Romantic Comedy

This book! Ahhh! It was wonderful and funny and entertaining and everything good. First I learned the backstage life of an SNL writer (SNL -TNO -wink wink) then the pandemic hits and the book moves into an epistolary format. I happen to love that form of storytelling. Here it's email. Then, part 3 in our romcom is these two endearing characters together. This is not my usual genre, but after Prep, I'm a big Curtis Sittenfeld fan and loads of people I trust loved this read. I know exactly why. This book hits all the right notes. This was the absolute right palate cleanser for me after my last bloody, violent mystery. Highly recommend this one.

DNF @ 50%

I felt like I was caught in a book long run on sentence, or a story being told by an elementary school aged child. Every random character was introduced by their name with no meaningful context. Additionally, the story was told in an instructional manner, repeatedly being moved forward by an implied “and then”. When I thought it couldn't get worse, the emails showed up.

I fail to believe Sally was actually in her 30s when she interacted with the world and others as if she were still in her late teens/early 20s. This was a painful read and severely lacked romance or comedy.

not funny

[a:Curtis Sittenfeld 6429 Curtis Sittenfeld https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1675721083p2/6429.jpg]'s “[b:Romantic Comedy 62628727 Romantic Comedy Curtis Sittenfeld https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1679496983l/62628727.SY75.jpg 97012660]” failed to deliver what I'd hoped, taking far too long to engage, and bombarding the reader with tedious background details about television production. The novel's focus on the behind-the-scenes mechanics of a sketch show often felt like unnecessary padding, leaving the narrative sluggish at times.»The sets would be built at a warehouse in Brooklyn then transported back to 66, ideally on Friday, to be painted.«Exciting, right? That's the kind of procedural minutiae that dominates much of the early parts of the novel. While some readers might appreciate this level of intricate detail, I personally found it detracted from both the pacing and the emotional depth I was looking for. When Sittenfeld could have been focusing on the actual romantic and comedic elements, she instead seemed determined to dive into the trivial goings-on of a writers' room.I found this a frustrating aspect. With so much filler, the characters almost got lost in their own plot. Sally, the protagonist, doesn't seem very compelling for much of the book. She waffles between sudden feelings of insecurity—strangely more akin to someone in their early twenties than a seasoned professional in their mid-thirties. Perhaps that's part of her appeal for some, but I found this immaturity slightly irksome.»Noah grinning, Noah using my name, Noah's ability to be warm and normal, while my insides churned—it was all somewhat devastating.«Despite all this, the latter half of “Romantic Comedy” picks up significantly. Once we leave behind all the procedural fluff, there's a decent story at the core that's worth exploring. A solid—but not spectacular—showing from Sittenfeld.Three stars out of five.Blog Facebook Twitter Mastodon Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam

I actually like the detailed look at the daily operations of a late-night live television sketch comedy and show parodying SNL. The authentic atmosphere, corniness and all, was more interesting to me than the romance. The setting provided a fascinating backdrop that felt realistic, almost like a behind-the-scenes tour of a beloved TV show. It had a lot of potential. The romance itself develops in a natural pace, which I appreciated, but the second part of the book was when it lost me. I didn't care for the email exchange and it was unnecessarily too long for me. I would have appreciated it maybe if I understood the references more or if it was funny. Overall, it's not a story for everyone but it did read more as a realistic detail of someone's very real life. That someone happens to be a comedy writer for a hit show like SNL who is dealing with her own insecurities and misery. Read if you like more realistic mundane details, (agonizingly) slow burn, and appreciate situations that kind of give you second hand embarrassment.

I didn't particularly like this but I ATE it up like I could not stop listening wth

I've had several of this author's books on my TBR pile for a while. The overall story setting of Romantic Comedy appealed to me, so I thought I'd give it a try. It did not disappoint–I devoured it. It felt authentic in the telling of an SNL-like live comedy show. The main character's talent along with her personal flaws felt real. The romance was sweet and the hero lovable. The narrator was great too. I really loved this and will definitely re-read in the future.

Cute!

I can’t quite decide if it’s cheesy or exquisite. I laughed hard and often, wept quietly for a moment, read ravenously, and yelled in frustration at the narrator. (One of those did not happen. But I came close.) So I’ll go with exquisite.

The first third is by far the best: fast-paced, great buildup of tension, and gobsmacking descriptions of the orchestration that goes into producing a live weekend comedy show, the process and teamwork. Reading about professionals working smoothly together, ... it just thrills me in a way that I suppose only a nerd could understand. Beautiful writing, snappy dialog, realistic personal dynamics.

Second part was less perfect. It got a little tedious, but I understand why it was necessary buildup for the

Third part, which kind of derailed the book into pure-fantasy territory, but somehow I found myself swept away and not giving a fuck? I’m not normally like that, I swear, but Sittenfeld just hits all my buttons. I let myself enjoy it and am still basking a little in afterglow.

