The Readirect Podcast
Book Club: Funny Story by Emily Henry
Today we're convening our Book Club for a deep discussion on Emily Henry's newest release, Funny Story!
Join us for a discussion of the key plot points, the characters, and find out where we rank this book in the Emily Henry universe. You will feel like you're chatting with your friends about this book, so join in on the conversation with today's episode!
Plus, Emily's recent read, Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld.
Today we're convening our Book Club for a deep discussion on Emily Henry's newest release, Funny Story!
Join us for a discussion of the key plot points, the characters, and find out where we rank this book in the Emily Henry universe. You will feel like you're chatting with your friends about this book, so join in on the conversation with today's episode!
Plus, Emily's recent read, Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld.
Welcome to the Redirect Podcast. My name is Abigail Hewins.
Speaker 2:And I'm Emily Rojas. The Redirect Podcast is a show where we shift the conversation back to books. We discuss themes from some of our favorite books and how those themes show up in real lived experiences.
Speaker 1:On today's episode we are hosting a book club about Funny Story by Emily Henry. But before we get to, that deliciousness.
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Speaker 2:Share it, okay, hello.
Speaker 1:Hello, how are you?
Speaker 2:Good, how are you? I am so excited for this episode. I have been excited for this episode since Emily Henry announced the title of her book Funny Story.
Speaker 1:Can I just say I am so excited to talk about this and I'm also already depressed, yes, that it's going to be like another year until we get another one, I know.
Speaker 2:And it's amazing because she honestly writes and turns around books way quicker than a lot of authors authors but it's still not fast enough.
Speaker 1:But I don't want to go any faster. I don't want to get out of control, but it is sad you have to wait. Protect your peace, protect your peace, literally the second I stopped reading this book.
Speaker 2:I was like, should I reread happy place because I just wanted to keep staying in the Emily Henry universe. I didn't, because I didn't want to get my brain confused before recording this, but after this I may go reread at least one of her, you know.
Speaker 1:I might go back and read Book Lovers.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:But I will say I'm really happy for the young women in the future.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Like who are not old enough to read her books yet. But like one day, yeah, they'll be like on spring break in their sophomore year of college and they'll be like I need to pick something to read. And then they'll like pick up a few of her books and there will be like so many and then she's gonna tear through them all. And I'm really happy for that girl, yeah, because she's gonna be able to like keep the party going like one after the other of the other and um to you.
Speaker 1:I hope that that girl in the future. I hope that this podcast finds you yes and um welcome welcome to the past, welcome to the past. We're doing okay, yeah, pretty much just okay, but, um, but we love it. Yeah, I will say like this I I've never been in a better place to read an emily henry book. Yeah, um, I'm less than a month to my wedding. It's perfect timing. It's like I'm thinking about love all the time. I'm feeling like sentimental and you know happy and stuff.
Speaker 2:Well and um, this book, just it was it, like I just needed it yeah, and I think this book before like late, very light um discussion before diving in. But I feel like this book is perfect for like spring, almost summer, like the vibes it takes place over a summer, so I feel like that helps. But, honestly, just the energy of the book um felt like perfect for this time of year as well, so I feel like this was a great time for it to come out.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So context for this episode we are going to be book clubbing. It, which means we are going to talk about spoilers, we're going to quote things that happen, we're going to talk about the end and if you have any interest in reading this book without having spoilers, like, please go read it first.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and then come back here and then come back because, um, we want you to enjoy the book for what it is and not just listen to this and ruin it but if you have no interest in reading it, then stay with us, because yeah you can get the whole thing and then you can discuss with your friends and pretend like you read it and have opinions and just steal yeah, know yourself, are you gonna read this or not?
Speaker 1:you know whatever. Um so, emily, do you want to give just like a before we dive in, like a brief synopsis of the plot?
Speaker 2:okay, sure. So basically, this book follows daphne. Daphne is our main character and she uh was raised by kind of a single mom, had a dad who was in and out of her life, very unpredictable, unpredictable, very, you know, mentally ill dad's genre of books we've covered on here, yeah, but not as mentally ill in a sad way, more just like in a flighty way. And so, anyways, she is engaged at the beginning of the book to marry Peter, who is kind of like, has a big family, has a lot of money, is very established, very predictable, and on his bachelor party, a few weeks before their wedding or months, whatever, his longtime childhood best friend, petra, confesses her love to him and they decide to run off together, together and he basically comes home from the bachelor party and is like, hey, we're gonna go on this romantic vacation and you have a week to move out of the house that has my name on it because I bought it.
Speaker 2:Um, so she uh kind of finds solace with the only other person who might understand what she's going through, which is Petra's ex-boyfriend Miles, and he allows her to live with him, which she sees as very temporary. She's like I am out of here after the summer's over. I only moved here for Peter, but there's like fake dating. They try to pretend to date. To get back at Peter and Petra and and really I think the main thing is he's like I'm gonna convince you to love it here in this small town in michigan and I'm gonna show you around and like show you all these experiences and then you could decide if you want to stay or not and um, so that's kind of the the gist of it. I mean, did I leave anything out, do you think? For?
Speaker 1:now? Um, I mean that pretty much doesn't. It's a romance book. You know they're gonna get together in the end, but how? It's a good question. I think the thing that surprised me most about this is it was really branded as a fake dating book. But I really don't think that it is. No, I think that the fake dating is just a very minor element, like it's the impetus for just a little bit of confusion between their exes and them, but otherwise they're not like really going on fake dates so much or like they're. It's really more of like friends to lovers. Yes, I think that was actually.
Speaker 2:I mean not to skip way ahead in this outline we have, but that was my one thing about this book. And then I would love to hear also, like, what did you think about the book? What's your rating? But yeah, I didn't think that, like you said, I love a fake dating plot, but I I actually love friends to lovers way more and I I thought that the fake dating honestly could have been taken out of this book and the book stays the same um in my mind.
