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!

Humor Me is the second book I have read that was written by author Cat Shook, and I think she’s got a pattern going here. When you first start to read, it’s just a story you know you’ll love, and when you have to put the book down and do something necessary like chores, eat or sleep, you can bookmark your place and come back to it. Suddenly, though, you are no longer in control and the story takes over and becomes magically fantastic and you are enthralled. You can’t put it down, you absolutely must know how this works out, if all the things you are wishing and hoping for will happen. The plot moves along so smoothly, the words are so expertly crafted you savor each of them, the characters delightfully lovable – or not. Believe me when I say you will not be able to set this aside until you reach the utterly satisfying The End.

Presley is a mess. At the beginning not even an adorable one. Her life is overwhelming and her coping method is to say no it’s not and to close in on herself and just keep pressing forward. She’s not letting any grief, anger, fear, longing, desire out. To say she is holding her emotions close to her chest is an understatement. She is close to the grandparents who mostly raised her, and she confides in her best friend Izzy, and that’s it. She does love the world of stand-up comedy, and parts of her job are great, but being an assistant at the Late Night Show is a lot of thankless go-fer work with a promotion and enough salary to actually live on dangled out there like a carrot just out of reach. She fights acknowledging she’s developed feelings for her work friend Adam. He’s flirty, funny, always there for her and they seem to have some magical connection, but he’s also clueless, or doesn’t have feelings for her like that, or just something you can’t figure out. He immediately goes on the reader’s Watch Out For That Guy List. It’s painful to watch her in pain over him.

The story takes place near the beginning of the Me-Too movement. Women like Presley doesn’t want Dependent Little Housewife to be their title, and they are understandably wary of the behavior of many men. After a scandal involving Thomas Clark, the head of the network where Presley works, his wife Susan seems determined to start a friendship with Presley. Susan was a friend of Presley’s late mother Patty way back when they were young in Eulalia, Georgia. Presley can’t figure out why Susan would want to be friends, and at first doesn’t want any part of it. But she and Presley actually become friends and it’s good – for both of them. And then there’s Lawrence Clark, Susan’s son. He and Presley are thrown together a couple of times and become sort-of friends. There’s just something about him with his wide eyes and big, oafish body and golden retriever vibe – and that giant, open laugh – but nope, not telling you about how that unfolds, because that is definitely part of the magically fantastic.

Thanks to Celadon Books for providing an advance copy of Humor Me. I have said this about every single book I have been lucky enough to receive from Celadon and I think they’ve got a pattern going, too: they publish a small, highly curated list of new titles a year, and if those titles were all I got to read all year I would be satisfied. Fiction, non-fiction, romance, thriller – pick a title and if they’ve published it you will love it and count it as one of your favorite books of the year. Cat Shook is a talented author who crafts beautiful sentences and creates amazing stories and characters that stay with you. I recommend Humor Me as well as her debut novel If We’re Being Honest without hesitation. I voluntarily leave this review; all opinions are my own.

In this book, our main character, Presley, is two years out from her alcoholic mother passing away. She works in NYC at a late-night show, where she has taken on the role of scouting for the next "up and coming" comedian to perform on their Friday night show. One morning, hungover, she sees one of her mom's childhood friends (now frenemy?) who lives on the UES and is a member of high society. The next day, it comes out that her husband has been "Me Too'd" and he also incidentally got Presley her job.

This story is all about women going through life and love. Learning to love. Learning what kind of love you want. Learning what you deserve, etc. No one here is unbroken. However, even though all of the characters are slightly broken, the book is not too sad because it's focused so much on healing.

In slice-of-life books like this, it can be difficult for me to understand why this particular slice of life was chosen. Here is it incredibly clear. None of our characters are the same person they were when the book started. They have all grown. They have all healed. And they're all a little better for it.

✨What it is about:
Presley Fry is a young lady who works as an assistant in the talent booking department of a late night comedy show in New York city. She is worried about being stuck as an assistant and not being promoted. She is also grieving the loss of her mom, who was an alcoholic, and she builds a connection with one of her mom’s friends who ois also experiencing some issues in her life. Presley works to figure out her new reality, and in the midst finds more than she ever expected.”

💭My thoughts:
This ended up being more of a story about friendships, loss, and finding yourself for me. The romance was a small bit of the story that we never fully saw bloom until the very end. I found myself enjoying all the nods to New York, the inner workings of a late night comedy show, the humor, Presley’s friendship with her roommate, as well as the development of her relationship with Susan, her mother’s friend. At first, I thought that particular relationship was not going to work all that well, but somehow it survived all the initial awkwardness. That was definitely an interesting plot line the author explored, and in the end it paid out a little extra for Presley, but you’ll have to read the book to find out why. I read the digital copy along with the audio and it definitely enhanced my experience. The story was narrated by Ferdelle Capistrano and I think she did a great job capturing the youthful and some what effervescence of the main character, despite the grief she’s dealing with…a 25 year old finding her way through life and all its ups and downs. With this one you can expect a little bit of humor, a tiny bit of drama, and the start of an unexpected romance. This might just be the palate cleanser you need between your heavier reads.

