Name: Romantic Comedy
Rating: 3.583333333333333 (108 reviews)
ISBN: 9780399590962

Curtis Sittenfeld

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

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.

LeeSa Geelhood

Cameron Voytko

I don’t mean to be evil but there was just an inherent .. uncoolness to the whole concept of this novel that i just couldn’t shake. the fake snl, the folk pop musician heartthrob love interest, the stilted emails that feel like they go on for years, the comedy that’s not funny in the slightest, etc. the characters were fine and the writing was serviceable, but i didn’t feel much for any of it. maybe it’s an age thing (i am very much one of the gen z kids sally muses about), but i finished this more than ready to forget it and move on to the next. 

shaye

what the fuck??? the only reason i finished this book is because i liked the SNL backdrop of it all. everything else was unforgivable. the FMC is like the worst person you have ever met … virtue signaling left and right and completely unfunny (even tho it’s supposed to be her job?). the entire thing was so dated mentioning trump and EXTENSIVE pandemic references. because everyone wants to hear about their dying family member shitting themselves because of covid in a sexy celebrity romcom?? like … a celebrity falling in love with SNL writer has so much promise and we are gonna churn out this shit??? where she asks him multiple times if he is attending any BLM protests and cancels susan b anthony?? like shuttttttt uppppppppp.

big ab

While there are certainly parts of this book that I thought were very good, overall the book was okay. I can absolutely see where others would really enjoy the witty banter and relevant topics but I felt that the execution was lacking. My biggest disappointment with the book however was the characterization of Sally and Noah, Sally for instance is seen as this confident feminist who clearly has self image issues and thinks relationships require equivalent hotness to be idk correct. While Sally is this inherently flawed and brass character who acts out when uncomfortable Noah is exceedingly collected and is very clear in his communication with Sally (ie. when she repeatedly insults his motives). I appreciate Sally being brash and anxious, but I wish there were more to Noah’s character than the hot guy who is so cool and understanding and loves Sally because she’s what nice to him? I felt like so much was missing from their connection that could have been elaborated. Also the timeline of their relationship feels very rushed and not in an “ I love you I have to have you” way, but more of a “we need to wrap this book up in the next 10 pages.”

Emma Kirk

🌞Laur🌞

Kristen Thomas

it’s giving Tina Fey and Jon Hamm in 30 rock

radhika dhawan

my new life goal to becoming a writer for SNL bc of this book

Emily Wood

It’s true, what they say about this book. It was a tough start but the other half def got so much better 🙌🏻 Enjoyed it!

Sophy

Meg Ma. Guerrero 

this is more of a 4.5 than a 4 to me bc i highly enjoyed this book and perfect for taking me out of my slump; removed 0.5 bc of Tech Sis but everything else was great lmao; gonna need my own noah (jungkook 1/2 jk) pls

edited because i had written all that^ while on my phone and was in a rush but here are more Thoughts now that i'm on my laptop: 

as someone who grew up watching and enjoying SNL, this was a really fun read. though the first chapter was long, i liked knowing what a week in that world was like. 

i also discovered that maybe i'm really just more cut out for books that are witty, easy to read, and don't take themselves too seriously. and that involve romance. idk if i can really like something that doesn't make me swing my legs in the air when i'm on my bed.

sally's great, i love her and it's a little embarrassing to say but i kinda see myself in her... i feel like she could be a capricorn LMAO (the whole 'i'm an asshole' thing is TOO familiar to me!!!!!!)

noah's a dream but i don't expect anyone to be like that irl askldjflkajwekl 

great book highly recommend mwa

Listen: I ate it up. But I also rolled my eyes several times. Very much a tame romance novel more than anything else. 