Speaker 2:I thought they would so, because the whole way this fake dating starts is they accidentally rsvp to on a drunken night to attend peter and petra's wedding, since they're gonna get, because they were invited, which is insane. So like I think that whole side plot could have been taken out, like they shouldn't have been invited to the wedding, like they shouldn't have done this fake dating thing and I think because they there was already a spark between them before that moment, before they started fake dating and, like you said, there is no payoff. Like they don't go to the wedding, they don't really. I mean there's a couple moments where they have to pretend, but for the most part that's not really the meat of the book. So I would say, if you're like really banking on the fake dating, maybe just know that that's not really.
Speaker 1:That's not the real thing that's going on here. It was, it was like the impetus for their first kiss, but that was really it like they had. She only really used it for that and I'm not like I'm not mad at that. I'm not mad that it wasn't a payoff. I just think it was kind of a surprise that it was more like proximity and friends and like I wrote.
Speaker 1:So I actually did something fun and like for the first time ever, I annotated a book while I was reading it and so I had different like highlighter colors for like different like reactions, that I had different parts of the book. But I made a note in the margins at one point when they were really hitting it off as friends, like they had like this connection, and I was like I made this note like as soon, like this connection, and I was like I made this note like as soon as they do get together, they're going to get married so fast because they're building all of this like intimacy and connection, like emotionally, uh, in their friendship first, um, and it was also a bit of a slow burn, like it took a while, yes, frustratinglyly.
Speaker 1:And if you love that, you love that. If you're like, oh my god, there was one point where I would. I wrote in the book if they don't just get together already, I swear to god like I'm so sick of it.
Speaker 2:It was definitely a slower burn for sure.
Speaker 1:Okay, but to answer, to answer your question, I loved this book. I mean it's like a five star for me, but I love all of her books. I think this ranks up there. I mean, just recency bias is making me probably put it up higher than Sure, but I think probably still my favorite is Book Lovers, but I also really liked this one and I related to the characters a lot and I have a sneaky suspicion that emily henry connects most with daphne, the main, the female main character in this book of all of the characters she's written, and um, so I I felt like I could sense that a little bit like in the way that the character was developed.
Speaker 1:What did you think about the book? I?
Speaker 2:really liked the book. Like you said, I love all her books. I would say every single Emily Henry book is a five star for me, but they're on different like like. To me, happy Place is God tier. That's my favorite one. And you guys know I love an angsty book yearning, longing, pining, and that book is that to me. It's so sad this book might be like second. I also love controversially People we Meet On Vacation, but that's another like somewhat angsty one.
Speaker 1:I'm not mad at People we Meet On Vacation, no, but a lot of people don't like that one Like that is always consistently, I feel, like people's bottom ranked Emily Henry book, book, um.
Speaker 2:So yeah, those are my tops. This one is definitely up there. I don't think it beat out happy place for me, but I really liked it and I love. I just love how, like to me, emily and henry and talia hibbert are on the same level of like such real characters, yes, and I loved. Like miles, he wears crocs and he kind of smells like weed, but also like a seller and he likes sad music, even when he's not sad. Like there's just so many little details about these characters that make them feel like real people that you might know and I think that's what makes her book so good. Because you're like this is I don't know. Sometimes you read romance, you're like, how do these people't know? Sometimes you read romance, you're like how do these people even fall in love? There's nothing defining about them. Like there's nothing you know. It's like a perfect girl and a perfect guy or whatever this. To me they're so real, they're so complicated and they're flawed and they have to overcome things.
Speaker 1:So, anyways, I love this book, just to just just get it off the bat but and another thing that, like I saw you put in the outline, did she put narcotics into all of her books? Yes, like yeah, but I think part of it is. She's really really, really, really, really good at showing and not telling. Yes, like the first chapter of this book is, um, oh, maybe it's the second chapter like right at the big. No, no, it's right at the beginning. They're like she's's talking about basically Peter leaving her and like how that all went down, and she's telling it like through the lens of her being like sitting at home on his bachelor party night, like falling asleep on the couch and reading and like what happened. And then miles showing up and after Peter leaves and she's just like sitting there, being sad.
Speaker 1:Miles is like. He stumbled up to the door and he says is she here? He asked thickly. No, numbness settled over me. I threw some almonds at them as they drove away. He nodded, the sorrow deepening across his face as if he knew exactly what that meant and it wasn't good. He rasped something against the doorframe and it's like a, like a, like a worse author, somebody who is not as skilled as she would is would be like. And then petra's ex showed up and he looked at me like he was really scared and I tried to guess what was happening.
Speaker 2:Yeah, like she doesn't have to say any of that, she just shows it and that's a mark of a really good author, imo, yes, I will say too, she knows how to freaking punch you in the gut, because the whole time I was reading this book, honestly I was like, wow, this is so much funnier than happy place. This is like so funny, it's a delight, like I'm having a great time and then all of a sudden at the end I'm literally crying my eyes out. Reading this book, yeah same same.
Speaker 1:Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, Can we?
Speaker 2:just hold on, okay.
Speaker 1:The beginning of this book is about Peter telling the story of how they met. She's like he always tells the story of how we met Blah blah, blah, blah blah I'm sorry, I'm heaving right now about how he loves telling the story.
Speaker 1:He thing right now about how he loves telling the story. He's a great storyteller, yeah. Over the over the years he's made it his own and the end of this book is miles and daphne telling how they met. And it's, he says, um elder class, our hand together. Oh, I love a good meet. Cute, let's hear it. I crane my neck over my shoulder to look at him. His dimples sink into his beard and it feels like my heart is unzipping, stepping out of its callous skin. A glowing, sunlit thing. Funny story, he says. But he doesn't go on, he just watches me and waits.
Speaker 1:He knows how much I love to tell it I know ah yes, she has this power to like manipulate you, yeah, to the point where you're like ripe for the punch and then she just guts you with like the cutest, sweetest, most satisfying payoff ever yes oh, my god um yes, exactly, um, can I ask a question while we're talking about crying our eyes out?
