Humor Me by Cat Shook is about twenty-something Presley Fry dealing with life in New York City as an assistant at a late-night talk show.

I adored this book. It definitely has some great romance elements, but it is mostly about friendships. Old friends, and finding new friendships with people you never expected.

I absolutely loved all the movie/TV references. Nice to see Emperor’s New Groove get a shout-out! All of the nods to different parts and places in NYC were great and made you feel like you were there.

I really liked the character of Presley. She had very relatable issues with men. I truly felt for her as she was dealing with moving on after the death of her mother.

Very enjoyable book. Definitely recommend. Rated solid 4.5 stars. Thank you to Celadon Books and NetGalley for the eARC.

4.5 stars rounded up! While this is a romcom, at its core it is so much more than that. Presley is an assistant at a late night comedy show. She's navigating life in NYC as a woman in her 20's, in love with her co-worker who may or may not feel the same way, while also struggling with the terms of recent death of her mother. An unexpected encounter with her mothers friend Susan (who is also dealing with some big life changes) leads to a heartwarming friendship with Susan (and her handsome, charming son) that both women desperately needed.

I absolutely loved this book! Written as a love letter to New York, it really sets the scene and explores how comedy can be used as a coping mechanism and bring people together. All of the characters were relatable, felt realistic, and I was rooting for them all in their own ways. I particularly loved Presley's friendship with Izzy and how it showed friendships evolving during different phases of life. If you enjoy strong female leads with a character driven story, you will love Humor me! Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Presley is an assistant on a late-night talk show in her mid-to-late 20s, and she's trying to make her way in NYC with her roommate Izzy. Presley's alcoholic mother died a couple years ago, and she's harboring some unresolved feelings about that. Presley runs into an old friend of her mother's who married a high-profile executive, and, through Susan, Presley might be able to gain some insight into her mother. At work Presley is navigating the ongoing drama on set along with a crush on a co-worker.

I enjoyed the friendship between Presley and Susan. Susan could fill that mother-type role without the drama that you could see that existed between Presley and her mother Patty. The banter between Presley and the other characters was good but not too banter-y, if that makes sense. It felt deeper than a typical romance.

There are a few similar beats to Curtis Sittenfeld's ROMANTIC COMEDY in this one, and I enjoyed Sittenfeld's novel a bit more. Perhaps it is because the protagonist is so much younger in this one that I couldn't relate as much. I think the plot line with Susan's husband Thomas could have been fleshed out more as well.

Overall, I enjoyed this one and still have the author's debut on my TBR, and I hope to read that soon!

The majority of this book is about Presley getting her own way to avoid making real connections all the while being forced to become friends with someone unlikely. Overall I enjoyed it, but Presley was a character that I struggled to connect to, or even like sometimes. Overall, I thought the book was good and it did have similar vibes to Romantic Comedy. It just felt very unfinished. I only just started getting invested in the story and then a few chapters later it ended.

Presley Fry is an assistant on The Late Night Show, she gets to scout new comedians and maybe someday she'll even get promoted.  She also lost her mother recently with whom she had a complicated relationship - her mom was an alcoholic and as such was not always the best parent.  One day while waiting for a cruller from Daily Provisions (they have the best crullers) Presley bumps into her mother's best friend Susan Clark, Susan is married to the head of the Late Night network and he has recently been ousted due to some unsavory behavior.  Now single and a bit lonely herself, Susan takes Presley under her wing and the two begin an unlikely friendship. WIth Susan Presley now has a connection to her mother which is allowing her to see her mother in a new light, she is hanging out with Susan's very handsome son and she has a new outlook on her life.

This was a cute novel about life in NYC and the TV comedy world around the time of "me too".  It was sweet, but for me none of the relationships really rang true.  Maybe it was because Presley just didn't have enough dimension for most of the novel and then just allowed herself to fall into these relationships, either way I never really felt any real connection to anyone while reading it; I just enjoyed the story and moved on.  I think the story was there, but the character development needed more and for that I just didn't get fully invested.  The audio was really well done, I thought the narrator was wonderful and enjoyed listening to this one as much as I enjoyed reading.

3.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for the ARC to review

I chose to DNF this book quickly due to multiple instances of the MC, Presley, putting down other women, insulting them, and treating them as less than, and while this might be a character flaw that changes throughout the book, I choose to not listen or engage with fiction that does this.

