Book Review: Funny Story by Emily Henry

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BOOK review

Started on: 5 June 2024
Finished on: 4 July 2024

 

Funny Story by Emily Henry

 

Title: Funny Story

Author: Emily Henry

Publisher: Berkley

Pages: 387 pages / 395 pages (e-book)
Year of Publication: 2024
Price: Rp 410,000 (https://www.periplus.com/)

Rating: 5/5

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"If you don't give other people responsibility for your feelings, you can have a decent relationship with most of them." 

Daphne is about to marry her fiancé, Peter, who suddenly realizes he's actually in love with his childhood best friend, Petra. This is how Daphne's new chapter begins: stranded in Waning Bay with no friends or family, working as a children's librarian, and becoming roommates with the only person who could understand her predicament: Petra's ex-boyfriend, Miles. With his bright and friendly personality, Miles is the opposite of practical and buttoned-up Daphne—who doesn't let people know much about her. The two of them mainly avoid each other until they decide to form a plan, which involves posting misleading photos of their summer adventure together. They didn't expect their public display of affection to ignite a new chapter in their romantic life because it would be a funny story for Daphne to tell if she fell in love with her ex-fiancé’s new fiancée’s ex.

"Life, I'd learned, is a revolving door. Most things that come into it only stay awhile."

This is the third time I read a book by Emily Henry and it might be my favorite one so far. The story's setup was perfect for a rom-com: a man and a woman had to live in the same space after being dumped by their partners. Furthermore, the chemistry between the two main characters made me root for them because they are so adorable together. Like Emily Henry's other works, the main characters also have personal struggles and emotional baggage that they must overcome throughout the book. I love seeing the characters' journey: experiencing heartbreak, finding solace in one another, and falling in love. It was a funny story but a heartwarming one as well.

"Waiting, for someone who rarely came, feeling worse every time, until finally, I realized that the feelings wouldn't stop until the waiting did.

You can't force a person to show up, but you can learn a lesson when they don't."

 "Feelings are like weather. They just happen, and then they pass."

Written from the perspective of the main character, Daphne, the story begins by introducing her relationship with her fiancé, Peter. Nearing their wedding day, Daphne was dumped after Peter's bachelor party for his best friend, Petra. Daphne also shared how she ended up living in the same apartment with her ex-fiancé’s new fiancée’s ex, Miles. At first, my first impression of Miles wasn't that great. But as I got to know Miles alongside Daphne, I slowly adored his charming personality and how he always brightened the mood of the people around him. Miles' witty remarks never failed to make me smile, as if he radiates positive vibes wherever he goes. As time went by, Daphne and Miles became friends through consoling each other through their heartbreaks. I think the growth of their relationship was very natural, so it was easy to get immersed in their love story.

In this review, I'd also like to highlight Daphne's character because I find her so relatable—especially with her introversion and love for books. Several moments in this book made me laugh out loud because Daphne's thoughts represent mine so well. Her struggle with making new friends and maintaining them was also very relatable for me. Thus, I think the friendship aspect of the story was heartwarming because all relationships matter—not just romantic ones. It's fascinating to see her character arc, from feeling unworthy due to a history of abandonment to resolving her trust issue that resulted from it.

"For just one night, I'd like to pretend. I'd like to be someone else. Not the uptight one, or the damaged one, or the one who gets left."

"Life's short enough without us talking ourselves out of hope and trying to dodge every bad feeling. Sometimes you have to push through the discomfort, instead of running."

Aside from Daphne, Miles' background story is also interesting to read. Unfortunately, since this book is written from Daphne's POV, we didn't get to know much of what's going on inside Miles' head. His relationship with Julia—his sister, is lovely and I wish we could see more of that in this book. Another adorable side character is Ashleigh, Daphne's co-worker at the library. Through her friendship with Daphne, Ashleigh also got to work on the personal issue caused by her recent divorce. I'm continuously amazed at how Emily Henry could create such realistic and relatable characters. And as always, I feel like I could learn a thing or two from what they experienced in the story.

 

Overall, reading this book was such a fun time from start to finish. Emily Henry's writing style is always entertaining and made me want to read more of her works. She successfully crafted a charming story from a commonly used trope like fake dating by adding her personal touch to it. She never fails to make me smile as I'm reading her books! At the moment, I still have not read Book Lovers and People We Meet on Vacation. Even though some people seem to have varying opinions about them, I'm still looking forward to reading those books soon.

"I spent so much time accustoming myself to one kind of surprise—the kind hinging on disappointments, hurts, small abandonments, and emotional bartering—that I'd stopped considering there might be any other."

"I feel a bittersweetness that this moment can't last, that time will pull us along soon. But for the first time in a while, I'm excited about the unknown.

I'm looking forward to the surprises."

by.stefaniesugia♥ .