Funny Story by Emily Henry

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💕 Book Review: Funny Story by Emily Henry

⭐️ Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Genre: Contemporary Romance
📅 Published: April 2024
📖 Format Read: Audiobook
📦 Buy on Amazon (affiliate link)

🌈 I Think I’m a Romance Girl Now? 🫣

Listen. I didn’t used to like romance books. But Emily Henry just snuck into my heart like a cozy hoodie I didn’t know I needed. Funny Story is so warm, funny, sweet, and serotonin-filled that I added all her other books to my TBR before I even finished this one. That’s how good it was.

Is the plot predictable? Sure.
Did I care? Not. At. All.
This book is a comfy blanket of feelings, and sometimes that’s exactly what you want.

🚨 Spoiler Alert! Full plot summary ahead. Stop here if you don’t want the juicy details.

📚 Overview

In Funny Story, Emily Henry gives us an emotionally rich, second-chance-at-happiness story wrapped in fake dating, found family, healing from heartbreak, and ridiculously good banter. This is her fifth novel, and at this point, she’s basically the queen of BookTok, millennial romance, and giving us main characters who are way too relatable for our emotional stability.

💔 Plot Summary (Full Spoilers)

From Dumped to Roommates (with benefits?)

Daphne Vincent moves to charming Waning Bay, Michigan, for her fiancé Peter’s job. She lands a gig as a children’s librarian, all ready to live her cozy little life... until Peter comes home from his bachelor party and calls off the wedding. Why? Because he’s in love with his childhood best friend, Petra.

Ouch. It gets worse. While Peter and Petra jet off on vacation (because of course they do), Petra moves into Daphne’s place. So now Daphne needs a new home—fast.

Enter Miles Nowak, Petra’s ex-boyfriend and an unlikely roommate. According to Peter, Miles is just a laid-back, unreliable stoner. But when Daphne moves in, she finds out Miles is... not that. Not even close. He’s quirky, yes. But also warm, grounded, and quietly wonderful.

Let’s Pretend to Date... For Petty Reasons

When Daphne gets an invite to Peter and Petra’s wedding (seriously?), she and Miles hatch a plan: pretend to be a couple and make their exes jealous. Classic. They hard-launch the fake relationship with a well-curated Instagram post, but it doesn’t stay fake for long.

As they spend time together, Miles shows Daphne the real Waning Bay—quirky farm stands, lakeside hidden gems, divey diners. Slowly, Daphne starts falling in love... not just with Miles, but with the life she’s building.

They kiss. They almost hook up. But Miles pulls away—he doesn’t want to ruin their friendship, and his sister Julia just arrived, stirring up some unresolved family trauma.

Life, Loss, and Libraries

Daphne is still healing from her breakup and the loss of her best friend Sadie. But she finds friendship in her coworker Ashleigh and, eventually, a sort of chosen family with Miles, Julia, and Ashleigh. They build a community—one Daphne never knew she needed.

But then:

  • Daphne’s estranged dad randomly shows up, seems like he’s changed... and then ghosts her again.

  • Miles and Daphne finally sleep together... and then he disappears for days.

  • Peter returns, newly single, and drops hints that Miles might be getting back with Petra.

Cue existential spiral. Daphne forgets Ashleigh’s birthday, nearly torches that friendship too, and starts preparing to leave Waning Bay.

But—of course—Miles comes back. Turns out, he wasn’t ghosting her. He was tracking down her dad to make him apologize properly (😢❤️). Also, he was helping Petra move out, not move in.

They confess their love. Daphne decides to live independently, but not alone in spirit. Three months later, they buy a home together and throw a big party with all their new friends.

🌟 What I Loved

  • Miles Nowak. Cinnamon roll. Nature boy. Perfect.

  • The banter and fake dating trope. I ate it up.

  • The vibe. This book is just warm. Even when sad things happen, it feels hopeful.

  • Daphne’s growth. From people-pleasing to powerful. We love to see it.

  • Julia, Ashleigh, and the found-family angle. So wholesome.

👎 What Didn’t Work (but honestly, still fine)

  • Predictable? Yep.

  • Conflict resolution was a little quick? Sure.
    But again... totally didn’t care. This book isn’t here to stress you out. It’s here to soothe your soul.

🧨 Trigger Warnings

  • Parental abandonment

  • Cheating (off-page but central to plot)

  • Emotional manipulation (from ex)

  • Family trauma / absent father

  • Mental health topics (depression, avoidance, etc.)

🔗 Book Details

📘 Title: Funny Story
✍️ Author: Emily Henry
📅 Release Date: April 23, 2024
📦 Buy on Amazon

📚 You Might Also Love...

  • 💕 Book Lovers by Emily Henry — enemies to lovers + bookish perfection

  • 🏖 Beach Read by Emily Henry — grief, creativity, and summer love

  • 🫶 Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez — fake dating with a heart condition twist

  • 🍷 Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez — small town charm and emotional healing

  • ✍️ The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston — ghostwriter falls in love... with a ghost

💬 Final Thoughts

If you’re looking for a romantic comedy with heart, depth, humor, and zero emotional whiplash, Funny Story is your next favorite read. It’s soft, swoony, and life-affirming. Honestly, I closed this book smiling like an idiot and immediately added every other Emily Henry book to my list.

I may not be a “romance reader” by nature... but Emily Henry is turning me into one. And I’m not mad about it.

Let me know—have you read this one yet? Team Miles forever? Drop a comment below! ⬇️

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