In five words: Romance, Comedy, SNL, Pandemic, Self Doubt
I mean, it’s right there in the title: Romantic Comedy is up front about what it proports to be, and Sittenfeld delivers exactly what it says on the cover. I saw this one on the shelf at my library and snatched it up as I was in the market for something light and fun for summer. It’s been a while since I read any of her novels (having enjoyed both Prep and American Wife) and this one is a fun twist on the RomCom genre, which I quickly devored, reading half of it in one sitting on an airplane.
Sally is a seasoned writer for “The Night Owls” Sittenfeld’s fictional interpretation of Saturday Night Live. Our protagonist has several chips on her shoulder when it comes to love, not exactly totally devoid of hope. She’s at a point in her life when she is sort of going through the motions, both in her career and in her pursuit of love. When Noah Brewster, super famous pop star and Night Owls host/musical guest has his week at the show, she’s first surprised and then a little confused that they seem to have chemistry, not the least because the same week she successfully pitched a sketch about the ridiculousness of super hot actresses falling for average looking male writers. At the end of the week after a terse exchange they go their seperate ways, but a few years later when 2020 hits Noah reaches out via email and we watch as they feel each other out, for e-companionship during isolation, or maybe something more.
Overall this is a solid slow burn romance. I’ve read a few books now that have been set during the pandemic and I liked her framing the best of them: act two is the transcription of a flurry of emails sent between the characters stuck in their homes. It put evoked the softer side of the pandemic when people were finding interesting ways to make human connections and finding ways to have hope in times of turmoil. Also, the fictional SNL as a setting was a very exciting peak behind the curtain. It was clear that Sittenfeld really did her research as in her acknowledgments she notes that she read just about every book written by an SNL alum
This was a cozy read: there were no crazy plot twists, but she did take the story in some interesting places, but in a way where the story was very firmly rooted in reality, or at least in this hyper-reality of pop star and TV writer meet cute.
For me the pacing dragged a little in the middle and I would have liked more SNL time because I think in this book that’s where her writing really soared. Overall it was a solid summer read and it left me interested in seeing what else of hers I have left unread.
