This was a fun read, I originally picked it for the premise and because it was sapphic. And while I liked the characters individually, I wasn’t completely sold on their romance. The storyline was fun and the overall look into the movie industry was super interesting but I needed more from chemistry from the two MCs.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

When I picked this I read the synopsis and found it intriguing. Unfortunately, that was the only intriguing part. The book itself is so predictable and I really didn’t like the protagonist, never a good sign for me.
Val Sullivan is an Oscar Award winning actor but she’s decided to make the transition to directing. She also has a PhD from Oxford University, though she hasn’t taught since she was a TA years ago. Another transition she’s made is coming out of the closet publicly. When she has a bad late night interview and feels her directorial debut flops she decides to hang up her Hollywood hat and teach at USC as a guest professor. She and Maeve Arko, the professor with whom she’s teaching, get off to an icy start, but soon both women are letting down their defenses and the sparks fly. When Val’s movie starts getting noticed by the bigwigs in Hollywood she has to decide which Val is the real Val- actor and director or college professor. She just has to hope that in finding herself she doesn’t lose Maeve.
I found this entire book vapid from the get go. In the beginning there is so much information on musicals and stage shows and it actually felt as though I was being lectured to. In later classroom scenes, however, the information is glossed over and the focus is more on Val and Maeve’s relationship. Speaking of which, the bedroom scenes are quite graphic, which I never enjoy (both straight and gay).
I wanted to like this and I’m sorry I didn’t. Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for an advanced copy of this. Director‘s Cut hit the shelves on June 11.

I very much enjoy when I can not only relate to the characters but also have a storyline that is feasible. With some celebrity moves to the public life storylines you can tell that it's not realistic. This is crafted in such a way where everything COULD really happen and honestly it's been a while since I have read something with that feeling.
The character of Valeria is well written and there is a connection with the character, which makes since due to her being the narrator. I do find myself wondering what is happening with Maeve and her inner thoughts but Val carries the narrative well.
The comic relief that Val has with her internal monologue is hilarious and the use of the phrase "gay lizard brain" had me laughing for a while.
The fact that there is such a great foundation for communication in this novel and that only grows as the two characters develop their relationship is amazing.

Such a fun read with a focus on Hollywood and academia.

Val is an interesting character mix- the Oscar-winning actress, the director, the Hollywood insider on one side, the PhD holding university lecturer and academic on the other. It was fascinating to see both worlds through her lens.

While confident in some aspects of her life and career, seeing Val’s vulnerabilities, especially around relationships, made her feel very real to me. Even with her somewhat over-the-top lifestyle. Of course these issues also almost completely destroy her relationship with Maeve.

Maeve has her own insecurities and vulnerabilities, though seems to be stronger in the areas where Val is weaker. I think this balances out their relationship.

The side characters are a lot of fun as well, especially Charlie. I love how close he an Val are, and that they have each other’s backs. Val’s family and other friends are great as well. Maeve doesn’t seem to really have anyone outside of her research assistant.

Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book through Net Galley on behalf of the publisher for review consideration. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was kind of a let down. it was just lacking. i couldn’t connect to the characters and the romance just felt really rushed. i wanted to like it but it just didn’t work for me

This review has been posted to Goodreads and Storygraph on October 15th, 2024. Links provided.

After accepting a guest teaching position, Oscar-winning actress Valeria (Val) Sullivan finds herself a little out of her depth as her beautiful co-professor, Maeve Arko, doesn’t think Val’s got what it takes to teach the class. At just 29, Val’s successful acting career has slowed down, and a disastrous late-night interview complicates her aspirations of becoming a director. Fed up with Hollywood, she embraces her chance at change with a full-time academic role at USC to reignite her passion for teaching. While Maeve is initially disdainful of Valeria, the two of them quickly get over their negative first impressions and warm up to each other, igniting unexpected chemistry between them, as they navigate the challenges of academia. Just as Val settles into her new job and develops a romance with Maeve, her directorial debut, Oakley in Flames, garners attention, forcing her to confront a pivotal choice between her emerging career in Hollywood and her commitments to her students and relationship with Maeve.

I really enjoyed this book! While I don’t often like insta-love romance (which even with the very minor “negative” first impressions I felt that’s what happened in this book), something about Val and Maeve’s relationship just worked for me. I also don’t usually like the miscommunication trope, but I felt the emotions and reasoning behind the “miscommunication” was so realistic and I really understood why each of the main characters felt the way they did. The writing, plot, and character development were all so well done. I also really appreciated the way the author addressed mental health and anxiety. This is definitely a book I would recommend if you love a good sapphic romance with a happily ever after!

