Children’s librarian Daphne was all set to get married to Peter. Until his bachelor party, when he realised that he wanted to be with his childhood best friend, Petra, instead.
A disillusioned Daphne ends up moving in with Petra’s ex, Miles, and tells her former fiance that they are together, posting some photos on social media to prove the point.
This story gets off to a cracker of a start, especially for those like me who hadn’t read what the book was about. What’s not to love about a complicated situation of being roommates with your ex-fiance’s new fiancee’s ex! Emily Henry has become a must-read author for many but I never really got the devotion. But finally, with Funny Story, I did.
Harriet has headed to Maine for her annual getaway with her college besties, Sabrina and Cleo, and their partners. She is surprised to find her ex Wyn there too and now they are sharing a bedroom. Because Harriet and Wyn haven’t told their friends that they broke up months ago, and that their engagement is off.
Everyone just thinks that Wyn has been back in Montana caring for his mother who has Parkinson’s and Harriet has been hectic with her surgical residency at a San Franciscan hospital.
Now with her family’s summer cottage being sold, Sabrina plans to mark the occasion by getting married there first. So Harriet doesn’t want to ruin the moment by announcing her own separation. So can Harriet and Wyn act like they are still together?
The present story is punctuated with episodes where Harriet recalls some of her happy places, shared with her friends and Wyn. It was a nifty way to reveal how the main characters fell in love and the trajectory of their relationship. I initially found the back and forth a bit disjointed but stick with it for a melancholic romance. For those who find reading an Emily Henry book is their happy place, I’m sure you’ll love it.
Literary agent Nora meets book editor Charlie when he disses her author Dusty Fielding’s latest project. Her pregnant sister, Libby, is exhausted and persuades Nora to join her on a vacation in Sunshine Falls, the location of Dusty’s novel. And lo and behold but who she should bump into in town – only Charlie whose family runs the struggling book store.
With tongue in cheek, this story plays on a number of small-town tropes – saving a business, local love interest. And it has all the snarky banter that you expect from Emily Henry. In fact, this is my favourite book of the author’s to date.
Poppy and Alex met at college and discovered they were from the same town in Ohio. Sharing a car ride home one time, they realised how well they got on despite their differences – she’s loud, talkative and has wanderlust, whereas he’s neat, lives for routine and likes the quiet life.
Once Poppy became a travel writer, she took Alex, who returned to their hometown as a teacher, away on a holiday each summer. But two years ago, they stopped talking to one another and now Poppy is missing him and wants to suggest another trip. Will he be up for it? And will they ever get around to expressing their true feelings for one another?
From the moment of their college ride home, this story gave off some When Harry Met Sally vibes, which the author acknowledges at the end. Poppy and Alex were such adorable characters and I really loved how their relationship was portrayed – probably not surprisingly since that movie is my all-time favourite. Overall, it’s a charming and sentimental read which wraps up with a life-affirming message.
Recently dumped romance writer January is upset when she discovers her late father had a love nest with another woman. The Michigan beach house has been left to January, so she heads out there and finds herself living next door to Gus, an author of dark literary fiction who doesn’t believe in happy endings. To shake things up, they decide to write in each other’s genres.
The chemistry and banter between the two authors were an absolute highlight and the first half of the book was shaping up as a highly entertaining read. However, it was more character-driven than plot-driven, and there is only so many times you can go over the same emotional baggage without much else happening.
