Book Smart Kate

Book: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Spice: 🌶️🌶️

by Emily Henry

Emily Henry knitted everything I loved about her last 4 books into one. The hijinks and friends-to-lovers from People We Meet on Vacation, forced proximity of Beach Read, small town and complex families of Book Lovers, heartbreak and melancholy of Happy Place. With Funny Story, we get it all!

Daphne moved around her whole life until she met her fiancé, Peter. Now settled in Peter’s hometown of Waning Bay, Michigan, she loves her job as a children’s librarian and is planning a read-a-thon in a few months. On the night of his bachelor party, Peter announces he is in love with his best friend Petra, the wedding is off, and Daphne has a week to leave the house. Miles, Petra’s boyfriend, is as shocked as Daphne. Counting down the days to put this town behind her, Daphne is Miles’s temporary roommate. When, in a drunken haze, they RSVP yes to Peter and Petra’s wedding, they set off a chaotic series of events, resulting in Miles becoming Daphne’s fake boyfriend. Miles is a good guy who is a little odd but universally adored and doesn’t think Daphne should pack up and leave a job she loves just because Peter is a dick. He has until the read-a-thon to convince Daphne to see the beauty of Waning Bay. As Daphne begins to make friends of her own, she wonders what it would be like to finally put down roots.

This book has humor, whacky characters, big emotions, and personal growth. Waning Bay is a magical town of small businesses, farmers’ markets, quirky bars, and quiet beaches. Miles and Daphne have a lot of baggage from their parents. He always tries to appear happy, and she never expects others to follow through. They grow to become friends and share raw emotions while grappling with attraction, not wanting to jeopardize a friendship that is important to them both. I could go on and on about this book. I loved it.