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Quick answer: If you loved Funny Story, try Book Lovers, People We Meet on Vacation, Beach Read, Happy Place, The Flatshare and Part of Your World. Each one offers smart, emotionally honest romance, witty banter and characters rebuilding their lives.
Emily Henry's Funny Story follows Daphne, a children's librarian whose fiancé dumps her for his childhood best friend. With nowhere else to go, she moves in with Miles, the ex of the woman her fiancé left her for. Together the two heartbroken roommates start posting fake dating photos, and soon the feelings stop being fake. Readers love the small-town Michigan setting, the laughs and the tenderness. These books share its charm and its truth about starting over.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Vibe | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Book Lovers | Emily Henry | Small town | readers who want another Henry favorite |
| People We Meet on Vacation | Emily Henry | Travel | readers who love friends to lovers |
| Beach Read | Emily Henry | Michigan | readers who want the same Michigan feel |
| Happy Place | Emily Henry | Maine | readers who love second chances |
| The Flatshare | Beth O'Leary | London | readers who love roommate romance |
| Part of Your World | Abby Jimenez | Small town | readers who want an opposites-attract love story |
| Just for the Summer | Abby Jimenez | Summer | readers who like a curse-themed comedy |
| Yours Truly | Abby Jimenez | Medical | readers who like letter-writing |
| The Hating Game | Sally Thorne | Office | readers who like rivals to lovers |
| Love and Other Words | Christina Lauren | Second chance | readers who love a long history |
| The Unhoneymooners | Christina Lauren | Comedy | readers who want big laughs |
| Red, White & Royal Blue | Casey McQuiston | Political | readers who want something fun and queer |
| Evvie Drake Starts Over | Linda Holmes | Maine | readers who like grief with humor |
| Maybe in Another Life | Taylor Jenkins Reid | Parallel lives | readers who like what-ifs |
| The Bookish Life of Nina Hill | Abbi Waxman | Los Angeles | readers who love bookish heroines |
1. Book Lovers by Emily Henry
A literary agent keeps bumping into a brooding editor in a tiny town.
Best for: readers who want another Henry favorite.
2. People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
Two best friends take one more vacation to fix what went wrong.
Best for: readers who love friends to lovers.
3. Beach Read by Emily Henry
Two rival writers swap genres during one lakeside summer.
Best for: readers who want the same Michigan feel.
4. Happy Place by Emily Henry
Exes pretend to still be together for one last trip with friends.
Best for: readers who love second chances.
5. The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary
Two strangers share a flat and a bed, but on opposite schedules.
Best for: readers who love roommate romance.
6. Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez
A surgeon falls for a carpenter in his tiny Minnesota town.
Best for: readers who want an opposites-attract love story.
7. Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez
Two people believe their exes always find true love right after dating them.
Best for: readers who like a curse-themed comedy.
8. Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez
A doctor and a colleague fall for each other through old-fashioned letters.
Best for: readers who like letter-writing.
9. The Hating Game by Sally Thorne
Two office nemeses compete for one promotion.
Best for: readers who like rivals to lovers.
10. Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren
A woman runs into her childhood love after years of silence.
Best for: readers who love a long history.
11. The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren
Two enemies take a free honeymoon after a wedding goes wrong.
Best for: readers who want big laughs.
12. Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
The son of the U.S. president falls for a British prince.
Best for: readers who want something fun and queer.
13. Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes
A young widow takes in a former baseball pitcher as her tenant.
Best for: readers who like grief with humor.
14. Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid
A woman's life splits into two paths after one decision.
Best for: readers who like what-ifs.
15. The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman
A shy bookseller discovers a family she never knew she had.
Best for: readers who love bookish heroines.
How to Choose
For Henry's blend of wit and sadness, pick Book Lovers first, then People We Meet on Vacation or Beach Read, which also has a Michigan setting. If the fake dating and roommate setup was what you liked, The Flatshare and The Unhoneymooners offer a similar mix of forced closeness and humor. If you adored Daphne, a bookish librarian rebuilding her life, The Bookish Life of Nina Hill and Evvie Drake Starts Over are lovely, gentle reads. Readers who want a guaranteed laugh should go for Part of Your World or Just for the Summer. You can read any of these in any order, since none require knowledge of the others.
Related: Funny Story Book Club Discussion Questions (With Summary and Themes) · 15 Best Story Books for 3 Year Olds That Spark Joy
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Funny Story about?
Daphne and Miles, whose partners left them for each other, become roommates and slowly fall in love.
Is Funny Story spicy?
It has some open-door scenes, similar to Emily Henry's other novels.
Where is Funny Story set?
It is set in Waning Bay, a fictional small town in northern Michigan.
Is Funny Story fake dating?
Partly. Daphne and Miles post misleading photos to make their exes jealous, which leads to real feelings.
What should I read after Funny Story?
Book Lovers is the most popular next step, followed by Beach Read.
Is Funny Story part of a series?
No. It is a standalone novel.