3.5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Read if you like:
🏙️ Stories with female friendships
🏙️ New York City
🏙️ Stand up comedy
🏙️ Unexpected love
🏙️Coming of age

⚠️CW: Alcoholism, death of a parent, grief, infidelity, mention of sexual harassment.

The blurb for this book described it as a love letter to NYC. I can see that, but I'd also say it's a love letter to rom-coms. I love rom-coms, so this was a fun read.

I liked all the characters in this one and the fact that the most important relationships weren't romantic. The romance was cute enough, but the friendships were really the heart of this one. There isn't much of a plot here, but the characters and their connections make it a sweet, charming story.

I read an ARC of this book from NetGalley. All comments are my own.

For fans of Good Material, Romantic Comedy or Funny You Should Ask. This book was a perfect combination of everything that I personally enjoy - character development driven plot, comedians, fun banter, behind the scenes of a TV show, endearing characters, NYC setting, good pacing. I have no notes!

I think that it did a really good job of tackling the issues that it mentioned, such as Patty’s alcoholism, Presley’s ensuing childhood trauma, workplace sexism, privilege, etc. It did so in a non-cheesy way and the main character was open about these topics and explored them thoroughly in her narration. It is a big pet peeve of mine when something happens in a book and is immediately glossed over, but that was not the case in Humor Me. Each issue/occurrence/plot point was explored well and satisfactorily before moving on. There were many times I wished I could fist bump the main character through the page.

The focus wasn’t primarily placed on romantic relationships, which meant that we got to see various degrees of functioning friendships. Presley worked through these and as she did, she grew to know herself better. Her friendship with Susan was entertaining for sure, and Izzy was the kind of friend that everyone should have supporting them. Adam..well I won’t go there, but I will say that Presley no doubt made the right choice. It was refreshing to not be super frustrated by the main character’s decisions.

Overall, a big yes from me!

I received this book as an eARC from the publisher via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Thank you Cat Shook and Celadon Books!

Thank you Celadon Books @celadonreads and Cat Shook @catshook_ for this free book.
“Humor Me” by Cat Shook ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Genre: Fiction. Location: Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA. Time: 2017-2018.

Smart, snarky, prickly, lonely Presley Fry (25, dirty blond ponytail, maybe a tiny bit goth) is from Eulalia, Georgia, and she’s grieving her out-of-control, alcoholic mother Patty’s death less than 2 years ago. Now she lives in an East Village 5th floor walk-up with best friend Izzy. Presley can’t catch a break. Her dating life is nonexistent. She’s a lowly assistant at TV’s #1 late night show. Patty’s childhood friend Susan befriends Presley. Susan is married to a disgraced network head. Her son, Lawrence, who is definitely not Presley’s type, joins their odd friendship. Can Presley open up enough to grieve, and also learn to navigate relationships in the city that never sleeps?

Author Shook has written a book about unlikely, yet healing female friendships, the vulnerability of grief, unexpected love (and stand-up comedy) that’s also a love letter to NYC. Her writing is heartfelt and insightful: (“I feel the pre-ache of a deep sadness coming on…”), and my favorite cultural reference: (“…kisses my forehead , which somehow has a kind of Dementor effect in that it sucks out some of my hangover.”) There is, as Shook puts it, “a chasm of our generational differences” between my world and Presley’s world. And yet I found myself sucked in and loving it, cheering for her to stay snarky, funny, and honest through her growing pains compounded by grief. It’s 5 stars from me🌵📚💁🏼‍♀️ #celadonreads #partner #humorme

Presley Fry, an assistant at the Late Night Show, welcomes readers into her world in NYC in this witty novel. As a reader, I felt taken along for the ride as Presley navigates many different types of friendships, an occasional romance, and the demands of a career in a male dominated industry. This book is funny, very entertaining, but also sneaks in a few really importance lessons in self respect and love. I really enjoyed this latest book by Cat Shook, and I felt it handled some pretty important themes while managing to keep the flow of the book feeling light. Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for the advanced copy of this book, all opinions are my own.

Presley searches for comedy talent in New York City for the Late Night Show. She may just be an assistant but she enjoys her job. When her late mother’s childhood friend, Susan, reaches out, Presley is forced to face her grief.

This was a slower paced story that packed a punch. There’s an underlying feel of grief, as the main character is doing everything she can to avoid working through it. I got a kick out of Susan. Sometimes you are surprised by characters who you think you have figured out from the beginning. If you enjoy deep character studies, especially single women in NYC, this will be your book.

Humor Me comes out 7/9.

