Directors Cut
By Carlyn Greenwald
2.5 Stars

I was excited to receive this book as I loved the blurb/premise. Unfortunately, this didn't work for me. From the first chapter, the writing (to me) was rushed and choppy. I found it distracting and throughout the book, I found myself thinking "wait, did I miss something?" and would reread passages.
Due to this, I never felt the characters developed or engaged me.

I loved this book! Sizzle Reel is one of my favorite sapphic romances but I felt so devastated for Val at the end... so this book was perfect! Maeve and Val are so compelling and sweet— I was not expecting to get so much Les Mis movie commentary but I wasn't mad about it. Anyway. Carlyn Greenwald I love you and all your messy gays <33 I hope Trish gets a love story soon!

Sometimes I think maybe I'm just a deeply boring person, and then I remember that I have a better time reading other contemporary romances than I had reading this one, and I realize it's not me. I'm not the problem. There's nothing wrong with this book, per se, it's just boring! And I read regency romances for fun! Those are supposed to be stuffy buttoned up boring books about boring courtings with a dash of dramatics at balls and disappointing of parents when you don't want to get wedded to your cousin! This was more boring than that. It just dragged and dragged until the very end and I went, thank god I'm done! I requested it on Netgalley because woohoo lesbians! I don't see enough sapphic books and I also need to read more anyways, but this one was one I was upset I didn't dnf. I pushed through and it was just not doing it for me.

Sigh. The premise of this one sounded so fun, but I struggled to get through this one. For me, Val was just not a likable character. I was hoping over the course of the book, that she would redeem herself, but for me, she didn’t. Conversely, I felt Maeve wasn’t developed as a character at all! So for their relationship to be plausible, I feel we, as the reader were not given enough. Now, the character of Charlie, I found to be what I needed to bump this to the 3 stars for me. He was great! I would read a book about Charlie finding love and success in a heartbeat! If you really love a good sapphic rom-com, I would definitely say to give this a go, but while there have been sapphic rom-coms I’ve loved, this was just not one of them.

I absolutely loved this book! Director's Cut follows a famous actress while she co-teaches a college course with her love interest. Both of the main characters are well developed and I couldn't help but devour this book in almost one sitting. I cannot recommend it enough!

An entire book all about Valeria was literally my dream so I instantly knew this would become a favorite. While reading sizzle reel isn't completely necessary to enjoy this story, I highly recommend. The previous knowledge of Valeria and how she got to her starting point for this story only makes her character growth more impressive. The world and characters have me wishing I could live in LA with all of them. There is a bit of a slow start for me but the characters and world are well worth the early development.

This is the first book I have read by Carlyn Greenwald. Great addition to queer rom com books. Similar to Jennifer Dugan.

This was an amazing book! I didn't like how quickly Val and Maeve got over their conflict, but that seems to happen a lot in sapphic romance, so I don't think it's something specific with the author. The two mains were really well written and I loved both of them. I think the books handles coming out and mental health awareness amazingly. The writing felt very smooth to me. Overall, it was an amazing read.

This book had me cheering, had my anxiety high, and held my attention. I know I will be thinking of Maeve and Val for a long time. Their story is woven together beautifully. Valeria is an actor and first time director who is actively pushing for furthering her career and Maeve is a professor at the local school. Their worlds collide when Valeria accepts a teaching position at the school alongside Maeve, and they teach the class together. Sparks immediately fly, but are they the kind that ignites passion or the kind that will burn everything to the ground remains to be seen. What unfolds is a rich story, filled with the daily trappings of life mixed in with a little Hollywood. Very well written and the supporting cast of characters, namely Charlie, are the perfect touch to a story that is touching.

Thank you to the publishing company for this ARC!

Unfortunately I did not really enjoy most of the book:/ It was pretty boring and the pacing felt pretty off to me. The side characters were great tho! I wish it was dual POV to get Maeve’s perspective on things. I was really looking forward to this book as the description sounded interesting and I love sapphic romances but this just fell a little flat for me:(

This was such a fun romance. I loved the backdrop of academia and Hollywood intertwined. Val's navigation with anxiety was lovely inclusive representation too.

