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?

Celina Irena Kuhn

I feel Like... Like there's so much space between who I am and who I want to be, and there's no one to show me how to get there. 

And it doesn't really make sense but I thought...maybe If i could get through to your dad, if i could help fix that, than it would prove I'm capable. Of giving you everything you want.

Fatiema 

Life’s short enough without us talking ourselves out of hope and trying to dodge every bad feeling. Sometimes you have to push through the discomfort, instead of running.

kari <33

He loves me. Present tense. And I love him. He knows me, and I see him. 

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

A surprise, as it turns out, is different when it comes from someone who knows and loves you. 

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. The things that matter. The things I can't stop longing for.

He tips his face up to look at me. “Are you hungry?”

“Since I met you,” I say, “constantly.”

I see him laugh but can’t hear it, and I feel robbed of the sound.

Life isn’t a competition, and neither is love, but I’m still the loser. 

But it also takes a kind of fearlessness, to invite someone into your space and ask to be invited into theirs. 

This moment, though fleeting, belongs to me too. 

“I know it's a cliché," he says after a minute, "but being on the water always does feel like what I imagine church is for some people.” 

" I get that," I say. "Out here, you're small and there's no one else around but you’re not lonely. It's like youre connected to every- one and everything." 

"Exactly," he says. "And you remember to marvel. It's so easy to forget how incredible this planet is."

“It’s your face, Miles. All that matters is how you feel about it.”

"It's a library, Daphne. If you can't be a human here, where can you?"

There was no point clinging to something that wasn't really yours.

Lisa Weidacher

I didn’t need an I love you or a box of fudge or whatever big plan you had to make it up to me. I don’t even like surprises! None of that stuff matters when you don’t show up for the little things, and if you loved me, you’d know that.”

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. The things that matter

Lindy

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. 

But as an adult, I find kids so much easier to understand.

They say how they feel, and they show it too. There are fewer ulterior motives and unwritten rules. Silences aren't unbearably awkward, and abrupt segues to different subjects are the norm. If you want to be friends with someone, you just ask, and if they don't want to, they'll probably just tell you.

"It's not cynical. If you don't give other people responsibility for your feelings, you can have a decent relationship with most of them."

Mara Jane

Y me siento afortunado cada vez que me miras. No porque crea merecerte, sino porque tengo la sensación de que no necesitas que lo haga. Como si… te gustara tal como soy.

Y resulta que una sorpresa es distinta cuando procede de alguien que te conoce y te quiere.

No es cinismo. Si no responsabilizas a los demás de tus sentimientos, puedes tener una relación decente con casi todo el mundo.

Ya sabes por qué nos han invitado, Miles. Porque son adictos a que los quiera todo el mundo. Y se les da bien. Tanto como para no darse cuenta de que no se puede esperar amor de las personas a las que has destruido por completo. Ahora mismo se creen que son los buenos de la película. Pero no tienen derecho a verse así. Van a pasarse años viviendo con la certeza de que son los idiotas.

easy peasy read with not much soul or substance. Uncanny that I started this book whilst on my own hen’s holiday considering the start of the book. 

Samantha Waterson

A shimmering, joyful new novel about a pair of opposites with the wrong thing in common, from #1 New York Times bestselling author Emily Henry.

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?

she did it again. emily henry managed to break my heart and put it back together again with this book. i loved it so much.

Keira

Talvez eu tenha terminado esse livro num momento que to estressada demais, irritada, literalmente um dia complicado e ele tenha ficado pior do que deveria ser. Mas, no geral, achei enrolado demais e cansativo de tanta coisa desnecessária. Talvez dê um bom filme mas não necessariamente foi um livro proveitoso e a encheção de linguiça me tirou a paciência (considerando que eu já tava sem nenhuma)

larissa campos 

I needed a cute quick read after the acotar series, and this was an amazing choice. It kept me entertained and I really enjoyed the characters. I loved seeing Daphne and Miles's relationship turn from roommates to friends to partners. I loved all the jokes in this book, and I found myself laughing multiple times. I felt like the third-act breakup wasn't totally unbelievable and I liked the parallel between that and Daphne's friendship with Ashleigh. I love all of Emily Henry's books and I would totally read this again!

Maggie Hotmer

The book is way too long for my liking. The plot got better in the end but it got dragged for longer than needed. Other than that it is a cute read.