Speaker 2:okay, because now I'm really confused because I've been reading a lot. I just wanted to know what the vibes were about this book and I'm seeing mixed things. Some people some people don't like miles. Um, they got the egg what. I've been seeing a lot of x with miles. And here's my question and this is one thing I've seen come up a few times and I think maybe I got lost in translation, so you can help me decipher this because, anyways, I was reading through my tears Um, so at the end of the book, peter and Petra ultimately spoiler alert they don't work out.
Speaker 2:They realize we just had these ideals of what it might be like to be with each other, um, but, like you know it, it didn't. In reality, it wasn't what we thought it was going to be. In reality it wasn't what we thought it was going to be. And when they break up, miles goes to help Petra move. But my understanding was that later it's revealed that he actually went to go beg her dad to come back because her dad had left. We can get more into the dad stuff later, and that was like his cover story because he didn't want to tell her, because he didn't want to hurt her feelings or break her heart that like his her dad said no, he wasn't coming back. But I've seen a lot of people say like he actually did go to help Petra and that's why they didn't like him, because like he went to help Petra and he abandoned her and he's like not good with commitment. So I'm really confused because did I misunderstand that?
Speaker 1:No, no, no, no, they're misunderstanding this. He did both. He went to go talk to the dad and then he got this call from Petra and he also did that.
Speaker 2:Okay, so he did do both, so he was helping Petra. I've still, anyways, I've seen some criticism.
Speaker 1:He was, but I don't think that it's in my opinion. I don't think it's bad that he was helping Petra and he didn't communicate with her I mean he screwed up, yeah, and he knows he screwed up, yeah, okay, whatever.
Speaker 1:Okay for me, miles was my favorite male main character of any of her books. Um, how I described as someone the other day he was about to read the book as I was like he's nick miller, but emotionally mature nick miller from new girl but like isn't such a baby. Yes, he just has that vibe and I just I thought he was.
Speaker 1:Their banter is hilarious amazing yes, there's some extremely funny moments, things that I just really really loved, like, for instance, there's this line on page 22 when she's introducing Daphne's like best friend of the book. Her name is Ashley and she spells her name like my sister spells her name yeah, l-e-i-g-h, but, um, she said yes, her son is named after David Duchovny's character from the X-Files. Every time I remember this, I inch closer to death. I highlighted that as being really funny.
Speaker 2:Yes, um, yeah there are a lot of laughs. This book, like I said, until the end with the dad stuff and then miles, like kind of making a very bad mistake. To me, this was one of the I do understand I really do for all the people who are miles haters. I liked miles and I think daphne needed to learn how to forgive this kind of mistake, because I think part of her whole journey and how I understood it was like because of her dad not being a consistent figure in her life. She has come to a place where she won't tolerate any inconsistency but by the end of the book, like with her friend Sadie, who kind of was a bad friend, eventually she got to a place where she was like I can, I can forgive her, like I can make the first move because sadie's also doing the best she can.
Speaker 2:She also has her own, like you know. She had her own reasons or whatever for why she reacted the way she did. Same thing with ashley like she has this fight with ashley, which she was definitely in the wrong, obviously, um, but then like she learns how to like be the person who's extending the hand versus being the person who's building the wall, and I think it's the same thing with miles of like yeah, what he did? He went to help uh petra. He went to ask her dad, whatever happened. He didn't pick her up from the library, he bailed during an important moment, whatever, but she had to become like part of her journey was being the person who could say like I can forgive you for that. You know what I'm saying, so I understand why people didn't like it.
Speaker 1:But that was, I think, important to her and her arc in this book, you know her defense mechanism from life is to like build walls and run away and like keep people at bay when there's like any sign of things cracking or something going wrong. But she's learning how to be more resilient and allow grace and while still enforcing boundaries like she's enforcing boundaries with her dad she's learning to like yeah, that's no when someone is just a loser.
Speaker 1:Right isn't able to show up for you, and when somebody just needs a chance to be forgiven, right and I resonate with that a lot I did I resonate.
Speaker 1:I really resonated with it. There were several times where I wrote like stop, like in the stop yelling at me, emily, henry, like, um, uh, there's one part, uh, where miles says to her it's just, he shakes his head. You always assume I'm being so selfless, like it hadn't occurred to you I might want to hang out with you. So when you turn me down, I have to figure out if you don't feel the same way or if you think you're doing me some kind of favor and I never can. And I feel that like it's okay for me to do nice things for other people, but it's not okay for other people to do nice things for me because it's an inconvenience for them. Yes, but when I do it for my friends, it's not an inconvenience. Yeah, like that felt so real.
Speaker 2:Um, oh, absolutely that is so relatable because I'll be like I mean not that this is a therapy session, but in like my relationship with Eric, I'll be like like he is more than happy. If I was like, hey, can you help me clean up after dinner or something, or can you clean up, but then in my mind I'm like no, like that's such an inconvenience. But then I never think it's an inconvenience for me to do it. You know what I mean. So I so related her in this of like oh, like, yeah, like he's like's like hey, I want to take you to go do something I really like, and she's like thank you so much, really thank you. And he's like no, like I am selfishly wanting to spend time with you.
Speaker 1:It is not actually like you yeah, this isn't altruism.
Speaker 2:This is like. I want you to stay here, I want you to like me, I want to spend time with you. You're a fun person to be around like. But yeah, that is really hard. I think so. Uh, daphne was sadly relatable in that, in that, um, yeah, and he was relatable to me too.
Speaker 1:Um, I I thought that there was lots of things about him, like in the way he interacted with his family, that were really relatable and, um, just kind of like he really wants to quarantine his sadness, yeah, which I get like he didn't really want to lean into it and I don't know. Yeah, I really liked him a lot.
Speaker 2:I did too, and I loved his. I loved every character in this book, like I really liked Ashley, I really liked his sister Julia. You know I liked those kind of secondary characters and I liked the town and I really liked his sister Julia. You know I liked those kind of secondary characters and I liked the town. And I really would love to know if anyone here has been to Michigan, Is this what Michigan small towns are like? Because the South small towns are not like this. They're not cute, they don't have really good chai. You know so. But then I've seen some commentary that this is really what it's like up there, so it sounds lovely.
