3.75 stars rounded up because of the music references and humor

Olivia and Nick's story was a quick fun read. I really enjoyed the premise of this story. Can't say that I've read many books where stand-up comedy takes center stage.

I admit, I didn't really like the main characters when I first met them. Thankfully, the author allowed me to get to know them and see them in a different light. Olivia really came into herself while she developed her craft and her growth throughout the story is easily seen. I came to admire her determination and desire to learn. Even though Nick didn't make an initial good impression on me, I appreciated the author's efforts in showing his growth and his willingness to explore more with Olivia.

This is my first book by this author and I found the writing fresh and entertaining. I laughed out loud at times and eventually saw the potential romance between Olivia and Nick. I enjoyed their bickering and camaraderie and the connection that eventually grew between them.

There were some heavier subjects touched upon in the story, but the humor and and road trip adventures kept the story light and helped move the story along.

All in all, a fun, flirty read.

No Funny Business by Amanda Aksel

Olivia Vincent is a comedian but she's also a contract lawyer with school loans in six figures and a lease for a New York apartment she shares with her friend from high school. On her time away from her law job she does stand-up comedy gigs that her agent gets her. When she loses her day job, all thanks to her not putting it first, Olivia sees this as her big chance. Her agent snags her a two week comedy tour with Nick, a full time comedian that Olivia opened for recently. And at the end of her two weeks is an audition that could open the doors to success.

At first glance, Nick is great looking and talented, actually, he's always great looking and talented. But almost immediately, at the start of their tour, traveling by Jeep, Nick's not so great qualities take the forefront. Yet, Olivia can't help imagining what it would be like to be with Nick. It's hard for me to believe because Nick has the stench of not so good things on him and his actions aren't the kind that should draw one to him. So I had trouble believing this tour could lead to romance and there are some really cringe inducing moments between the two. Having said that, their banter can be funny and I can see them as friends, their love of comedy making a really good friendship.

The romance genre isn't something I always get along with so this romcom might be just right for those who usually enjoy romance more than I do. There are some serious moments but there seems to always be a joke connected to those moments and I did laugh out loud at times. But the cringe-y parts took the shine off Nick for me and didn't help Olivia, either.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for this ARC.

Review: I very much enjoyed this book! The romance was great. I really liked the characters. I thought that them being stand up comedians was unique, that's not something you really see at all in books. Overall, I would definitely recommend trying this novel!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

No Funny Business is about a woman who pursues her dream of becoming a full-time stand-up comic while on a road tour with a super hot male comic and both of their baggage. I mean baggage both physically and metaphorically.

This was a fine story with a lot of comic references that were lost on me and not a lot of jokes that made me laugh. I love female empowerment though, so it had that going for it.

No Funny Business is full of laugh-out-loud moments and characters you cannot help but root for. I loved it from page one. A truly joyful, romantic book in all the ways you crave.

Olivia Vincent became a lawyer because her father wanted her to have a secure future. However, her father was a comedian and that is something that she has always dreamed of for herself. Olivia decides that she is going to stop doing so small gigs and to actually go on tour and try to land a late night TV comedy spot.

Going on tour is not something she does alone. In fact, she ends up working alongside Nick Leto, a comedian who has a lot more experience than she does and hopefully as they cross the country working together she can gain experience and get the job of her dreams. Olivia does not expect the connection that she finds with Nick.

Although their cross country tour only takes place over a period of ten days, Olivia and Nick experience a mix of emotions when it comes to their past, present and future. With no end of jokes in this rather touching story, it is nice to see that their dreams changed as their relationship bloomed. Name dropping is a big deal in this book. In fact, Olivia is his Elaine to Nick’s Jerry Seinfeld. That is only of the enjoyable things about this latest book by Amanda Aksel.

Many thanks to Berkley Books and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Please enjoy my YouTube video review - https://youtu.be/eUR6ioF96G0

No Funny Business is, in theory, a book I should love. Two stand-up comics go on a road trip across the country together? Delightful. Unfortunately, though the premise was great, it just didn’t work for me in practice.

Olivia Vincent is a lawyer by day, stand-up comic by night. Raised by her single dad who died of lung cancer prior to the book’s beginning, she moved to New York to pursue her comedy dreams. As the book starts, she gets an amazing gig that happens to coincide with a client dinner, and after bailing on the dinner to open for comic Nick Leto, she gets fired from her job. Luckily, Nick is headed cross-country and invites Olivia to tour with him, the final stop being in Los Angeles where Olivia has an audition booked for a late night TV show.

