Definitely a very charming book, though not 100% what I was hoping for. This was comped as a "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel"-esque story in rom-com format, which immediately had me downloading it to fill the void left by the end of the most recent season. I think in some ways, that both helped and hurt my perceptions of this one.

On the one hand, the comp predisposed me to like the book. The setup of an up-and-coming comedian forming a professional and personal bond with a veteran pro felt fun and familiar in a good way. Individually, Olivia and Nick are interesting characters, although I can't quite decide whether I love Olivia's all-or-nothing energy or just want to remind her that she does have to live in the real world and can't joke her problems away. Thinking of her as a Midge-esque character did help with that a little, though.

On the other hand, though, the comp kind of exposed some of the weaknesses of the story. If you're doing a romance, the chemistry has to be there, and that goes double if it's being intentionally compared to a romance arc with enormous chemistry. I wanted so badly to feel the spark between Olivia and Nick, and I did a little bit, but I think I was just expecting a little bit more. Don't mistake me, though - this was still a fun read and definitely worth the time, I just wanted a tiny bit more sparkle to it.

I'm a big fan of comedy, and loved the references to comedians and comedy venues. I was a little skeptical going into a book that had a "stand up comedian" as a main character. I didn't want to have to read any fake comedy sets that would most definitely not land. It was a lukewarm like for me. Olivia's strong-willed desire to pursue her comedy career at the cost of her VERY STABLE job (she is in debt with hundreds of thousands of dollars in student loans). I didn't really get the meet cute between her and Nick, and I just didn't have any real connection to anyone. Overall, it as a meh for me.

I really wanted to love this book.... but unfortunately, it didn't happen. Maybe it would have been more of a hit for me if I was a comedy fan? There were a lot of references to classic comedians and comedy shows and those didn't really connect with me. Olivia is an out of work attorney heading out on a comedy tour with fellow comedian, Nick. Although they were in forced proximity and shared a love of stand-up, I didn't feel the connection between them. There weren't any sparks for me. I think the title and blurb had me expecting a laugh out loud rom-com, but the jokes felt forced and fell flat.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group, Berkley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.