The heroine has romantic feelings for the hero for a long time and wants to move on with her life at the beginning of this book. The hero is immortalized in an ex's hit song and had hit a point with it when he is introduced in the story. The hero and the heroine had been friends for a long time, and this dynamic will change when life-changing events forced each of them to make decisions that may bring them together...or apart.

This is my first Emma Barry book that I've read. It's a friends-to-lovers story with a strong cast of characters that enriched the book. There were definitive moments that I enjoyed reading, but the story wasn't as grifting as it could be in my eyes. I really liked the heroine and her character, but the hero was frustrating at times that I didn't feel connected to him as much as with the heroine. Therefore, I wasn't committed to their HEA as I could have been since this book has my favorite romance trope of all time. That said, it's still a nice book and I would still want to read more Emma Barry books in the future.

** Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. All opinions and thoughts in the review are my own. ** ( )

My sincere thanks to Montlake and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read Funny Guy by Emma Barry and give my unbiased opinion of it in the following review.

Bree has been secretly in love with her best friend Sam since they were young. They grew up together and have both lived through tough childhoods and shared experiences. They have always been there for each other. Sam is trying to get back on his feet as a stand-up comedian after his ex-girlfriend exposes his secrets in a song. Bree is trying to find the courage to reach for her dreams even if it means going on without Sam. Unrelenting paparazzi force Sam to beg Bree to let him crash on her couch for a while and the forced proximity is messing with both of them. I found this friends to lovers romance very satisfying and not all that rom com-ish funny as the title makes you think it will be. This was not a bad thing. Sam is a pretty complex character and seeing his layers peeled back one by one made for some good reading. I did think that Bree's main conflict took a little too long to be resolved, which made the ending a little more abrupt than I wanted it to be. I would have loved to have seen more of them together at the end. 4 solid stars and I'm off to check out some of Emma Barry's other books and read some more romances with comedians to see how they compare. ( )