Speaker 1:If my sister is listening to this, she'll probably be chiming in from her car, but her in-laws have a vacation home on Lake Michigan. Yeah, and she said that the town is like this.
Speaker 2:I mean like the way she describes.
Speaker 1:it is like this yeah. Yeah, that sounds amazing, it's like, very like small town America, cozy vibes. So I would love to experience that one day. I think that that might be what it is like. I don't know if I would live there, but no no, but visiting sounds great. Shout out to her for wanting to live there, I guess yeah.
Speaker 2:Spoiler alert by the end. She does want to live there.
Speaker 1:Yeah, she does want to live there. Yeah, she does choose to live there. Um, there's one other thing I wanted to say about her being really masterful with showing and not telling. At the beginning of the book she um talks about when she met peter, like the you know, one of the first things that they talked about was like do you want to have kids? And he was like yeah, I totally want to have kids.
Speaker 1:Like whatever yeah and that really connect with her because she really wants children, yeah, um, then, uh, on page 125, um, there's a parallel because it like they're not in like a dating conversation but in like just a casual conversation with miles. Um, he says something to her like you'd be a great mom, and she says it's the kind of thing everyone says to their friends, but I believe him when he says it and I'm strangely touched. What about you? You want kids? And he says I wouldn't know the first thing about being a dad.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Which isn't I don't want kids. Yeah, but it's like this honest answer. I don't know the first thing about being a dad. I have bad parents and it's like the honesty and realness of miles compared to the like fake veneer, like perfect life yeah you know wheatgrass go to the gym, crossfit peter compared with miles and like miles is ultimately what she needed. Yeah and um, like like she never like daphne ever sits down and reflects on the difference between them. But this is like an incredible way for her to show it.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, master, masterclass Emily Henry, yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so we have both identified a little bit with Daphne, like were there any other situations or things that you related to in the book?
Speaker 2:Yeah, or things that you related to in the book. Yeah, I thought I actually really liked kind of how this whole concept and it was woven in there of like when you're a person who becomes a we and not like an individual person in relationships. I really liked that and I think it is really hard to not be that way sometimes, but I think it's so important, like if there are especially younger girls reading this, of like you can't put your female friendships like to the back burner, which is what really daphne does a lot, it seems, in relationships or even her own identity. Like with peter, she was like in the gym and drinking wheatgrass and she just let him cook whatever he wanted and like her life didn't matter as much or her opinions or whatever her interests, and I really liked her kind of experience of both, with her falling out.
Speaker 2:So with ashley, she um kind of makes this friend, um ashley at work and ashley's like I hate birthdays, I don't celebrate birthdays, her birthday's coming up and daphne kind of convinces her like come on. Like like we'll paint your bedroom, which your ex-husband never let you do, or whatever. And then Daphne flakes on her and so they have this big fight and it's like is this going to be the end of their friendship? And so I just really liked that kind of storyline of like her and then at the end, like she moves out of their shared apartment and is like no, like I need to go be my own person, yeah, I'm gonna live here because I want to live here, not just because I have a convenient boyfriend I can live with or whatever, and I really liked that. I thought like you don't see that very much and, um, especially like the timeline of this book is really compressed and they both just got out of like really long or not both engagements, but an engagement in a long-term relationship.
Speaker 2:And so I think that's important of like this is real, like you guys don't need to live together, like you do need to go live apart for a while, and so I really identified with that and also, um, with daphne's like difficulty making friends.
Speaker 2:I really felt like I resonated with that of just like I am always impressed and this is something she falls in love with Miles about, and I get it like when I see someone who's so effortlessly can talk to any stranger or whatever, because I just don't have that skill, and so I really related to her. And then I just like I feel like Ashley was talking to me sometimes of being like, hey, like a friend, is someone you talk to about this stuff Like a friend, because Daphne's always like I don't feel like I should share this, I like don't want to open up, I don't want to talk about it, and I'm like, yeah, I really relate to that. And so I heard Ashley be like, hey, like this is again, it's like the thing we were talking about earlier of friends want to hear those things about your life and sometimes, if you are always like I'm in a position. No one actually likes whatever, like they're doing me a favor by hanging out.
Speaker 2:Then it's easy to feel like, well, I shouldn't talk about this part of my life, um, but you know, it's like in the office when, when pam and jim are talking and she's still with roy and pam's like, yeah, I try not to bother about this stuff, jim's like, you mean your?
Speaker 2:feelings but sometimes it is easy to just be like I'm imposing on someone and so I I related to daphne in that way and I liked ashley being like no, like you're, you're a friend. This is what friends do we hang out, we talk about stuff and we gossip and we share about our lives and we're you know, that's how you make a friendship. So, anyways, that was a lot, but anything else you identified with.
Speaker 1:I mean, I think it like a little bit in the reverse. I I uh related to Daphne in many ways, um, but I really related to Miles too in the terms of my relationship. I feel like I'm more like Miles and Zach is more like Daphne. I'm really good with people, I'm outgoing, um, you know, I just it's easy for me and um, he's so much more introverted and um keeps smaller circles and is slower to trust others and um, I think that there's actually like there's something really. It seems really easy to love somebody who's like super outgoing and like, oh, everyone loves them.
Speaker 1:So like, of course you'd love them, but there's something really really special about like being chosen and loved by somebody who is shy and quiet and isn't like this most outgoing, like set like loud person in the room because you know that you are really special yeah to them and, like you know, if someone who's really outgoing and who's everyone's friend wants to be your friend, but that that's nice, because almost be your friend, but when somebody who is like kind of picky and choosy and withdrawn opens up to you, it's like this huge honor.
