Funny Story
(Review, Book Summary & Spoilers)

MAY

The book opens with Daphne having recently been dumped by her fiancé, Peter. Peter realized during his bachelor party that he was in love with his "platonic" childhood best friend Petra, and they're in love. He dumps Daphne the next morning, letting her know Petra will be moving in. Petra is also dumping her boyfriend, Miles. After dropping the news on them, Peter and Petra then leave for an impromptu week-long trip to the Amalfi coast together.

When Miles shows up looking for Petra, Daphne and Miles end up talking. Heartbroken and soon-to-be homeless, Daphne accepts Miles's offer to move in as his roommate. She's now been living with Miles for the past three weeks. Daphne uprooted her life and moved here, to Peter's hometown, a little over a year ago because he wanted to buy a house here in Waning Bay, Michigan. Now, Daphne is stuck in a city where the only people she knows are her co-workers and Peter's friends. She considers leaving, but she's running the Read-a-Thon at the library she works at as a children's librarian for the rest of the summer, so she's stuck staying for at least the next three months.

Daphne and Miles soon receive invites to Peter and Petra's wedding, devastating them both. They drunkenly RSVP, and Peter calls Daphne. It's clear he never really meant for her to actually attend, and he tries to dissuade her by telling her how sad she'll be to show up alone. Humiliated and indignant, Daphne ends up claiming that she has a boyfriend already. When Peter points out that she RSVP'd without a plus one, Daphne lies again and says that she and Miles are an item and that they'll be attending together.

As Miles and Daphne room together, they get to know one another. Miles is a buyer at a winery who is a very positive person who has an easy time meeting and getting to know people. Daphne meanwhile is reserved and a little closed off. Miles offers to show Daphne around since there's a lot Peter never showed her, and Miles hopes Daphne will end up deciding to stay. They also have movie nights together watching movies their exes were never willing to watch with them.

JUNE - JULY

Daphne realizes she has spent her whole life being partnered up. When she was young, it was her mother. In college, it was her best friend Sadie. Then, when she met Peter, her life revolved around him and his interests and schedule. Now, she's having to figure out being un-partnered.

Daphne starts making a new friend at work, Ashleigh, who starts inviting her to a monthly poker night with other people around town. One day, Miles's younger sister Julia shows up in town, and she ends up staying with and hanging out with them too.

Meanwhile, Miles is processing his own breakup as well. Petra had told him while they were dating that she never wanted to get married, only to turn around and immediately plan a wedding to Peter. Growing up, his mother's emotions eclipsed everyone else's in the family, and Miles learned to hide his own emotions and pretend everything was fine in order to prevent his mother from being upset. Now, Miles struggles with a lot of self-doubt and distrust over his own emotions.

AUGUST

In August, Daphne's father unexpectedly shows up with a woman, who he introduces as his wife. They're road-tripping from California to Vermont and want to stop here to spend some time with her. Daphne is surprised to see her father married to someone who is age-appropriate and he seems earnest about wanting to spend time with Daphne. Daphne lets herself believe that her father could have really changed. However, shortly after, he and his wife leave without a goodbye after getting an invitation to stay with some other friends, and Daphne's reminded how she's never felt like a priority to him.

Afterwards, Daphne is upset and Miles tells her that her father is someone who can't face her because sees him as he really is. Her father wants to be around people who don't really know him and don't know his imperfections. Miles also says that Peter is just someone who is boring and thinks that being with Petra will make him less boring. Afterwards, Daphne and Miles kiss and have sex, and they spend a blissful day together.

Then, Miles flakes the next day. Peter shows up instead the day after and says that the Petra thing was a mistake and that he wants to get back together. Daphne realizes that even if the Miles thing didn't work out, she still no longer wants the life she had with Peter that revolved entirely around him. Miles eventually shows back up and apologies for disappearing on her. He says he panicked and he's sorry, but he loves her and wants to be together, but Daphne turns him down. Around this time, Daphne finds a job posting for a children's librarian position near where her mother lives.

Soon, the Read-a-thon, a library event Julia has been planning for all summer, arrives. The event goes smoothly and Julia and Miles show up along with a lot of other friends to volunteer. Daphne's father calls and she finds out that the reason Miles flaked out on her is because he drove up to where her father had gone to try to convince him to come back instead of leaving without saying goodbye. Daphne realizes that Miles never told her because he knew how much it would hurt her to know her that he'd tried but her father had refused.

Julia tells Daphne that even though Miles constantly doubts whether he is able to be the man or the person that other people need him to be (because of how his mother was), Julia knows from how he's taken care of her that he's more than capable of being there for someone and being enough.

Daphne lets Miles know that she knows that he went to see her father. Daphne tells Miles she wants them to be together, but she needs to move out because she needs to learn to create her own life that's separate from him.

A YEAR LATER

A year later, Daphne and Miles are moving in together again. They have a housewarming party with all their friends, and Daphne's mother comes to visit as well. The book ends with Daphne telling the "funny story" about how they met...

For more detail, see the full Chapter-by-Chapter Summary.

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