A review by taylorc19
Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld

reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

This is such a great concept for a book but I found myself rolling my eyes at many different parts. I've compiled a list of pros and cons because I don't want to come off as too negative in my review. I did enjoy bits and pieces of this book, however I feel very...passionate about the parts I disliked.  
Pros: 
  • I like the premise. A comedy writer who chooses to write a sketch about the phenomenon of wildly attractive female celebrities dating (for lack of better terms) mid-tier men is a really great idea. 
  • The characters felt fully developed and like they could have been real people. 
  • The so-called "third act break-up" was based on insecurities that were totally valid for the female main character to have, and I think I would have done the exact same thing she did if I were in her situation.
Cons:
  • There is absolutely no warning that this is going to be a pandemic fiction novel. I don't want to read about the COVID-19 pandemic. Like, ever. Maybe in fifty years when I forget the enormous toll it took on our lives, or maybe when I want to reminisce on my high school experience and remember how I never had a senior year, I can come back to pandemic novels. But right now? No thank you.
    • A subsection of this: I'm sure there are people who want to read about the pandemic and enjoy that as a setting for a novel, but for God's sake at least mention that the pandemic is a part of the book in the blurb.
  • I don't think either of the main characters were supposed to be overly political, yet this book was inherently a political book. For example, when Danny Horst and his girlfriend break up he says something along the lines of "Remember in the 2016 election when we thought the worst thing would never happen and then it did?" or when talking about her friendship with Danny, Sally remarks that they bonded while sobbing in each other's arms on election night 2016. Is that really necessary in a romance book? Parts of this book felt like it was straight from a "How to Be a Social Justice Warrior in 2020 for Beginners" guide.  Which maybe some people like, but again, give some indication in the blurb PLEASE.
    • Another example of this is during the emails section of the book, Sally and whatever the main boy's name is (literally can't remember for the life of me) talk about masks and going to BLM protests. Sally also talks about systemic racism and racism in healthcare, which fair enough but also maybe we don't have a straight white woman protagonist preaching about it? Also I read the acknowledgements section and the author cites an article as her one source for racism in healthcare. It almost feels like she was just collecting woke Infinity Stones and sprinkling them throughout the book. Pick something you care about and develop that; otherwise, your commentary on these topics feels disingenuous and under-researched. 
  • Sally is supposed to be funny and she simply isn't. She's a long-term writer for an SNL-type show and is supposed to be insanely witty and funny, yet none of her pitched skits or jokes landed for me. Sorry I don't find fart jokes funny. 
Overall, this book missed the mark for me. If I had known it was set during the 2020 pandemic, I never would have picked it up. If you're into political pandemic novels this might be a great book for you, however I'm not and will probably never be. 
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