Emily Henry is the master of rom coms. During quarantine, I often found myself with a romance book in my hands, but I soon grew tired of the repetitive formulas. They all featured unlikable, insufferable protagonists, heavy miscommunication as the only form of conflict, and an unrealistic, fast-paced love story. Because of this, I was put-off from the genre for a while, and whenever I found a rom com book that appeared promising, Goodreads assured me otherwise. It wasn’t until I read Beach Read by Emily Henry when my faith in rom com books was restored.
Emily Henry characterizes her characters in a humanizing, relatable way as opposed to turning them into caricatures. The protagonists’ connections form organically and sweetly, their little moments melting any reader’s heart. As an Emily Henry girl, I am eagerly awaiting her imminent release of her next novel, Funny Story, to be published April 23. Penguin Random House describes the story as being about “a pair of opposites with the wrong thing in common.”
The story tells the tale of Daphne, a children’s librarian, who is madly in love with her fiancé Peter…until he confesses that he’s in love with his childhood best friend, Petra. Due to her job that hardly pays the bills and finding herself now stranded and alone, Daphne proposes to be roommates with Petra’s ex, Miles Novak, someone who could surely sympathize with Daphne’s cause. He’s the antithesis of Daphne’s practical disposition. The two strike up a plan to post deliberately misleading pictures of the two of them together on their summer adventures. What could go wrong? Oh, so much.
As a lover of her three previous rom coms, I’m beyond excited to finally hold this book in my hands. If this novel sounds good to you or you’re an Emily Henry fan like myself, click this link to see if there are any Funny Story release parties near you for snacks, giveaways, and copies of the book. Happy Reading to rom com lovers and Emily Henry fans alike!
