t dealing with grief because of a death of a loved one). they are such a comfort couple to me. and miles. mygod MILES. such an honest and ambitious and insecure male lead to whom i related to so much (more than daphne). 

i love them, my indie couple 🥹

Very good story line and LOVE that it was set in Northern Michigan. Fell in love with the “Hallmark-style” romantic plot with a surprise emphasis on friendship. 

Had a hard time following the character development. Felt like some “trauma” that each character had to work through didn’t have enough backstory and was difficult to follow.

Sarah Keilman

Very good story line and LOVE that it was set in Northern Michigan. Fell in love with the “Hallmark-style” romantic plot with a surprise emphasis on friendship. 

Had a hard time following the character development. Felt like some “trauma” that each character had to work through didn’t have enough backstory and was difficult to follow.

i am a HUGE fan of emily henry and have read all of her books, but this one honestly took me a bit longer to get through than the others. i checked it out from libby as soon as i could, but i actually wasn't able to finish before the ebook was returned, and i had a good 2 months until the book returned to me once again to reflect on why. i think daphne's personality was a bit harder to pin down than henry's other characters. we're told she's type A — the kind of person who doesn't like surprises, who plans everything out, who hates people being late, etc. etc. but i don't feel like we actually see as much of it beyond being told? and likewise with miles — i found it harder to fall in love with him than with henry's other mls. i actually can't tell if it's that both daphne and miles are different from me, so it's harder for me to understand their perspectives, or if they just aren't written with enough depth and consistency for me to have understood. i quite liked julia and ashleigh and wished there were a bit more of the dynamics with daphne and them; in fact, i felt like henry was trying to build a cast of characters, but that there still wasn't quite the right amount of depth, particularly since julia just disappeared to chicago and basically didn't come back for several chapters + we hear about her whole debacle from miles instead of from her. i know some people have previously said that henry's other books all feel like the resolution happens all at once at the ending and then it just ends. for me, this isn't a problem lol but i wonder if she tried to address that and weave more of the emotional threads throughout the plot earlier so that the resolutions would feel less abrupt. if so, i feel like her attempt to do so wasn't seamless. in general, this is a rly long review of me just complaining hahah i will say there are plenty of moments i quite liked, and i admire that henry was trying to do something different here in terms of how she tells her stories, and i want her to keep trying and keep becoming a stronger and stronger writer! i will obviously still be there for the next book and will continue rereading her previous books, but this one might be a skip for me in those future rereads.

lucia

Emily Henry's books are so good I can't even explain to you the high they give me. Funny story follows Miles and Daphne, who's partners, who are best friends, realise they love one another and leave, meaning Daphne is forced to move in with Miles. And the interations between these two are adorable. I genuinely loved this book with my whole heart; there's something about Emily Henry's men where they just hit the right spot, they're so kind, and I just love them and the way they treat the women. Like miles, immediatly at the first 100 pages or so, he shows this emotional depth I didn't know could exist in men, and I find it so godamn fine. And then there's the adorable cute stuff he does, going the extra mile where he tries to sort out Daphne's issues before anyone elses. What I would recommend is that, I would have liked to see the wedding, and I also would have liked to see more into Miles' trauma, I think what we got was rather minimal, and I would have cried even more if we got his backstory with a bit more detail, if you know what I mean. An overall amazing book, which I loved and recommend whole heartedly. 

Funny story is officially my favorite Emily Henry book 🤍 It was the perfectly imperfect love story I needed! I can relate so much to Daphne & Miles. Their background & dynamic is so similar to mine & my husband’s so it was great getting a bit of advice from Daphne’s mom! I loved her friendship with Ash & the poker group as well as her rekindled relationship with Sadie. Now I want to move to Michigan!

Mariah crawford

Absolutely devoured this one, Emily Henry slays again. 

Kaitlin Simpson

millena

4,5 ⭐️

ok let’s go!!!! the first 40% really gave me 5 star energy, between 40%-75% I started to get a little bored because it seemed a bit (just a bit, I promise!!!) repetitive, the 3rd act breakup really made me want to throw my kindle at the wall 

so far these were the characters that I loved and identified the most and it's definitely my favorite book of her (haven’t read Happy Place tho), I feel that compared to the others this was the one that focused more on the romance


‼️ tiny spoiler ahead

I KNOW it was a misunderstand but wtf??!?!?, what she hates the most is being left waiting, Miles KNOWS this, no one will ever convince me that he would do this without texting and then apologizing in the same way HE KNOWS her father always did AND THAT SHE HATES

and when I thought it couldn't get any worse, Peter shows up to say that Miles was with his ex? no no no 🤺 this pissed me off so much that when it was explained what really happened I just couldn't stop being angry about the situation

The bad: If it wasn't for book club I wouldn't have read it. Not for me so it was hard to really like.  I'm not into romance and I don't enjoy spice in books. While the premise is funny in theory,  its also kinda stupid in practice. I feel like it could've been executed more realistically/maturely. I did find Daphne' s characterization pretty annoying. Based on the cover I assumed lemonade would be more significant that was a letdown. 