Speaker 1:And so I like watching Daphne open up to Miles and vice versa through the book really reminded me of that specialness that I relate to in my relationship and I even highlighted I even highlighted, uh, this one part of the book where they like know that they have. So, you know, one thing we haven't really mentioned is that, like early on they have a spark, but they're like we can't complicate things, we just got out of long relationships, like. And then also, one thing we haven't talked about is that Miles's sister like ends up coming to stay with them for like most of the summer.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:So, um, so yeah, but anyways, there's this little excerpt says sometimes at night from the other room, he texts me live updates when he listens to the audio book of the lion the witch in the wardrobe, things like I want to live with beavers and what is Turkish delight? And Edmund needs to chill. Sometimes we text for an hour straight, like our doors are only aren't 10 feet apart, and my note that I made in the margins is like this is actually what it's like to fall in love. Yeah, like doing dumb stuff like that. Yeah, and like the closeness of like knowing you can text somebody.
Speaker 1:What is Turkish delight? Yeah, knowing you can text somebody. What is turkish delight? Yeah, with like no other context and like feeling safe to do that and like just wanting to. Yeah, that's like really what it feels like to fall in love and like I think what makes this book feel a lot more real than some romance books is that, um, it's just those like small little moments of intimacy and some of these huge grand gestures. Yes, because huge grand gestures are few and far between in the real world yeah, like it's really normal for us to just text about mr and mrs beaver, you know like that's real beavers.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I think, um, along with what you're saying, there's a quote that I will definitely butcher, but where miles is talking to daphne and he's like you, like, make a person feel like you love them for all of them, and I think that's kind of what you're saying of like she is more like, maybe has a closer circle or doesn't like isn't as outgoing.
Speaker 2:So because of that he feels like you have seen all of me and not just this gregarious version of me that you know gill at the bar sees and loves, but like a person who also is deeply sad and wounded dark stuff, the dark stuff and you love all of me, and not in spite of those things, but like those are part of me and you love it.
Speaker 2:And so I think that part was like making me cry as well, because I think that's exactly what you're saying of why this is such a compelling couple. Because Miles is like yeah, he could make probably anyone fall in love with him. He's incredibly charming. He's a bartender. People are always falling in love with their bartenders temporarily. You know what I mean. Even Ashley has this whole fake made-up backstory for him when they first meet, because she's seen him a couple of times Like he's just so charming but he loves Daphne and her like quietness and and like who she is and vice versa. Like she is able to like see all of him, which he doesn't normally show to people, and like loves him anyways. Those things he thought maybe were unlovable. So I think they're exactly.
Speaker 1:Um, those things you thought maybe were unlovable, so I think they're exactly. It reminds me of the feeling of like, oh, I'm being loved even when I'm not performing because, like I am. So the person to like activate the table full of people with like a really funny story and like yeah you know, I, I can just you know I just like yeah that's great.
Speaker 1:But also like I'm also like a deeply messed up person. You know like and I have like issues. Yeah, but like when somebody can see your issues and then like, love that yeah yeah, you know, that's what's really special and like it takes a special person to be able to see that, especially when you're the kind of person who's always projecting this veneer of like yes, I'm so outgoing, I'm so accomplished, I'm so good, I'm so strong, but like, if someone can really see that, that's huge.
Speaker 1:And yeah it's just like how did she capture that in like?
Speaker 2:less than 400 pages like how did?
Speaker 1:she make this about like very complex part of the human experience, part of this 400 page romance book and it's also really funny, yeah it reminds me of one of my favorite, since we're going to compare miles to nick miller, um yes one of my favorite episodes of new girl is when they go for his dad's funeral, and that's what this book reminds me of, because it's like funny but it like makes it devastates you.
Speaker 2:And that's a moment where, like this very funny, weird, like kind of dumb guy shows that he has this whole other side of himself. That's really like from trauma and like ultimately, jess and him fall in love. And I think a lot of it has to do with that moment because she was able to see another part of his life. And so I would chase this book with that episode of New Girl because I think that's a really good like pairing. I love it. I love how she's able to, yeah, like capture these human experiences and again, it's a very compressed timeline, like in reality most people don't have things happen to them this quickly and I like that she makes it feel still very real In a short book and on a short time frame.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and even at one point, like she's like fast forwards a few weeks, I'm like oh my god, what's happening? We're moving this fast. Oh my god.
Speaker 2:I even wrote that I was like hello yes, it's very fast paced, for sure, I think um, okay, uh, do you want to talk about favorite quotes?
Speaker 2:yeah. So I pulled this one out and this one's actually from a sad moment in the book um, because it's her being like miles is not dependable, but I really like this quote anyways, and I think it kind of sums up what we're talking about. So she says, 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. The things that matter, the things I can't stop longing for, because I think I don't know daphne.
Speaker 2:I just love this whole thing for her, not just falling in love, but like she again we talked about her dad was not around, but also her mom moved a lot as a kid and so she never had like Like a home, like she remembers fondly their first apartment when her mom would have people over and it was like a one bedroom and it was super small. And then over time her mom became more successful and they like moved around a lot and had maybe more things. But she doesn't have that same like home feeling, and so I just love for her that by the end she found a place that she feeling and so I just love for her that by the end she found a place that she can make like a mundane life there. You know like it is. She just works at this library and she has regular kids, she loves to help out and she has friends and she has like a coffee shop that she goes to and I think those things are like I don't know.
Speaker 2:I think they're very significant to the character, yes, and they're important to her and I think they're important, significant to the character yes, and they're important to her and I think they're important in most people's lives, like most days are boring and if you are just living your life waiting for those special moments or big gestures or whatever, like that's wasting your life away. And so learning how to find the importance in those like mundane moments I think is really wonderful and I think that was a great resolution for her. To find the importance in those like mundane moments I think is really wonderful and I think that was a great resolution for her. To find that, you know, um, so it was very I loved it yeah, um one of my.
Speaker 2:I have a couple please share cheating but okay, no, no I want to hear them all.
