Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld  – Audio  

ARC from PRH Audio for an honest review

Book Blurb:

Sally Milz is a sketch writer for “The Night Owls,” the late-night live comedy show that airs each 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 actor 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 whether 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?

My Review: 4 stars

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Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld was an enjoyable read that not only gave an insider’s look into working at an SNL-like late-night show, while also celebrating a romance during Covid. Sittenfeld is an auto buy author for me and I’m always excited when a new book comes out.

Yep, this author went there, straight to the dark days of Covid, but also filled with light as the two MCs, Noah and Sally corresponded through email and phone calls. Their banter and chemistry were completely spot on. Readers, you will be rooting for them.

Sally’s premise that unattractive men often get the most beautiful girls was a continual thread woven into the novel. With Sally being a regular, hearty looking woman and Noah being a handsome celebrity, the tables were flipped on her. She struggled to believe such a handsome man would care for her. This was an interesting twist which I found fresh and relatable. 

This light, easy read was a joy to listen to. 

Quotes I liked:

Aren’t we all just looking for someone to talk about everything with? Someone worth the effort of telling our stories and opinions to, whose stories and opinions we actually want to hear?”

“If you’re our age and single, dating kind of has to be an act of reckless optimism, right? The triumph of hope over experience?”

“When I’m talking to you, I’m a funnier and smarter version of myself because you’re funny and smart.”