I’m still confounded by the whole Pete Davidson thing, but it happens. Often. Somehow these guys walk in the door with humor and an aloof ‘manner ‘tude and extraordinarily hot, successful, nice women swoon. Sally Milz, a writer at The Night Owls, an SNL-esque sketch comedy show, has seen this happen several times over and after watching her writing partner pull someone seemingly out of his league, she turns her eye rolls and frustrations into a skit called the Danny Horst rule. Her sketch catches the eye of the week’s host/musical guest, megawatt musician Noah Brewster. Could he be into her? Could she be the Danny in this scenario? It seems impossible. She wears her hair in a messy bun for crying out loud. And then COVID hits (every romcom couple needs an obstacle and that was certainly a doozy) and we get to see how love slowly flourishes between two people. This is romantic comedy with a dose of real life.
If Curtis Sittenfeld writes it, it’s pretty much a guarantee I’ll read it. I’ve enjoyed all of her books and this was no exception. While it lacked some of the depth and growth of her other work, it was pure fun. I really enjoy how Sittenfeld explores different genres with each of her novels – she’s not a one trick pony. This is not the specific genre I gravitate toward, which is probably why I deducted some points, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t good. I agree with the review (NYT, I think?) that assessed it half satirized half celebrated the typical romantic tropes without fully committing to either approach. The comparisons to SNL and actors were very heavy handed – it would be like naming me Ness Teudeck – that it came off as a bit cheesy and maybe even lazy? That said, sometimes you really do just want to curl up with a good romantic comedy and this is exactly that. And while it may have veered into cheese territory, as a lifelong SNL obsessive and pop culture junkie, I secretly thrived on pulling out all the thinly veiled references. Sometimes the girl gets the guy. Sometimes sex is bumbling. Sometimes you have to admit that everybody poops. This book may have ended just as you expected it to (as it should have), but the avoidance of sugarcoating the road to romance is what made this special.
3.75 out of 5 stars. (Side note: I really loved Sally’s relationship with her stepfather and wish that was explored a bit more.)
Pair with: Talea beer
Peaches to Apples 