Romantic Comedy, a 2023 novel by bestselling author Curtis Sittenfeld, follows a relationship that unfolds between a comedy writer and a popular musician. The novel’s protagonist is Sally Milz, a 35-year-old veteran of The Night Owls—a televised sketch show that airs every Saturday at midnight (basically, Saturday Night Live)—who is contentedly single, in love with her friends, and even more in love with her job. Over her many years at TNO, Sally has noticed an interesting trend: her schlub-y male coworkers routinely end up dating the successful, gorgeous women who appear on the show as celebrity hosts, while the inverse (a female writer dating a male host) never happens. One week, after her hilarious yet decidedly average friend Danny starts dating the movie star Annabel Lily, Sally pours her resentment regarding society’s double standards into a sketch she calls The Danny Horst Rule, and pitches it at the Monday writers’ meeting. The pitch goes over reasonably well, but then the universe throws her a curveball in the form of Noah Brewster. Handsome, talented, and down-to-earth, Noah is the current celebrity guest who seems to love spending time with Sally just as much as she loves spending time with him. The only problem is, Sally can’t stop thinking about The Danny Horst Rule, and finds herself at the risk of losing out for the sake of proving herself right.

I absolutely loved this book. Smart, tender, and disarmingly funny, Romantic Comedy earns its place next to classic romantic comedies like When Harry Met Sally… that warm the heart but stay rooted in the real world. Sally and Noah both feel like actual, real-life people—characters who, to use a quote from Sally, “…aren’t flawless but also aren’t ridiculous or incompetent at life”—which gives their connection this sense of recognizability, and made me feel almost protective of them. Their conversations filled me with secondhand excitement (at one point they exchange a series of emails that had me giggling out loud), and I never stopped rooting for them. Another unexpected delight of the novel is the immersive, behind-the-scenes SNL experience that Sittenfeld creates, from the overnight writing sessions to the Sunday morning after-after party. Romantic Comedy is an insightful look at modern relationships, a joyful take on second chances, and all-around win.

I’d recommend this book to…

• Anyone who loves tender, funny stories about complicated relationships… it’s similar in theme to the movie When Harry Met Sally…
• Anyone looking for a mature, self-aware romantic comedy… it’s similar in style to Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan
• Anyone craving something honest, messy, and ultimately hopeful… it’s similar in tone to All Adults Here by Emma Straub