Summertime Punchline
A Novel
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
HBO’s Hacks meets Carley Fortune’s Every Summer After in this hilarious and sweeping love story about a comedian forced to return to her Jersey Shore hometown and confront everything she left behind ten summers before—including the man who broke her heart.
"A wonderfully witty love letter to stand-up comedy, true love, and there being no place like home.” —Georgia Clark, author of It Had to Be You
Then. Delfina Silva-Miller wants one thing: to leave behind Evergreen, New Jersey and never look back. Despite her adoring grandmother’s best efforts, Del can’t bear to live another moment at the whims of her deadbeat dad (so cliché) and her ever-temperamental crush, Eddie Rodriguez (humiliating).
Now. If there’s one thing Del knows how to do, it’s spin her bad luck into a killer joke. After years of hard work, she’s finally landed a coveted spot at a huge comedy festival, molding the often tragic raw material of her life into comedic gold. But when Del loses her job, boyfriend, and apartment in the span of a few hours, she’s forced to pack her bags and return to the home she swore off at eighteen.
Del is determined not to let her history with Evergreen distract her. She has 45 days to perfect a new comedy set and march into her new life. Instead, she marches right into Eddie Rodriguez. But he’s nothing like the boy she left behind ten years ago.
As the festival draws closer, Del is faced with the terrifying possibility that everything she’s ever wanted isn’t as far away as it once seemed.
Vividly evoking the boardwalks and beaches of the Jersey Shore, Summertime Punchline is a hilarious, vulnerable, and sweeping love story celebrating the complicated relationships—romantic and not—that impact our lives, for better or worse.
“I laughed, I swooned, I dabbed my eyes. Corrello is a voice to watch.” – Rachel Runya Katz, author of Thank You for Sharing
“Vivid, fresh, and wholly singular. Please welcome to the stage… Betty Corrello!” – Julia Whelan, author of Thank You For Listening
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Set in the world of stand-up comedy, Corrello's debut rom-com delivers a sturdy second-chance love story but lacks true laugh-out-loud moments. Comedian Delfina "Del" Silva-Miller vowed never to return to her Jersey shore home town after high school graduation, hoping to leave behind her deadbeat dad, the memory of her late mom, and Edgardo "Eddie" Rodriguez, the boy who stole her heart. Ten years later, on the cusp of fame, she's forced to move back in with her grandmother to quickly develop a new set after losing her N.Y.C. relationship, apartment, and job in one afternoon. It proves hard to avoid Eddie as he's pals with her grandma now and owns the only decent bar in town. Unfortunately, they both know how to push each other's buttons, reigniting old resentments—until Eddie offers an olive branch that Del wisely accepts and they start to relate as adults rather than teenagers. Given space to work, Del takes her comedy in a new direction, inspired by Eddie to incorporate songwriting to generate laughs rather than wholly relying on self-deprecation. The humor is mild and the love scenes are disappointingly stiff, but Eddie makes an appealing romantic lead and Del's kooky grandma adds welcome color. Corrello shows promise.