Speaker 1:So they on the night that they go out. So first of all, this is so funny they go, they live in this part of town called the meat packing district or like the butcher district or something like that, and they go out to this bar called the meat locker and she doesn't realize that it has to do with the fact that they live in like the meat packing district so much later and she's like, is this a fetish bar? Yes, that was so funny, oh, my god. Oh. But um, they get drunk in a little high and whatever. And uh, so he says she says I and the weed tell him I think you might be the nicest person I've ever met. And he says I'm not being nice when I tell you not to move away. I'm like hanging out with you and you're the best roommate I've ever had by a landslide this is the thing for me, and I wrote this in my recap summary.
Speaker 2:Honestly, I thought they were gonna like hook up very early on no, because there was instant chemistry between these two characters and like more than is normal, I think, for a romance book, and then it ended up being maybe the like slowest slow burn that emily henry's ever done, and so I just loved it, though, because there was, like you said, all these like moments of intimacy between them before they ever even like, kissed or anything, and I loved it so anyways like, but like not not just physical intimacy, it's like, yeah, emotional, yeah, like you're the nicest person I've ever met, uh-huh, um, okay, all right.
Speaker 1:So then there's this other moment where they're on like one of their weekend excursions for him to prove that he, she, should continue to live in waning bay, and, um, they. One thing that's mentioned about the book is that she, uh, is like a pretty conservative dresser and she wears, like you know, kind of old lady clothes. Um, so they are in, they go kayaking and then they end up swimming in the lake and, um, so, okay. So she says they're like talking about have you ever snooped in each other's rooms? And she says, uh, it's he. He says it's been spotless. He says not a single hint as to who you are.
Speaker 1:Pretty boring of me. I say mysterious. He counters like a puzzle or a highly organized silverware, silverware tray. I say under the water our calves brush against one another. Okay, hot. A thrum travels straight up my thigh to my abdomen. The same, the same way. You dress like a silverware tray, I say. He shakes his head. Another graze of her legs a little higher this time, like a secret. Then it pays off. We see that same phrase again when they go to this old people's prom, which was the cutest thing I've ever read in a book in my entire life. Yes, and they run into Peter and Petra, which, as I'm saying this now, I'm also just realizing that their names are literally the boy and girl version of themselves. Yes, and so Petra is like backhand complimenting her on her dress and she says I love this dress. She's such a bitch. Yeah, I love this dress. She says it's so different. Your usual style is so buttoned up. Ouch, miles touches my back, his hand skimming over my far hip, pulling me into his side Like a secret.
Speaker 2:He says I am knowing the iron bars of my enclosure this to me was actually a moment that was moments like this, which there are very few is a payoff for the fake dating, because she, in her mind, only thinks he's saying this and acting like this because they're fake dating and petra's there and she thinks they're together, um and so the but the payoff of knowing like, no, uh like it's fake dating light yeah, it's fake dating light.
Speaker 2:So because the way that they get to know each other isn't only through the fake dating that's why I? Would say it's fake dating light right because they get to know each other, because he's trying to convince her to stay, because he just likes hanging out with her, because the fake dating moments are very, very brief, so if that was all they had, it would never have amounted to much, really.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:They're very brief moments.
Speaker 1:But I loved that and I thought it was so cute and sweet and I just was literally kicking my feet and giggling and squealing.
Speaker 2:Okay, get it together.
Speaker 1:What else? What did we not like? That's all I was going to say.
Speaker 2:I just I felt like maybe the fake dating could have been taken out, not that it had to, like I did not like it, I just didn't think it was really.
Speaker 2:It was just kind of an extra thing that was like not needed in my opinion. Um, and then I, I don't know how I feel about peter and petra breaking up at the end. I think I guess it it makes sense, but I don't know, I don't know, I get, I think it makes sense because it's like another test for them. Of like, is he gonna go back with petra? Like, if peter and petra stay together, you're maybe always gonna wonder, you know, if he would have ever chosen her, you know if there was another option? Um, but I just feel like that was another thing of like, oh, after all, that they don't even make it like two months. You know, you would think it would last a little bit longer, but, um, I, I mean, I didn't hate any of that, I just felt like it kind of was like huh weird for me that I think actually, I mean, I didn't dislike her, but the little sister, what's her name?
Speaker 1:julia, julia, yeah, I could have done without I mean, I get the. She needs to be there for her for daphne to gain like okay, she was used for daphne to gain more context about his family and like his emotional stuff. Yeah, bitch is very much tied to like his family life and also to keep them like she's in their space. So it's kind of like a cooling has a cooling effect on their like romance. But you know, sometimes I was like I don't really care about getting more details about your life.
Speaker 1:yeah, yeah, but you know but that's like a small thing. I wasn't mad about it, like, yes, if I had, if I had to be picky, I would pick that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I agree I think maybe that could have been less drawn out and you could have gotten the same information about miles, but it could have been a shorter portion of the book. Um, I also felt like whenever they this is just a minor thing, but when her dad and her new stepmom came and they- stayed in star star flare or starfire or something starfire um and they stayed in daphne's room.
Speaker 2:I thought that they should have made it so that miles and daphne had to share his bed, because no, I was so mad like stop subverting the one bed trope. Just do it like don't bring an air mattress.
Speaker 1:Okay, you know literally I wrote, I wrote in that point. That's where I was like, if they don't just finally get together, um, also another, as I'm looking at this like uh, around that time she says I see him laugh, but I can't hear it. I feel robbed of the sound. I was like, oh my God.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 2:This is so much, yes, so anyways, um, yeah, that'll be my small critique, but so some some critique of the miles flaking out at the end thing I out at the end thing.
Speaker 2:I've seen like I'm not critiquing it, I've seen a lot of critiques of that but I'll say I think the the redemption for that is him showing up for her at the readathon and bringing all his friends and helping like save the day, because a bunch of people end up getting sick at this big event she's planned and he just they're not even talking and he like thinks she might be back with peter or whatever, and they're they.