The good: Daphne and Miles did have good chemistry and were really sweet to each other, and I enjoyed the small-town setting. The town felt like its own character. 

The neutral: I read this book the way I would watch reality tv passively and painlessly but without a lot of investment and def got bored of it after a while. 

Liyah 🤎

The bad: If it wasn't for book club I wouldn't have read it. Not for me so it was hard to really like.  I'm not into romance and I don't enjoy spice in books. While the premise is funny in theory,  its also kinda stupid in practice. I feel like it could've been executed more realistically/maturely. I did find Daphne' s characterization pretty annoying. Based on the cover I assumed lemonade would be more significant that was a letdown. 
The good: Daphne and Miles did have good chemistry and were really sweet to each other, and I enjoyed the small-town setting. The town felt like its own character. 
The neutral: I read this book the way I would watch reality tv passively and painlessly but without a lot of investment and def got bored of it after a while. 

I would be surprised if an Emily Henry book disappointed me. 

nuha ✨️

I’m in love w this book. it honestly didnt even feel like reading. I LOVE MILES AND DAPHNE SOSOSOSOSO MUCH THEYRE SO CUTE AND AMAZING. I adore emily henry so much

literally nothing can go wrong with an Emily Henry book!

Lior 🌸Lily🌸 Sasson

Elizabeth Denny

Maureen

“But keeping every glimmer of hope out has isolated me too, and I want to be seen. I want to be loved. I want to live with the hope that things can get better, even if, in the end, they don't.”

***

Ah, the amount of times I typed “mee” on my kindle just because I related to Daphne’s character so much! I didn’t think I’d find a female character who shares the same thought process, but I actually did so I feel really seen. 

Heard this got mixed reviews, but I definitely belong to the positive side. Daphne and Miles’ characters were written well. The latter reminded me of Gus from Beach Read, and I appreciate that the author really spent the time to build his arc, and not just write his problems off as trivial for the sake of prioritizing the female lead’s character growth. Miles’ struggles resonated with me, too.

I have to commend the author for doing the fake dating + forced proximity trope really well, haha.

Overall, Funny Story definitely has its shortcomings. Some parts felt too abrupt and I kinda expected more from the ending. Another thing I noticed with Emily Henry’s writing is that she has the tendency to half-bake the events nearing the end, all so she can close the story with a happy ending for the leads. And while I do love my happily-ever-afters, I wish she’d just refrain from introducing (new) conflicts bordering on the last arc, as they’re mostly resolved in a rush, which leaves readers with a sour taste. 

Nevertheless, when I chance upon a book that connects with me on a deep(er) level like this one did, I am happy to gloss over its inconsistencies. So this still merits a five stars from me. 

Emily Henry’s books ranked: Beach Read, Book Lovers / Funny Story (can’t decide atp), Happy Place 🫶🏼

big ab

i think emily henry is definitely one of the better romance writers, this was not my favorite emily henry at all. it was definitely cute but also.. flat? to me, it felt like the two main characters were just a mod podge of the other emily henry characters. i needed a little more i think. but i did really like it.

emily henry strikes again‼️ kicked my feet and giggled all the way through

Naiya Amin

Kay Sutherland

Emily Henry has a thing for the “we were engaged/almost married, and then everything went wrong” trope, and I eat it up everytime.

Chloé Dupèré

adorable - another great emily henry read

Megan Helberg Keiser

Jennifer Gosnell

I love, love, love Emily Henry’s books — and this one is now tied for first alongside ‘Beach Read.’ It was SO good! The banter, the twists and turns, the chemistry. I loved every minute of this world and these people.

Carmen Malca

god bless an emily henry book to read on the train! i love a little romance novel and especially one that’s well written! 

camille paradis

Ainsley Jeffery

First read post POL thought seminar semester !!

radhika dhawan

i feel like every time i’ve finished an emily henry book my life has been changed, which is definitely a high expectation to put on an author, but i just didn’t feel that with this one. 
it’s good! just definitely not my favourite by her and that’s ok. :)

Funny Story

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