Presley Fry has escaped small town Georgia to New York City where in her mid-20’s she’s slowly making her way up the assistant chain at a late-night comedy show. Presley helps book talent for the show and has recently been tasked with discovering the newest rising comedian to showcase on air. Besides hanging out with her best friend and roommate Isabelle in the East Village, she spends her nights in underground stand-up comedy venues and open mics on the hunt for who’s ready to be showcased on national TV.

Underlying the fun 20-somethings who intensely love New York City vibe are serious elements: Presley’s still reeling from the death of her alcoholic mother, having been brought up by her grandparents, and also she’s been recently befriended by an old childhood friend of her Mom’s, Susan Clark – whose powerful husband has just been denounced for sexual bad behavior at work.

There’s also a Gen Z romance burbling along: between Presley and Adam, a fellow assistant at the late night show, whose boyish sensitivity have them both struggling to break out of best friends’ mode to a relationship.

A fun summer read, blending humor with a feminist twist.

Thanks to Celadon Books and NetGalley for an advanced reader’s copy.

Humor Me is a marvel. Billed as a love letter to the NYC stand-up comedy scene, its protagonist is Presley Fry, who works as an assistant on a beloved late night show. Presley is dealing with a lot. She’s anxious that she hasn’t yet been promoted, and she’s mortified that she seems to have caught feelings for her work BFF, Adam. But mostly, Presley is dealing with grief over her mother’s death the previous year, trying to grapple with the fact that so much about their complicated relationship was left unresolved. When she runs into her mother’s childhood best friend, Susan, the two strike up an unexpected friendship, leading Presley to relationships and realizations she never could have anticipated.

Humor Me is one of those novels that celebrates the messy magic of life: what it’s like to be young in a big city, trying to figure out who you are and what you want, both personally and professionally; how it feels to fall in love – with someone else, with your city, with yourself; what it’s like to navigate the fraught waters of grief. Presley is the best kind of character; she’s vulnerable but guarded, longs for connection even though she sabotages opportunities for it at every turn, self-aware even though she stubbornly refuses to face some hard truths about her life. Her closest relationships – with her best friend Isabelle and especially with Susan – are conveyed with so much authenticity. I adored the relationship between Presley and Susan, with its subtle mother-daughter vibes and the genuine warmth and affection at its heart.

Humor Me is funny and sexy and charming, but also surprisingly emotionally resonant, dealing with deep themes like complex family dynamics, alcoholism, and #MeToo in a well-balanced narrative. It’s a “slice of life” sort of book, not majorly plot-forward – it’s more just the story of Presley’s growth and becoming, and Cat Shook kept me invested in her whole journey. Thank you to Celadon Books for the early reading opportunity.

Humor Me follows Presley Fry, a talent recruit/assistant for a network late night show, as she guides us through New York City, from a NYC lovers eyes, and with a somewhat jaded approach to dating/finding love: isn't having a best friend roomie to come home to enough?

Presley also grapples with the loss of her mother while navigating a new friendship with one of her mother's old friends, who happens to be married to the head of the network at which Presley works, and was recently involved in his own scandal.

There are many threads of this story, but I found that they worked to give us a look at city life, boundaries, what different kinds of love look like, and flashes of standup comedy sets.

3.5 stars rounded up

I loooved If We're Being Honest, Shook's debut last year. So I was really excited to see she was releasing another!

Presley, a 20-something transplant in NYC and lover of the stand up comedy scene, she's an assistant at a Late Night Show, and reluctant dater. She's close with her roommate, and has a giant crush on her co-worker, but otherwise keeps everyone at arms length.

Presley has some grief and trauma from her late mother that she's mostly ignoring, when she meets her mother's childhood friend Susan, who is dealing with her own set of issues.

Susan becomes like a pseudo mom and a source of comfort for Presley, as they share that familiar tie to Presley's late mother.

I definitely felt for Presley, she's just trying to live her best life but she has some pretty heavy stuff weighing her down. Trying to outrun her grief just isn't working for her.

