Expectation: A lighthearted break-up story with the usual rom-com tropes.
Reality: A surprisingly affecting exploration of self-discovery and navigating heartbreak from the perspective of a dumped male.
All tagged dramedy
Arthur and Teddy Are Coming Out – Ryan Love
Expectation: A different spin on the coming out story exploring it through two generations within the same family.
Reality: Mediocre execution that falls flat due to predictable characters and forced plot twists.
Come & Get It – Kiley Reid
Expectation: A racially-charged exploration of college life in the Southern United States.
Reality: A dissection of capitalism from the perspectives of different students, professors and resident advisors delivered with biting commentary and razor-sharp dialogue.
The Rachel Incident – Caroline O’Donoghue
Expectation: A dramedy about two messy best friends navigating early adulthood in Ireland.
Reality: A surprisingly relatable story that succeeds, even though our main characters — Rachel and James — are difficult to love.
The Celebrants – Steven Rowley
Expectation: A novel that will keep you laughing through tears as you experience the “living funerals” of our five lifelong friends.
Reality: Some paper-thin characters and melodrama masquerading as legitimate emotion overshadow the few bright spots in the story.
How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water – Angie Cruz
Expectation: A depressing exploration of life for an underemployed immigrant during the Great Recession.
Reality: Buoyed by the charm of the main character and a fantastic audiobook performance by Rossmery Almonte, this was far more entertaining than anticipated.
Evvie Drake Starts Over – Linda Holmes
Expectation: An inter-generational friendship between two unlikely people.
Reality: Age-appropriate romance versus friendship. The whole thing was predictable, but the darker edges made it feel unique. As someone who doesn’t usually read this genre, I liked it more than expected.
Less Is Lost – Andrew Sean Greer
Expectation: Another imperfect but reflective travelogue with Arthur Less.
Reality: Essentially three different stories mashed together, Greer favored slapstick over sentimental in this inconsequential and unnecessary sequel.
Remarkably Bright Creatures – Shelby Van Pelt
Expectation: A high concept buddy dramedy exploring the human and animal connection.
Reality: Marcellus and Tova are the strongest parts of the story, so whenever it shifted to someone else the narrative lost steam. Still, I was charmed overall.