Alisha

Good old fashioned chick lit with a happy ending!

Cherine Fok

Kassidy May Gaudet

i love u enough not to want to let you go 

I LOVED this book. At first, I was mad that it won the best romantic book over "Just for the summer", but it was really good. 

Peter was the kind of toxic person who doesn't appear so, he didn't love her to show her the town, to try new things with Daphne, on the other hand, Miles wanted her to love the town, made real effort for her, healed her with his love. He walked every extra mile, she didn't even ask him to walk. The book also talked about family issues, and how the lack of loving parent can affect how we receive love, how we expect people to let us down, how it could mess up our life, just because we have been for our parents to love us enough.

Monica Faez

I LOVED this book. At first, I was mad that it won the best romantic book over "Just for the summer", but it was really good. 

Peter was the kind of toxic person who doesn't appear so, he didn't love her to show her the town, to try new things with Daphne, on the other hand, Miles wanted her to love the town, made real effort for her, healed her with his love. He walked every extra mile, she didn't even ask him to walk. The book also talked about family issues, and how the lack of loving parent can affect how we receive love, how we expect people to let us down, how it could mess up our life, just because we have been for our parents to love us enough.



First ever "romance" book. This book was easy to read and I really loved the characters! Fella's if your wife wants you to read this swallow your toxic masculinity and read this! 

Rodney Crawford

Hätte nicht gedacht das die Story mir gefallen würde, auch die Charaktere wachsen einem anderen Herz und sind sehr realistisch und man kann sich mit ihnen identifizieren. Die liebes Geschichte war auch voll cute. 

Mariam Raji

Hab es als Hörbuch gehört. 

Hätte nicht gedacht das die Story mir gefallen würde, auch die Charaktere wachsen einem anderen Herz und sind sehr realistisch und man kann sich mit ihnen identifizieren. Die liebes Geschichte war auch voll cute. 

Will mehr von Emily Henry lesen xd 

My first book written by Emily Henry, whilst the storyline is somewhat predictable, a well written book that had me constantly wanting to read more. 

Tane B

One thing I like about Emily Henry books is the main character’s relationships with other people. I fear I have grown beyond her books, but thank you for getting me back into reading 

Funny Story de Emily Henry fue un libro que estuvo en mi lista de pendientes por un buen tiempo, pero no me había dado la oportunidad de leerlo hasta hace poco. Al principio, la historia no me enganchó como esperaba, pero, página tras página, fui dejándome llevar. La narración deja entre ver cómo se va desarrollando la amistad entre Daphne y Miles y todo el desenlace de esta conexión que surge a raíz de un par de corazones rotos y te atrapa, sinceramente. Es un libro entretenido: Miles me pareció adorable, y Daphne me encantó como personaje. Al leer todo desde el punto de vista de ella (Daphne) es un viaje constante a través de sus emociones, pensamientos, temores y todo lo que se encuentra en su cabecita (más o menos). Es mi primer libro de esta autora y me ha gustado mucho su forma de escribir, además sus portadas siempre han sido muy bonitas y llamativas, así que quizá por eso también me atrajo en una primera instancia.

This was my fifth vacation read and I have to say, for that- easy, low-threshold entertainment without too much substance, it was a perfect pick. 

, so i wasn't disappointed, I guess. I have been thoroughly entertained for the duration of this read and won't remember much about the characters, conflicts or settings in a couple of days/weeks (to be fair, as it is the case for most romance books for me). 

Emily Henry is a you get what you expect kind of writer and for some that reliability of knowing what to expect, also of feeling represented in her books (she does Center a lot around bookish themes), might be just the reason why they like her as an author. 

I'm mostly indifferent, I might pick a book up if I feel like I need exactly what she offers and that's alright. No one has to reinvent genres all the time and also doesn’t have to tick all the boxes at the time. 

Okay, this was more a ramble than a review, but reading some really bashing reviews for this book, I somehow had to sort my thoughts for a second to find my own opinion. 

Two things i did not enjoy in this one was, 1) the double edged behavior of the main characters (the birthday thing is unforgivable and was poorly resolved in my opinion), 2) the abuse of some expressions/mannerisms the mc seems to display any time she eats, which do not, in any way, contribute to the story. Just make her a lil quirky, right? No. 

This was okay. This will be forgotten in a matter of days. That's okay, too.