Despite the fact that Nick and Olivia spend most of the book on the page with each other, I honestly could not tell you why they should be together. Nick comes off as a bit of a skeezeball in the beginning third of the book, especially when on the second leg of the trip he asks Olivia how often she’s having sex when they’re talking about their dating lives. At this point, he’s known her for about three days, and it just felt unnecessary and weird. Additionally, the book is told from Olivia’s point of view, so while the reader understands a lot about her and her backstory, we don’t get the same feel for Nick, and he’s not super forthcoming to Olivia as it is. He also seems to have a lot of baggage and it doesn’t feel like any of it is resolved by the end of the book, while Olivia has some actual character growth.

Over the course of the book, Olivia is doing some soul searching as she tries to figure out if she should continue doing comedy. A lot of times in romance novels, this is where a really supportive best friend would come in - I’ll be there for you no matter what, they’ll say. Olivia’s best friend and roommate Imani was not like this at all. Nearly all of the time Olivia and Imani were on the page together they were fighting. They have a cute moment at the end of the book but I was just so annoyed with Imani for being so negative to Olivia about her stand-up dreams. And honestly, I got the same vibe from Olivia, since she spent more time ignoring Imani’s calls when she was on the trip than picking them up. This is not the kind of friendship I want in my romance novels.

The road trip hijinks are a lot of fun, and Olivia’s stand-up routines are legitimately funny. But at the end of the day, Nick and Olivia’s relationship feels fairly superficial, and I just didn’t buy them together.

This was a super cute romance! I loved Olivia in this. Her commentary, attitude, and personality all just worked so well for me!

I really enjoyed that the main characters were comedians. While I was reading this, I kept thinking about all the research that had to go into it. I just really enjoyed learning a bit about what comedians do outside of being on the stage!

This story has a great romance storyline, but it's also got a wonderful character growth for Olivia, which I really loved! She's got things she needs to work through to truly be ready for a relationship, and I enjoyed watching her grow and work through these things.

I would definitely recommend this for readers that enjoy a romance setting, but that has a strong women's fiction feel as well!

Read/Listen If You Like:
❤️ 80’s Music References
❤️ Stand-up Comedy
❤️ Road-trips
❤️ Jeeps

Book Review:
A lawyer by day comedian by night decides to take another risk at work for her comedy career desires which lands her unemployed and available for more comedy work. With this new found free time, Olivia finds herself on tour with a seasoned comedian Nick Leto. They take Nick’s Jeep from New York and start their tour on their way to LA for their final stop where Olivia has an audition for The Late Night Show waiting.

This one gives you friends to lovers and a single bed trope while they are on their tour with a slow burn to allow them to get to know each other, at least what they are willing to share.

They both have their demons that need faced and have been avoided but this road-trip isn’t going to let those ghosts stay in the closet anymore.

Will two comedians be able to move past jokes and into a serious relationship? You’ll have to read to find out!

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Books for the ARC of this book! I am so grateful to obtain a copy to read in advance of its release in exchange for my honest feedback!

If you are a big fan of the Marvelous Mrs Maisel, I think you’ll enjoy No Funny Business by @amandaaksel! In the novel, Olivia is working as a lawyer and moonlighting as a comedian at night. She takes any stage time she can get, even if that means her day job suffers.

After she’s let go by her firm, her agent gets her an audition for a late night talk show in LA. However, Olivia is tight on money for a plane ticket. But her agent also gets her a job on a 2 week tour opening for a pretty big name comedian, Nick Leto. The tour isn’t exactly what she expects, but she’s learns so much. Nick and Olivia drive to each show in his Jeep Wrangler and stay in “comedy condos” across the country. Each one is pretty gross, but this is what it takes to be a comedian.

Olivia is also working out some personal issues in the road. She was raised by a single father who worked hard to give his daughter a better life. This is why Olivia went to law school when she really wanted to pursue comedy. But her father passes away at a young age, and she never gets to discuss her goals with him. It was hard to see Olivia struggle with this, but I think that’s what being in your 20s is about. Learning to balance what you want to do with what you can afford to do and dreams.

Nick is hilarious and he and Olivia have a great rapport. He made it to his own comedy special on tv and never made it further than that. He has some of his own issues he’s working out and we see some of those later in the book. I loved Nick and Olivia’s burger rankings (I agree with Nick that Shake Shack is #1) and their discussions of how they ended up in comedy and what comedians inspired them along the way. Nick is even inspired by Lenny Bruce! This is also one of the few cases that the title of the book fits perfectly. If you love stand up, this is the perfect book for you!

