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kleinekita's review against another edition
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Panic attacks/disorders, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Medical content
Moderate: Death of parent, Alcoholism, and Excrement
Minor: Addiction, Suicide, Pregnancy, Cancer, and Eating disorder
libbyys16's review
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This book wasn’t what I expected but a great one to help me overcome my reading hiatus. The pacing is all over the place so my interest in it came in waves. The first chapter/third/part is probably the best just by nature of how interesting the subject matter of being a writer for a late night comedy show is. MMC is nearly flawless perfect which at times can be a painful contrast to how much self loathing and insecurity the FMC has. Once you finally get to the romance in “Romantic Comedy” the book becomes redeemable. The dialogue and introspection that comes from this book is eye opening and inspired some looking inward that I appreciated. Important to note: I’m a girl in her 20s so maybe this level of maturity is the reality of dating in your 30s/40s. Sittenfeld is a good writer that I aspire to write like conventionally; however I ultimately believe this story did not need to be told. Happily Ever After & no one dies
To add to everyone else’s summaries:
The middle 60 pages are just emails back and forth between the FMC and MMC so that chunk flew by. It is primarily set during pandemic so prepare yourself for endless mask and social distancing references if you, too, are still burnt out from quarantine. The “diverse characters” read as props and have little to no depth to distinguish them from another.
To add to everyone else’s summaries:
The middle 60 pages are just emails back and forth between the FMC and MMC so that chunk flew by. It is primarily set during pandemic so prepare yourself for endless mask and social distancing references if you, too, are still burnt out from quarantine. The “diverse characters” read as props and have little to no depth to distinguish them from another.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Pandemic/Epidemic
ophelia's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic
cinnamxnstick's review
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Romantic Comedy is an absolutely hilarious will-they-won’t-they romance and the definition of a page-turner!
I loved this book so much, it was the most perfect holiday read! I completely binged half of it on the plane, and then throughout the rest of my trip I picked it up during every piece of spare time as I just wanted to find out where we were going with this!
I absolutely adored the character development of the FMC, especially how natural and realistic it felt. A lot of the themes and character development resonated deeply with me so I felt very connected to the story.
I have found reading books set during the Covid-19 Pandemic unsettling or upsetting at times, but I found that Sittenfeld used it well and perfectly navigated the nuance within many of our experiences during this time.
I’m excited to dive into the rest of her books!
I loved this book so much, it was the most perfect holiday read! I completely binged half of it on the plane, and then throughout the rest of my trip I picked it up during every piece of spare time as I just wanted to find out where we were going with this!
I absolutely adored the character development of the FMC, especially how natural and realistic it felt. A lot of the themes and character development resonated deeply with me so I felt very connected to the story.
I have found reading books set during the Covid-19 Pandemic unsettling or upsetting at times, but I found that Sittenfeld used it well and perfectly navigated the nuance within many of our experiences during this time.
I’m excited to dive into the rest of her books!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Medical content and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Eating disorder, Addiction, and Alcoholism
elizabethb81's review
funny
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I loved this book and I related so heavily to Sally that it's like Sittenfeld crawled inside my skin and wrote a version of the wish fulfillment romcom I've always wanted. That said, it felt compressed somehow. Like there could have been more in places and certain moments felt glossed over. I didn't enjoy the way the ending felt flat and the disagreements were never quite fleshed out. There was never any danger, so there were never any heightened emotions. I needed just a bit more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Death of parent
Moderate: Body shaming, Blood, and Medical trauma
Minor: Eating disorder and Excrement
mels_reading_log's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This is not your typical romantic comedy and I really enjoyed that. The book is centered around Sally who is a writer at a SNL like show and Noah who is a famous musician and the host and musical guest on that week’s episode. Sally is focused on this phenomenon that happens especially men that she works with. They, normal guys looks wise continue to hook up/ marry super beautiful and successful women, but that is definitely not something that could happen the other way. Exceptionally handsome men don’t go for regular women, or do they? One big Trigger Warning is that about half the book takes place during the pandemic, so if you aren’t ready to read about that, this would be one to wait on.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Pandemic/Epidemic, Pregnancy, and Grief
Minor: Eating disorder
vohak's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic
miahenry's review
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The general premise of this book is not new although the setting/circumstance was original (to me.) I’ve read a few rom coms now about famous people/celebrities dating normal folks. There is a little more nuance here since both characters are in the entertainment industry with agents and managers, so it is a bit different. Love between a front of the camera person and a behind the camera person was new to me.
