Lawyer by day, comedian by night. Olivia Vincent dreams of a full-time career in comedy, and she's been working every spare moment she has to make it happen. But when it ends up costing her her day job is she really ready to make comedy her career?

She gets a gig opening on tour for seasoned stand-up Nick Leto which sounds like a dream but ends up challenging her in more ways than she could have imagined.

Olivia is driven, smart, and of course, hilarious. I found myself really rooting for her to succeed, and she was so well-written that I felt as if I knew her in real life. I didn't always love Nick, but he did grow on me by the end.

I enjoyed this story so much. There is a lot of humor, as you'd expect from a book about comedians, but there is a lot of heart-wrenching struggle and ultimately growth as well. The emotions and pacing of the story felt perfectly balanced, and it's a book that has stuck with me...I find myself thinking about the characters even weeks after finishing the last page.

If you need a good book that will make you both snort-laugh and tear up I recommend this one wholeheartedly.

Rating 4/5
Plot 4/5
Spice 2/5
Writing 4/5
Character Development 5/5

[I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book]

“No Funny Business” by Amanda Aksel tells the story of Olivia Vincent and Nick Leto, two comedians who go on a road trip/tour together. Olivia dreams of being a well-known stand-up comedian. She has an office day job in Manhattan and hustles the comedy clubs at night. Determined to pursue a career in comedy, Olivia has an audition in LA for the spot on a late-night TV show. To get to LA she meets Nick Leto, a seasoned stand-up comedian and the two embark on a cross-country road tour. Olivia agrees to go on this trip as long as there is “no funny business”. As Olivia goes on this journey, Nick helps her improve her act and along the way sparks begin to fly. As Olivia learns more about show business, she questions if this is the long-term career she can see herself in.

This was a fun and light read! I haven’t read a book about comedians before and I thoroughly enjoyed this trope! There were some great pop culture references that I enjoyed seeing and they weren’t overused which I appreciated. Overall I thought this book was a great and super cute read!

I’ve been reading No Funny Business for the past week, and it was a light and fun read. I wasn’t itching to pick it back up though. While it was easy to get lost in and help turn my brain off for a bit, it wasn’t one that will stick with me.

I honestly have no complaints about the novel though. The characters were likable, the premise was fun and one I haven’t seen, and I loved the road trip aspect.

Overall, it was a good book that I would recommend if you like stand up comedy, light reading, or a close proximity love story.

Thank you to @netgalley and @penguinrandomhouse for the arc in exchange for my honest review 💜

https://www.tiktok.com/@bettysbooklist/video/7101808696916839726?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1&lang=en

This book was laugh out loud funny. The banter, the tension, these two stole my heart. I loved every second of this book. I think this was such a unique concept and so well done.

This was a fun read. I think this was cool to have both main characters be comedians. I have never seen that before and thought it gave this book an edge against others. I definitely would recommend this to a friend.

No Funny Business by Amanda Aksel is a romance novel that falls in the romantic comedy genre. The story in No Funny Business is a standalone that follows a protagonist finding her way in life just as much as in love.

Olivia Vincent has always had dreams of becoming a big name comedian but after her father’s lecture on stability she got a law degree as a back up. Olivia isn’t happy in her career as a lawyer though finding the day to day tedious and only looks forward to nights after work when she can take the stage.

When Olivia’s boss calls her in and points out she isn’t doing that great of a job Olivia takes that as a sign to put her stand up at the forefront and try to make it full time. When offered a spot on fellow comedian Nick Leto’s tour Olivia jumps at the chance but didn’t expect to be in such close quarters traveling with the star.

No Funny Business by Amanda Aksel is the type of romantic comedy that is going to have an audience that loves it but unfortunately I didn’t find myself being one that did. There were certainly times I did laugh during this story but as odd as it sounds I was turned off pretty early when it came to the relationship when learning Nick smoked and Olivia hated that fact. Of course the author reminded the reader of this fact repeatedly so I couldn’t figure out how I was supposed to root for them…? Oh well, just not up my alley this time around.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

DNFed at 20% - I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley. This is my unbiased opinion.

This just was not my jam. I could tell the author was trying to be funny but most of the jokes just didn’t land for me. Also, she did a lot of telling rather than showing when it came to the funny parts. We didn’t get to hear any of Olivia’s material for her stand ups, we just heard from other characters that she did well. It made it hard to connect with her.

Furthermore, the writing came off as under-polished and wooden. It hit too many beats like she went here and then went here and then did this, rather than flowing smoothly from subject to subject. Not sure if that makes sense but it gave the story a rigid quality that was hard to sink into.

This book had some funny moments that genuinely made me laugh out loud. I liked the banter in the story and the jokes were less cringe than I was expecting.

Thank you #Netgalley for an early read of #NoFunnyBusiness

This took me a little bit to get into, but I ended up enjoying it! I purchased the audiobook and really enjoyed the narration!

I liked how Olivia was a stand up comedian, which is not a career you typically see represented in romance. I think the audiobook was great to hear the jokes land. I enjoyed Nick and Olivia’s cross country comedy tour. They had some challenges, but also had some great moments along the way. I liked how their rapport seemed to build over the trip and that they didn’t immediately jump into bed. I also liked the ending! I will definitely check out more books by Amanda Aksel.

Forced proximity romance about two comedians on a road trip? Sold. While the cover gives off carefree vibes, the content has some deeper moments that really added to the depth of the story & I loved Olivia and Nick’s story.

Thank you to Berkley Romance for an advance copy. All opinions are my own.

No Funny Business was a funny book about comedy, pursuing your passion and believing in yourself!