𝑫𝒊𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒂𝒘𝒚𝒆𝒓 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒎𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒃𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒖𝒑 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒏𝒆?

Well that’s the premise of the new rom com, No Funny Business.

Olivia Vincent works in a law office by day, but her true passion is stand up comedy. While her career brings in cash, her comedy brings her joy. So she does what a lot of us do- keeps the 9 to 5 for stability, while pursuing her true love on the side.

But juggling work and play doesn’t always come easy. Inevitably something doesn’t get the attention it deserves. So when Olivia gets fired from law for not giving 100 percent, the initial panic quickly gives way to literal comic relief.

Excited, Olivia reaches out to her agent to let her know she’s available for more gigs. Before she can say “is this thing on”, Olivia finds herself journeying cross country to try out for a spot on late night TV. The punchline? She has to make the trip with the funny and foxy, Nick Leto, all while keeping things strictly platonic, no joke.

On the road Olivia and Nick encounter a lot of predictable, yet entertaining pitfalls. There’s smoky comedy clubs, flat tires, and the ultimate forced proximity trope, one bed. While the flirtation between Olivia and Nick is quickly established, the reason for readers to root for them as a couple is not. As a result, I wanted more out of the romantic aspect of this book.

As for the comedic part, I wanted a bit more there as well. I like that there is some attention paid to the crazy, yet still popular, notion that women can’t be funny. Although Margaret Cho wouldn’t be my go to example, the fact the this still needs to even be addressed in 2022 confounds me. That being said, I wanted more actual joke telling. Sure, we get bits of Olivia’s stand up, but we never really get to know what made Nick so amazing.

All in all, No Funny Business offers a fresh change of scenery, but could use some new material to get some true respect.

NO FUNNY BUSINESS – Amanda Aksel
Berkley
ISBN: 978-0-593-20163-3
July 12, 2022
Romantic Comedy

Across the United States – Present Day

Attorney Olivia Vincent has dreams of becoming a full-time stand-up comic, but she is still working a day job as an attorney for a large firm while she seeks out odd jobs in New York’s comedy clubs. After she is fired by her law firm for skipping out on an important meeting to work a gig at a club, her booking manager dangles a tempting offer to her to be the opening act for a tour. The only caveat is that she must ride along with fellow comic (and headliner) Nick Leto as they travel to DC, Atlanta, New Orleans, and other cities to appear in comedy clubs. While Nick is handsome and likes to mock her, Olivia can’t say no to the offer.

Once on the road, Olivia learns that Nick has two vices that she can’t stand: he smokes, and he plays eighties rock music. Since it’s his car, she can’t tell him what to do or what to listen to, though she gives him an earful. Their comedy gigs don’t always end up the way she’d expected, but it’s giving her the confidence to make her dream come true. She also begins to become attracted to Nick. How can she be falling for an ego-driven comic who is much like her in that their main focus is becoming a well-known comic?

NO FUNNY BUSINESS takes readers behind the scenes in the world of comedy clubs. It’s not a world that is all fun and happiness. It’s hard work and you’ll never know when you will get your next gig. After being raised by a single father in Texas, Olivia found employment in Manhattan at a law firm that she figured would only be a short stop on her way to stand-up comedy stardom. But too much missed time at work as Olivia chases her dream ended with her being fired. The offer by her manager is a dream come true and one she can’t turn down, even if Nick is a pain in the rear most of the time. From blown tires to skanky rooms, Olivia continues onward. Once they get to Los Angeles, she hopes she will be able to snag an even bigger comedy job. But ending up in bed with Nick wasn’t part of her plan.

Readers can sense that behind Nick’s laconic and carefree attitude is a guy who is hiding something. After Olivia discovers something incriminating in his shaving bag, she figures that she has found out what he’s hiding. But what is the truth? What about the closeness the two have shared the long days on the road and the funny business at night? Along the way, Olivia learns a lot about herself and even gets Nick to change a little. But deep down, they like each other just the way they are. There are plenty of hijinks and fun in NO FUNNY BUSINESS, and readers don’t want to miss it all.

Patti Fischer

I found this book so charming and funny. I have never read a book about comedians and I definitely didn't know much about stand up or comedy tours. I found that part of the book insightful and it gave me a lot of new knowledge. I loved getting to read more of the stand up toward the end, because at first it was not really shared. I enjoyed how these two were older and how they connected on almost a spiritual level of making people laugh. They learned to accept each other, laugh together, but also heal together through their individual issues. Death of a parent is hard, as I have recently gone through this and the scene in the Jeep really moved and touched me. Just sitting their being with the spirit of your loved one and having the moment to talk and reflect to them. It is something we all need that have lost someone we loved and cared for. I really enjoyed that part of the journey. I do wish we got to know Nick just a little better, I didn't feel as connected to him as I would have liked to.

