Emily Henry Doesn’t Really Care If You Don’t Like Her Books

Emily Henry’s summer was anything but normal. In addition to releasing her fifth novel, “Funny Story,” which became an instant best seller, Henry announced that the book would also be adapted into a feature film. Oh, and that Netflix optioned her novel “Happy Place” for an upcoming series.
It’s safe to say that the New York Times best-selling author is about to have a busy next few years. And it’s success that’s thoroughly deserved. The Midwesterner, who spends a majority of her time in her hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio, might be single-handedly reviving the world of romance. Sure, the standard tropes and formula of falling in love are basically the same, but Henry takes the time to imbue subtle humor and thoughtful societal critiques into a novel that might otherwise be cut-and-paste in the genre.
“Funny Story” is no different. This time, she turns the idea of happily ever after on its head, thrusting together two unlikely people in a story filled with fake dating, endless banter and plenty of revenge on shitty exes.
“It really just started with how much my friends and I love sharing our bad relationship and dating stories,” Henry says of the inspiration behind the novel. “The worst first dates make the best stories later. In general, I think that’s true. A lot of times the things that go wrong for us, the moments that are unexpectedly horrible, have a glimmer of humor in them, and once enough time has passed, and you’ve made it through the worst of it, you can usually laugh about those things.”
For this novel, she wanted to write about two people going through a gut-wrenching heartbreak and play with how it might evolve into a sort of complicated meet-cute. In this interview, HuffPost asks Henry a few rapid-fire questions to gain more insight into her life as a writer and what she’s loving right now.
Have you always wanted to be a romance writer? How did you end up finding a love for this genre as both a reader and writer?
Weirdly, no. I’ve always gravitated toward books and movies with a romantic subplot but hadn’t dived head first into romance until my mid-20s. I’d finished working on a different book, in a different genre, and just felt burnt out and tired of what I’d been working on. I thought about the romantic comedy films I’d always loved and just wanted to feel immersed in that kind of story for a couple of months, so I started writing “Beach Read,” and after I’d written it — but well before I’d tried to publish it — I started actually reading romance and fell completely in love with the genre. It was a really stressful time in my life, and I found that safety net of a guaranteed happily ever after, at least when it came to the love story, really comforting and satisfying.
Beyond that, I’ve always been a character-first reader and by its nature, romance relies heavily on character. Everything begins with them, and every plot decision originates with them, their unique motivations or fears or desires.
How do you deal with people who write off romance novels as “chick lit”?
Well, I’ve largely stopped feeling like it’s my job to convince people to respect the things I love. I really only bother pushing back against that sentiment when someone’s telling me about something they love and then denigrating it in the same breath, almost apologizing for enjoying something. Like what you like! No one’s pushing back on liking murder mysteries or “Star Wars.” And they shouldn’t! Those things are great. They’re not made less great by the general predictability of the structure.
What’s most important to you when it comes to writing a good romance novel?
Character! Romances don’t work if you don’t understand why these two people, of everyone on the planet, might specifically belong together, and they also don’t work if these two people, of everyone on the planet, don’t have something keeping them apart that they have to figure out how to overcome. My favorite thing about love stories is what an amazing vehicle for a coming of age story they are. Falling in love is a uniquely terrifying, exhilarating, triggering and healing experience, and I want to feel all of that and watch two people figure out how to muddle through all of it to make something beautiful.
What are you watching on TV right now?
I recently finished watching “Starstruck,” and completely loved it. Now I’m eagerly awaiting the Netflix adaptation of Elin Hilderbrand’s “The Perfect Couple” as well as Season 2 of “Silo.”
How do you take care of your mental health while on deadline or submission?
Well, I’m still working on this honestly. I haven’t cracked it. I definitely find that exercise helps, as does getting outside and away from screens.
What do you think of the rom-com movie revival? Have you had a fave so far?
I’m both excited it’s happening and nervous that it will stop before it’s really gained any momentum. These came out a while ago and are technically [young adult], but Jenny Han’s “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” trilogy on Netflix is so, so good. The first one is just such a heartfelt homage to the genre. Oh! I also loved “Palm Springs.” It was so unexpected and funny and sweet. Oh — and within the holiday subgenre, “Happiest Season,” which isn’t totally a romantic comedy but it’s on the edge of the genre and gave me a lot of the same kind of heart-squeezing moments.
What’s on your summer reading list?
I’m about to start Kimberly McCreight’s “Like Mother, Like Daughter”!
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