Thank you to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor and NetGalley for the opportunity to read to an ARC of Director’s Cut in return for my honest review.

I loved this story! The push and pull between the two main characters was just perfectly tense. Loved it! I would read more from this author.

More romantic comedies about academics on college campuses please! This one is sweet and sapphic and has an awesome cover.

Val isn't just satisfied to be an award winning actress. She wants more. She takes on a new challenge as a professor and tries to transition into directing. In the process she meets a beautiful partner but can she really have it all? I really enjoyed this one and rooting for her to have it all.

Thank you #vintage and #netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I will never not be a sucker for a sapphic romance.
I love love love women.
This was a really cute sapphic romance!
I think this is the kind of book, you get exactly what you expect, and that's not always a bad thing!
If you're looking for a fun filled sapphic romp, this is it!

Thank you to Vintage Books for the eARC.

Director’s Cut had potential. It has forced proximity with co-professors, queer angst, academia. It sounds like all the things I love!

But I eventually realized the only parts I found interesting were when Val was teaching her class—the descriptions of the actual lecture—I realized this book maybe wasn’t for me. I felt no connection to Val or Maeve and I didn’t see any draw between them.

Side note—Val, letting a crush on someone drive your career-changing decisions seems like a bad call.

So alas, I DNF.

Loved this book. The dynamic between the characters made it unputdownable. I can’t wait to read future books by this author and recommend on my platforms

First of all, I started reading “Director’s Cut” and was SUPER confused and realized it’s because I didn’t read Sizzle Reel. Not quite sure why these weren’t marketed as a series. So I picked up Sizzle Reel and it was terrible. So bad that 30% in, I requested a refund. Luna was annoying as hell, her ex was annoying and her best friend was clearly jealous and in love with her. I skipped to the two sex scenes and they were medicore at best. I also didn’t like that the FMC of DC was telling her “strap on sex” at 2 mnoths of coming out was too soon?? like what?? you can not be out and have strap sex. plus the whole virginity quest was obnoxious considering EVERY other page she’d go on and on about how virginity is a social construct. WIth all this, the first few chapters of DC did not entertain me and in fact bored me. I don’t care what happens so I’m calling this a DNF.

Thank you Netgalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor | Vintage for the free e-book. My opinions are being left voluntarily. This was fun, celebrity / director romance. Loved the forbidden co-worker grumpy sunshine sapphic romance fun, flirty and fabulous

4.5/5☆

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book!

Eh. This was fine, it had some cute moments, but also a lot of issues that were actually such non-issues that it was painful to read about how long it took to resolve them.

As a bisexual woman, I liked the representation that Maeve gave us, and as someone with anxiety, I found the main character’s to be so weird - I can’t even explain what was wrong with it, but the way it felt like a plot device rather than something the mc was constantly living with just felt off.

Overall, a fun quick read that I’ll forget in no time.

I wanted to love this one I really did… but between ALLLLL that movie theory talk and miscommunication I had the worst time trying to push forward.

A sapphic movie star who falls for a professor had the potential to be such a good book. But sadly the chemistry was not there for me between these two. Val and ??? (shit I already forgot the other persons name and I literally just finished it) just didn’t have the chemistry that I hoped for.

I feel like I was also attending their class because I learned way more about movie theory than I cared to. There’s also the problem of the miscommunication - JUST TELL HER THE ISSUE. literally the whole third act breakup could have been fixed with a simple convo. It really irks me when characters are this stupid.

Someone might love this one more than I did but unfortunately after taking LITERAL MONTHS to get through this one it just wasn’t for me.

2 stars
1/5 spice

Big thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

Thank you to Vintage and NetGalley for the ARC of this novel. I had read the other book in this series as an ARC as well and did enjoy the writing. This was also good and a sweet love story. I did have times of annoyance with Val as she would self sabotage but she also has clinical anxiety that requires medications by the end of the novel and so I feel the need to give a bit of leeway. It is a romance so wraps up in a neat bow at the end but a good way to spend a day. 3 stars.

This was a cute, fast listen (I ended up doing the audiobook). I unfortunately do not think it was exceptionally memorable, but it was cute!

I had really high hopes for this book! I thought the premise was excellent and was excited to read it. Unfortunately, I didn’t come around on the main character until the end. I found her lack of awareness of the effect her actions had on others more due to a lack of self awareness than her struggles with her mental health. Her realizations of all of this were too close to the end. I would have preferred it slowly to unravel throughout the book. That being said, I did quite like the other characters and thought their development was fantastic. It just didn’t quite make up for how frustrated I was with Valeria for most of the book.