Romantic Comedy was 2023 book written by bestselling author Curtis Sittenfeld. The book was really well received and went on to be selected for Reese Witherspoon’s Book Club.
Romantic Comedy was the first Curtis Sittenfeld book I had read, but not my last. I’ve since read Eligible and Rodham in the time it’s taken me to write this review!
I really loved the premise as it seemed witty and clever whilst basically offering a backstage glimpse into Saturday Night Live.
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Plot
Sally Milz has long given up on the idea of romance. As a sketch writer on the hugely successful saturday night comedy show, The Night Owls, Sally finds it easier to focus on her career than her failed attempts at romance. She loves her job and so settles for mediocre hook-ups with mediocre men.
However when her friend and fellow writer, Danny Horst, starts dating the extremely glamourous and beautiful Annabel, Sally is annoyed. Whilst she’s happy for her friend, she can’t help noticing the trend of seemingly unappealing men managing to attract beautiful, successful women. Danny has many unsavoury habits, is average looking and makes little effort with his appearance, so why is Annabel so attracted to him? And Danny isn’t the first man at TNO to bag a beautiful girlfriend/wife.
Sally’s annoyance comes from what she believes is the knowledge that a handsome, successful man would never be interested in a dorky average looking woman. In other words, they wouldn’t be interested in her.
Sally decides to channel her annoyance into a sketch called the Danny Horst Rule, poking fun at this phenomenon while highlighting how unlikely it is that the reverse would ever happen for a woman.
When Noah Brewster, successful popstar and serial dater of models, appears on TNO, Sally can’t help but be charmed by him. He’s warm and witty and seems genuinely pleased to be collaborating with Sally on multiple sketches.
In time, Sally starts to wonder whether there actually could be sparks flying between them. However she reminds herself of the Danny Horst rule. This isn’t a romantic comedy, it’s real life. And in real life, someone like him would never date someone like her. Right?
Romantic Comedy Book Review
Midway through Romantic Comedy I realised my first Curtis Sittenfeld book definitely wasn’t going to be my last. I absolutely loved her writing style. The story felt so current and the dialogue between characters sparkled. It all just felt so fresh and vibrant.
I think it’s fair to say the book has two halves. The first predominantly focuses on Sally’s work at The Night Owls and the introduction of Noah. I loved this section of the book. The Night Owls (TNO) is clearly based on Saturday Night Live (SNL) and I found the glimpses into a writer’s life fascinating. I loved having an insight into the mechanics of getting a show like that together.
The book is then broken up by a series of emails between Noah and Sally as the Covid pandemic hits and everyone is in lockdown. I actually really enjoyed the emails and the warmth and tentativeness with which the characters would communicate. I also enjoyed how the fast paced life of both Sally and Noah was forced to slow down and it was interesting to read how they both coped with that change.
The second half of the book (or third if you’re including the emails) was more a traditional romance. Luckily I’m a sucker for a good love story so I enjoyed the latter half of the book as much as the previous two.
To enjoy a romance I have to be invested in the characters and luckily I was. Sally was such an engaging character. With an almost snarky, quick witted female lead, I wondered how easily I would be able to relate to her but I really could. I could really empathise with her anxiety over certain situations and how she would second guess her every thought.
Noah was a great character and I really loved his patience and his honesty. I enjoyed the dialogue between the two main characters and how both of them were flawed but ultimately likeable. Sally had many flaws, she was cynical, sassy and constantly in denial and yet I really could relate to her.
I read this book while on holiday and it was exactly what I wanted from a vacation read. It was clever and funny but also tentative and sweet. The whole story felt really authentic and I definitely made me want to read more Curtis Sittenfeld books.
What to read next
If you enjoyed Romantic Comedy, I’d suggest reading more books by Curis Sittenfeld. I particularly enjoyed Rodham and Eligible. I would also recommend Really Good Actually by Monica Heisey as I felt she has a similar writing style to Curtis Sittenfeld.
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