The Love Wager

Romantic comedies first proved their popularity as a film genre and have since crossed over into literature. The romantic-comedy genre pairs the finding-love themes of romance with the self-discovery that characterizes the genre once referred to as “chick lit,” which typically features the adventures of young women making major life changes. While the romance genre can tend toward the dramatic or sentimental, romantic comedy infuses humor that can range from the bawdy to the sophisticated, using that lens to explore deeper issues of identity, partnership, and loss.

It Happened One Night, a 1934 film directed by Frank Capra, is often considered the first romantic comedy, creating a template for those to follow. The film features appealing actors in a lively plot full of scenarios that encourage sexual attraction and foster a bond, even while their larger class differences pose an obstacle to their union. The 1989 film When Harry Met Sally…, written by Nora Ephron and directed by Rob Reiner, is named by TimeOut Magazine as the best example of the romantic comedy. The film, with its romantic leads played by comedians Meg Ryan and Billie Crystal, asks whether, in a heteronormative culture, men and women can ever really be friends. The Love Wager's Jack and Hallie grapple with the same central question as Hallie and Jack, who treasure the way their friendship allows them to confide in, support, and enjoy one another. They worry that acknowledging their sexual chemistry will lead to expectations that won’t be fulfilled.

Painter frequently relies on classic tropes and funny premises for her romantic comedies, which she writes for both adult and young adult readers. Painter is known for using witty banter between her leads, keeping the comedy high with antics and sharp exchanges. Betting on You (2023) plays with the premise of a wager between two work rivals, much like The Love Wager. In The Do Over (2022), teenager Emilie Hornby relives a disastrous Valentine’s Day again and again, reworking the premise of another popular romantic-comedy film, Groundhog Day (1993), in which a weatherman relives the same day until he learns lessons about love and generosity. A passion for romantic comedies is the heart of Painter’s breakout debut, Better Than the Movies (2021), as protagonist Liz Buxbaum’s love for the genre guides her decision to ask her next-door neighbor and childhood tormentor, Wes Bennett, to help her win the attention of her crush, Michael. Nothing Like the Movies (2024) is Painter’s first direct sequel, as she visits Liz and Wes in college after they’ve broken up, soon rediscovering what draws them together.

Mr. Wrong Number (2022) invokes the childhood-enemies-to-lover trope: Olivia Marshall is temporarily housed in the apartment of her brother’s best friend, Colin Beck. Their relationship of taunts and teasing has convinced Olivia that Colin is a jerk, which makes her horrified to learn that the anonymous stranger she’s been playfully flirting with and confiding in turns out to be Colin. In that book, Jack Marshall is a protective older brother who seems down on his luck. He is rooming with Colin as he goes through a rough patch, and he begins a relationship with a woman named Vanessa. Readers familiar with Mr. Wrong Number, where Jack is largely a sketched-in character, will find him taking on deeper dimensions in The Love Wager, which begins with Colin and Olivia’s wedding.