[NOVEL] Funny Story by 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?

It feels like, if you want to read popular modern contemporary romance, you got to put Emily Henry on the list.

I can't compare this book to others from Emily Henry because it's my first, but for what it is I quite liked it.

The overall short impression would be that her style is really easy (I finished the book in a day), the story might seem to have no direction, but it also feels that the relationship development is the anchor. I may not have giggled like others, but I indeed smiled at their dialogues, because they felt quite organic and natural. For example, characters may do sound awkward, but this I find awkward in a situation, not awkward to read about, not everyone has ability to jab back verbally with the best answer, we also have times like that :) Also her characters might have their own vulnerabilities, but those don't feel overpowering, even if they have influence on their actions. It felt more like everyone has a story, but not issues. This story indeed shaped us as people.

And don't judge others if they're older, but they have a baggage, some things we don't notice that stay with us that don't change.

Also when I read something contemporary, I never go strong with "this can't happen", because who are we to know what can and can't happen. I've heard too many real life funny stories to know many things you don't expect can happen, because other people are not you.

And while my neighbors are drilling in attempts of repair or destruction, I'll try to put out few crumbs of my thoughts on this relationship.

No effing way.. two drills. Honestly what the fuck XD

Anyway.

Because to me the romance was romancing and the relationship development felt like it was the center of it, I'd drop few words about it.

Daphne and Miles ended up in a shity situation, both are dumped by people they loved, but in the moment of get back at those who hurt her Daphne ends up lying that she and Miles got together. Although she feel remorseful, it's great that Miles is a goop sport and did not get angry at the idea. 

Before that they were just two strangers that lived at the same place, due to Miles initiative to show her that this place is worth more and she should live her own life and see places that were out of her reach during her relationship with her ex. 

I'd thought we were building something permanent together. Now I realize I'd just been slotting myself into his life, leaving me without my own.

For three years I’ve been eating like him, exercising like him, working tirelessly to befriend his friends and impress his family, going to his favorite breweries, and all along I thought it was my idea, my life. Only now, without him in the picture, absolutely none of the rest of the picture makes sense. 

This started their Sunday outings, but because of them they grew closer and opened up to each other. But now the door opened and can't be closed. They begin to know each other more and since we only have FMC's pov we know she has a moment when she realized she is attracted to him. More physically, but later emotionally. It's a bit of a tug because to her Miles became more than just potential hookup partner (one hookup did happen), he became a support and a friend and ruining it all with relationship that at that time for her had no future was a cruel thing to do. She cared too much for him. He was there for her.

But the attraction was too great, the person irresistable and their attempts at getting back at their exes made her feel shitty, like she's a tool. At least they knew how to talk about it and she found that he was not as calm as he showed, he wanted her, but there are things that pulled him down. Everyone has a story. Everyone has their fears.

Spoilers: The core of her troubles and mostly the trigger of the final conflict, was the visit from her dad who passed by. Daphne lived with her mom after parents divorce. They moved a lot, so she did not build strong friendships, she knew those will fade away. And she had a long list of moments of her waiting for her father and realizing that she wasn't a priority. He might appear from time to time, butter up, so it made it hard not to forgive and hope for something, only for your hopes to shatter. Because of her being self-conscious, her confidence was low and she also felt that her fiance left her for hotter and more adept woman, and because Petra is also Miles' ex, he might also still have feelings for her (he called her love of his life). She always felt that she will be the one left behind, not the top priority. So when the moment of misunderstanding came, it felt like - yeah, sure, I was expecting that. But that moment was not how it was, she just had such a bad story that she brainwashed herself into these things and failed to see beyond and panicked. At least it wasn't late to turn back. And she got her happy ending.

The novel has no bigger conflict actually, it's quite calm to me, but when you reach this quote, you might get the idea why it was like that, because FMC many times emphasized on these things herself, for her it was fitting to live in a plot like that.

All those moments throughout the days, weeks, months that don't get marked on calendars with hand-drawn stars or little stickers.

Those are the moments that make a life.

Not grand gestures, but mundane details that, over time, accumulate until you have a home, instead of a house.

All in all I find that the relationship was quite good, the tension and build-up, the friendship and love. All was mixed together. I enjoyed it.

RATE: 4,5/5.