A review by emmas_bookshelf
Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld

emotional funny hopeful medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I have been obsessed with Curtis Sittenfeld since I read American Wife over a decade ago. To this day American Wife is one of a handful of books that I’ve reread multiple times. Romantic Comedy is about a 36-year-old writer on SNL (in the book it’s TNO but it’s very obviously SNL) and she’s pondering how mediocre dudes bag smokeshow women over and over yet the opposite never seems to happen. She’s committed to bringing women to the forefront of the show while also wondering if her time might be coming to an end and if she should pivot to rom com screenplays, something she has long wanted to do but never followed through on. Enter Noah Brewster, who is guest hosting and the musical artist for the week. Sally quickly realizes he’s smarter than he appears, and he turns her world upside down.

The first half of the book takes place in one week of making the show in April 2018. Then we jump to April 2020, so you know what that means… full on pandemic lockdown. Sally has fled NYC for her hometown of Kansas City, MO, but an email correspondence with Noah soon leads her to LA. 

This book has everything. Therapy, discussion of alcohol, sobriety, body image, eating disorders, sexism, misogyny, lots of jokes, female friendships, and more. It’s so smart and so good and I loved it so much it’s hard to describe. I mean this in the best way when I say Curtis writes very accessible lit-fic and I would highly recommend this book as well as her other works. 

Thank you so much to Random House for the copy via NetGalley. This is my honest review and the book is on sale now!

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