Funny Story by Emily Henry | Review, Quotes, Questions

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A new Emily Henry book always feels like a vacation, doesn’t it?! My Funny Story by Emily Henry review includes aaaaalll of my thoughts on Emily Henry’s new book, including the characters, premise, setting, tropes—and how it holds up against her other books!

My in-depth, spoiler-free book review of Funny Story by Emily Henry explores every side of this heartwarming contemporary romance book, from favorite quotes in Funny Story, a brief summary, Funny Story book club questions, and more!

Content warnings

Emotional abuse, infidelity, abandonment, grief, sexual content

Thank you to Berkley and PRHaudio for gifting the complimentary book! My review reflects my honest thoughts.

Funny Story Book Review / Summary

#1 New York Times bestselling author Emily Henry

Funny Story is about a woman named Daphne who is just getting settled in a new place, Waning Bay, Michigan, with her fiancé, Peter, when her world is turned upside down.

She thought Peter was excited to move back to his lakeside hometown with her and start their lives together, but things take a turn when he decides to leave Daphne for the person he’s really in love with: his childhood best friend, Petra.

Daphne’s life was on the perfect trajectory. She’d just landed her dream job as a children’s librarian, ready to live in her dream house with Peter.

When Peter leaves and she finds herself in need of a temporary place to live, she ends up finding a roommate with the only other person who understands her heartbreak: Petra’s ex, Miles Nowak.

Miles is Daphne’s opposite in every way. He’s chaotic, everything but practical and punctual, and somehow exactly what socially awkward Daphne needs.

And as readers get to know Daphne and her tendency to build walls with everyone she meets, readers also get to watch Miles chip away at them, one local adventure at a time.

But when the walls in Daphne’s life come crumbling down, will the cracks in Miles be repairable? Is it the wrong thing? Will this pair of opposites stand the test of time, or are they just bitter?

@molliereadsbooks Thank you @berkleypub @PRH Audio for the complimentary book! I am UNWELL. Full review on my blog molliereads.com, along with favorite quotes, book club questions, and more! #funnystorybook #funnystorybyemilyhenry #funnystoryemilyhenry #emilyhenry #emilyhenrybooks #emilyhenrygirlie ♬ original sound – Mollie Reads | Book Blogger

My Thoughts on Funny Story

I loved this book—to no one’s surprise! I think this joyful new novel might be her funniest book yet. I still think Happy Place is my favorite of Emily Henry’s, but wow, she is getting better and better at character development.

Funny Story feels most similar to Book Lovers (IMO), because it’s set in a small town and has very traditional rom-com vibes . . . but with the twist. Plus, the banter was very on par with Book Lovers.

I think Miles might be her best boyfriend/love interest yet. He’s so well drawn. His flaws are genuinely annoying at times, and I love how real this makes him. But he’s also so lovable! He and Daphne together are so damn lovely.

As always, Emily Henry is trying to turn me into a Michigan girlie. The setting is flawless. This isn’t just a typical love story—it’s a love story for a place, too. I loved watching Daphne fall in love with this new town and put her own roots down.

I also loved Daphne’s journey of self-discovery and the celebration of deep, meaningful friendships outside of romantic love (definitely giving Happy Place with those themes).

This was such a delicate and important part of the story. I think because of this dynamic, the Funny Story book club questions will really add more depth. And I know readers everywhere were rooting for her to make her own way in the world, with or without Miles!

Funny Story Tropes

Funny Story has all my favorite tropes. 😍 Opposites attract, friends to lovers, forced proximity/roommate romance, fake dating, and **kind of** a grumpy/sunshine romance, if you count Daphne as the grump, which I’m still not completely sold on. But it definitely provides an interesting element to the story!

Buy Funny story on Amazon

Favorite Quotes from Funny Story by Emily Henry

Things I can’t dream up too. The ways it will all go wrong, and the beauty that can only happen in the wake. A second act I fell into, and the home that I chose, as much as it chose me. I can’t wait. I can’t wait for this whole world I’ve invited to surprise me.
—Emily Henry, Funny Story

Miles smiles tentatively, an apology of a smile: Should I be here right now?
You should always be here, my heart answers.
—Emily Henry, Funny Story

[It’s] like being in a womb. Like lying on a quilt in the yard of our old house, the one we shared with Dad, on a summer day, legs tickling as a roly-poly climbed over the back of my calf. Like being tucked back in the library stacks with no one around and a good selection.
—Emily Henry, Funny Story

This is how time works. The things you wait months for blink past, like the flash of a strobe, huge swaths lost in the dark beats between.
—Emily Henry, Funny Story

Funny Story Book Club Questions

Ice breaker question: Miles takes Daphne on many Saturday adventures in his small town. What would be your perfect “local adventure” day?
How did you feel about Daphne’s decision to temporarily be Miles’s roommate?
We see throughout the book how Daphne is a little socially awkward or reserved, never really giving herself to people fully. Why do you think that is?
Who was your favorite side character, and why?
Did anything surprise you about the fake dating storyline? Why or why not?
In the beginning, it seems as though some of Daphne’s reservations about Miles are tied to her feelings about her own father. How are Miles and her father similar? How are they different?
What are some of the obstacles Miles needs to overcome throughout the book? How did you see his character transform, if at all?
How does Daphne grow and change throughout the book?
What did you think about Peter and Petra by the end of the book?

Other Books by Emily Henry

Emily Henry’s other books are:

A Million Junes
When the Sky Fell on Splendor
Hello Girls
Beach Read
People We Meet on Vacation
Book Lovers
Happy Place

Similar Books to Funny Story

These books explore similar themes or are reminiscent of Funny Story in some way:

Book Lovers by Emily Henry
Happily Never After by Lynn Painter
This Summer Will Be Different by Carley Fortune
Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood

Final Thoughts on Funny Story by Emily Henry

I recommend Funny Story if you’re already a fan of Emily Henry—especially if you loved Book Lovers—or if you like romance books with heavier themes. The book is perfect for spring reading because of the setting, but you can’t go wrong adding it to your summer reading list either.

You’ll see by the reviews this book is not for everyone, so make sure you vibe with the tropes and premise before picking it up. I thought it was the perfect cocktail of sweet, emotional, and charming. Let me know if you loved it, too!