As with If We're Being Honest, I loved the characterization and their growth throughout the story. Though, there were parts that seemed to drag on and others that didn't seem to add anything to the story, I didn't feel the connections between characters like I'd hoped.

I know others struggled with the switching perspectives in her last book (especially on audio), so I was glad to see the single POV with this one. I was rooting for Presley and also just wanted to shake her 😆.

🎧 I enjoyed this on audio and flew through it. I struggled with some of the narrator's inflections, that I feel would've read completely differently on the page, but it ultimately didn't detract from the story.

When I first "met" Presley Fry, I wasn't anticipating becoming so connected to her, so intertwined with her fictional life, but Presley became a living, breathing person that leapt from the pages and allowed me to grow close to her. I found myself thinking about this book while I wasn't reading and couldn't wait to get back to New York with Presley.

This novel brought out all the emotions in me. The female friendships are ones I would love to have in my life and I so enjoyed the loyalty and fierce protection each woman had for her friend.

The dating scene in New York was sometimes difficult for me to watch as Presley held back from commitment to relationships due to past issues of feeling unloved, unworthy of being loved that she still had to deal with. I loved watching Presley grow and realize with the help of others that she was indeed worthy of being cared for and loved.

The novel tackles the issue of men dominating the workplace and keeping women from advancing and often I felt the anger right along with Presley. It also deals with men cheating on their wives and the effects it has on the wife and children.

I want more time with these characters and know this book will stick with me for a long time. I will be recommending it to everyone.

Humor Me by Cat Shook was engaging from the beginning and I couldn’t bear to put it down.
I found the main character relatable while still seeming honest and unflinching about herself.
I thought this was a well written, thought provoking novel.
I really enjoyed this story and I’m honestly looking forward to Cat’s novel!

Thank You NetGalley and Celadon Books for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Thank you Celadon for the review copies for me and I also note a very generous sharing with my college class of 2001 (that's right) book club! We can't wait to discuss it, seems a lot of themes resonated with my friends.
Thank you as well to MacMillan Audio, this was a great book to read and listen to, I thought the narration from Ferdelle Capistrano was excellent and really captured Presley's voice and made Cat Shook's book resonate in a fun engaging way. Great audiobook!

My review:
TLDR: I really enjoyed this contemporary coming of age rom com that leaned nicely into themes on grief, friendship and self-growth. A great ode to NYC as well as the complex but exciting personal and professional challenges that many 20 somethings experience. The audiobook is a great way to get into the pace and tone of the book!

I really liked this blend of romcom with coming of age themes and how deftly Shook gave space to Presley to grow, a balance of a young person figuring things out, making some mistakes (though I hesitate to say mistakes as much as perhaps necessary parts of growing up...?), and learning about what she wants, who she is, and what is important to her in relationships. I loved her friendship with her roommate, the book is such a testament to the importance of found family and having people who get you and show up for you.

The romcom allusions are there with themes on figuring out who is the right and the wrong person for you, learning that some relationships just aren't that great after all, and that figuring out what you want can help you see people, and yourself ,more clearly. This was nicely explored in a way that honored the tropes but also blended nicely with the bigger themes on self growth, growing up, and for Presley also gaining her own strong sense of self.

Humor Me also is a story of grief, what it means to lose a parent to alcoholism and to grapple with what that has meant and may continue to mean for identity and growing up. At the same time, I thought Shook wove in the role of Susan, Presley's mother's best friend but also Presley's work mentor, effectively to showcase care and nurturing that Presley needed but also to give Presley a sense as to who her mother was outside of/before addiction took over; I thought this was deftly done and I think added to the themes on grief and coping in valuable ways.

Clever and wickedly funny! A story about self discovery, healing, and found family under the guise of romance and comedy that I found very relatable. The friendships in this book are now on my vision board.

Blurbed as perfect for fans of Romantic Comedy, and I second that but this is even better. My only hang up — the overuse of adjectives and internal monologues felt distracting at first, but the extra witty characters complement the verbose writing style.

I really liked the premise of this book about an assistant on a late night tv show, whose mother recently passed, making her way in NYC. I found it too slow for my taste and couldn't really get into it.

