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A review by girlgetsbook
Funny Story by Emily Henry
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This is such an amazing book that I already want to re-read because I related to it so much, it is not my favorite Emily Henry (I am just a ride or die for people we meet on vacation and happy place) but I saw myself so much in Daphnes' insecurities and in her search for a place to call home. I absolutely loved Miles too, he gives me a Nick Miller vibe but way more extroverted. Honestly the whole book kind of gives me New Girl vibes, especially since it mostly takes place in an apartment.
Honestly I feel like this is Emily's version of a buddy sitcom from the 2010s as opposed to her usual romcom from the 80s~2000s which I was so here for, because I grew up with them and New Girl is my favorite show ever.
So I was really pleased to see the characters struggling with adulthood and being not quite stable (she usually writes pretty stable people if not at least financially comfortable) and it was also a breath of fresh air to see a little bit of messiness in her characters, they have a lot to heal and figure out and I related to that as well.
I loved how it touched on friendship break-ups and also loved how Daphne was a character trying to navigate adulthood and adult friendships and how to make and sustain them (that was waaay too relatable honestly).
The reason why it isn't a 5-star book it's mostly because I don't think the writing was up there with the writing of my favorite romance books (two of them being EH books for that matter), I feel like the banter wasn't as entertaining, I get why it wasn't like that since the characters were softer and less snarky than her usual characters (I honestly think this book's dynamic is sunshine-sunshine), but I thought the book overall was a little bit rushed, even the pacing was a little rushed as well, I'd have liked to sit more with these characters as friends before they there was any romantic tension between them, because I loved them separately but had a harder time being invested in their romantic dynamic.
I still liked the couple and giggled and kicked my feet at their scenes though, but I did have the potential of being as obsessed with them as I am for Wyn and Harriet and Poppy and Alex, if only the pacing was slightly better.
Overall even with pacing issues Emily Henry still is brilliant in her observations of human relationships and her crafting of characters.
Honestly I feel like this is Emily's version of a buddy sitcom from the 2010s as opposed to her usual romcom from the 80s~2000s which I was so here for, because I grew up with them and New Girl is my favorite show ever.
So I was really pleased to see the characters struggling with adulthood and being not quite stable (she usually writes pretty stable people if not at least financially comfortable) and it was also a breath of fresh air to see a little bit of messiness in her characters, they have a lot to heal and figure out and I related to that as well.
I loved how it touched on friendship break-ups and also loved how Daphne was a character trying to navigate adulthood and adult friendships and how to make and sustain them (that was waaay too relatable honestly).
The reason why it isn't a 5-star book it's mostly because I don't think the writing was up there with the writing of my favorite romance books (two of them being EH books for that matter), I feel like the banter wasn't as entertaining, I get why it wasn't like that since the characters were softer and less snarky than her usual characters (I honestly think this book's dynamic is sunshine-sunshine), but I thought the book overall was a little bit rushed, even the pacing was a little rushed as well, I'd have liked to sit more with these characters as friends before they there was any romantic tension between them, because I loved them separately but had a harder time being invested in their romantic dynamic.
I still liked the couple and giggled and kicked my feet at their scenes though, but I did have the potential of being as obsessed with them as I am for Wyn and Harriet and Poppy and Alex, if only the pacing was slightly better.
Overall even with pacing issues Emily Henry still is brilliant in her observations of human relationships and her crafting of characters.