This review contains affiliate links, which earn me a small commission when you click and purchase, at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting my small business and allowing me to continue providing you a reliable resource for clean book ratings.
Sally Milz is a sketch writer for “The Night Owls,” a sketch comedy show standing in here for the real-life “Saturday Night Live.” She’s settled in to her life in New York, feeling largely satisfied with her work and her friends there. Her love life hasn’t been too successful; she went through a divorce in her 20s and a couple of heartbreaks since. So she just has occasional hookups.
When her friend and officemate Danny, a writer of average attractiveness, gets engaged to a beautiful actress, Sally is miffed. He’s now the latest man from the show to enter into a similar relationship. Why does this dynamic only seem to involve gorgeous and accomplished women being with average guys, rather than the other way around?
So she writes a sketch about it.
As it so happens, that week, the host and musical guest is handsome pop phenomenon Noah Brewster. Sally ends up spending time with him during the week because he’s interested in writing his own sketch. She’s attracted to him, not just for his looks, but for all his interests. They seem to be clicking, but surely a hugely popular late-30s singer wouldn’t actually go out with an average late-30s woman? Sure, maybe in a romantic comedy, but not in real life.
Romantic Comedy follows the relationship that develops in fits and starts, from the week Sally and Noah work busily on the Saturday-night show through the Covid pandemic. As the book progressed, I found myself really invested in their story. They open up and share more and more of their true selves, and it all feels real and lovely. After the first part, the book focuses very closely on just the two getting to know each other, and I soaked up the intimacy of their discussions. Sally has her anxieties and sensitivities from being burned, and Noah has things he’s worked on. There’s some give and take, and some missteps. But they refreshingly act their age and don’t seem overly dysfunctional. I enjoyed especially that chunk of the book, after their initial meeting.
A sweet and solid romance book that feels like a meaty, real-life story rather than just a meet-cute romantic comedy.
Rated: High. Profanity includes 28 uses of strong language, around 25 instances of moderate profanity, 7 uses of mild language, and 15 instances of the name of Deity in vain. A good amount of vulgarity and references to sex, but just a few fairly brief scenes of sex with some detail, not lengthy or drawn-out.
Click here to purchase your copy of Romantic Comedy on Amazon.
