Funny Story

By: Emily Henry

Narrated by: Julia Whelan

Length: 11 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

Named a Most Anticipated book of 2024 by TIME ∙ The New York Times ∙ Goodreads ∙ Entertainment Weekly ∙ Today.com ∙ Paste ∙ SheReads ∙ BookPage ∙ Woman's World ∙ The Nerd Daily and more!

A shimmering, joyful new novel about a pair of opposites with the wrong thing in common, from #1 New York Times bestselling author Emily Henry.

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?

©2024 Emily Henry (P)2024 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“When romance novelist Emily Henry releases a new book, it’s nothing short of a literary event. And this spring’s Funny Story—which has already been named one of the most anticipated books of 2024 by everyone from the New York Times to the Today show—is sure to be no exception... this sumptuous novel is Henry at her very best.”—Bustle

“Bestseller Henry takes on fake-dating in this equally poignant and charming tale of love after loss… Henry perfectly balances sorrow and discord with love and humor, and romance fans will appreciate watching the growth of the characters’ relationships and of Daphne as a person. This is a heartwarming take on summer love.”—Publishers Weekly

Another great story from Whelan and Henry

I adore the Whelan/ Henry pairing with all my heart and this one didn’t not disappoint. Overall, this story was much heavier and more sad than previous stories which I was not at all expecting due to the cover. This one did not have the ‘laugh out loud’ and ‘squeal and kick your feet’ vibes of past Henry books. She delved into some very deep toxic issues and spent a long time working through with both of the main characters. The tears in Whelan’s voice was perfect. She gave this story so much heart and depth.

Loved the humor and relatable characters.

Funny story is one of my favorite by. Emily Henry. Great characters and humor. Loved how Julia Whelan narrated the audiobook. Makes me want to visit Lake Michigan.

Love

The characters are so lovable. Emily Henry weaves magic into her stories. Miles is def one of my favorite book boyfriends.

Funny story is perfect!

Emily Henry has done it again! This story gave me all the feels. And Julia Whelan is probably my favorite narrator. It couldn’t get any better than this!

Perfect chick-lit read

Just the chick-lit read I was hoping it would be. Predictable, but enjoyable. Characters were a little annoying at times, but still likeable.

Endearing Characters

Another hit for Emily Henry. I don’t know how she does it, but she never misses! I finished this book 5 minutes ago and already miss Daphne and Miles. The banter between those two (but even others) in this book is so brilliantly written. And Julia Whelan could read the phone book and make it compelling, so her excellent narration combined with the endearing characters and their witty banter made for a real treat. On the surface, this book falls into the romantic comedy category. But there are deep topics broached like narcissistic parenting, abandonment issues, loss of identity/self and overcoming them all. And of course, there’s the happy ending we all crave.

The arch of building a healthy relationship despite lack of good role models.

Love a friends to lovers story with libraries, chai tea, and the midwest as the backdrop!

I love an Emily Henry!!

I can always count on Emily Henry to deliver one of the best reads of the year.

Love Emily Henry and Julia Whelan!

I loved this one! Fake dating is one of my favorite tropes and this one fits the bill. The relationship that develops between Daphne and Miles is raw and complex. It also had quite a bit of fun banter that made me chuckle.

Loved it!

Emily Henry is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. I love the quips and dialogue. I was laughing out loud in so many places.

The feels and story just suck you in and I really like how even though the story is told from Daphne’s perspective, you feel for Miles and understand his perspective almost as if the story was told from both perspectives.

Julia Whelan’s narration is phenomenal!!!! Her talent is the gold standard for narrator’s. It’s amazing and shocking that this story was read by one person and not a cast of narrator’s.