Goodreads says, "A shimmering, joyful new novel about a pair of opposites with the wrong thing in common. Daphne always loved the way her fiancé Peter told their story. How they met (on a blustery day), fell in love (over an errant hat), and moved back to his lakeside hometown to begin their life together. He really was good at telling it…right up until the moment he realized he was actually in love with his childhood best friend Petra.Which is how Daphne begins her new story: Stranded in beautiful Waning Bay, Michigan, without friends or family but with a dream job as a children’s librarian (that barely pays the bills), and proposing to be roommates with the only person who could possibly understand her predicament: Petra’s ex, Miles Nowak.Scruffy and chaotic—with a penchant for taking solace in the sounds of heart break love ballads—Miles is exactly the opposite of practical, buttoned up Daphne, whose coworkers know so little about her they have a running bet that she’s either FBI or in witness protection. The roommates mainly avoid one another, until one day, while drowning their sorrows, they form a tenuous friendship and a plan. If said plan also involves posting deliberately misleading photos of their summer adventures together, well, who could blame them?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?"
Daphne Vincent uprooted her entire life to move in with her fiance, Peter, in his small hometown of Waning Bay, Michigan. She assimilated right into his life, and his friend group, and even found a fabulous job as a children's librarian at the local library. Everything is going well until it isn't. Peter has left Daphne for his best friend, Petra. He always said they were just friends, well, it turns out they aren't. This obviously leaves Daphne heartbroken and she slowly realizes that she has no friends or social life in Waning Bay outside of Peter. Petra's ex, Miles, is also heartbroken and when he realizes that Daphne has to move out of Peter's house, he offers her a spare room in his apartment. They both mourn their relationships and on a drunken night when they get an invitation to Peter and Petra's upcoming wedding, Daphne responds to Peter that not only will she attend the wedding, she will be bringing Miles as they are dating. Cue the drama and the fake dating trope. The time that Miles and Daphne spend together is filled with hilarious and heartwarming moments as well as major chemistry. Even if things work with Miles, Daphne wants out of Waning Bay, so this can't be a real relationship, or can it? Emily Henry's Funny Story is reminiscent of a Meg Ryan rom-com and on audio, it was a real treat.
Daphne is a likable character in Funny Story, but she did frustrate me at times. She was a bit needy and lacked confidence. This was really prominent in her relationship with her father as it's complex. At first, she frustrated me, but slowly she learned to stand up for herself with not only her father, but with Peter, too. I loved that Daphne is a librarian and all the details of her job, the quirky townspeople, and her love of books. Also, her relationship with Miles was a delight. So much chemistry and of course, Henry did a fabulous job with the witty dialogue. There were so many good lines!
I am so glad I listened to Funny Story on audio as Julia Whelan (one of my faves!) was the narrator and as usual, she really brought the story to life beautifully. I don't think I have ever been disappointed with an audiobook that Whelan narrates.
While Funny Story wasn't my favorite of Henry's novels, it's a solid choice for a summer read. The lakeside setting of Waning Bay only added to that fact. Let me know in the comments if you've read Funny Story or plan to and which of Henry's novels is your favorite.
I've only read one of Henry's novels, but this does sound like a good one - the swapping of partners is a fun premise!
ReplyDeleteIt was so much fun - definitely like a rom-com movie. I hope you enjoy it! Thanks for visiting, Angela.
DeleteI've read a couple of Henry's books and enjoy them but I have to be in the right mood to read them.
ReplyDeleteAgreed- you definitely have to be in a rom-com mood! Thanks for visiting!
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