Val & Maeve's romance? Totally swoon-tastic v.v <3

Val, an academic-turned-successful-actress, returns to the world of academia as a guest professor while she thinks her acting and directing career might be falling apart. Her co-professor? The aloof, but incredibly hot, Maeve Arko.

I have to admit that I was surprised how much this book won me over by the end! I wasn’t sure how I felt about it at the beginning, but I enjoyed the development of the characters and the way they were actually able to grow. It includes lesbian, bisexual, Jewish, IBS, and anxiety representation.

Thanks to Netgalley & Penguin Random House for the E-ARC! This was cute!! Loved the characters & the chemistry between them. Will definitely read more from this author.

I received this book as an ARC from Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor and NetGalley in exchange for a review.

This book isn’t the type of book I usually pick up— but it was everything I was looking for! The main character, Val, shows all sides in this story. We get to know her likes, dislikes, fears, strengths, weaknesses, and most of all we get to watch her fall in love.

This book definitely keeps you on your toes as it follows Val through the ups and downs of living the famous life. Things are never quite what you expect in the Hollywood World, but the author does a fantastic job of explaining all of the parts that feed into Val’s decision making and feelings.

All of the characters in this book are lovable and together they make for a great story. I’d love to see spin offs of their future, or maybe even some friends who get together next!

3.75

Setting: LA
Rep: lesbian Jewish protagonist with anxiety; bisexual Jewish love interest

I loved Carlyn's first book so I was really excited to get an eARC of this, but it didn't quite hit the same - I loved Val in book one but she irritated me in this one, I think mostly because the central conflict was so small and easily resolved but she blew it up so much. I get that it's due to her anxiety but it did feel over the top, and I felt that she probably wasn't in a place to be getting into a serious relationship, especially with how much she compared her new girlfriend to her ex from years ago. That being said, I Really liked Maeve as a character and I enjoyed the academic side of this in conjunction with the fame side. I think this could've worked great as a dual perspective book as it would've been nice to be in Maeve's head!

This was such a fun read and it was nice to return to Greenwald’s L.A.! I loved all the genuine industry knowledge and history sprinkled through and felt like it really enhanced the reading experience.

Thank you yet again to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this before it’s publishing date!

I wish I could give this a higher rating, but I just never fully got invested in this one. The main character kinda drove me crazy most of the time, and I felt that a lot of the dialogue and plot was rushed. Maeve was a gem though, so that’s where the 2 stars is coming from haha. If you want a somewhat light and fast paced romance that covers a lottttt of Hollywood facts and drama- this would definitely scratch that itch!

To be fair I don’t typically read romance novels but I was excited to see some sapphic representation in what seems like an overwhelmingly het dominated category.

This book was SO cool, seriously, the depth to each character and the amount of effort and detail put into their careers was astounding. Also, also, the sapphic romance in this book was such a highlight, I absolutely loved the workplace coworkers + enemies (ish) to wholesome discussions to lovers trope in this one.

-- ty to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy, and to @steamylit for an advanced physical galley!

This book was so cute! Val and Maeve end up coteaching a class together. Val is an actor and is trying to break into directing. She takes an opportunity to teach a semester class in filmography.

Maeve is a sweet little baby and I love her. She comes off cold at first but I liked the way her and Val’s relationship develops.

I did not really enjoy the third act miscommunication… it was silly for something that small to devolve like that between two adults.

Overall enjoyable read

3 Stars

I really wanted to love this book and there are certainly parts that I enjoyed! The relationship between Val and Maeve was sweet. A bit of a switch from disdain to love very quickly but I enjoyed their love story. I love the musical theatre aspect of the lectures and thought there were some great points made of movie musical adaptations.

I had a hard time getting through the book and felt it was quite slow at parts. The self sabotage was prominent throughout.

I loved the ending! Once we got past the third act break up, I loved the reconciliation of Val and her anxiety, the relationship, and Val really finding out what she wants to pursue in the future. A great way to wrap up the story.

Overall I enjoyed the read and would recommend to anyone who enjoys a cute sapphic romance and enjoys the real side of Hollywood stardom.

Thank you very much to the publisher and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.