Set in the always fascinating world of television production, the novel follow three women at different points in their lives and careers as they interact during production, often unkindly. There are no real redeeming qualities to these characters, which makes it an enjoyable guilty pleasure. I was looking for a little more depth, but I did enjoy the twists and turns in the dark corners of Hollywood.

Interesting idea and good execution. A good read.

This book was enjoyable.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this ARC

Great idea for a book and really well executed. A thoroughly good read. Highly recommended. .

Picked this up as a fun, easy read about the entertainment industry. Ironically didn't find it very entertaining.

I hated every character in this book. Except maybe Andrew, and I found him kind of dull. But very few people have any redeeming qualities and nobody trusts each other and are only existing for their own gain and they're all just horrible people everywhere you turn. Which can be fun. But in this book's case, it only made me disinterested in the characters. I almost didn't finish. I didn't care about what happened to any of them.

I wasn't a big fan of the writing. Bottom line: I found it difficult to read. (Also I found a typo on page 240 of my edition.)

However I'm sure other people would enjoy this book for its dark insight and twist that takes things from almost zero to a hundred. Just wasn't for me.

Novels set in Hollywood are my Kryptonite. I just can't seem to get enough of fictionalized Hollywood drama, The Showrunner was a perfect example of this.

This is a fun fast-paced story that gives you an inside feel/view of working in Hollywood and the personalities involved. Great characters and descriptions.

Stacey has created a promising new TV show with veteran producer Ann. But a growing rivalry and distrust begins to affect their partnership and the arrival of ambitious actress Jenna as Ann’s new assistant isn’t helping matters either.
Set in Los Angeles, this is an entertaining story about blind ambition and backstabbing, as the characters show just how far they are prepared to go to stay on top.

I was pleasantly surprised by <I>The Showrunner</I>. It's exactly the type of book I like to read at night to get absorbed in and shut my brain off from normal every day thoughts. It was easy to get sucked in to without being too serious about itself.

<I>The Showrunner</I> was written in three different perspectives from women in different parts of their career and lives. Following the paths in Hollywood made this seem like a really juicy read. I don't know about you, but reading about behind the scenes and the inner workings of a tv show set is right up my alley.

I know that fame can be cutthroat, but I didn't realize how deviant people really can be. Actually, that's not true, I just wasn't expecting it from this book. But I really did enjoy the writing style and how the book was able to let me escape for a little bit each night.

This unbiased review is based on an ARC received from Netgalley.

"The Showrunner" is the story of a TV show in which the two showrunners loathe each other. It is surrounded by LA glitz and a subplot of struggling actors, but that's about it: Stacey was Ann's mentee and now is her producing partner. Now, for some reason, both despise each other and are plotting against one another.

What's good: The set-up is interesting and I liked the idea of seeing some backstage glimpses of a show in progress. (I don't know if that's really how it all works, but the backstage stuff was fun, at least.) The fact the story is focused on female characters who aren't all about love, marriage, or babies was a plus as well.

What's iffier: I was surprised when I was 2/3 of the way through the book, as I thought the set-up (the two leads hate each other, want each other gone) was just that, set-up, and not something that would linger on, without any significant activity moving this storyline forward, for 2/3 of the book. I kept waiting for something to happen. In addition, while I was initially amused that all 3 of the female leads were problematic, I found that I ultimately disliked all 3 of them to the point that I was glad the book was over. (It's absolutely possible to have a detestable lead character, but there has to be something magnetic, interesting, fascinating, amusing to keep you interested in the character. I saw none of that in the three main characters.) Related to that, some of their decisions are just not credible.

So, if you want a book to just relax, the sort of book to bide your time in a doctor's office, maybe this would do it. If you're like me, and you overthink things and constantly growl, "MORE!" at your texts, this might not be it for you.

This story was entertaining and unpredictable!

I enjoy stories that are about television or movie production. It’s an industry that I don’t know much about, in terms of the behind the scenes work, but I watch TV and movies. It’s interesting to see how movies and shows are created, as well as the drama behind the camera.

I liked the dynamic of the three main characters. Ann is the matriarch, who is close to retiring age, though she won’t give up the reins of the show. Stacey is her business partner, who is constantly put down by Ann. Jenna is a young actress who is trying her hand behind the scenes. This gave three different perspectives of the industry from three different generations and positions of power.

There was an interesting scene of inappropriate behaviour in the work place between a man and a woman. It was initiated by the woman, and made the man uncomfortable. This wasn’t taken as seriously, because she was a woman who was abusing her position of power, rather than a man. It’s interesting to see how these gender dynamics can play out, even though they aren’t right. Women can be abusers just like men.