The entire book centers around attractive, smart, witty, talented, kind people—and full focus is given to all of those words. Including people, each one imperfect (some more neurotic than others, but that too is realistic). Each of those attributes is important. Focus also bounces effectively among different interpersonal relationships; Sittenfeld has a genius for seeing and describing personalities. There’s flirting, mindreading, second-guessing, awkwardness, insecurity, tentativeness, emotional complexity. As a card-carrying member of Overthinkers Anonymous, I was in heaven. There’s even a page or two on attachment theory, which I only reached after finishing my last book, the one I (re)read because it seemed like attachment theory was everywhere around me. Another sign from the gods, obviously.

A little too pat. A little too crisp. A little too perfect. And I don’t care; I loved it.

It would be amazing to talk with a partner like this!

This was not a win for me. I couldn't stand Sally and didn't really grasp much chemistry/connection from the romance itself, which is a bit concerning given the book's title and genre.

The pacing of this book was fine and it wasn't totally grating, but for how often I've seen this book cover over the past year, I was definitely expecting more.

Soooooo funny and sweet. Much more funny than typical romance novels. I appreciated it even more Because of the self-sabotage of the main character.

Fantastic glimpse inside SNL and what it would be like to be a female writer. Cute, well written story.

Fun, easy reading, enjoyed. Would recommend if you're in that mood.

This is my first [a:Curtis Sittenfeld 6429 Curtis Sittenfeld https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1675721083p2/6429.jpg] book, but it won't be my last. It starts in the backstage chaos of a Saturday Night Live-like show in NYC and ends in Kansas City, MO of all places. What happens in between is the kind of magic we all wonder about.It's all reflected in a comedy sketch that never happened called “The Danny Horst Rule.” It was named after one of the male writers on the comedy show who was average-looking but dating a knockout of a female celebrity. The rule presents the idea that lots of good-looking female celebrities date average (or below-average) looking guys, but rarely does the reverse (good-looking male celebrity with an average-looking woman) happen.Unlike a real romantic comedy—if there is such a thing—Sally, the main character, is a comedy sketch writer who is only average-looking. So, of course, she's attracted to the absolute HUNK of musical host (Noah) for one week's Saturday night show. At times, she even believes he might be interested in her, but she constantly brushes the idea aside because, well, the Danny Horst Rule. Years pass. Just when this reader began to wonder what the almost connection between Sally and Noah was or wasn't, the COVID pandemic intervenes and everyone's life is interrupted in odd ways (as it was in real life.)What happens next occurs through a quick flurry of emails. Without giving away the ending, let's just say Sally and Noah test the Danny Horst rule. Overall, it's a delightful story that presents both the reality of late night, live TV and fame. The realism in the story is quite a departure from most romantic comedies.

Very enjoyable read, though (and I hate use the word) the ‘virtue signalling' felt so heavy handed. Like, I agree systemic racism is bad, but what characters' literally say that out loud it just feels awkward.

Fiction about comedy is always tough for me, especially when it's written with no line delivery. Not very funny to me personally and a lot of tell-don't-show.

3.5 stars. The premise was interesting, the first third of the book moved slowly. I became invested during the middle section.

So good. Four stars only because I don't think I'll read it twice, but I really enjoyed the first read!

I feel like I read three totally different books and was left a little disappointed with the random/rushed ending. Edit: Also, IMO, the last part of the book was unnecessarily triggering for people who've gone through that.

Could have done without the COVID stuff. Kind of dampened the comedy aspect.

Part 1 was so good!!! You can tell the author did her research on SNL to make TNO. I loved reading what goes on behind the scenes of a show like SNL. Parts 2 and 3 were not as good, and really felt like they were part of a different book. It was interesting to read how COVID shook up the story, but was really unnecessary. I didn't care for the love story between Sally and Noah and really just wanted to read more about writing for TNO. 

loved the story, but too much Covid!!!!!

The second half gave me diabetes.

As a lover of literary fiction, upmarket fiction and smart romcoms, I was very excited to dig into this book. I enjoyed how Sittenfeld took us deep into Sally's career and world view as a comedy writer. Sally's character had a strong voice, but I didn't feel like I really got to know her until the second act of the book. I found the socio-economic circumstances keeping Sally and Noah apart legitimate, as well as their past romantic wounds. They were a well-matched couple and I was rooting for them. The last third of the book progressed at heart-pumping speed and came to a satisfying ending.
Did I love this book? Perhaps my expectations were high. It didn't deliver the emotion and dramatic moments I've come to expect in a romcom, ie., heart never fluttered, as the blurb promised. I didn't connect with Sittenfelds wry sarcasm and toilet humour and I found Sally's character wooden, especially in the first third of the book. I would agree, Sittenfeld dissected the social rituals of romance and gender relations, but in a way that wasn't quite as earth-shattering as the blurb inferred? I found the themes not all that different at all from other upmarket romcoms I've read.
So suffice to say I didn't love this book, but I did enjoy it. It was an easy but smart read that delivered came to a satisfying close.