NEW YORK (AP) — “Nothing forces you to face your demons like falling in love.”

And it’s almost always worth it, Emily Henry says during a recent interview ahead of Tuesday’s release of her latest novel, “Funny Story.” She would know, having churned out a new bestselling romance read every year since 2020.

“You find out so much about yourself by how you react to the complicated feelings of falling in love, and that can lead into something very toxic and exhausting. But it also can lead into something so beautiful and life changing,” she says.

Henry talked with The Associated Press about her journey to becoming a novelist, why people shouldn’t feel shame about reading romance and how her personal mental health journey influences her characters. She also dives into whether books are better than movies, with a few insights into the film adaptions of her books in the works.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

AP: Before you started writing the books that became bestsellers, you were in a bit of a life rut, which anyone can relate to. What advice do you have for people who are also stuck?

HENRY: You could try writing a book. That’s only halfway a joke, because I really do feel like “Beach Read” was the most meta thing I’d ever done.

There’s a reason that most of my books have ended with one or both characters going to therapy. For a happy ending to be sustained, for a relationship to continue growing and changing, you probably need some help.

Also getting on medicine was huge for me. I thought I was doing more or less OK until I found out what it felt like to be OK.