A rom com, a com com, and a multigenerational relationship..com.

Presley Fry works at a Tonight Show time company. She is guarded with her feelings and still grieving the death of her alcoholic mother. She isn't sure what to make of her almost co-dependent friendship with her work crush Adam and so, like many things in her life, she just let is exist in a purgatory like state.

In this great story, Metoo is just exploding. When another MeToo type scandal materializes in NY, Presley is surprised to learn that the wife involved a family friend - her mother's best friend in fact, growing up. When Susan reaches out to meet up for a drink Presley awkwardly accepts and begins an adventure of sorts which allows her to gain confidence and grow.

Truly beautiful, truly hilarious, truly the best! #celedon #humorme #catshook

***** FIVE HUNDRED STARS *****

"I'm guessing she's a performative reader, like the kind of girl you would see walking down the street reading a book, which makes absolutely no sense." --- a line I read while walking down the street reading this very book - bwaaaahaha

I absolutely LOVED this book and binge-read it in a day (thanks in part to reading while walking and in large part to benignly neglecting my family and all of the boring grownup person tasks I should have been accomplishing today -- WORTH IT!) I'm honestly having the hardest time writing a review for this book because I loved it so much and am afraid I won't do it justice.

ANYWAY, Cat Shook's debut novel, If We're Being Honest, was one of my favorite books published in 2023, and Humor Me is going straight to the top of my 2024 favorites list. It was smart and funny and moving and all of the things anyone could want in a novel - a little romance, a lot of female friendship and struggling to figure yourself out as a young adult. Part of me wanted to shake Presley and tell her to get herself a therapist ASAP, but a bigger part fully understood where she was coming from, since hiding from emotions and making a joke is 100% easier than dealing with them, even the good ones (ahem, yes, my old therapist Hillary: I KNOW), especially when you're in your 20s, but eventually all of that business needs to come out and you just have to hope there are good people around you when it does and you're at your most vulnerable. [Best BFF Award for Isabelle]

This is blurbed as being perfect for fans of Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld, which I agree with and also loved, but I think I loved this book even more. I'm definitely picking this for my book club to read and cannot wait to talk about it with people when it's out in the world. READ THIS!

Humor Me isn't my usual type of read, but I love books set in New York City so I thought I'd give it a try. It took me a minute to get into, I guess I wasn't sure what the 'conflict' or the 'why should I keep reading' was. The writing (& humor in it) is what kept me going. Soon I felt love for Presley and my why became to see how her story continued to unfold. I really enjoyed the friendship that formed between Susan and Presley. I don't read many character driven novels and Humor Me made me realize I may want to dip my toe in a little further.

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for providing this book, with my honest review below.

Humor Me was a book that did a wonderful job of balancing the poignant and fun, dealing with heavy topics in a way that was helped by light and funny characters and special care.

Presley lost her mother and hasn’t truly dealt with her grief due to conflicting feelings and memories. Her mother’s alcoholism puts a dark veil on a lot, and her own reticence in embracing her emotions holds her back. But as she works on succeeding in her job finding comedians for a televised late night show, she runs into her Mother’s old best friend, Susan, who is dealing with her own low points in life, and they help each other get to the light.

There are many great characters (and character studies) in this book, with Izzy, Clark, and Adam, and they helped round out Presley’s development and journey as well. I loved the balance this book found in tackling Presley’s grief and Susan’s realistic thoughts and feelings over her own conflict. It was great to watch Presley grow and the journey through both made sense and was well written and paced, so this book flew by. Recommended for readers who like to find the balance in their books.

Humor Me is an original. Yes, it is a Romcom, but it is also, unexpectedly, so much more. Presley, in her mid-20's, is working as an assistant to a producer of a TV comedy show and trying, unsuccessful, to overcome her deep grief over the loss of her alcoholic mother a year ago. Set in New York City, it is full of views, neighborhoods and dive bar descriptions (You New Yorkers or adjacent can skip past those, but don't.)

Susan is a childhood friend of Presley's mother and has helped Presley land her job through family connections, but now wants to be friends with Presley. Unable to grieve for her mother because of her drinking-caused absence, Presley is cut-off from her locked up emotions.
Despite all this, the novel is filled with humor. (But also, beware. with "language" and steamy sex scenes).,

Cat Shook will distract you with Adam, Presley's co-worker and crush. She will tease you with Susan's son, Clark. She will beguile you with MeToos and office politics. And you will be jealous of Presley's friendship with her roommate Izzy. Humor Me is a romp, unusual in its plotting, and filled with fun and pain. The ending is perhaps a bit rushed, but will, on reflection, seem just right.

Thanks to Netgalley and Celadon,. a division of Macmillan, for an early read copy.