Speaker 2:He still shows up to help her and so I think it's like again, her dad needs to not be in her life in the same way like she needs to have boundaries with her dad because he for her entire life has done this thing where he promises he'll be there and then he doesn't show up or he leaves or whatever miles he did it one time he had like it makes sense in the timeline of life, like this is a very fresh breakup. She's calling him, he's trying to help. That's his whole motivation in life is to help people, because he feels guilty it's a forgivable mistake, exactly if he does it once like to me.
Speaker 2:In my mind, I'm thinking if he does it once and there's no redemption in the book, I understand the critique, but to me, him showing up at the readathon is like he redeemed himself. He showed I'm gonna be there for you when it matters. This was one time. It was a mistake. I'm not gonna be that person though over our lifetime. You know I'm gonna show up for you. So that's my critique to the critique.
Speaker 1:Okay, I like miles a lot. Oh, so cozy, I want to go back and read it again. Okay, so much has been made about a bunch of her adaptations being made into movies. This one will inevitably be made into one as well. We can only hope and pray. Should we talk about fan casting? We should.
Speaker 2:I put a lot of thought into this. You couldn't tell I didn't.
Speaker 1:I'm so unimaginative. But one thing I do know is that peter, peter and petra are both blonde absolutely.
Speaker 2:I don't know if that was said, but it's it's.
Speaker 1:It was obvious to me yeah, um, and he's giving blonde man energy.
Speaker 2:I put cord over street. Yes, from glee. Okay, and hear me out, because he has been recently in a show that I really like on Apple Plus called Al Capucco, and he played this exact character basically and was very funny and I thought, did a great job and he's like he's like attractive but not really. So I feel like it really works for Peter and he's in really good shape. But in that show he plays like there's like the main guy and then the girl that he's obviously in love with or whatever they're going to end up together at some point. He plays her fiance and like I don't know, I just feel like he's kind of smarmy, he's rich, but he's like not a bad person, you know. So I felt like this was perfect for Peter, in my opinion, and I thought amanda, seyfried, how do you?
Speaker 2:say yeah, seyfried could be petra, because petra is kind of like no, uh, like she's like whimsical, bohemian, but still incredibly hot and blonde, and I feel like amanda seyfried, that's what you say, right, yeah, seyfried seyfried, whatever she can, she has a good range and I feel like she can play that type of character of like, kind of like maybe head in the clouds a little, but still like wealthy and white, yeah, you know I think she can do that for sure miles was really hard.
Speaker 2:I put sam cloughlin just because I feel like he's always the guy in the book he's like uh, he's. Is he the best guy in book adaptations? No, is he the best actor? No, but when he's in a book adaptation, does that mean it's going to be good? Yes, so I put him as miles, but I don't actually think he's too hot he's too hot, and so then I got to miles as a dad bod, I know.
Speaker 2:Then I got to manny jacinto from the good place but he also was very hot, um, but I thought he could do like the somewhat stoner but somewhat serious very well no, he's way too hot.
Speaker 1:What are you talking about? Yeah, no, he's extremely hot, but maybe they could.
Speaker 2:They could dull it down a little bit for the movie. People change their appearances for movies all the time.
Speaker 1:I couldn't think of anyone else, so, okay, I'm really stumped on this one unimaginative, because I was like miles teller, because miles like I, just like my brain was just not like allowing me. But, um, you know, maybe, maybe he's too old at this point, but jake johnson, he played I just thought he was too old.
Speaker 2:He might be too old now I mean because he's like mid, mid 30. I thought they were supposed to be in their 30s, but Jake Johnson's got to be in his 40s.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, at least I mean. Years have gone by, he's 45. He's way too old. Okay, let me see.
Speaker 2:But someone like him. You know, radcliffe, no, too short. I'm looking at actors in zephron no, no, unfortunately. Oh, what about dylan o'brien? I thought about him, I thought about him. I think he could do it. Um, yeah, I don't know. I just have a certain image. Neither sam cloughlin or manny jacinto are my version. I have in my mind, but I can't quite figure out who that would be my mind, but I can't quite figure out who that would be anyways, maybe Joe Keery who plays Steve in Stranger Things.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I could actually see that working very well he has to be able to grow a beard.
Speaker 2:What about Josh? Hutcherson, he's short but if you cast a short actress to play against him, he's got the charisma.
Speaker 1:I just kind of imagine Miles as being only average height.
Speaker 2:I thought it was contextual that he is tall. Oh really, I could be wrong. He could just be taller than the girl you know. I think maybe Dylan O'Brien is at the front of my list at this point maybe someone will emerge in the time, because we haven't even had a single emily henry movie yet.
Speaker 2:You know like there's there's, we have plenty of plenty, or even a casting for one there's, although I will say, people age into their 30s exactly I feel very confident that ashley should be played by quinta brunson. I don't know if it's said that she's short, but in my mind she's a very short person and I feel like quinta definitely could be a librarian and is very funny, and so I feel like she would be the perfect ashley character. So that is my cast. That's the one I'm confident about. Everything else I could be flexible.
Speaker 1:I couldn't pick anyone for daphne because I kept picturing Daphne as Emily Henry. So if Emily Henry can act, then I think she should be Daphne. Do a Stephanie Meyer Be in your own movie? I was like I, just I for some reason I just really felt like she put herself into it. Not that I know her, I'm just. It just felt that way.
Speaker 2:Maybe that's why I went with emma stone, because I actually feel like emma stone has a very um similar, like her hair could be very similar at times, and like she could look, like she could play emily henry in a movie emma stone is great.
Speaker 1:She can do anything.
Speaker 2:Yes exactly that's why I thought for her she could be so versatile. She could be play against anyone. I feel like she has chemistry with everyone, so I think she would be great with no matter who miles could be, which I have no idea I saw you put that you pictured miles as miles teller um, but I pictured miles teller as win from happy place, so I'm stuck on that.
Speaker 2:Oh so I can't have him be in this one too, even though we did fan cast joe owlin as win from happy place, which I could also see um, um my, the thing I'm struggling with is that, like whoever it is, they need to kind of be like a little soft, like I just like you can't have an eight pack and be miles.
