Review By Gabrielle
Superstar author Emily Henry has done it again with Funny Story.
Favourite Quote:
“I let my eyes open, and now the sight of him – that messy hair, his sun-freckled face and scruffy jaw, those chocolate-brown eyes – it cuts through my veins, a thousand wakes from a thousand little boats with Miles on their sails, headed straight toward my heart.”
Goodreads Synopsis:
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?
It’s no secret I’m an Emily Henry fan. I have loved all her books. Her signature style of writing is both genuinely funny and heartfelt, making for a truly joyful reading experience. That being said, this book didn’t grab me right away, unlike her previous books.
At first, I had a harder time connecting with Daphne. She’s so super closed off because of her daddy issues, that even her coworkers know nothing about her. After her break-up, she’s left with no friends, no hobbies of her own, and no idea what to do next. The one thing she does have is a job she loves as a children’s librarian, and that’s what saved me from giving up on her. Because otherwise she felt a little two dimensional. Her daddy issues really take centre stage in her story and although I get it, it felt like low hanging fruit for Emily. Maybe I’ve just come to expect more. I’m relieved to report though, over the course of the book, we do get some great character growth in Daphne and she won me over by the end.
Miles in contrast, was wonderful. I just loved his easy-going character. I loved how much he loves people and could bring anyone out of their shell. From the outset, I found Miles to be a much more well-developed character. And Miles and Daphne together? Yes please. Their banter and connection was off the charts wonderful. I don’t always love a fake dating trope, but it worked for me here.
One of my favourite things about this book is the library where Daphne works. I loved all the folks that came in or work there, and their funny and touching stories. There is a statement here about the value of libraries and their importance in the community that I wholeheartedly agree with.
Overall, although not my favourite of Emily Henry’s books, this is another great read.
Thank you, Berkeley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
