forpeterssake reviewed Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld
More romances should be like this
5 stars
I don't read romance novels often, unless you count Jane Austen. Modern romances, in my opinion, too often have characters I don't particularly like, or I don't find their chemistry believeable. They fall back on old tropes and make me roll my eyes, which is a problem for this genre—when the characters' relationships ARE the plot, the reader needs to buy in and cheer for them to get together. For most romance novels, I can't get behind the couple enough to care.
Enter this book, Romantic Comedy, which tells the story of a comedy writer on a late-night show (an SNL analogue) who hits it off with a host and musical guest during his week on the show. The SNL angle is the gimmick, because most romance novels need a gimmick to stand out in a VERY crowded environment. And as far as gimmicks go, it's fine, it justifies some …
I don't read romance novels often, unless you count Jane Austen. Modern romances, in my opinion, too often have characters I don't particularly like, or I don't find their chemistry believeable. They fall back on old tropes and make me roll my eyes, which is a problem for this genre—when the characters' relationships ARE the plot, the reader needs to buy in and cheer for them to get together. For most romance novels, I can't get behind the couple enough to care.
Enter this book, Romantic Comedy, which tells the story of a comedy writer on a late-night show (an SNL analogue) who hits it off with a host and musical guest during his week on the show. The SNL angle is the gimmick, because most romance novels need a gimmick to stand out in a VERY crowded environment. And as far as gimmicks go, it's fine, it justifies some smart dialogue and some decent jokes, and it's an obvious gender-swapped version of real-life relationships like Colin Jost and Scarlett Johansson.
What makes the book actually work, however, are the characters. The first-person female lead isn't an "adorkable clutz" or someone needing another person to complete her. She's a competent professional with some good friends who has been in relationships in the past. She doesn't need to be saved from anything, she's fine on her own—successful, even. So spending time in the narrative with her point of view isn't tedious or cringey, it's pretty low-drama. And that's just fine, because it let the excitement of meeting someone come through. The famous person aspect of the narrative makes it feel like a modern fairytale, which I could take or leave, but the male lead is fleshed out as a human being well enough to make me cheer for them as a couple, and that's the whole point of the romance genre.
Other romance writers take note: write realistic characters that are competent adults, and readers will be able to identify with them and go with the story.