The ending was so shocking! I never would have predicted what would happen when I started reading this book. It was very dramatic!

This book was a really nice, easy read - plus it has the added bonus of giving readers an inside view of the way that Hollywood works. The plot was nicely paced and the characters got better and better as the book went on. I liked the added bonus of a minor lovestory, too, but the book really came alive when it covered industry conversations and filming conventions. A fabulous beauty read.

I am giving the Showrunner a 2/5 stars. I had hopes for this book. I love reading about people in their careers fighting for what they love to do. This book seemed interesting and different. While it was unlike other books, it was not the best. The writing was not nearly descriptive enough for the story being told. The reader is basically thrust into this world without much information. The characters are fairly indistinguishable from one another. The plot itself was fairly dull. I was also disappointed by the fact that our female main characters could not get along and support one another. I would not recommend this book.

this had all of the elements to be engrossing and unfortunately, the main characters were not as likeable as I would have liked. The concept as a 3.0 All about Eve things was there but again at some point you need to like them

Their company was aptly named Two Women Walking, but it suited them in more ways than one. The original story behind the name was short and semi-sweet...Ann and Stacey were TWO WOMEN in the Television Production business that enjoyed WALKING, so yeah, an obvious choice. Little did they know that what once was the perfect working union would deteriorate into a caustic relationship where they were constantly second guessing the deeds of the other and plotting more than just the next show or story arc. *ahem* Let's just say, things get A LOT more than just tense, hence the second meaning of their businesses name, as in they should be TWO WOMEN WALKING...away from each other before it's too late!

While it had its exciting moments and a plot that I didn't truly see clearly until it actually HAPPENED (OMG...when it happened, it SO happened!), I had a hard time liking the characters. I mean, Stacey had her moments of likability, but honestly, she was still a few cards shy of a deck. Ann, on the other hand, was pretty much holding an empty card box...or marble bag...or domino container...if you catch my drift. Yes, she had a few good reasons to push herself over the edge, but still, the spiral, OH THE SPIRAL! Jenna was...a wild card. She came off sweet, and clueless, but I don't know...there was still something there, and in a passage or two that facade seemed to slip, if only for a moment...making me think there was a bit more calculation to that girl than met the eye.

In short, it was a crazy trip behind the scenes of how some of your favorite TV show dramas come to be...though as this is Fiction, hopefully without such an EXPLOSIVE end. *-* Once you start, you won't be able to stop as it compulsively drives you forward with its dark humor and jaw dropping moments. It surprises while it entertains, leaving the "viewing audience" with something to ponder after the "series finale".

This was one of the more interesting plots I've had the pleasure of reading in a while. This book gives you a look into the cutthroat business of showbusiness, from the perspectives of both those in front of and behind the cameras. Stacey is the younger woman in a two-woman production partnership. She worked her way to the top, much to the jealous chagrin of her older partner, Ann. Ann is older, frumpier, with a mess of a personal life and failing health. She seethes at the sight (or sound) of Stacey. It can be chilling to read at times, as anyone who's ever been in a cutthroat business knows. Stacey is just as competitive as Ann, but not as obvious about it. Together, they wage a not-always-silent battle. And along comes Jenna, a young starlet, hired by Ann to be her personal assistant. She shakes up the power battle, as both women analyze her usefulness for their cause.

I loved the character development. I understood Stacey's actions because of the way the author laid out her backstory. And Ann's relevant backstory is actually her present life, her personal life and her health, which also perfectly explains her actions. And Jenna, wow. The author couldn't have written a more perfect and devious Hollywood starlet.

I admit I wasn't completely mesmerized by the plot. It wasn't one of those book that I feared finishing; however, the plot setup was done very well, and THIS is what kept me reading. So I give this book 4 stars instead of 5.

I really wanted to like this one. I am a huge fan of the show <i>UnREAL</i> and from the blurb, I got huge vibes. Showrunners Ann and Stacey are supposedly partners, but one day, Ann hires Jenna, an actress, as her secretary and Stacey feels her position is threatened.

The plot kind of meanders with no one really taking an initiative. Every character is so unlikeable. No one has any real motivations except for being really catty. Every woman is a caricature of entertainment mean girls. I was expecting more nuance from the rivalry between Stacey and Ann, but instead, it's pages and pages of pointing out superficial flaws without so much as admiration for each other's work. How do these two women work together? I don't understand. Even in UnREAL, Quinn and Rachel have a horribly rough relationship, but at the end of all things, they have each other's back.