Thank you Netgalley & Celadon Books for the advanced reader copy.

I LIKED this book- I didn't love it but I certainly did not dislike it!! It started out so strong for me, but dipped about 20% in. We bounced back towards the end though!! I found Presley to be soo frustrating, but I think that is the point. We the people want to read imperfect characters. Honestly Izzy and Susan really stole the show for me. They were wonderfully written and perfectly supported Presley in her journey. I wanted to fall in love with this book, and I can't exactly pinpoint why I didn't, but I know the right reader really will! Feels like a sweet, deep, heartfelt indie movie come alive.

Humor Me is a raw and heartfelt story that touches upon friendships, grief, and healing. There is a little bit of romance as well. Presley, the main character, lives in nyc with her best friend and works at a late night comedy show. You see how she navigates life in the city. Within the story you see all the ups and downs Presley goes through and how the power of friendships go a long way.

There were some parts in the book that were a bit slow for me, but overall a good read.

Thank you NetGalley and Celadon for the Arc!

When books have a strong narrative voice, I'll sometimes 'hear' the text, along with the dialogue. This book kept playing into my inner ear in a Brooklyn accent, so strong was the New York vibe.

It's marketed as romance, with stand-up comedy as an element. I nabbed it from NetGalley, saving it for a time when I really needed relaxing reading; I ought to have remembered that stand-up comedy always has more than a spicing of pain at the keelson.

There were times when this book veered more into women's fiction. Not a bad thing. The writing was tight, stylish, aware, and the characters varied, their pain real. But the romance between the leads pretty much took a back seat to the romance with the city. It's a love letter to the people of New York.

I'm not sure what genre I'd classify this book as, but it felt like just living a slice of life as a twenty-something New Yorker, which I've never wanted to do in real life but enjoyed nonetheless. It's 2017 and Presley Fry works as an assistant on a famous late-night comedy TV show, and fills the emotional void her mother's death left behind with purposefully distant hookups, work, a will-they-won't-they with her coworker Adam, and the friendship of her bestie/roommate, Isabelle. That's all well and good until Presley gets roped into friendship with her mom's childhood best friend, Susan, who's going through a marriage crisis, Adam and Isabelle both get girlfriends, and Susan's son insists on being nice to Presley.

There's a lot of humor in this book, fittingly, but it's paired with a painfully realistic depiction of grief for both the loss of someone you had a complicated relationship with as well as the loss and nostalgia for certain periods of your own life. I definitely got choked up a few times, and while the start of the book is a bit slow, the payoff was worth it and felt realistic rather than just wrapped up in a bow. Female friendship is the heart of this story, as is being emotionally stunted, which, relatable. I loved Presley but I also wanted to shake her a few times. And her interactions with various types of men in this were uncomfortably real, not just through her personal relationships but even just people she worked with, etc. I'll definitely keep an eye out for future work from this author; she writes emotions so well and authentically, I can't imagine a story in which I wouldn't appreciate that. Thanks to Celadon and the author for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review!

"Presley Fry is an assistant on the Late Night Show. She scouts comics hoping to find the next big thing. She struggles with dating and relationships. And she's still grieving her mother's death."

This is the "single girl living in New York City and figuring things out" trope. I struggled to relate to that part of Presley. I think writers sometimes forget how different NYC is from the rest of the country. I did appreciate the decriptions of Presley dealing with her mother's alcoholism. It's pretty accurate without being overly dramatic. There are several instances where Presley has her emotions under control - much better than I would in those same situations. Her friendship with her mother's old friend is an interesting choice - but it works. The magic mushroom scene is hilarious.
Presley does figure some things out in this book. It's always good to see a character grow and change.

Fans of character-driven contemporary fiction should enjoy this one.

A slow start but a very well rounded, character driven story. This book was, stylistically, different than those that I usually read but it absolutely still had my attention. true to what was promised in the blurb. very good character development. I love the way this author handled Presley's grief it was very engaging to read.

