After a failed ‘starter marriage’ and a few other heartbreaks, Sally Milz has given up on love. Instead, she has thrown herself into her career as a sketch writer for the popular late-night live comedy show, The Night Owls (think Tina Fey and SNL). When Danny Horst, fellow writer, slob and average looking at best, begins dating a bombshell actress, Sally writes a sketch called the ‘Danny Horst Rule’ to point out how average men can pull much hotter and successful women but it never happens the other way around. But then Noah Brewster, pop star and absolute heartthrob with a reputation for dating models, is the guest-host on TNO and Sally finds herself infatuated with him. But the ‘Danny Horst Rule’ exists for a reason, he’d never like her, right?

Sally is realistic and incredibly relatable. She shows frustration at the double standards society has for men and women, yet often begrudgingly conforms to the societal expectations herself. It’s a fascinating exploration of how women in their 30s can struggle between their feminist beliefs and the patriarchal world views they were raised on.

Although it’s been three years now since the pandemic first began, I still feel strange reading about it in books. A whole 70 pages of the book is written as emails between Sally and Noah during isolation in 2020. Initially, I thought I would battle through the correspondence, but Sittenfeld’s witty and emotional writing kept me engaged the entire time.

Romantic Comedy has all the hallmarks of a classic Curtis Sittenfeld, but with a lighter edge. It will have you laughing, cringing and swooning. You won’t be able to put it down.