Here’s What We Think About Emily Henry’s New Book “Funny Story”
The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Casper Libero chapter.
From Beach Read to Book Lovers, Emily Henry has become a master at writing heartwarming romances between imperfect (but human) characters that make you believe in love again. Her most recent release on April 23rd, Funny Story, is no exception.
What is “Funny Story” about?
Funny Story starts with our female lead Daphne who, after leaving all her life behind to move to a small town in Michigan at Peter’s (her fiancé) insistence, gets dumped because the (now ex) fiancé is in love with his childhood best friend, Petra (yikes!).
Feeling abandoned and with nowhere else to go, she decides to move in with our male lead Miles. He just so happened to be Petra’s ex-boyfriend, who got dumped the same way as Daphne.
During 108 days, all Daphne wants is to plan the Read-a-thon she is hosting at the library she works at to perfection, move out of Northern Michigan, and leave this traumatizing experience behind. Miles, however, is determined to show her just how amazing this town and its people are.
Our thoughts
Coming from an Emily Henry enthusiast, I could feel from the first pages that this would be one of my favorite books from her. Like all of Emily’s previous protagonists, Daphne and Miles are deeply relatable characters.
Reading about her arc, going from (literally) counting down the days till she can leave this small town that makes her feel like an unloving and friendless alien, to confronting her deeply rooted abandonment issues with her absent father (as well as her previous relationships) and growing to love the little life she builds with Miles and her new friends is capable of making any reader feel emotionally attached to this story.
Alongside that, following Miles’s backstory, and learning as to how he keeps himself so positive and hopeful (a great contrast of personality compared to Daphne’s skepticism and pessimism made by the author), just to later on discover that he actually has lots of insecurities of his own that make him feel as if he has to hide, so he can never be a burden to anyone in his life, helps us understand his character on a deeper level.
The romance aspect of this book is at a slower pace. The dynamic between Daphne and Miles starts off as regular housemates. But as he begins to show her the very best there is in Northern Michigan, they become friends, while also fighting a deep attraction as they get to learn about each other’s past and emotions. Reading every personal conversation and just being overall happy to experience all mundane activities between the two was a swooning experience.
(Also, good news to the fellow fake dating trope lovers, this book also features a bit of that, when both characters decide to fake date in front of their exes to cause jealousy.)
Besides Daphne and Miles, the side characters in Funny Story are captivating and have unique and distinctive personalities. Miles’ sister, Julia, and Daphne’s best friend, Ashleigh, were such fun additions to the cast. Not to mention an improvement from her previous books, which didn’t necessarily worry about other characters’ arcs besides the two protagonists.
Overall, Funny Story is a magical experience. From the small town setting, the immaculate romance, the representation of healthy female friendships, the conversation surrounding coping and overcoming traumas of all kinds, the impeccable writing by Emily Henry (a surprise to no one), to the silly easter eggs referring to past books, it’s an overall amazing reading experience that will make anyone feel seen and loved.
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The article above was edited by Ludmila Costa.
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