Thanks to Celadon, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for my gifted ARC and ALC of Humor Me in exchange for my honest opinion.
Fresh off a trip to NYC, I was swept right into this story set in the city. Presley is a recent college grad, living with her college best friend and hustling at her assistant job, trying for a promotion. She works for a late night show, trying to find the next big name in stand up comedy for their Friday episodes, meaning she spends a lot of her time scouting fresh talent at comedy clubs. Humor Me follows Presley as she navigates dating (or not), work, friendship, and her grief handling her mother’s death from one year prior. Female relationships, both familial and friends, are at the forefront of Presley's journey to establish herself.
This New Adult book is written well, which is a strong endorsement from me, considering I typically avoid the genre. I took a chance on reading this after enjoying Shook’s previous release, If We're Being Honest. Presley’s character is written with a maturity that allowed me to relate to her more than most characters in their early 20s, and I loved how sarcastically funny (maybe satirical is the better description) the book shows her early life out of college. It's not laugh out loud humor, but I found myself chuckling and rolling my eyes a lot. I mostly listened to the audiobook, and the narration by Ferdelle Capistrano was engaging and clear. The book and audiobook will be available this Tuesday!

This book started as a slow burn for me, but about halfway through I was fully involved. Presley was a complex character, and her journey through grief felt real and raw. This is an engaging read for anyone who loves a good character arc.

Humor Me by Cat Shook ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Why I Chose It: I was drawn in with the description particularly, “for fans of Romantic Comedy…”

I LOVED the friendships in this book. They were so wholesome and provided some of the most memorable moments in this book. I loved that they were unexpected at times and completely normal at others.

Presley was a distinct character. Her inner monologue was witty and funny. I struggled at times with some of her decisions and lack of growth, but that gave her a realism that I appreciated in the end. The other characters were strong in their development. They each served a purpose and made the story stronger.

I struggled with the time jumps occasionally with this one. But it wasn’t enough for me to stop enjoying it. Once I reoriented myself, I was back in New York with Presley. Speaking of New York, this was absolutely a love letter to the city.

For fans of strong female friendships, New York settings, and funny lines in a book, this will be very enjoyable.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Celadon Books and Macmillan Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of the sophomore book by Cat Shook, with the audio wonderfully narrated by Ferdelle Capistrano. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4 stars!

Presley Fry loves NYC and her job finding new comedians for a tv show and has a crush on her coworker, Adam, but they seem to be stuck in the friend zone. For romance, she tends to use Tinder for hookups, and lets her roommate, Izzy, be in charge of her social life. She's also still coming to grips with her feelings about the death of her mom, an alcoholic, with whom she had a difficult relationship. Her mom's childhood friend, Susan, whose husband has just been caught in a #MeToo situation and is the head of the network where Presley works, comes back into her life.

This is not really a rom-com, but it certainly has those aspects, as we see Presley pining for Adam, but also developing feelings for Susan's son. It's more of a look at grief, found family and friends who are there to help us through the hard parts of life - if only we can let them in. The characters felt real and Presley was lucky to have lots of people in her corner. It's definitely a love story to NYC (and Bud Light and Trader Joe's!), and I enjoyed the look behind the scenes of discovering new comedic talent.

3 🌟 I have so many different thoughts about this book. First, it truly is a love letter to New York and I love that! How immersive the experience is and how much our FMC loves the city shines through the entire book. Second, this is more of a character study than a plot driven book. We are following our FMC as she lives with grief over losing a loved one, working to make a name for herself at the Late Night show, and trying to open herself up to romance. I don’t mind a character study but Presley is very negative/ cynical and it makes it hard to root for her. We can see how her experiences have shaped her but I personally struggle with the type of person who says they hate something but actually like it. Lastly, I really adored the female friendships in here! They are a very central component in this story and the different ways friendship can evolve. Also, I loved the comedy element and how Shook incorporated stand-up bits in here! I was so excited and impressed when I saw the jokes. From a reading experience perspective, I’d say this is a more fall/ winter read and would recommend waiting to pick it up until then. Cat Shook’s books are so unique and I will definitely continue to read her work!

Thank you so much to Celadon for my advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review!