Book Club Discussion Questions
Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!
Dear Reader,
There's a writing axiom similar to that famous line about being the change you wish to see in the world: Write the book you
want to read.
This time around, I wanted to write a novel that was, above all, fun. The last few years have been rough ones in big and
small ways for just about all of us. That's why I longed to escape to a fizzy, delicious, romance-filled parallel universe—one that I could exist in while I was writing and share with you after I finished.
My husband, kids, and I really embraced watching
Saturday Night Live during the pandemic, and I'm sure I'm not the
only one who's noticed the real-life pattern of talented but somewhat ordinary (dare I say mortal?) male writers and cast
members from SNL dating and even marrying gorgeous, extremely accomplished female celebrities (dare I say goddesses?)
who appear on the show as hosts or musical guests. What would happen, I wondered, if a female writer on a show like SNL
created a sketch mocking this phenomenon and pointing out that it would never happen if the writer was female and the
celebrity was male? And then what would happen if, to her own surprise, the writer found herself hitting it off with that
week's gorgeous, extremely accomplished male celebrity guest host? What if the two of them bantered and flirted and had
great chemistry and lots of sexual tension, but what if the writer was so neurotic and burned by past relationships that she
couldn't believe this magnificent lovefest was really happening to her and risked sabotaging it?
I researched the late-night comedy show setting of
Romantic Comedy by reading memoirs written by SNL cast members
and listening to comedians interview one another on podcasts. Once while I was walking around in the snowy bitter cold
of Minneapolis, where I live, I found myself listening to Bill Hader giggle wildly on Mike Birbiglia's
Working It Out podcast,
and from inside my huge puffy coat, in the zero-degree chill, I started laughing, too. I thought to myself,
Writing this book
was such a good idea. I hope you agree.
xoxo,
Curtis
Questions for Discussion
-
Where have you seen the Danny Horst Rule play out in real life? What's your opinion of it? Have you seen the
reverse happen?
-
Why do you think Sally finds it so hard to believe that Noah might actually like her? Did you find it hard to
believe?
-
Sally learns from her mother that we all have public and private selves. How would you describe Sally's
selves? How would you describe Noah's? When do you think they switch from using their public to private
selves with each other?
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- How does the author develop themes of identity and belonging throughout the narrative?
- What role does the setting play in shaping the characters' decisions and relationships?
- Discuss how the ending reframes the events of the story. Were you surprised?
Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of Random House Trade Paperbacks.
Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.
