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nuuamuikkunen's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic and Sexual content
Moderate: Drug abuse, Medical content, Addiction, Eating disorder, and Death of parent
Minor: Pregnancy and Gaslighting
rebecca_arielle's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic, Medical content, and Excrement
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Pregnancy, and Death of parent
ariana3's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Plot summary:
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Classism, Alcohol, Body shaming, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Alcoholism
Minor: Eating disorder, Death of parent, and Cancer
amanda_reads13's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
So this IMHO is not a romantic comedy. It is called such because Sally writes for a SNL like show. I didn't really find it funny per se, but the "behind the scene" look at the SNL lifestyle was interesting.
This book felt like it was one giant political statement about how it's unfair that less attractive men can reel in gorgeous women without anyone saying a word, but it's a scandal if the opposite happens. It was rammed down our throats. We get it.
Sally believes that she is unworthy of love because she isn't pretty enough to get the guy. We are hit over the head with this over and over. She is so awkward and I cringed at so many things she said. No matter how much validation Noah gives her, her insecurities get the best of her. She is a successful, Emmy award winning writer who has such little self-confidence. There is zero character development. This woman needs therapy to work through her issues.
The second half of the book takes part during the pandemic. Noah reaches out to Sally via email and they become pen pals. Their email correspondence is all over the place. ALSO it's never really explained why he reaches out after 2 years of no contact...
She is such a a hypocrite, she accused Noah of dating models younger than him while setting her friend up with a doctor 20 years her senior. ALSO calling herself a feminist while constantly belittling other women.
COVID is used as a plot device to push the characters together (not in a good way). We see them get together in this COVID "bubble", not real life. Their "real life" is squashed into a short epilogue. I would have preferred to have seen the progress of their relationship without COVID thrown in. It was unnecessary.
There is a whole section in their emails that felt so preformative. "Did you for to a BLM march?" Was basically the whole conversation. Why have two white characters mention this if that is going to be the whole conversation.
Tropes: workplace, celebrity romance
Graphic: Medical content, Death of parent, and Pandemic/Epidemic
rachbreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
The idea of him had sometimes made me nervous but the reality of him always comforted me.
Am I finally okay with reading pandemic fiction?? The last two-thirds of this book takes place during 2020, so beware if you're still too wary to read anything about the pandemic. This is basically the first book that involves the pandemic that I didn't immediately put down, so props to Sittenfeld for writing it so well.
This was a really cute celebrity-normie romance that centers around an SNL-type writer and a guest host who fall in love. I like how she structured it in three distinct parts, with the middle being epistolary (aka email). We get to see how this relationship develops over time, which I much prefer to an insta-love/lust type of scenario. Sally got on my nerves a bit - I kind of wanted to yell at her to grow up and stop self-sabotaging - but all in all I loved the two MCs and was really rooting for them.
Thanks to Netgalley and Random House for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Moderate: Pandemic/Epidemic
ash3687's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Alcoholism
Minor: Death of parent
A good portion of this book takes place during the COVID-19 pandemic and describes the character’s experiences with that.noblelandmermaid's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic
armstmad's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Moderate: Pandemic/Epidemic
emmatwetan's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
2.5
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic
delilahreads's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic