Emily Henry talks upcoming novel 'Funny Story,' 'Book Lovers' casting rumors

By GMA Team

Emily Henry is dishing on her upcoming book "Funny Story" and which rom-coms have inspired her the most.

The New York Times bestselling author appeared on "Good Morning America" Monday to chat about the new novel, out April 23, and some of the upcoming big-screen adaptations of her recent books.

"'Funny Story' is about Daphne Vincent, who is this kind of this uptight librarian who is engaged -- she thinks her life is perfect," Henry said on her new novel. "She's just moved to this new town to be with her fiance and then he breaks up with her for his childhood best friend Petra, and her whole life is thrown into chaos."

She continued, "To kind of find her footing, she has to move in with Petra's ex-boyfriend, so it's a mess ... and we love mess, at least at the start! And they kind of figure out that maybe it's not worst thing in the world because they could kind of lead their exes to think that maybe they're together now -- make 'em a little bit jealous. It's really fun."

Penguin Publishing Group

"Funny Story," by Emily Henry.

Henry, who said she draws inspiration from rom-coms, among other topics, when writing her novels, was also asked about which films have inspired her writing process.

Pointing to Nora Ephron's catalogue, Henry shared, "'You've Got Mail' specifically -- and actually 'Desk Set,' which her parents made way back when, is one of my favorites -- and I think those two have been so significant for kind of finding my own voice."

Bestselling author Emily Henry dishes on her new rom-com-themed book, "Funny Story," about two roommates' plan to mislead friends that might have unintended consequences. pic.twitter.com/oHwEZN7BAv

— Good Morning America (@GMA) April 22, 2024

Henry has three of her bestselling novels headed for the big screen -- "Beach Read," "People We Meet on Vacation" and "Book Lovers" -- which she said is "surreal."

She said that's not on her mind when she's writing though: "Honestly I'm not thinking, 'Oh, this could be an adaptation,' but I'm such a visual person, I see it all play out, so there's a piece of me that is like, yeah, it's a movie in my head already."

When asked about the rumored casting of Paul Mescal and Ayo Edebiri for "Book Lovers," Henry shared her thoughts.

"I think my readers are so smart and have such good taste," she said. "So obviously if they think it's a good idea then I'm like, yeah, that would be amazing. They're very talented actors."

Neither of the actors have publicly commented on the rumors.