Audiobook review: Funny Story by Emily Henry
June’s TBR optional theme: Road Trip
Daphne thought her life was perfect until her fiancé dumped her for his platonic best friend the day after his bachelor party. Stuck in small town Northern Michigan, Daphne is living with Miles, her ex-finace’s new fiancée’s ex-boyfriend. Because Petra moved into Daphne’s home with Peter, Daphne had nowhere to go and moved into Miles’ apartment.
I picked this story for “Road Trip” because Daphne moved to Northern Michigan from Maryland to live with her then fiancé, Peter. The theme of moving both for love and in an effort to run away is woven throughout the book.
Funny Story is a lovely romance that I couldn’t put down. I absolutely loved Miles and Daphne’s chemistry, from commiserating roommates, to silly friends, to best friends and lovers. I cheered for the couple every step of the way. They are messy and have baggage, but they figure it out and fall in love. Additionally, as a Michigander, whose parents live Up North, I adored the familiar references and Miles’ genuine love for the area.
When Peter and Petra invite Daphne and Miles to their upcoming wedding, Daphne decides to tell her ex that she and Miles are a couple. The fake relationship trope is my cat nip. What I love about Daphne and Miles is that pretty much everyone is in on the stunt, and it’s never something they keep as a big secret. Their exes are so wrapped up in their own story and believing that neither Miles nor Daphne could recover so quickly, that the pair only need to flaunt a kiss here and there to make them believe it is real. Miles and Daphne have an intense physical attraction that only builds as they try to deny it, and the kisses for show ignite their flames.
I also adore that this is Daphne’s own self-discovery journey. She never had any roots growing up and wants them so badly that she built a life around her ex, his family, and his friends. When he leaves her, she’s all alone. She learns to open up and that not everyone is unreliable like her dad. The development of her friendship with Ashley is emotionally satisfying.
Narration: The story is shared via the first person POV of Daphne. Whelan performs with an easy-going cadence that is well-suited for Daphne’s personality and age. Whelan adjusts her voice during dialogue based on a charcter’s gender, age, and personality. She does a fabulous job expressing emotions, such as speeding up when frantic or needy, or going lower and slower to depict sadness. Whelan also nails Miles, giving him a masculine and laidback voice. Each character is unique and identifiable.
In the end, I absolutely adored Funny Story. This was my first Emily Henry title, but it won’t be my last!
My Ratings
Story: A
Narration: A
Jen
About the Book:
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?
Author: Emily Henry
Narrator: Julia Whelan
Series: Standalone
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Audiobook Release Date: April 23, 2024
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Length: 11 hrs and 23 mins
Source: purchased
Audio Speed: 1.3x