Reviews

Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld

Only show reviews with written explanations

kiwichill's review

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Total crap. Not funny or interesting

jaclyncrupi's review against another edition

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5.0

Being a reader at the same time Curtis Sittenfeld is a writer is one of the great joys of my life. This book is perfection. She’s writing joy and humour and love while still being awkward and self-sabotaging and messy. She’s writing a comedic writer who’s funnier on the page than most comedians in their acts. This is the book I needed most. I feel so lucky to have been ferried this from the UK. It’s not out until April but my goodness it’s worth the wait.

lilbanne's review against another edition

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4.0

I am not a huge fan of romantic novels, or am I? Curtis Sittenfeld's Romantic Comedy was such a joy to read. Yes, it is predictably tied up neatly in a bow at the end of the book, but it was also super satisfying to read along the way, and I couldn't put it down.

Sally Millz is 36 and divorced. She is a lone wolf and works as a sketch writer on The Night Owls (TNO), a fictionalized version of Saturday Night Live (SNL). She is a loveable and realistic heroine who has believable problems. Sally works on a "Danny Horst Rule" sketch about a famous actor arrested for dating a less attractive, "ordinary" woman. The sketch is a play on gender role reversal because non-famous men can date famous women; similar to her colleague Danny Horst, who is marrying a well-known star, an ordinary woman could not do the same with a famous man.

The week TNO is to use the Danny Horse Rule sketch; the weekly host is Noah Brewster, a pop star around the same age as Sally. The two spend time together working on sketch ideas and develop a special close connection. Sally dismisses their spark because there is no way a famous, handsome man would fall for a plain woman like her. After the weekly show concludes, the two go their separate ways, and their lives continue. The rest of the book's first third deals with Sally's time as a writer on the TNO, which is a joy in itself to read.

The second third of the book deals with the COVID-19 pandemic and how life for everyone changes dramatically during lockdowns and health crises. Sally and Noah reconnected through email, realizing their spark was real. Is the connection just friendship or something more? Sally is convinced that there is no way the Danny Horst Rule could be true! Are there exceptions? The last part of the book delves into Sally and Noah connecting in person and seeing if their connection can transcend into the physical realm instead of just through correspondence.

Romantic Comedy was a sweet, fun little read. I enjoyed the character development and fell for Sally and Noah, independent of each other. The book is a joy to read and leaves you with a smile. Leave this in your TBR pile if you need a sweet pick-me-up.

breanneporter's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Absolutely bloody adored this novel. This was a rec (and a loan) from a friend and I tore through it in just a couple of days. Romantic Comedy follows Sally Milz, a writer for SNL-in-all-but-name in her mid-to-late 30s, as she meets and falls for Noah Brewster, a super attractive and famous singer, when he hosts SNL one week in April 2018. The novel has 3 main parts: when they meet, when they reconnect via email in summer 2020 (in our timeline, which means early pandemic times), and then when they meet up in person in LA to actually give it a go. Plus an epilogue!

I didn’t realize that the pandemic would be so much of the setting, which I’m glad for, as it may have dissuaded me; I haven’t read much (at least not yet) of pandemic-set novels, and in general I don’t really want to. In this case though, I think the author did a great job of describing what it was like and how hard and scary it was, while also getting something pretty joyous out of it (the reconnection of two people who suddenly had a lot more time on their hands).

I also think the author did a really excellent job of describing and developing the protagonist’s anxiety. Even when I didn’t agree with her responses or reactions at times, I felt like I really understood them. It somehow felt plausible, and that made it all the more fun to read.

I was squeeing throughout much of this novel and loved the focus on banter - especially in parts 2 and 3, I had trouble putting it down or keeping a goofy grin off my face. I love that sally was an older protagonist than most are, in romcoms, I loved that there wasn’t any concern/issue/even discussion about kids and whether she would still be able to have them, etc, which feels so tired to me, and I loved that she was a career woman with a job she loved but didn’t necessarily put first, over everything else.

Overall this was so fun and funny and heartwarming and sexy and I haven’t had this much fun with straight romance in a long time - highly recommend!!