Olivia is an attorney in NYC and at night she hustles from comedy club to club trying to get her big break. She gets the chance of a lifetime to audition for a late night TV spot in LA but her agent has signed her up on a cross-country tour to get her there. She's joining comedy veteran Nick Leto on a road trip and tour of a lifetime!

There were so many funny scenes in this book! I loved the Seinfeld and other comedian references. The Texas scene with her love of Whataburger had me laugh as my husband always needs to go when we are in Texas! I liked seeing Olivia grow in both her confidence in herself as a comedian and the self-discovery from the trip.

Overall, I really enjoyed No Funny Business. It’s a fun story with a strong, independent female character committted to her dreams and working through her grief. The romance was just a cherry on the top in my opinion, as there was so much else at stake for Olivia.

I recommend this book to fans of comedy, stories about women who aren’t afraid to ask for what they want, and those who enjoy a romance that tackles some deeper themes.

I have never read any of Amanda Aksel's books before, so this book will be a first for me. And I have mixed feelings about this book.

No Funny Business had the potential to be a good romance book, but there were certain parts in the book that I could not get with. It had heavy topics discussed throughout the book that they tried to make it funny, but it was not. I find it very uncomfortable reading it that it made this book not a fun romance read. There is a way to incorporate heavy topics without making the readers uncomfortable.

I didn't love the structure or pacing of this book. It bummed me out as a female comedian cause I was excited to read a story where that was front and center. It was fine, just not a new favorite.

Snark and witty banter rule the day in No Funny Business, but considering the premise, I expected that. This is touted as a romantic comedy, but I'd say the emphasis is on the comedy. There's reference to Jerry and Elaine from Seinfeld, and Nick and Olivia do have that friends right on the edge of something more vibe as they get closer. The story isn't without its serious moments, but even those are tempered with a witty joke or a bit of banter. I can see this one working very well on the big screen with the humor and close proximity romance. If you liked the sarcasm and banter of Seinfeld, No Funny Business should be right up your alley. It's a quick read that was just right for whiling away a rainy day, and if you need a mood-lifter, this'll do the trick.

This was a fun closed-door, road trip romance between two standup comedians traveling around the country trying to get a big break. Nick is more established, while Olivia has quit her corporate job to take a chance on her standup dreams. Things start off platonically but the forced proximity and an only one-bed situation change things. Steam lovers will be a tad disappointed with the fade to black/closed door nature of the romance but I still really enjoyed the banter between the two MCs and the deep conversations they have on the road about the loss of loved ones and divorce.

I loved Olivia's gumption and her standup set near the end of the book was amazing! I wish there had been more of her material sprinkled throughout the book and not just at the end! I didn't love the narrator for this book and I wish it would have been a dual POV story but overall it was still very enjoyable! Recommended for fans of Funny feelings by Tarah DeWitt. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

Olivia Vincent has recently quit, er, was fired from her corporate job as a contract lawyer but silver lining: she can now fully focus on being a comedian. She gets a big break and is able to go on a road tour opening for Nick, a comedian with a following and even his own 30 minute televised special. Their road trip proves to be more than they both bargained for…

This book was a pleasant surprise! I have read so many different romcoms but this was my first one dealing with comedians. Narrator Amanda Ronconi brought the perfect mix quirk and charm. While it wasn’t always laugh out loud funny, I did have a smile on my face for the duration of the story. Some serious subject matter is discussed, giving the characters some depth without feeling overly heavy. All in all, enjoyable characters slowly falling for each other on the road, made for a fun listen!

No Funny Business by Amanda Aksel follows two comedians who go on tour together. The tour is meant to get them national exposure to further their careers, but it ends up changing their lives in unexpected ways.

Olivia Vincent is an up and coming attorney. There's just one problem...while practicing law pays the bills, it's not her passion. Comedy is. When Olivia is unexpectedly fired from her job, she decides it's fate's way of telling her her it's time to follow her dream of becoming a stand-up comedian. When her agent calls her with an opportunity to go on tour with popular comedian, Nick Leto, Olivia jumps at the chance.

I enjoyed the road trip aspect of No Funny Business, and especially having the comedy club scene serve as the backdrop for Olivia and Nick's story. I also really enjoyed the chemistry between Olivia and Nick. There's sexual tension of course since they are clearly attracted to one another, but then there's just so much fun banter between them. There are even some lovely moments where Nick mentors Olivia to help her "up" her comedy game. The only downside to the road trip was that it did start to feel long after a while. I think if they had stopped for one more burger along the way, I would have started to skip pages.

I would also say the romance element took a backseat to Olivia's personal and professional journey, but I was pretty invested in Olivia's journey so I was okay with that, even though I did want them to get together. All in all, a very solid read for me and I highly recommend it to anyone who is a fan of stand up comedy and wants a behind-the-scenes look.

I absolutely love stand up comedy. I always have, so offer me a chance to read a romcom set around comedians and I can’t resist.
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I am glad I didn’t, because No Funny Business, a new book out this week by Amanda Aksel, was a lot of fun. The main characters definitely clicked and it was entertaining to see them figure out just how great they were for each other. It was no joke. (I couldn’t resist)
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Growing up, my dad, like Olivia’s in this story, listened to comedy records, on vinyl, (those round black things that produce sound when played on a record player). Also, my husband has secret dreams of becoming a stand up comedian so I definitely find funny attractive. We enjoy comedy clubs and are looking forward to the comedians on our upcoming cruise.
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All that to illustrate how this book easily kept my interest, but I think it is enjoyable even if you aren’t quite as big of a comedy fan as I am. There is a great friendship, some unfinished family business, and a road trip too.
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For a laugh or two, check this book out. Thanks @BerkleyRomance @letstalkbookspromo and @NetGalley for my advanced copy and a fun buddy read!