This book really has slowwww pacing, just want to warn you, contemporary read, I am not particularly a fan of slow burn but I love the banter with the characters in the novel. I honestly did not like how it ended, I felt it was sort of lacking but nevertheless I still enjoyed the book.
I also liked how mature the characters were when talking about trauma or how to express their feelings.

If you need an easy read, comedy romance, I’ll recommend this book. I am only rating it a 3-star because I feel that there could be more interactions wiith the lead characters , less unnecessary scenes that doesn’t contribute to the plot , rushed ending but overall enjoyed the comedy and the romance in this book.

Sadly I had to DNF at 38%. I don’t understand the comp to Romantic Comedy as the only thing this remotely had in common with that book was the fact the MC also works in the comedy industry, though in a vastly different capacity and situation than late night tv.

I also don’t see how or why this is pitched as any kind of romantic comedy when there’s no romance to be found and I found the references to romcoms more anecdotal as just something the MC liked than something this book was actually trying to emulate at all.

This feels like it got lost and confused on what it wanted to be because it’s not even a particularly sharp character driven story. While we hear again and again about Pressley’s alcoholic mother who passed, there isn’t anything that takes us deeper into those feelings. Despite the heavy topic, it’s never quite examined and doesn’t feel like it serves any broader character arc or storytelling purpose. Even as I skimmed the rest of the book, I didn’t see how this piece of backstory ever really comes full circle in a meaningful way.

Presley is a twenty-something woman working as an assistant (for too long if you ask her) at a late night show in New York. She had a very complicated relationship with her mother, who passed away recently. She is very close with her roommate and best friend, Isabelle. She has no interest in dating, with the exception of her coworker who she has a massive crush on and a relatively codependent friendship with. One day Presley runs into her mother's childhood friend, Susan, who lives in New York, and whose husband is an executive at the network that airs Presley's show. Shortly after, news breaks that Susan's husband has been having an affair with a subordinate, and the #MeToo movement has come from him as well.

Presley strikes up an unexpected friendship in Susan, and eventually her son as well. Slowly but surely, Presley starts standing up for herself, whether it's at work or with that crush that has taken advantage of their friendship. But things are changing, and Presley is struggling to adapt, which frankly feels like the most relatable moment of all.

This book took me back to my 20s and living in a big city - the good, the bad, and the ugly. The hard lessons - personally and professionally. But also the importance of your family, both birth and chosen, the ones that will lift you up on the hardest of days, and join you in celebrating the wins. Big thanks to Celadon Books and NetGalley for this ARC, which comes out on July 9.

This was such a fun read, with a very “vibes only” feel but I really enjoyed the vibes. This book immerses you in the world of those working in the entertainment tv industry, specifically comedy, and does a great job with entertaining the audience through the character’s anecdotes. The writing was engaging, and although I found the main character her to be annoying after a while, I still enjoyed the various friendships and found family. This was a solid read, and I look forward to more by this author.

This isn't really a rom com but rather a smart, insightful look at a 20-something woman struggling with grief, her job, her crush, and life in general. But it's funny. The death of her mom still hangs over Presley who works at a late night show and shares an apartment with Izzy. And then one day she runs into Susan, her mom's friend from Georgia who is living an upper east side life which has just imploded thanks to her media mogul husband's bad behavior. These two build an unlikely but wonderful relationship which includes Susan's son Lawrence, who likes to be called Clark. And this is where the rom com comes in Presley's been in lust for her colleague but now Clark sparks something else in her. It's a nicely done relationship to be sure but this really shines with Susan. Shook has created characters who feel very real (Presley's grandparents, Izzy, her family, and her love interest) and made them sympathetic. And the comedy bits! I went into this expecting a quick toss off of a read but it quickly made me slow down to enjoy it. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Great read.

This book was surprisingly deep, in my opinion. I've never been to New York, but this book does a really good job telling the story of people living there. Living, loving, leaving, all of the things.

Presley truly comes into her own by the end of the book, and it was lovely to see. Maturity looks real good on her. Her job at a late night talk show is a nice backdrop for who she is, and why she is.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

What is this really about? I had a hard time getting into this story. In my opinion, the writing lacks .... something, it was seriously all over the place. I couldn't figure out the plot and as I read the reviews it looks like this was a common theme.

Thanks Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

I actually loved this book more than I thought I would. If you’re going into it expecting a cute romcom then you’ll be disappointed. There is romance but this is mostly about Presley and her coming to terms with herself and her alcoholic mother who died.
I loved how there are so many different types of relationships in this book. So many! There’s some good, some bad, and some that are just there to help push you forward. I really loved that Presley was also pretty smart and didn’t hold on to the relationships she didn’t need anymore. I loved that the love interest was THE perfect person to be along for her journey. He was so patient and so kind to her. She really needed that. I loved it 🥹😍

Presley had so much growth as a person in this book. She became a better friend, a better partner, and a better version of herself. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Absolutely awful. There might have been a great story in here somewhere but I couldn’t get passed the dismal writing to find it.