What I will admire is the descriptions of setting and how sexually liberated everyone is. It was pretty nice to read sex as a thing people want, but not something to drive the plot. Otherwise, kind of bland, really catty, and I can't even recommend it as a beach read.

Ann, Stacey, and Jenna are all at different places in their Hollywood careers- and they are careening into one another. This reminded me of the show Unreal with its emphasis on how women don't always support one another and at times actively undermine. Interesting characters and some insight into Hollywood made this a quick, entertaining read. Thanks to the publisher for the arc. The odds are good you'll find yourself actively disliking all of these women at one time or another but that isn't a bad thing.

Thank you netgalley for providing me with an ARC for an honest review.

I wanted to like this, I really did. I expected "The Devil wears Prada" - LA/Hollywood Edition, snarky, sassy, career centred women that might just expect a bit more commitment to work than most people would consider normal. I like these type of stories, so I was really looking forward to it.

For some reason, this book did not click with me. All characters were just drawn out to be so over the top ... the author just took them one step further than I would have liked to see them. It was still somewhat believable so it was still very enjoyable and I was confident to finish this as a 3-star read.
And then the last 20% of the book - where it just all went to shits. Excuse my language, but if you are interested in reading this book, you should not mind that language. In order to find a climatic resolve of the storyline, the author pushed the 3 main characters into a situation that just took it too far for me. It took the characters being cut-throat a bit too literal. If one of the characters would have lost her mind/had a nervous breakdown I could have dealt with it (although I still would not have liked it I guess), but this was just taking it too far. The storyline started to feel extremely forced. Sadly, this ending reduced my rating to 2/5 stars.

Told in three perspectives from three women at various stages in their lives and careers, and set around the production of a new television drama. Ann has a long history of hit shows: brash, bold and not particularly nice, she’s selfish and demanding in person and at work. She’s also got a streak of paranoia and insecurity a mile wide: prone to snide put-downs and passive-aggressive slights, keeping all who work with and around her on eggshells. Stacey is her partner in the production gig: although with her degree, ideas and general competency, she tends to keep the ball moving forward. The idea for the new show was Stacey’s – an idea that she is getting little to no credit for, and she’s finding her position is slowly becoming more precarious as time goes on and she and Ann find themselves at odds over different choices for talent, content and wardrobe. Nothing says you are being pushed out more than Ann’s new hire, an actress turned PA named Jenna, as she grooms her using a combination of fear, baseless flattery and ego strokes.

The story is really one of relationships: from personal diary entries full of vitriol from Ann, Stacey’s careful reworking of her persona to be the “stable’ one, consciously making an effort to back-slap ideas and show that she’s available for concerns and questions, that she understands the stresses, concerns and worries, and perhaps has the ‘inside track’ to mediate with Ann. Jenna’s story is an intriguing one – she’s not getting the roles she believes he is due, has a sugar-daddy boyfriend, and her eyes on a recurring role in the drama –to build up her imdb. Appearing a bit naïve and genial, her best acting will be hiding her own upwardly mobile aspirations and securing her own position with a series of carefully orchestrated ‘info dumps’, in true manipulating fashion.

To be honest – I didn’t know what to expect in this story: it is NOT a ‘girl power’ let’s all bond together and support one another: it’s quite the opposite. Jockeying for position, supremacy, loyalty (if even for the moment and tidbits from different departments) and highlights the ‘let her take it” approach in the hopes that an event, assigned specifically to one person, will result in a disastrous series of events or feelings from the participants. With the machinations and politics behind the scenes, the friendships that never quite seem ‘real’ and the constant energy expended by all three women to secure and reinforce their positions in the pecking order: it’s enough to disabuse anyone of the idea of becoming a producer, or perhaps even entering the maelstrom. Utterly engaging, the story gradually shows its teeth as each character’s personality and intentions come clear – from first to last there are clear likes and dislikes – and each character moves into the position of primacy, while not completely engendering empathy because all three are so calculated and calculating.

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Review first appeared at <a href=” https://wp.me/p3OmRo-9OQ /” > <a> I am, Indeed </a>

This was a really fun chick lit read that will be a perfect beach read. Focusing on three women who are producing an up-and-coming hit TV show, the drama between them, and what lengths they'll go to to come out on top, there's a twist toward the end of the book that I didn't see coming. I liked the format of the book - entries from one of the character's journals keeps the story moving along between scenes - and it will be great for summer vacations or road trips.