Comedy and comedy shows have been a big part of my life for as long as I can remember. My parents loved them, so they were often on, and when I met my husband we loved (and still love) watching the specials on NetFlix, Comedy Central, and so forth. Comedy is a big part of my life. While I'm not a comedian by any stretch, I can certainly appreciate a good show.

Reading No Funny Business felt like I was in the crowd at my favorite comedy venue. The entire book was laugh-out-loud funny, while also being romantic and sweett. It's a true rom-com. I adored the characters and could completely picture them both.

Highly recommend checking out this one for a summer read!
4.5/5 stars

Thank you Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for the eARC!

3.5 stars

No Funny Business is a rom-com about two stand-up comedians going on tour together. I haven't read another rom-com about comedians and really enjoyed the premise. There were a lot of funny, laugh-out-loud moments and many references to Seinfeld and Elvis Presley. I liked the main heroine Olivia, but it took me a while to warm up to Nick, the love interest, what with his smoking and bringing women to the hotel rooms. Also, the book has very little steam and a very awkward sex scene, which I didn't love. But, overall, I enjoyed No Funny Business. It was a quick and satisfying read.

A cross country adventure featuring two stand up comedians trying to make it big. Olivia is struggling to get her big break-she’s working to pursue her passion while working as a lawyer while Nick is headlining his own tour, but still hasn’t made it in the business he way he had hoped. Their mutual agent books them a tour that ends with an audition for a late night talk show. As they drive across country making stops in various states to do shows at local comedy clubs, they get to know each other and sparks fly.
Close proximity romance can be hit or miss for me, but this was pretty fun. Super quick and easy read, I read it in one sitting while at the beach.
Thanks to Berkley Books and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

Two struggling comedians end up on a road tour across the country to start No Funny Business. Olivia has a law degree but wants to pursue her passion of comedy and give it a real try. When she ends up with Nick Leto on his cross country tour, she knows it is hands off. So, of course, there are great moments of romantic tension and funny situations in this romantic comedy. Nick and Olivia are good at supporting each other and building each other up with was nice to see. I didn't enjoy the somewhat contrived communication issue. Just talk to each other. Overall, this was a fun and entertaining story.

Know that this isn't really a romance - unless you consider loving standup comedy and following your dreams to be romantic. And I do. Olivia is an attorney, an unhappy attorney who finds joy on stage. She takes a chance and then gets fired which turns out to be the best thing that could have happened to her. Nick Leto is a standup star and the two of them set off across the US with her opening for him at various stops. It's a LOL road trip. Nick is really good, really professional, and really hot. He's also a bit of a cipher but that was ok. There's a bit of a miscommunication between them that adds to the fun but for me this was really about watching Olivia coming into her own. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. One to cheer you up!

No Funny Business
by Amanda Aksel
Berkley Publishing Group, Berkley
Pub Date: Jul 12

I was completely taken by this fun and very funny RomCom about two struggling comedians, Olivia and Nick, and their cross-country trip to love.

Olivia, a New York attorney, loses her job and decides to pursue her comedic side gig full time. She wins an audition in L.A. for a prized late-night TV spot. As part of the deal, she must take a road tour with handsome Nick, serving as his opening act.

I loved how Olivia grew through this process, and the sparks that flew with Nick as the miles raced by. Perfect for romantics who adore quirky characters and laugh-out-loud humor on the trek to True Love.

Thanks to author Amanda Aksel, Berkley Publishing Group, and NetGalley for the ARC. Opinions are mine.

#NoFunnyBusiness #AuthorAmandaAksel #BerkleyPub #NetGalley #standupcomedy
#romcomfiction #womensfiction #roadtripnovel #bookstgramcommunity

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the ARC.

🌟🌟🌟🌟 4/5 stars

No Funny Business follow two comedians as they go on the road together and begin to grow closer. Olivia is a lawyer by day, but dreams of being a comedian. Nick is a seasoned stand-up who is going on tour. After Olivia gets fired from her job, she is desperate to get the gig with Nick. However, once she does get a chance, she begins to wonder if she can make it in show biz.

This book very much has the same vibe as The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. It is more about Olivia’s journey vs. the romance. Although I prefer a bit more romance, this was a very sweet and amusing read. I loved the pop culture references and, of course, the humor. Overall, a cute story with a fun main character.

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.