Romantic Comedy

Sally Milz is a sketch writer for The Night Owls, a late-night live comedy show that airs every Saturday. With a couple of heartbreaks under her belt, she’s long abandoned the search for love, settling instead for the occasional hook-up, career success, and a close relationship with her stepfather to round out a satisfying life.

But when Sally’s friend and fellow writer Danny Horst begins dating Annabel, a glamorous actress who guest-hosted the show, he joins the not-so-exclusive group of talented but average-looking and even dorky men at the show—and in society at large—who’ve gotten romantically involved with incredibly beautiful and accomplished women. Sally channels her annoyance into a sketch called The Danny Horst Rule, poking fun at this phenomenon while underscoring how unlikely it is that the reverse would ever happen for a woman.

Enter Noah Brewster, a pop music sensation with a reputation for dating models, who signed on as both host and musical guest for this week’s show. Dazzled by his charms, Sally hits it off with Noah instantly, and as they collaborate on one sketch after another, she begins to wonder if there might actually be sparks flying. But this isn’t a romantic comedy—it’s real life. And in real life, someone like him would never date someone like her . . . right?

With her keen observations and trademark ability to bring complex women to life on the page, Curtis Sittenfeld explores the neurosis-inducing and heart-fluttering wonder of love, while slyly dissecting the social rituals of romance and gender relations in the modern age.

These book club discussion questions were prepared by Bookclubs staff.

Book club questions for Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld

Use these discussion questions to guide your next book club meeting.

The novel is titled Romantic Comedy, and one of Sally’s goals is to write a romantic comedy movie script. In what ways does the novel fit or pay homage to the classic tropes of a romantic comedy? In what ways does it challenge or subvert them?

Discuss the role of humor in the novel – both in terms of the writing style and as a connecting point between the characters. What were some of the humorous moments or sketches in the novel that made you laugh? How did humor bring Noah and Sally together? How did Sally use humor as a coping mechanism?

Do you watch Saturday Night Live? Did you enjoy the behind the scenes look at what it takes to put on a live comedy show? How does the novel portray the dynamics and culture of working at a place like SNL / The Night Owls? What did you find most interesting or surprising?

Sally’s best friends - Viv, Henrietta, and even Danny - are coworkers, and she once thought she might have found her romantic soulmate in another coworker. Have you ever worked somewhere where the lines between work and personal life were similarly blurred? Do you think it sounds fun or too all-encompassing?

How believable did you find Sally and Noah’s relationship? What rang true for you? What if anything felt more far-fetched?

What does Noah see in Sally? What, beyond his good looks, does Sally see in Noah? How do the characters force each other to grow and develop over the course of the novel?

Noah's fame is arguably an impediment to Noah and Sally's relationship, but it seems that Sally's reaction to it plays an even larger role. What past life experiences contribute to Sally's insecurities? How does she finally overcome them?

How does the novel explore the role of fame, celebrity, and social media in romantic relationships? What are some of the benefits and drawbacks of being in the public eye?

Do you think that the “Danny Horst Rule” is real? If so, why do you think remarkable women are more likely to end up with ordinary men than vice versa?

Discuss what happened between Sally and Elliott. Was Elliott cruel in the way that he rejected Sally, or did she put him awkwardly on the spot (or both?). Do you think it’s possible for a friendship like theirs to recover if there are one-sided romantic feelings?

Did you have any real life singer or other celebrity in mind as you pictured Noah? If so, who? The author has said that Noah was not based on any individual singer but was inspired by Ed Sheeran, John Legend, and John Mayer. Do you see any of them in Noah?

The second section of the book unfolds through emails between Noah and Sally. What did you think of this epistolary section? Did hearing directly from Noah, in contrast to Sally’s first person, give any new insight into his character? Would you have liked to hear more from Noah’s first person point of view, without it being filtered by what he chose to reveal to Sally?

Have you ever had a pen pal or someone that you primarily got to know from a distance? How did you start your relationship? How did it progress? What made it different from more typical relationships that developed in person?

How does the novel address the issues of gender, race, and class in the comedy industry and society at large? How do Sally and Noah navigate their privilege and marginalization in different contexts?

The COVID-19 pandemic is central to the second half of the book. How does the novel depict the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on Sally and Noah's lives and relationship?

The first section of the book centers Sally's job as a writer on The Night Owls. The second section focuses on the development of Sally and Noah's relationship. The third, shortest, section brings us forward in time. What section did you prefer and why? What would you like to have seen more or less of?

Romantic Comedy Book Club Questions PDF

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