Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld: audiobook vs book, which should you choose?
A sketch writer on a late-night comedy show falls for the pop star hosting it, and the middle of the book is their lockdown emails. Kristen Sieh’s witty reading leans it towards audio.
Listen on Audible
Listen to Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld: Kirkus says Kristen Sieh ‘captures Sally’s snarky tone and sharp wit’, so a comedy writer’s jokes land aloud. The middle section is all emails between Sally and Noah, and that works on audio too: Sieh reads both sides, and one listening reviewer loved the exchanges. Print lets you see each email set out on the page.
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The audiobook at a glance
| Recording | UK edition, our verdict | US edition |
|---|---|---|
| Narrator | Kristen Sieh | Kristen Sieh |
| Length | 9 hours 5 minutes (9h 5m), unabridged | 9 hours 5 minutes (9h 5m), unabridged |
| At 1.5x | about 6h 3m | about 6h 3m |
| At 2x | about 4h 33m | about 4h 33m |
| Audio publisher and date | Transworld Digital (Penguin Audio), 6 April 2023 | Random House Audio, 4 April 2023 |
| Audiobook price | £12.06 on Audible UK | $22.50 on Audible US |
| Kindle price | £6.99 on Amazon UK | Not listed |
| Penguin paperback, 400 pages, 28 March 2024 | Random House, 2023; paperback 352 pages, 26 March 2024 | |
| Listener rating | Performance 4.53 from 263 ratings | Performance 4.39 from 1,385 ratings |
Kristen Sieh reads both listings, which run the same length. The US listing is titled “Romantic Comedy (Reese’s Book Club)”. We couldn’t confirm whether they are one recording. The UK edition is the one scored, as the newer listing by two days.
Ratings and prices checked 4 November 2026. They change often. Amazon US does not show Kindle prices outside the US, so US Kindle prices are not given.
Lengths checked 4 November 2026. Speed times are calculated.
Romantic Comedy
Curtis Sittenfeld
- Genre
- Romantic comedy
- Published
- April 2023
- Length
- 400 pages (UK paperback), 352 (US)
- On audio
- 9 hrs 5 mins, Kristen Sieh
- Told by
- Sally, plus a middle section of emails
- Book club
- Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick
On this page
Why we reached this verdict
Every book on this site is checked against the same thirteen questions. They are based on research into what most people find easier to follow in each format, not on whether the book is any good.
Checked, not a factor here (12)
Praised narration is the only check that applies, giving listening 6 points against none for reading. That puts it at 62%, a close call that edges to audio. Nothing scores for reading, but a clear-cut verdict needs more than 6 points on one side.
Every book gets the same thirteen checks, set in advance. Verdicts are never paid for or influenced by affiliate links. Last edited 4 November 2026, and rechecked every year as editions and narrators change. Read the checks in full · Is listening the same as reading? See what the research says.
The recording in detail
- Scored
- Kristen Sieh, Penguin Audio, 2023, 9h 5m, unabridged
- Critic review
- Kirkus audiobook review: Sieh “captures Sally’s snarky tone and sharp wit”
- Alternatives
- US Random House Audio listing, same narrator and length
- What you miss
- Seeing the emails set out on the page
What this book actually is
Romantic Comedy is Curtis Sittenfeld’s 2023 novel. Sally Milz writes sketches for TNO, a late-night live comedy show in New York, and falls for Noah Brewster, a pop star hosting the show for a week. The opening is set over that week in 2018.
The book has three parts. The middle section, during the 2020 lockdown, is told entirely through emails between Sally and Noah, and the last part moves to Los Angeles (All About Romance; The Irish Times). It touches on the pandemic and Sally’s widowed stepfather being alone through it. New Line Cinema and Hello Sunshine have the film rights.
The case for reading it
The middle third is a correspondence, told entirely in emails between Sally and Noah. If you like to see each email set out on the page, with its sign-off and timing, print gives you that, though the story doesn’t depend on it.
Beyond that, print has little extra to offer. The story runs forward, with one jump from 2018 to 2020.
The case for listening to it
Kristen Sieh is the reason to listen. Kirkus says she ‘captures Sally’s snarky tone and sharp wit’ as well as the loneliness Sally feels, and Booklover Book Reviews says she tells the two leads apart well.
The emails work aloud, too. Booklover Book Reviews, who listened, loved the ‘uncommonly long series of email exchanges’, and Kirkus notes that ‘Noah sounds charming and pleasant’ as Sieh reads his emails.
The audiobook in detail
Kristen Sieh reads the whole book in 9 hours 5 minutes, unabridged, on Audible UK and US. There’s no cast or duet version and no PDF.
One reviewer felt the novel might have shone even more with an ensemble cast, but still gave the narration 4.25 out of 5.
Who should ignore this verdict
Bear in mind it’s one narrator throughout, so Noah doesn’t get a voice of his own. If that matters to you, or you know you enjoy email sections on the page, print is the safer choice.
Kindle
- 400 pages (UK paperback)
- See the email section set out on the page
- About 6½ hours to read (our estimate)
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Start hereHow we decide
The thirteen questions behind every verdict on this site.
Questions people ask
Who narrates the Romantic Comedy audiobook?
Kristen Sieh reads the whole book on her own, in the UK and US editions.
How long is the Romantic Comedy audiobook?
9 hours 5 minutes. About 6 hours 3 minutes at 1.5x and 4 hours 33 minutes at 2x (calculated).
Is the Romantic Comedy audiobook abridged?
No. Both editions are unabridged.
How many pages is Romantic Comedy?
400 pages in the UK Penguin paperback, and 352 in the US paperback.
Is Romantic Comedy written in emails?
Partly. The middle section, set during the 2020 lockdown, is told entirely through emails between Sally and Noah. The rest is Sally’s first-person narration.
How do the emails work on audio?
Kristen Sieh reads both Sally’s and Noah’s emails. One audio reviewer, Booklover Book Reviews, singled out the email section as a highlight.
Is Romantic Comedy being made into a film?
Yes. New Line Cinema and Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine acquired the novel, with Jordan Weiss and Dan Brier writing the script (Deadline, February 2024). No director, cast or release date had been announced in any source found.
Is Romantic Comedy a Reese’s Book Club pick?
Yes. The US audiobook is titled “Romantic Comedy (Reese’s Book Club)” and the UK listing calls it a Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick.
Should I read or listen to Romantic Comedy?
Listen. Kirkus says Kristen Sieh ‘captures Sally’s snarky tone and sharp wit’, and the email section works well read aloud. Read it if you’d rather see the emails set out on the page.
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