Curtis Sittenfeld

A comedy writer thinks she’s sworn off love, until a dreamily handsome pop star flips the script on all her assumptions—a hilarious, observant and deeply tender novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Eligible, Rodham, and Prep. 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 actress 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 if 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? With her keen observations and trademark ability to bring complex women to life on the page, Curtis Sittenfeld explores the neurosis-inducing and heart-fluttering wonder of love, while slyly dissecting the social rituals of romance and gender relations in the modern age.

A Novel

Romantic Comedy

Lindsey Barnett

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?

Helen 

Back in the live room, he picked up an acoustic guitar and tuned it and then, while looking at me, began playing a song I soon recognized as “Revolution" by the Beatles. He kept playing as we talked about something else, and I felt a tidal wave in my stomach, this reminder of the thing he could do exceptionally well and easily and the strange preciousness of his doing it when no one was around except me.

“I’m very happy to give you affirmation," he said. "I want to give you affirmation. But if I don't give you enough, you should ask for it."

"Isn't asking for affirmation-I don't know-needy?"

 He looked perplexed. "Isn't the point of something like this that the other person tries to meet your needs, and you try to meet theirs?”

Wasn't this more than I'd ever imagined I could wish for, that a kind, thoughtful, smoking-hot man would think I was terrifyingly, awesomely perceptive? That he understood how neurotic I was, and didn't seem to mind? That he saw neediness not as annoying but as normal? 

 And I can't believe that we met and I get to be the person who's eating dinner with you and hiking with you and being naked with you. For that matter, that I'm the person who just looks up and there you ar in the same room with me, and, yes, you are smoking hot. And how unique and incredible you are does make me kind of karmically or existentially terrified. Because how could anyone deserve you, let alone me? But I’m also really grateful  because I alwavs wanted to feel disbelief at my own luck. 

Katy Schwarz

"If it sounds like I haven't been in enough therapy, it's because I've chosen Midwestern repression instead."

From Viv: What if there was chemistry but only for me 

From me: Pretty sure that's not how chemistry works

Syrina

I wondered then if there was a loneliness to loving a very talented person because their talent was only of them, not of both of you.

Isn’t the goal to live with our demons, not expect them to go away

You know the advice about how you should always play tennis with people better than you? When I'm talking to you, I'm a funnier and smarter version of myself because you're funny and smart

Romantic Comedy quotes

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