Leonie

This was my fifth vacation read and I have to say, for that- easy, low-threshold entertainment without too much substance, it was a perfect pick. 
I didn't go in searching for the next romance, so i wasn't disappointed, I guess. I have been thoroughly entertained for the duration of this read and won't remember much about the characters, conflicts or settings in a couple of days/weeks (to be fair, as it is the case for most romance books for me). 
Emily Henry is a you get what you expect kind of writer and for some that reliability of knowing what to expect, also of feeling represented in her books (she does Center a lot around bookish themes), might be just the reason why they like her as an author. 
I'm mostly indifferent, I might pick a book up if I feel like I need exactly what she offers and that's alright. No one has to reinvent genres all the time and also doesn’t have to tick all the boxes at the time. 

Okay, this was more a ramble than a review, but reading some really bashing reviews for this book, I somehow had to sort my thoughts for a second to find my own opinion. 
Two things i did not enjoy in this one was, 1) the double edged behavior of the main characters (the birthday thing is unforgivable and was poorly resolved in my opinion), 2) the abuse of some expressions/mannerisms the mc seems to display any time she eats, which do not, in any way, contribute to the story. Just make her a lil quirky, right? No. 

This was okay. This will be forgotten in a matter of days. That's okay, too.

Another Emily Henry piece that I adore with my whole heart? Most damn likely! Oh she just never fails to make me happy (& cry). Every EH book I read just keeps on getting better. This was such a breeze, I finished it in a day. Was debating whether I’d sacrifice my sleep by reading it in one go, but priorities & all that.

fortunately, i loved this book enough to not leave a review that read, “it was really NOT a funny story.”

shiya

great escapism + made me cry. wow love. emily henry’s characters always feel so modern + their perspectives on relationships (and inevitable self sabotages/make-ups) feel like they make sense even when their situation is unrealistic. some questionable decision making and miscommunication towards the end but hey it’s a romcom

julia

karina

This book was a really slow read- it probably was not until halfway through I was engaged :/ but the second half was good, still pondering if this left something to be desired or not. 

Neeha Mian

reads a bit like a self insert fanfic or a made up reddit rant post. now i do loveeee a good tropey fanfic as a feelings evoking read? sure! it was a fun read and i ate it up. however there were so many weird plot points and odd character choices. daphne seemed so abrasive for no reason and miles was this “perfect” man who would erratically be a dipshit. i didn’t really get why he was into her at the beginning ? would’ve enjoyed more friendship build up. i mean maybe he just thought she was hot though and that was the immediate bond. 

henry tries to explore childhood trauma and how that impacts dating and this characters were Traumatized fr. kind of clumsily overdone imo

Daphne Li-Chen

reads a bit like a self insert fanfic or a made up reddit rant post. now i do loveeee a good tropey fanfic as a feelings evoking read? sure! it was a fun read and i ate it up. however there were so many weird plot points and odd character choices. daphne seemed so abrasive for no reason and miles was this “perfect” man who would erratically be a dipshit. i didn’t really get why he was into her at the beginning ? would’ve enjoyed more friendship build up. i mean maybe he just thought she was hot though and that was the immediate bond. 

henry tries to explore childhood trauma and how that impacts dating and this characters were Traumatized fr. kind of clumsily overdone imo

cute easy read though 

One of the things I liked about this book was that Daphne was not perfect, and her character actually developed. In other popular romcom books, all of the characters are always fully-formed; the conflict usually comes from their fully-formed-ness conflicting with others’. This is especially true for the MC’s female friendships. It feels like they are a placeholder or soundboard for the FMC to speak to someone other than the MMC. 

I know it sounds weird to say, but I fell in love with Daphne as a character when she forgot Ashley’s birthday. It felt really real that she would make an actual mistake and need to make it up to her friend. The way her and Ashley’s friendship formed and then overcame that challenge was one of my favourite parts of the book. Watching them share more and more of their lives with each other was so heartening. It really underscores how romantic relationships are informed within a context of all our other relationships, and they are all equally important for our development as people. Daphne was better able to understand Miles and have compassion towards him because of her own mistake. 

