Funny Story
By Emily Henry
Penguin Viking
ISBN: 978-0-241-62414-2
387pp.

There are no major surprises when it comes to Emily Henry’s books. She does tropes, and she does them well. Enemies to lovers, forced proximity, friends to lovers; and the list goes on. Whether it is Beach Read, People We Meet on Vacation or Book Lovers, her books are a guilty pleasure and a fabulous time pass. She rarely ventures into any themes that are too dark or heavy, and even when she touches upon hot button issues that are trending and relevant, she does so with a light touch.

Funny Story is no different than her previous novels. It is essentially a love quadrangle that revolves around a socially awkward and kind librarian, Daphne, who has uprooted her whole life to be with her picture-perfect, handsome, wealthy fiancé Peter.

Daphne has innocently mapped out her whole life, including a beautiful home, complete with Peter’s friends and family, a picket fence and gorgeous kids. This all sounds great until, one fine day, Peter dumps her for his beautiful and perfect ex-girlfriend Petra. As luck would have it, Daphne can’t leave town for a few months due to work commitments, and so moves in with — you guessed it — Petra’s ex-boyfriend, Miles.

And thus begins the tale of grief-stricken Daphne and anguished Miles, trying to mend their broken hearts and deal with their new living situation. The reader doesn’t need to be a rocket scientist to figure out what will happen from this point onwards.

A novel about exes getting involved with their exes’ partners’ exes is a sweet, light, easy read but do not expect it to stay with you beyond the last word

All the tropes come out to play and entertain us — friends to lovers, forced proximity, opposites attract (she is an uptight realist, he is a laid back optimist) and, of course, fake dating. As Petra and Peter’s wedding date is announced, both Daphne and Miles are given a pity invite and, in a moment of panic, Daphne lies about dating Miles with a classic, made-up, meet-cute story.

The fake-dating is actually fun to read. Henry does a great job at depicting the initial awkwardness of sharing your personal space with a complete stranger. Miles — as you can guess — is kind, laid-back and handsome in a scruffy, ‘I don’t care what I look like’ kind of way. Both Daphne and Miles are dealing with some generational trauma, which is handled in a realistic and sensitive manner.

That is one of the skills Henry has: she will touch upon a heavy subject without being heavy-handed. The reader feels for Daphne, who is grappling with severe ‘Daddy issues’, as she gives up her whole life for Peter and then gets subsumed by his, only for him to toss her out in the blink of an eye and replace her with someone else. “I need to know that I don’t just disappear,” she moans.

One can also tell that she longs for the security and safety of home, something that has eluded her thus far. “Here was the permanence I’d been waiting for,” she says when she believes she has finally found that with Peter. However, as Robert Burns once wrote, “The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry”, and Daphne finds herself single and homeless.

Along the way of her recovery from this brutal break-up, we get acquainted with some loveable side characters, such as Daphne’s mother, Miles’ sister Julia and single mom Ashleigh. These people are kind and real and make the reader feel that they’ve actually met people like this who are struggling to navigate the challenges of their lives.

As Daphne and Miles’ equation unravels and unfolds, there is plenty of quirkiness, and many misfires and steamy encounters to keep the reader engaged. Though the chemistry between the two never really reaches the heights of iconic couples in literature, they do bring a fresh, easy vibe that is fun to consume.

However, in the vein of full disclosure, was Funny Story a sweet, easy, light read? Yes. Did I forget about it the day after I read it? Also yes. One doesn’t read Emily Henry for her staying power. Her stories are mind-numbingly simple and provide escapism in an otherwise harrowing world.

I, however, have evolved as a reader and am part of the tribe that is pushing back against the anti-intellectualism that is threatening to take over the world. This in no way means that we have to read only highbrow and profound texts, but I do believe a balance should be struck between books that educate and inform you, and books that are guilty pleasures. Both are important for a harmonious reading experience.

Overall, the fact that most of Henry’s Female Main Characters (FMCs) are book-lovers, authors or librarians really elevates her stories and gives them some level of gravitas. Also, she barely spends any time on Daphne’s physical description, which is also a step in the right direction (we are all sick of the perfect heroine showcasing Eurocentric beauty standards).

If you’re looking for a quick, light read where you won’t have to think too much, do read it. However there are better books out there that I could recommend that will stay with you for much longer.

The reviewer is co-founder of My Bookshelf, an online library which delivers books to you and picks them up when you’re done reading. X: @mybookshelfpk

Published in Dawn, Books & Authors, April 27th, 2025