"What's a song you think is legitimately, non-cheesily romantic?"
"At the risk of being predictable, there's an Indigo Girls song called 'Dairy Queen' that's probably my all-time favorite."
"But isn't that about a relationship that doesn't work out"
"Romance doesn't require a happy ending." Thought I didn't convey it, I was surprised that he knew the song. Fans liked it, but it was no "Closer to Fine."
"Right," Noah said. "But you have to admit it's easier not to be cheesy when you're writing about lost love. Or are your romantic comedies going to end sadly and that's their twist?"
I laughed. "I don't know how they end because I haven't finished writing one yet."
As you may have noticed, I haven't written a ton of reviews here during the pandemic—we can thank my guest writer Becki for holding the fort down, with her guest reviews. However, I'm a huge fan of Curtis Sittenfeld's books, especially Prep, so when I got an early galley of Romantic Comedy, I was excited to read it.
About the book:
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.
"The Night Owls" (TNO) is definitely "Saturday Night Live" in this book. Sally details her job there, and it's pretty fascinating—she watched TNO growing up and finally got a chance to be on the staff, but has now been there about ten years. She's met a ton of celebrities who have hosted the show, and this week the celebrity is Noah Brewster, a pop star.
Sally considers herself a "regular" type of girl, both in status (i.e.: not a celebrity) and in looks, and she's surprised when she and Noah have some chemistry together. After Noah hosts TNO, she almost thinks something may happen, but unfortunately at the after-after party, she says something to him that she later regrets.
Fast-forward to the pandemic (summer 2020) and something surprising happens, in which she reconnects with Noah.
To say anything more would be to include spoilers, but I really loved this book. I started reading it at home on my iPad, then switched to my phone at the gym, because I wanted to see what was going to happen, and I had a 30-minute treadmill walk in front of me. I've been a fan of Curtis Sittenfeld's work for some time now—Prep, the novel I referenced at the beginning of this review, was actually published in 2005—and I knew this novel would be great, and I was not disappointed.
Someone on Goodreads called this novel "the Notting Hill effect," which when you think about it, is not wrong—in Notting Hill, Julia Roberts plays a celebrity and she falls for Hugh Grant, a "commoner," too.
I've been trying to think of who I would cast in a movie production of this—my best picks are below:
- Noah Brewster: Noah Reid (from Schitt's Creek)
- Sally Milz: Sarah Goldberg (from Barry)
- Danny Horst: Seth Rogen
- Annabel: Lily Rose Depp
- Viv: Zoe Kravitz, Meagan Good, Aja King, or Issa Rae
4 stars out of 5.
Click here to purchase on Amazon.
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