Funny Story is Emily Henry's 2024 contemporary romance and her sharpest book to date. Daphne gets dumped by her fiance for his childhood best friend. Then she ends up roommates with Miles, who happens to be the ex-boyfriend of the woman who stole her fiance. They decide to fake-date for revenge. Witty, painfully real, and the Emily Henry book BookTok built whole accounts around in 2024.
Curated from real reader threads on Reddit (r/RomanceBooks, r/Fantasy, r/suggestmeabook) and cross-referenced against Goodreads and BookTok. Updated regularly.
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by Emily Henry
Emily Henry's 2023 hit, often paired with Funny Story in every "what should I read next" thread on r/RomanceBooks. A friend group reunites at a Maine cottage where one couple is pretending they didn't already break up. Same emotional intelligence, different setup.
by Emily Henry
Henry's breakout and her best slow-burn. Two writers stuck next to each other for a summer make a bet to swap genres. The fake-arrangement-to-real-feelings template that Funny Story refines.
by Emily Henry
Two best friends, ten summer trips, one fight that ended it all. Netflix film adaptation dropped January 2026. The friends-to-lovers angst Funny Story readers chase next.
by Sally Thorne
The office enemies-to-lovers blueprint. Two executive assistants who share an office despise each other (or do they?). Same banter-to-feelings pipeline. Reread-able for years.
by Elena Armas
Fake-dating your hot coworker to a wedding in Spain. Combines all the tropes Funny Story flirts with into one extremely satisfying package. r/RomanceBooks regular.
by Ali Hazelwood
A PhD candidate fake-dates a brooding professor to convince her best friend her love life is fine. STEM rom-com with the same sharp female lead voice.
Beach Read is the consensus answer on r/RomanceBooks. Funny Story is her sharpest, Happy Place her most emotional. People We Meet on Vacation is the easiest entry point. All four work as standalones.
Yes, but not explicit. Two-to-three on most spice scales. The chemistry is more about banter and emotional intimacy than spice. Compare to Beach Read for similar level.
Ali Hazelwood, Tessa Bailey, and Elena Armas are the most-recommended next-author crossovers. The Hating Game by Sally Thorne is the consensus single-book pick.
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