HUMOR ME is a heartfelt story takes place in NYC at the dawn of the #MeToo era in 2017. Presley Fry is an overworked and underpaid assistant at a late night comedy show with a lackluster romantic life. Presley is floundering as she tries to navigate new adulthood without having the steady anchor of her mother. Presley connects with her late mother’s childhood friend and the two embark on an unexpected friendship. This story explores how humor can be used as a coping mechanism to avoid vulnerability, but also the way comedy can bring people together. I enjoyed the relationships Presley developed as she attempted to find her place in the world.


READ THIS IF YOU:
-have a soft spot for intergenerational friendships
-are interested in a character-driven story with a vivid NYC setting
-believe comedy can heal hearts

Many thanks to NetGalley and Celadon for an electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Loved this book. 🥰 the characters were relatable, the jokes were funny, and I had a great time. Also the cover is of course beautiful! 💕

Enjoyable. I liked this story and thought Shook crafted wonderful characters. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you to Celadon Books for granting me early access to this eARC! I am looking to read more contemporary fiction that features an ensemble cast (or similar), so I'm real excited for this. Full review to come!

While I liked the concept of the novel, it was too slow moving and interior for me. This has elements of Lily King's Lovers and Writers and the

The main character is a low paid assistant on a late night comedy show in New York City. She is coping with the recent death of her alcohol-addicted mother while experiencing the New York comedy scene as a young woman in her 20s. Following a sexual harassment scandal of a senior leader at the network, the main character connects with an old friend of her mother's and through this friendship and various romances, comes to grow emotionally.

I had high hopes for the comedy setting but the book wasn't very funny. The characters are well-developed and the novel has a strong sense of place. Would be a great read for lovers of character studies.

I had a bit of a tough time finishing this read. It kind of just felt a little pointless to me. Like there wasn't really a plot or any sort of problem/solution in this story. The main character was pretty boring and we were just following her day to day life but there wasnt anything pushing the plot forward or making me want to continue turning the page. The ending was VERY abrupt. I thought my copy might have been unfinished. I'm guessing the author just didnt know what to do there and it was kind of awkward to say the least.

Cat Shook writes another enjoyable contemporary fiction novel! Presley Fry is an assistant on a Late Night Show and has been trying to prove herself by finding the best stand-up comics in the area. This novel focuses on many different aspects of Presley's life like the loss of her mother, her professional growth, and her personal relationships. I enjoyed the characters in this novel as they felt realistic and relatable. This novel had a comforting aspect as a young professional attempting to have a balanced life. I would recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys contemporary fiction with a strong female lead, with themes like loss and relationship struggles.

This was not a romcom. This was not a deep book. This was a book about a lady with an alcoholic mom who has since passed away and her dealing with her life, oh and she has a crush. Do I seem annoyed? Maybe this one hit a little too close to home. My mom was an alcoholic and has passed away, so I think that I went into this one expecting more. More depth. More feeling. But it was bland. I also expected for a book I expected to be a romcom to have more romance. I love romcoms. I especially love romcoms that can take deep subjects and give them some levity, but that didn’t happen here, and I’m not sorry but I am just annoyed. I also don’t need to be reminded all the time where the book is set, I get it, this book takes place in New York City. I also didn’t appreciate the references to the Me Too movement. I felt that they were out of place and didn’t work nicely into the book.

I loved Cat Shook’s debut novel, If Were Being Honest. So I was excited to see she was coming out with a new book. This book started out slow and took me awhile to get into, but by the end I was totally invested in Presley’s life! Allison of the different relationships in the book seem random, but I loved how they all came together in the end. It was so sweet and really put a smile on my face. I enjoyed how Presley’s character grew and evolved throughout the book. She struggled with her mother’s death and I think a lot of readers will find that relatable. There is romance in this book, but it definitely isn’t the focal point.

Overall, this is an engaging book full of friendship, comedy, and finding yourself! I recommend it to readers who enjoy reading about female friendships with a hint of romance.

Humor Me is 50% friendships new and old, 30% workplace grind, 20% romance, and 100% a love letter to New York. Living with her best friend, hoping for a promotion that's long over due, and sticking exclusively to business casual hookups, Presley Fry is a wonderful balance of jaded and hopeful - essentially what you'd expect from a woman working in the city's comedy scene. While still working through the grief of her alcoholic mother's recent death and trying to ignore her feelings for Adam, her Late Night Show co-worker, Presley suddenly finds herself spending time with Susan, her mother's childhood friend who is dealing with her own recent familial issues.

This is not your typical romance, and there's arguably not much that actually happens in the story, but I think that's why I liked it so much. It felt real. There's the office politics of a male-centric field and the nods to MeToo, but then there's also the solid female friendships and the warmth of a new relationship that comes when there's no need or desire to be anyone but yourself. In the end, Presley is a 20-something woman just living her life and taking us along for the ride. Humorous yet heavy at times, this was such a joy to read.