Speaker 1:No no, I just like that's just. That's the part that's not working.
Speaker 2:They can easily. It's so easy to get rid of an eight pack. I feel like you just don't do that stuff for like a week and then it goes away. I don't know, I've never had one, but anyone can get rid of an eight pack.
Speaker 1:It's got to be easier to get rid of an eight pack than it is to get an eight pack it's got to be easier to get rid of an eight back than it is to get an eight back. You know that's funny. Um, yeah, I mean it was great and again I'm already depressed that yeah. But there are good things on the horizon, like coming out in the next month is the gunkle abroad, which is exciting, and um so that's ready to cry our eyes out again, knowing, oh yeah, exactly.
Speaker 1:Super cozy, fun, comforting, sweet and emotional summer read, yeah, so.
Speaker 2:And Emily Henry probably is already finishing up um her next book.
Speaker 2:I mean it'll take time to get to us, but she is not. So she's showing no signs of slowing down, so we have more to look forward. She's at the peak of her power, amen. Um. Also, I wanted to ask you before we wrap it up, and I saw an interview on tiktok with emily henry where she was asked to compare each of her books to a taylor swift, I think. Maybe they asked her album, because all the things she named were albums. Um, but I thought originally it was songs. Um, but she said Happy Place is red, which I agree, and then she said that Funny Story is the tortured poet's department. And what do you think about that, since following up on the Heels of Mark Taylor Swift episode.
Speaker 1:Is there enough happiness in tortured poets? Okay.
Speaker 2:I thought that as well, but there are a lot of funny things in tortured poets I mean so, and it's also unhinged. It's unhinged and I especially thought um the prophecy song really definitely relates to daphne and to miles.
Speaker 1:Honestly, I was thinking of, you can do. I can do with a broken heart yeah that too.
Speaker 2:That is what was coming to mind for me yeah, so I just wanted to know what you guys think about that um I can see it, yeah, um I think of all the albums it probably would be the tortured poets department. I mean, yeah, it's a little unhinged and I'm just like, is it?
Speaker 1:is it like there's really, you know, arguably really only like two happy love songs on it, right? So I'm like there's so much happiness in this book too, yeah, and falling and like buzzy excited, falling in love feelings, so, but you know, if emily henry said that, that's what it is then that's what it is she's the authority yeah what can we say?
Speaker 2:anyways um any final thoughts from you.
Speaker 1:No, it was good. I'm glad we read it so quickly and also my book club is reading this for june, or sorry, for may, so I'll have an opportunity to talk about it again with a bunch of friends in like a month that's so fun, that's exciting.
Speaker 2:Love it. Yeah, thank you guys for being here.
Speaker 1:You're our friends yes all right, we'll catch you guys next time. Oh, do you want to say what you've read recently? Oh right that? Um, have I read anything recently besides this that I want to talk about? I um have started a book called the red sparrow, which is a spy novel. Um, I will report back next time how it is. I'm too far into the beginning to really say okay, but, um, my friend Colleen gave it to me to read and um, so I will report back. What about you?
Speaker 2:okay, I recently read romantic comedy by curtis sintonfield. Sintonfeld um recommends me to my by my friend ally, and I feel like you and ally are on the same page of me, as if you guys recommend me a book, I will automatically read it because I feel like I trust you guys anyway. So this is a um. She should have led with this. I would have read it a lot sooner probably, but it's a celebrity, normal person dating oh, I'm there, so it's interesting Putting it on hold. So it takes place.
Speaker 2:It starts off at what is essentially besides the name SNL and the main character, whose name I obviously forgot.
Speaker 2:As you guys know, she is a writer on SNL, whose name I obviously forgot.
Speaker 2:As you guys know, she is a writer on SNL and the host for this week's episode is this kind of like aging pop star who got really big in his early 20s and so he's had a long career, but now he's like in his 30s, late 30s or whatever, and he's still big, he's still very famous and he's hosting and he's the musical guest this week, and so she's working with him on like writing sketches.
Speaker 2:She's pitching her ideas and one of her ideas is based on her good friend, who's also a writer, who is essentially this sketch will be like the police coming to arrest a normal girl who is trying to date like a super hot pop star, which is this noah, he's the main music guy. And they're like no, no, it can only like this is illegal. It can only be the opposite, where a really like schlubby writer guy dates the super hot star model or whatever, because, like, you see that happening so much and you don't really ever see it in the reverse, so that's her idea for the sketch. And he's like who says it can never happen in the reverse, and so you can see where this is going my critique my critique.
Speaker 2:I loved the part of the book where they were on set in this snl world, that that part of it was super fast paced. I flew through it. There is a. Okay, this is a small spoiler. Are you okay with the small spoiler?
Speaker 1:I want to read this one. Okay, well, you be vague.
Speaker 2:I will be extremely vague. There's just a time jump and then the second half of the book I found to be a little slower, but I really liked it how it resolved. I liked the ending, like it picks back up. I just wished almost the whole thing could have been like in this fast paced snl environment, and so it's not. So I will just say that warning that like I kind of got, I was like okay, this is kind of starting to jog, but then by the end it picked back up. So, um, yeah, but I thought it was really fun.
Speaker 2:Like I love any version of this where a celebrity falls in love with a normal person and I found this to be probably the most realistic version of that because, like how they met made sense and then like the repercussions and them dealing with it, like I feel like they like in the main character, I feel like she was very thoughtful about like what does this actually mean? I don't know like there's actual implications, versus just like this is fine, you know. So I felt like this was maybe the most realistic telling of what it would actually be like if that happens. Isn't like a very recent release.
Speaker 1:I think it's relatively new yeah because the la public library only has one copy of it on the b, so it's like several months late. So I think they're gonna you know probably acquire more copies in the very near future um circle back whenever. But yeah, it's on my. It's officially on my holds list, so I think you're excited to read it anyways, that's it amazing. All right, guys, we'll catch you next time. Bye.