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A review by airin_reads
Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
If you had told me I would read a book set partially (but critically) in the summer of 2020 involving the pandemic in the storyline, I would not believe it. I was wary of reading about that world event so soon. I'm glad that didn't stop me, because it was written about in the best possible way- as something that happens to the characters and is a part of their world/growth. Few pieces of art that decide to include the pandemic do so in a thoughtful and meaningful way (the series Superstore is one example, and IMHO the best that did it). In Romantic Comedy, Covid wasn't thrown in there as a cheap or easy way of world-building without the work of world building. It wasn't a wink and a nod to show the world the characters lived in was ours, it was a valuable part of the plot, and is the crux of what brings the characters together.
This book is incredibly relatable, inspiring, funny, reflective, and asks examines how men and women perceive themselves in hetero-relationships in society. The pacing, for a book that is only three chapters was riveting. I could not put this book down, and would have stayed true to that metaphor if not for the human physiological need for sleep and sustenance.
It borrows from tropes of the genre to which it gives its name, but never reinforces the negatives from it. The story is faithful to the structure of a typical rom-com without being predictable or stereotypical.
One of the most refreshing aspects I found, as an avid romance reader- was that both main characters are in their 30's (mid-late!) and are the same age. Too often romances are about/for women in their 20's, and while men often get to be 30+ in these stories, the women very rarely are. That alone is reason enough to read it, but it only gets better from there.
The only detractions, which were minor for me are that the book is structured differently- that might be a turn off to some readers but I found it didn't take away from my enjoyment at all, just took some getting used to. There are also a lot of names mentioned in the first part of the story- every minor character is given a name which never really paid off.
This book is incredibly relatable, inspiring, funny, reflective, and asks examines how men and women perceive themselves in hetero-relationships in society. The pacing, for a book that is only three chapters was riveting. I could not put this book down, and would have stayed true to that metaphor if not for the human physiological need for sleep and sustenance.
It borrows from tropes of the genre to which it gives its name, but never reinforces the negatives from it. The story is faithful to the structure of a typical rom-com without being predictable or stereotypical.
One of the most refreshing aspects I found, as an avid romance reader- was that both main characters are in their 30's (mid-late!) and are the same age. Too often romances are about/for women in their 20's, and while men often get to be 30+ in these stories, the women very rarely are. That alone is reason enough to read it, but it only gets better from there.
The only detractions, which were minor for me are that the book is structured differently- that might be a turn off to some readers but I found it didn't take away from my enjoyment at all, just took some getting used to. There are also a lot of names mentioned in the first part of the story- every minor character is given a name which never really paid off.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Addiction and Misogyny