On a similar note, I also LOVED that Daphne and Brie reconnected, especially on Daphne’s accord having decided to reach out to her. It made my heart glow that she re-wrote the ending to that story between her and Brie, something the Daphne we met at the start of the book could never have done. She was able to realize her part in a self-fulfilling prophecy and change it by being brave. It’s a wonderful example of how tropes like the evil ex-best-friend can sneak into books and remain unchallenged, oftentimes reinforcing our own conceptions about people. Real life people are hardly ever so villainous. I appreciated Henry’s treatment of the subject and all its intricacies. I found how she navigated blame, accountability, mistakes, forgiveness and growth masterful. 

Lastly, I found Daphne’s response to conflict extremely relatable and well-written. When in conflict with both Miles and her dad, she said she didn’t want to hurt them and tempered her response accordingly while still being honest and, when necessary, setting boundaries. Daphne’s genuine kindness as a focal point of her character really guided her in so many situations, and I found this refreshing since oftentimes characters’ character changes from situation to situation in service of the plot. I found it especially refreshing that this was done with a positive trait like kindness. 

The fact that the majority of my review has nothing to do with the romance aspect of the plot speaks to how rich I found the relationships between the characters while still being well-paced. I think the level of depth reached in the construction of each character sufficient, which I hardly ever feel. I wanted to understand more of Miles’ history and emotional lore; I felt I understood Daphne’s internal motivations more than Miles’ in this regard but that likely has to do with the point of view of the book. 

This was my first book by Emily Henry and I can’t wait to read more! Since I read this as an audiobook, my apologies if the names are spelled incorrectly.

H. H. 

One of the things I liked about this book was that Daphne was not perfect, and her character actually developed. In other popular romcom books, all of the characters are always fully-formed; the conflict usually comes from their fully-formed-ness conflicting with others’. This is especially true for the MC’s female friendships. It feels like they are a placeholder or soundboard for the FMC to speak to someone other than the MMC. 

I know it sounds weird to say, but I fell in love with Daphne as a character when she forgot Ashley’s birthday. It felt really real that she would make an actual mistake and need to make it up to her friend. The way her and Ashley’s friendship formed and then overcame that challenge was one of my favourite parts of the book. Watching them share more and more of their lives with each other was so heartening. It really underscores how romantic relationships are informed within a context of all our other relationships, and they are all equally important for our development as people. Daphne was better able to understand Miles and have compassion towards him because of her own mistake. 

On a similar note, I also LOVED that Daphne and Brie reconnected, especially on Daphne’s accord having decided to reach out to her. It made my heart glow that she re-wrote the ending to that story between her and Brie, something the Daphne we met at the start of the book could never have done. She was able to realize her part in a self-fulfilling prophecy and change it by being brave. It’s a wonderful example of how tropes like the evil ex-best-friend can sneak into books and remain unchallenged, oftentimes reinforcing our own conceptions about people. Real life people are hardly ever so villainous. I appreciated Henry’s treatment of the subject and all its intricacies. I found how she navigated blame, accountability, mistakes, forgiveness and growth masterful. 

Lastly, I found Daphne’s response to conflict extremely relatable and well-written. When in conflict with both Miles and her dad, she said she didn’t want to hurt them and tempered her response accordingly while still being honest and, when necessary, setting boundaries. Daphne’s genuine kindness as a focal point of her character really guided her in so many situations, and I found this refreshing since oftentimes characters’ character changes from situation to situation in service of the plot. I found it especially refreshing that this was done with a positive trait like kindness. 

The fact that the majority of my review has nothing to do with the romance aspect of the plot speaks to how rich I found the relationships between the characters while still being well-paced. I think the level of depth reached in the construction of each character sufficient, which I hardly ever feel. I wanted to understand more of Miles’ history and emotional lore; I felt I understood Daphne’s internal motivations more than Miles’ in this regard but that likely has to do with the point of view of the book. 

This was my first book by Emily Henry and I can’t wait to read more! Since I read this as an audiobook, my apologies if the names are spelled incorrectly.

im glad i waited a bit to review this book, because at first i gave this like a 3. but i think it's because its an emily henry book that is a little tooo close to home. like the main character is an only child with dad issues, and that was just a little too real LOL. i on first sitting did not like something the main guy does at the end, but again after sitting on it, it doesn't piss me off anymore and i think i was just being too harsh. also i know the main guy got a lot of hate because he smokes weed and wears crocs, but listen i like that and i wont elaborate further. 

Funny Story

Reviews

Highlights