I enjoyed this, I didn't love it (which is OK). It felt more like a love letter to New York City. I kept waiting for something to happen, but I guess that was the point. Presley's friendship with roommate Izzy was celebrated, as was her new friendship with Susan. I think the latter was the most interesting part of the book, a friendship to between people of greatly varied ages.

All in all, this was pretty well-written, interesting, and hopeful. That's a pretty good combination.

I received a complimentary copy of the novel from the publisher and NetGalley, and my review is being left freely.

Karaoke as catharsis, stand up comedy as career advancement, friends of the family who meld into more. @catshook_ has written a book I didn’t want to end.

I want to run into Presley at a comedy show and see her face as Clark throws his head back in laughter, see her order white wine with Susan when she’d rather have an old fashioned, see her accept the good and the bad, and let herself be happy.

In a weird way, this gave me a similar vibe to Definitely Better Now by @avarobinson - a woman not trying to overcome her past but learning to live within it. Finding a way to admit she deserves to be happy.

If you’re looking for a romcom, this isn’t for you. It’s got such depth that to pigeonhole it is a mistake. It’s about a woman - coming of age - learning to love herself. It also features a man, Clark, who won’t let her shut him out, patient and kind - my favorite kind of romantic partnership.

Presley is surrounded by the characters in her life: Isabel, her best friend and roommate, Adam, a coworker she has an inconvenient crush on, Patty, her dead mother, Susan, her mother’s best friend and maybe her new friend, Clark, Susan’s unrelentingly charming son, New York City, the place of dreams.

——
Presley is living the dream in NYC; a tiny walk up shared with her best friend, a dream job in late night TV, and a friend at work to flirt and banter with.

She’s also dealing with the recent death of her alcoholic mother, the reemergence of her mother’s childhood best friend, and the maleness of her chosen career path.

As she tries to reconcile a difficult childhood with the warmth of a perfect female friendship, Presley lets herself admit she might want - and deserve more.

I loved this book. Top ten of the year, I bet. Immediate pre-order.

Highly recommend the audiobook, too. I love how the narrator captures Presley perfectly.

Thanks to @netgalley, @macmillianaudio for the audiobook and @celadonbooks for the eARC. This will be published July 9, 2024.

Oh my, this book. I absolutely adored and loved everything about it. HUMOR ME is centered around Presley Fry, a couple years after the passing of her alcoholic mother. I was delightfully surprised by the emotional depth and realness this book exhibits. I connected and related to Presley so much, that it felt therapeutic to read.

With her upbringing, Presley didn't have a model to look up when it comes to relationships. Being let down by the person supposed to take care of her, Presley would rather be alone instead of letting others in on what she's feeling, especially when it comes to her grief and vulnerabilities. Which is why she gets along so well with Isabelle, who can't commit to relationship if her life depended on it. At work, Presley has caught feelings for her co-worker and friend Adam who is consistently giving her mixed signals. Presley happens to run into the childhood friend of her mother's, Susan Clark, and unexpectedly and begrudgingly at first forms a new friendship with her. With spending time with Susan, Presley also is reacquainted with Susan's son, Lawrence, also known as Clark, who they knew when they were little. I loved Clarks' directness, vulnerability and honesty and how he is confident is speaking his feelings and how he sees Presley in his eyes.

I'm so happy and grateful to have to witnessed Presley's story. HUMOR ME has a special place in my heart. I'm off to go read the author's other book while I wait to read whatever the author decides to grant us with next!!!

Many thanks to Celadon Books and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

Presley Fry works on a late night show, looking for the next new stand-up comedian who might hit it big. Her life revolves around humor, but lately she isn't finding much amusing about her own life. She is a twenty-something single living in NYC, but she takes the opposite of a Sex and the City approach when it comes to her dating life.

At first, I found her crush on her co-worker fun, but it got pretty boring and felt like it took too long to resolve itself. Presley's relationship with her best friend/roommate was the best part of the story, and I honestly liked Isabelle more than her (I think Isabelle deserves her own book). The friendship she strikes up with her mother's former friend Susan is entertaining, but the entertainment value comes more from Susan than Presley.

I know her relationship with her mother was a huge part of her storyline, and why she was the type of person she was throughout the book, but it didn't seem like enough of their backstory was shared in detail to make all of the time Presley spent avoiding speaking about her make sense.

There was nothing bad about this book. It was fine... not great, but also not bad. Just an average book that is worthy of a summer read when you don't want a story that you have to delve too deeply into to keep the storylines and characters straight.

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.