Funny Feelings by Tarah DeWittStar Rating:
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Published by St. Martin’s Griffin on 05/02/2023
Genres: Fiction, Romance, Contemporary Romance, Romantic Comedy
Format: Kindle (311 pages)
Source: Purchased
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When falling in love is the punchline…
Farley Jones is a loud, chaotic, and hilariously clever standup comedian on the way to stardom. The only thing she loves more than the rush of telling jokes in front of a revved-up audience is her hot older manager Meyer, though he doesn’t have a clue. Keeping her feelings hidden from him is agony (a tragedy, even—in lieu of flowers, please send cash...) but Meyer has been Farley’s closest and most treasured friend, not to mention vital to the trajectory of her career. She can’t risk ruining their relationship by telling him how she truly feels. After all, who else would have the patience to put up with a hot mess like her?
A former standup star himself, single father Meyer Harrigan left the stage years ago in order to focus on raising his deaf daughter Hazel. Farley has been everything to them since she came into their lives three years ago, and despite his grumpiness, his protectiveness over Hazel, and his disdain for public attention, Meyer will do anything to make her standup dreams come true.
When the biggest opportunity of Farley’s career comes along and forces the pair to fake-date in order to stir up publicity, it doesn't take long for their act to bring all those other funny feelings out into the open. Like most matters of the heart, it quickly begins to feel like anything but a joke.
Touching on the creative spirit and all that comes with sharing that gift, Tarah DeWitt's Funny Feelings is a swoony story about friendship, love, and looking for the laugh in life.
Farley Jones is a lot of things. But ask anyone, and the first thing they will tell you is, that she is funny. Like really, REALLY funny. But booking gigs as a woman in comedy is hard. Especially when you’re crass, high-maintenance, and have no filter—consequences be damned.
Meyer Harrigan was once a very successful standup comedian. He retired from comedy when he unexpectedly became a single dad and the sole caregiver to his daughter, Hazel.
It’s Hazel’s 7th birthday, and things aren’t going well. A freak rainstorm tears through LA, ruining her perfect water park party plans. Every child-approved indoor party option is booked, so Meyer is forced to improvise. Out of options, he goes to the place he knows best—the comedy club where he started his career.
Like a (soaking wet) wrecking ball, Farley comes crashing into the club to ask for her bartending job back. When she notices Hazel’s less-than-stellar party, she takes over and turns it into a smash hit. While Farley is jumping in puddles, telling ASL jokes (Hazel is deaf), and generally entertaining a gaggle of seven-year-old girls, Meyer finds himself letting loose and having fun for the first time in years.
Feeling a bit smitten, Meyer convinces the club owner to give Farley mic time that night, and he and Hazel stay to watch Farley’s set. Meyer is mesmerized. Farley is a natural—on stage and with Hazel. Afterward, over ice cream, Meyer offers to mentor Farley and eventually becomes her full-time manager.
Meyer quickly falls for Farley, and Farley can’t help but fall madly in love with Meyer (and Hazel). But they are both oblivious to the other’s true feelings. They’ve convinced themselves that their amazing friendship and solid working relationship could never turn romantic. So, they lock their feelings up tight and explain away every little flirty signal that they both want more. That is until Farley is invited to tour with two other very successful female comics, and a little publicity is needed to help Farley’s career take off. A fake boyfriend is required, and Meyer is the ideal candidate. Not only is he a former famous comic, but he’s also her best friend. They already spend all their free time together, so what’s a bit of planned touching and canoodling going to hurt? Everything will be fine if they create rules and guidelines for their fake relationship. But being flirty together, going on dates, and holding hands feels really good and incredibly natural. The lines of their fake relationship quickly blur, and their rules get thrown out the window. Maybe this relationship thing could work after all.
I laughed out loud, swooned, and cheered when Meyer and Farley finally got together. Despite several stops at the miscommunication frustration station, Funny Feelings is an excellent read for friends to lovers feels and found family warm fuzzies. The little family that Meyer, Farley, and Hazel form is absolute GOALS, and they deserve to be stupid with love.
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