Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld

Romantic Comedy

by Curtis Sittenfeld

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • REESE’S BOOK CLUB PICK • A comedy writer thinks she’s sworn off love, until a dreamy pop star flips the script on all her assumptions—a “smart, sophisticated, and fun” (Oprah Daily) novel from the author of Eligible, Rodham, and Prep.
 
“Full of dazzling banter and sizzling chemistry.”—People
 
“If you ever wanted a backstage pass to Saturday Night Live, this is the book for you.”—Zibby Owens, Good Morning America

A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The Washington Post, NPR, USA Today, BuzzFeed, PopSugar, Harper’s Bazaar, Real Simple, She Reads, New York Post

Sally Milz is a sketch writer for The Night Owls, a late-night live comedy show that airs every Saturday. With a couple of heartbreaks under her belt, she’s long abandoned the search for love, settling instead for the occasional hook-up, career success, and a close relationship with her stepfather to round out a satisfying life.

But when Sally’s friend and fellow writer Danny Horst begins dating Annabel, a glamorous actress who guest-hosted the show, he joins the not-so-exclusive group of talented but average-looking and even dorky men at the show—and in society at large—who’ve gotten romantically involved with incredibly beautiful and accomplished women. Sally channels her annoyance into a sketch called The Danny Horst Rule, poking fun at this phenomenon while underscoring how unlikely it is that the reverse would ever happen for a woman.

Enter Noah Brewster, a pop music sensation with a reputation for dating models, who signed on as both host and musical guest for this week’s show. Dazzled by his charms, Sally hits it off with Noah instantly, and as they collaborate on one sketch after another, she begins to wonder if there might actually be sparks flying. But this isn’t a romantic comedy—it’s real life. And in real life, someone like him would never date someone like her . . . right?

With her keen observations and trademark ability to bring complex women to life on the page, Curtis Sittenfeld explores the neurosis-inducing and heart-fluttering wonder of love, while slyly dissecting the social rituals of romance and gender relations in the modern age.

Reviewed by Quirky Cat on

3 of 5 stars

Share

Book Summary:

Sally Milz is a comedy sketch writer for a fairly famous late-night show. She loves her work, but there are some things she would change if she could. For example, there's this double-standard in her industry, where the guys always "date up" but never down.

She calls it the "Danny Horst Rule," after her favorite co-worker. Naturally, the second she coins the phrase, the tables are turned, and Sally finds herself in the center of a new romantic situation.

My Review:

I nabbed Romantic Comedy with the latest BOTM choices because I'm trying to be better at diversifying my reads. And really, who wouldn't be tempted by a promise made with this title?

Overall, I would say that Romantic Comedy is an okay read. It isn't bad, but it wasn't my favorite either. Some of the writing could have been tighter, as it seemed to go off track a couple of times (then again, that is a romantic comedy trope, isn't it?)

Sally's sense of humor carries this novel, as far as I'm concerned. I loved her take on the world, and I wish she was real (ideally writing the comedy sketches mentioned in this book). Oh well.

Highlights:
Romance
Comedy Writers
Modern Setting

rigger Warnings:
Double Standards

Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks | Quirky Cat's Comics | The Book Review Crew | Monkeys Fighting Robots | Storygraph | Bookhype | Bookstagram | Twitter | Tumblr | Reedsy

Last modified on

Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 21 April, 2023: Finished reading
  • 21 April, 2023: Reviewed