On April 19, our countdown to one of the most anticipated albums of the year ended. But if you’re a rom-com lover, The Tortured Poets Department isn’t the only thing you were looking forward to in April, Emily Henry’s fifth adult romance novel, Funny Story, is on bookshelves and e-readers everywhere. Emily Henry is one of our favorite romance authors in the game, but the question remains, how does she keep doing it? And by “it,” I, of course, mean writing romance novel after romance novel that hit us right in the feels. If you’re wondering if Henry’s hot streak continues with Funny Story, you’ve come to the right place. Here are all the reasons Funny Story is yet another must-read romance. TL;DR: Just order it now, you won’t regret it.
Daphne always loved the way her fiancé, Peter, told the story of how they met, fell in love, and moved to his lakeside hometown together… that is until Peter realized that he was actually in love with his childhood best friend, Petra. Rocked by their split, Daphne finds herself proposing to be roommates with the only other person who could possibly understand her situation: Petra’s ex, Miles. The two roommates mostly avoid each other. But one night, while drowning their sorrows together, they hatch a plan to post misleading photos of each other and their adventures over the summer. 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?
Its simple premise isn’t actually simple at all
The premise of Funny Story is simple in the way that it can be boiled down to a sentence: When her fiancé breaks up with her, practical and buttoned-up Daphne moves in with scruffy and chaotic Miles, her ex-fiancé’s new fiancée’s ex. But there’s nothing simple about that situation. It gives us two characters who have been left by the people they thought they would spend the rest of their lives with. Both Daphne and Miles need to process their heartbreak, navigate their new living situation, and decide what is next for them. That’s a lot for anyone to handle, but it leaves the door open for endless possibilities.
It plays with almost every trope
Emily Henry is known for using classic romance tropes in unexpected ways. Here, she tackles the most tropes yet, giving us friends-to-lovers, forced proximity, fake dating, and opposites attract, to name a few. But Emily Henry’s use of tropes never feels contrived. When we meet Daphne and Miles, they are both reeling from devastating breakups. So when they decide to fake date in the hopes of getting back at their exes, it makes perfect sense. And later, as they start to heal, of course, they see potential in each other.
It encourages you to be a tourist in your own town
When Daphne moves to Waning Bay, Michigan, she lets Peter, who grew up there, show her the town. Daphne and Miles spend every Sunday together, going to farmers’ markets and kayaking. Each scene is made real by Emily Henry’s detailed description of the gorgeous landscape. It made me want to travel to Michigan, but more than anything, it made me want to appreciate everything there is for me to do right here in my home of Charlotte, North Carolina.
It shares a refreshing take on friendship
Sometimes, it feels like there are two guarantees in romance novels: 1) The characters are going to end up together in the end, and 2) The female main character has a ride-or-die best friend. But that isn’t the case in Funny Story.
When we meet Daphne, she doesn’t have a best friend—or really any friends at all. When Peter broke up with her, he took her friends, including her college best friend, who happens to be dating Peter’s childhood best friend, with him. The end of Daphne’s romantic relationship forces her to start over with not just her love life but also her friendships. This is a painful yet relatable reality so many of us face when our relationships end; sometimes, we not only lose our partners but also our friend groups. In some cases, that loss can hurt even more than the breakup.
Don’t worry, though—in true rom-com fashion, Daphne doesn’t stay down forever. She eventually comes out of her shell at work, developing a true friendship with a coworker and building community by meeting local business owners and joining a poker night.
Its characters are still figuring things out
If I had to name one thing that makes Emily Henry’s novels so successful, it would be this: Her characters don’t have it all figured out, just like all of us. Daphne loves her job as a children’s librarian, but she isn’t sure if Waning Bay is the place for her. Miles is a friend to everyone in town, but his lack of a relationship with his parents still hurts him. Miles’ sister, Julia, is incapable of not leaving her things scattered all over the apartment.
Whether major or minor or both, each and every character has something they are dealing with. And although it isn’t easy to change, they all end up in better places by the time you turn the final page. That’s why reading Emily Henry’s novels is so comforting. They remind us of the joy in not just the destination but the journey.
Daphne always loved the way her fiancé, Peter, told the story of how they met, fell in love, and moved to his lakeside hometown together… that is until Peter realized that he was actually in love with his childhood best friend, Petra. Rocked by their split, Daphne finds herself proposing to be roommates with the only other person who could possibly understand her situation: Petra’s ex, Miles. The two roommates mostly avoid each other. But one night, while drowning their sorrows together, they hatch a plan to post misleading photos of each other and their adventures over the summer. 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?
