Funny Story by Emily Henry tells the story of a very unique situation. Daphne Vincent is engaged and set to marry Peter Collins. They just bought a house in Peter’s hometown of Waning Bay, Michigan, and are set to start their lives as a married couple. Everything blows up when Peter comes home from his bachelor party and tells Daphne that he’s been in love with his childhood best friend, Petra, and that he’s going to pursue that instead of marrying her. Suddenly out of a home, Daphne moves into Miles Nowak’s spare room – Petra’s now ex. What could possibly go wrong?
Both in this very unique situation, they spark a friendship considering they now live in a shared space and both have this shared experience of dealing with an abrupt and difficult breakup. In the midst of all of this, Daphne is planning on leaving Michigan to live closer to her mom and hopefully close this horrible chapter in her life. In hopes of not losing his new friend, Miles decides he’s going to convince Daphne to stay by showing her all the things Waning Bay has to offer – something Peter never did.
As an Emily Henry fan, I knew going into this book that I was going to be swallowed up by it – and did because I read the whole thing in basically a day. Emily Henry writes rich characters with unparalleled banter; a signature feature in all her books that does not feel repetitive, while weaving in character development and plot. The thing I love about her books is that the romance isn’t necessarily the center plot. Yes, it’s integral to the story but there is always some internal conflict happening for the characters that takes a bigger piece of the plot pie.
In Funny Story, Daphne is struggling to figure out who she is outside of her relationships. She realized that in their break up, no one reached out to her. She and Peter had mutual friends that were more Peter’s friends than hers. She was alone, hence her plan to leave and at least have her mom by her side. Daphne grew up thinking that people in her life, no matter who they were, were temporary and believed she pushed people away; that there’s always someone better and she’s not worthy enough to deserve that person’s love and attention. As a result, she didn’t strive to create new connections and relationships on her own, and stuck to Peter’s side during their relationship to try to mesh into what he had already created. I can relate to Daphne here because making friends as an adult isn’t easy; it’s not like when you’re kids and you just walk up to someone and say “we’re friends now” and that’s that. In becoming friends with Miles, she realizes that the key to doing this is just curiosity (something my therapist has been telling me for months).
Overall, I enjoyed Funny Story and think it now takes the top spot in my Emily Henry rankings; previously held by Book Lovers which is now #2. I always find relatable pieces in Henry’s books, and this one was no different. Sometimes I feel like authors sense what is needed and put out the right books at the right time. All in all, the story was enjoyable with a ton of banter, per usual, and the slowest but satisfying burn. Daphne and Miles are both loveable characters with a lot of heart, as are the supporting characters that help enrich the story. I will say, Peter ain’t shit; even fictional men only have the audacity. That said, Funny Story gets five stars. I already can’t wait for Emily Henry’s next book – whatever and whenever that may be.
