Romantic Comedy
Curtis Sittenfeld
An SNL-style writer falls for the pop star hosting the show and refuses to believe it could work. Smart, swoony, very fun.
Buy on Bookshop.org ↗If you liked this, try…
Good Material
Dolly Alderton
A comedian falls apart after a breakup he doesn't understand, until the last act flips your whole read of it. Funny and true about heartbreak.
★ 5Heart the Lover
Lily King
A college love triangle from the '80s reignites decades later when crisis pulls the three back together. Turns out it's Casey from Writers & Lovers all grown up, and King just keeps getting better.
★ 5Writers & Lovers
Lily King
The protagonist of Lily King’s novel Writers & Lovers lives in Cambridge, too, but Casey is older than Becky, a little more rudderless. Her mother has just died, her boyfriend has broken up with her, and she’s living in a garden shed splitting her time between waitressing and writing. It sounds depressing. It’s not. Casey’s wit, relatability, and dogged ambition make her easy to spend time with, and I ended the book almost hoping I’d run into her in Harvard Square.