Romantic Comedy

Romantic Comedy follows Sally Milz, a sharp, funny writer at a sketch show called The Night Owls. She’s built a solid life: an intense job, a small circle of close friends, and a protective layer of cynicism—especially about romance. When her office-mate Danny gets engaged to a movie star, Sally turns her frustration into a sketch she calls the “Danny Horst Rule”: men at the show date up, but women don’t. Enter Noah Brewster, a beloved pop musician with a golden-boy reputation who’s hosting and singing that week. Sally expects him to be vain or vapid. Instead, he’s thoughtful, generous, and unexpectedly real. After a prickly near-miss, the two start writing, talking, and—when the world shuts down—emailing. Their banter morphs into something more intimate and vulnerable. Sally drives from Kansas City to L.A. to see Noah, and the wall she’s kept around her heart begins to fall. What starts as a fling quickly becomes a test of trust: paparazzi photos, Sally’s fear of being seen, and a fight about what they are. Then Sally’s stepdad gets Covid, and Noah shows up in the Midwest to help, quietly doing the work of love. In the aftermath, Sally rethinks the life she’s built and the stories she’s told herself about what she deserves. Curtis Sittenfeld delivers a warm, modern love story that feels deeply lived-in: sharp dialogue, messy feelings, and a reminder that the best parts of life often happen off-stage.

• Fans of smart, funny romances that feel lived-in rather than glossy
• Listeners who like behind-the-scenes stories about TV, fame, and creative work
• Anyone who wants a grown-up love story with vulnerability, humor, and heart

Curtis Sittenfeld is the New York Times bestselling author of Prep, American Wife, Eligible, Rodham, and the story collection You Think It, I’ll Say It. Her fiction has been translated into dozens of languages and widely anthologized. She writes sharp, humane stories about ambition, intimacy, and the offstage moments where real life happens. Sittenfeld lives in Minneapolis.