The main character, Sally, is the narrator (which I like more than third person but less than dual POVs). Since she is VERY imperfect, her telling of the story did endear me to her a little bit. Her insecurities were relatable, I liked her politics (unapologetically liberal), and I liked how she treated her friends and loved ones. It was clear she was a badass at work and a mess otherwise and I get that.
The love interest, Noah, was not very memorable for me when he first appeared, but boy does he turn it around later. I loved his character as it was revealed - the sweetness and maturity never got old. He was so good at being honest and vulnerable with Sally while maintaining respect for himself. He really was the full package and I was here for it. I liked Noah more than Sally which negatively affected my overall rating of the book because I like to like both main characters about the same.
This book is divided into three very distinct parts marked by dates that precede then happen during the Covid-19 pandemic: 1) meeting 2) reconnecting 3) conflict + resolution
The first third of this book was tedious. It was interesting to learn about the schedule of people working on the SNL-like show, the dynamics between folks given their roles, and just generally learning how the sausage is made. However, there were too many characters and details which made it hard to follow the budding romance. It helped when I started reading it like a behind-the-scenes account instead of a rom com.
However, the second part of the book (all email exchanges) was adorable and the third part really paid off. The dialogue in the last third was fantastic. I liked how Sally thought one thing, but (wisely) said another. She started facing her fears and becoming a better person. However, I do believe she could use some therapy sessions like my main man Noah. I would have liked to have seen therapy for Sally in the epilogue.
Also, the descriptions of life during the pandemic were well done. Things happened quickly at the end, but I believed in the connection, primarily because of their ages. I loved the fact that they were both almost 40 and were so open with one another about past relationships.
It’s 3.5 stars for me. It was almost 2 stars, but then I liked the end so much I bumped it to almost 4 stars. I grew to love this book, but will likely put it in the neighborhood’s little library.
The main character, Sally, is the narrator (which I like more than third person but less than dual POVs). Since she is VERY imperfect, her telling of the story did endear me to her a little bit. Her insecurities were relatable, I liked her politics (unapologetically liberal), and I liked how she treated her friends and loved ones. It was clear she was a badass at work and a mess otherwise and I get that.
The love interest, Noah, was not very memorable for me when he first appeared, but boy does he turn it around later. I loved his character as it was revealed - the sweetness and maturity never got old. He was so good at being honest and vulnerable with Sally while maintaining respect for himself. He really was the full package and I was here for it. I liked Noah more than Sally which negatively affected my overall rating of the book because I like to like both main characters about the same.
This book is divided into three very distinct parts marked by dates that precede then happen during the Covid-19 pandemic: 1) meeting 2) reconnecting 3) conflict + resolution
The first third of this book was tedious. It was interesting to learn about the schedule of people working on the SNL-like show, the dynamics between folks given their roles, and just generally learning how the sausage is made. However, there were too many characters and details which made it hard to follow the budding romance. It helped when I started reading it like a behind-the-scenes account instead of a rom com.
However, the second part of the book (all email exchanges) was adorable and the third part really paid off. The dialogue in the last third was fantastic. I liked how Sally thought one thing, but (wisely) said another. She started facing her fears and becoming a better person. However, I do believe she could use some therapy sessions like my main man Noah. I would have liked to have seen therapy for Sally in the epilogue.
Also, the descriptions of life during the pandemic were well done. Things happened quickly at the end, but I believed in the connection, primarily because of their ages. I loved the fact that they were both almost 40 and were so open with one another about past relationships.
It’s 3.5 stars for me. It was almost 2 stars, but then I liked the end so much I bumped it to almost 4 stars. I grew to love this book, but will likely put it in the neighborhood’s little library.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Alcoholism
Minor: Body shaming, Racism, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
viy's review
The start is good, but once the story shifted to being over the pandemic, it got way more difficult to enjoy. The romance starts being told over email, which prevents us from getting Sally's narration and thoughts, as well as makes the romance seem weaker and less engaging overall. I didn't mind the political interjections for the most part, but it started getting annoying after a while, since some of them didn't seem to add anything to the story or characters, and instead served to show us that the characters are "good people" who go to protests, which felt off to me considering they're discussing real tragedies that happened like, 4 years ago.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Racism, Police brutality, and Misogyny
bellsdixon's review
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Medical content, Death of parent, Body shaming, and Pregnancy
Minor: Cancer