Jess Rez

not romantic, nor a comedy. i found myself struggling through the second chapter until i ultimately dnf. 

naia 🎐

alya adlina

romantic comedy by curtis sittenfled
rate: 3 

“𝐽𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑎𝑠 𝑖 𝑎𝑙𝑤𝑎𝑦𝑠 𝑑𝑖𝑑, 𝑖’𝑑 𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑛 𝑚𝑦 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑜 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑑𝑦, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑤𝑎𝑠 ℎ𝑜𝑤 𝑖’𝑑 𝑐𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑚𝑦𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑓.“ 
_

i like the premise of this book but this book took me awhile to finish it and the biggest reason is because the first half of the book was so boring and it’s really hard for me to get into it. thank god the second half of the book was better. this book is about Sally who is a late night comedy skit writer. she hasn’t had a serious romantic relationship in years until one day she meets Noah Brewster, a heartthrob musician who will be hosting that week’s show. 

there’s so much to like about this book especially a well-rounded and complex female character who is really good at her job. then NOAH. oh god this man. he’s HOT. he’s everything. i really enjoyed the development chemistry of the characters in the chapter 2 where they emailed each other during COVID. the last chapter of this book was my most favourite scene where we got more romance and depth of the characters in this book. i found this story quite cute and entertaining but sort of disappointing too. i wish there’s more. overall i liked the story but just wasn’t what i expected to be. 

read this if you like:
* light and easy romance story
* fan of SNL
* heartthrob musician 
* full of comedy

Keely Calagos

Anastasia Jack

Curtis Sittenfeld did a phenomenal job at exploring romance in the modern age. Her writing is on point and leaves you thinking about the genius of her words. The SNL concept was instantly what drew me to this book but it was the complexities of Sally and Noah that kept me reading. 

From the beginning, Sally and Noah were a couple that I found myself rooting for despite their differences. 

Sally was such a complex character. She's self-sabotaging and so self deprecating that it was sometimes hard to read from her POV because of how realistic and genuine her insecurities were. It's was difficult to read about her negative inner thoughts but Sittenfeld's ability to expand and explore on Sally's emotions kept me wanting more.

Noah on the other hand was everything you would want and expect from a love interest. He was patient and kind with Sally but also knew how to communicate his own thoughts to her. I really enjoyed that he understood Sally's insecurities but also that he confronted her about it. His own personal struggles were all too real and I wished we got a glimpse in his POV because I definitely think it would have been interesting. 

I'd recommend Romantic Comedy to readers who enjoy Sittenfeld's writing and romance books that explore deeply layered, mature, and nuanced topics and conversations.

Izyan Suhaila

I read this in one sitting and omg I was swooned! What a good and satisfying read!

Don’t know if it has enough merit as a romcom book or it’s a slightly ridiculous observation about dating in the modern worl 🤷🏻‍♀️

Emily Moore

for a story about a writer and a celebrity falling in love this was so real??? Maybe it was the way these two people came together or maybe it was that the pandemic was apart of the story but this was just so believable. Although if you’re not interested in the workings of SNL (lame) the first half might be boring as hell, I personally loved it.

Hannah

I really enjoyed this book, the late night setting was really cool to read (as someone who loves SNL lol) it was a very sweet and light most of the time and the epilogue ties it all together so nicely. I loved Sally’s sense of self and sense of passion for what she does throughout.

Overall good book. The storyline felt different from other romances i’ve read so that was nice. Main thing i didn’t love is that some of it is set during the pandemic so because i already lived through that myself, i don’t want to read about it. 

Tori Albin

Wow. I didn’t know what to expect going into this book but I absolutely loved it. It’s a 2020 time capsule and explained in such a way it brings flashes back to what it was like in the beginning of the pandemic. Then to throw love into it? With an SNL background? Truly amazing. 

Not romantic, not a comedy. Being in the main character's head was no fun.

Cheri McElroy

Petaco

Who thought a romance about covid was a good idea? This is another book that will date itself. I also didn't like the political references. Pretty bold move calling this book Romantic Comedy when it was anything but.

Romantic Comedy A Novel

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