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A review by jasperdotpdf
Funny Story by Emily Henry
3.5
When I started Funny Story, I felt it had the potential to become one of my favourite romance books.
Within the first few pages I knew I'd absolutely love Miles as a male lead. The fact that he's just as wrecked about the breakup as Daphne, the fact that he copes a lot more openly than her by getting high while watching romcoms and listening to Celine Dion in the shower made him so loveable, and set him apart from most other male love interests I've read about. I really enjoyed the way Daphne and him interacted. There was chemistry and trust between them, but in a very casual way. They seemed at ease around each other, which allowed for physical contact-small acts of intimacy-to flow easily between them, yet it didn't rob their dynamic of romantic/sexual tension at all. All of this made their relationship so easy to believe, tangible and realistic, and most of all comforting.
I also thought there were a lot of funny moments that did, in fact, make this a funny story.
However, around 30-40% in, the book started to drag. I love it when books have good side plots and characters. But you can make your side characters as loveable as you want, but I felt the amount of scenes that didn't center Miles and Daphne weighed down the middle of the book.
And by the time we reached the last strech (third-act breakup my beloathed), it just got too convoluted for my tastes. I'm known to hate third-act breakups, so it's no surprise that I didn't like this one much either, but I can see the appeals of them when they're done well, and this one just didn't feel like it was.
One of Daphne's main triggers is abandonment, specifically waiting for someone who'll never come, and Miles stood her up in a pretty big way without ever cancelling, or telling Daphne about what's going on. She then finds out that he was with Petra, his ex, helping her move out after her and Peter broke up, and naturally Daphne's devastated. We later learn that the main reason he stood her up wasn't because of Petra, but because he was trying to talk her dad into coming back for her. That's sweet and all, but way this is told to the reader in an almost off-handed way, after I sat there being PISSED at Miles, didn't really redeem him for me. Their reunion also didn't hit as much as I would have liked it to, and the last chapter + epilogue felt like more back and forth than necessary.
Overall, there were a lot of good things Funny Story had going for itself, but there was too much to wade through and not enough that had the strengths shown in the first 1/3 of the book.
3.5⭐, 1.5 stars for Miles Nowak (call me if you see this)
Within the first few pages I knew I'd absolutely love Miles as a male lead. The fact that he's just as wrecked about the breakup as Daphne, the fact that he copes a lot more openly than her by getting high while watching romcoms and listening to Celine Dion in the shower made him so loveable, and set him apart from most other male love interests I've read about. I really enjoyed the way Daphne and him interacted. There was chemistry and trust between them, but in a very casual way. They seemed at ease around each other, which allowed for physical contact-small acts of intimacy-to flow easily between them, yet it didn't rob their dynamic of romantic/sexual tension at all. All of this made their relationship so easy to believe, tangible and realistic, and most of all comforting.
I also thought there were a lot of funny moments that did, in fact, make this a funny story.
However, around 30-40% in, the book started to drag. I love it when books have good side plots and characters. But you can make your side characters as loveable as you want, but I felt the amount of scenes that didn't center Miles and Daphne weighed down the middle of the book.
And by the time we reached the last strech (third-act breakup my beloathed), it just got too convoluted for my tastes. I'm known to hate third-act breakups, so it's no surprise that I didn't like this one much either, but I can see the appeals of them when they're done well, and this one just didn't feel like it was.
Overall, there were a lot of good things Funny Story had going for itself, but there was too much to wade through and not enough that had the strengths shown in the first 1/3 of the book.
3.5⭐, 1.5 stars for Miles Nowak (call me if you see this)