I so badly wanted to love this book. The premise pulled me right in. An actor/director co-teaching at USC with a professor. A little dislike to lovers? Sapphic love? Count me in.

Unfortunately I did not like this book. I was so bored basically the entire time, and found myself wandering off as I was reading. I probably should’ve DNF’d this one, but I was so hopeful that I would have connected with the characters at all at some point.

I did love the premise of this book, but it just didn’t quite hit the way I wanted it to.

Val is an openly out lesbian actress who gets frustrated that all anyone care about is the fact she is a lesbian and gets a lot of stereotypical roles after publicly coming out. With her career in a down turn she decides to do an adjunct professor job. Maeve is a professor that is immediately frustrated with Val because she feels Val is materialistic and doesn’t necessarily deserve this position.

There was a lot to enjoy in this book. The mental health rep and the struggling with medication was something I could relate to and really enjoyed. It was a major plot and came up a lot and I feel like that makes sense since Anxiety is something that is always present for a lot of people and can be all consuming, and personally I feel like this book did a great job of highlighting that. I also loved the underlying theme of critiquing Hollywood and how much of a challenge things can be for actors that are not straight cis and white.

Unfortunately the pacing was a major issue in this book. I found myself putting the book down quite a bit out of boredom and putting off picking it back up and I think the pacing was a large part of this. There are a lot of scenes of lectures and they just were filler. I was a theater kid growing up so I did enjoy this at first, but it got to be a little too much. Another thing that bothered me was how much of this plot was just miscommunication. If the characters would have communicated this book wouldn’t exist. I understand anxiety can play a large role in miscommunication, but I really just wanted these characters to talk. And why this book did have a happy ending, I have a hard time believing this relationship is going to last. So for me personally it felt like a “happy for now” ending because I feel like this couple won’t last and I just personally don’t like walking away from a romance book feeling that way.

Overall this book was good, but there were also many things I would have liked better if it was different. I’m not sure if that makes sense, but that’s how I feel walking away from this book.

3.5 stars
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
I had mixed feelings about Carlyn Greenwald’s debut, but I was impressed enough to read something else from her. Director’s Cut is a sort-of spinoff of the prior book, following Valeria, who previously was a major supporting character. However, like the prior book, I finished the book with mixed feelings.
Val as a character is probably the best part, and I find that Greenwald’s strong suit is creating really sympathetic protagonists. She’s much more complex than the protagonist of Greenwald’s previous book, but I found her immensely relatable in her tendency to anxiously overanalyze things. And the way this also dovetails into compassionate discussions about mental health care and the issues that come with being a celebrity are well-done.
And in theory, Maeve is pretty great. I respect how no-nonsense she is with Val’s hemming and hawing, and while she’s not insensitive, she doesn’t let her blame her mental health for everything. And these characters do have solid chemistry for the most part.
But what killed the book for me was the plot and pacing. While I wasn’t expecting a ton to happen, there’s a lot of time dedicated to the school stuff, and while it was fun for a while, it definitely bogged the story down, and took away from the character and romantic development.
While this book had some similar issues to her previous one, and some new ones, there’s still a lot I really enjoyed. I’d recommend it to readers interested in a slow-burn enemies to lovers romance, especially if you also happen to be a film buff.

*I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

There was so much growth from this author's first book, and I want to start by applauding that! "Director's Cut" shows a clear investment in developing her craft, and I enjoyed it more than her previous book. The plot was good, the characters were mostly enjoyable, and the pacing was good. I found some moments were a little bit uncomfortable, especially when it came to communication/miscommunication. But overall, a solid read!

Director's Cut is a sapphic romance about Val, an Oscar-award-winning actress and new director, and Maeve, a professor at USC. Val wants to get into the world of teaching, and signs on as a co-professor with Maeve to teach a film/musical/something like that class.

Val is a huge celebrity, has awards, just directed her first movie that got into a fancy-ass film festival, has a mansion, is so rich, etc etc. so you can see how that can get annoying. She has zero clue about how to communicate. She is insecure, she hides things from her partner, and she is always doubting herself. She has been seeing the same therapist for over a decade - you would not be able to know that if it weren't for the scenes in which she goes to her therapy appointments. The way that her anxiety was described just seemed so stereotypical and simple. The whole conflict of the book is her not telling her partner about something (something good, even...) and her letting the anxiety build up inside her the whole time. It was really frustrating being inside her head. The romance was cute, and the spice scenes were decent, but I was bored and annoyed with the main character and only POV of the story.


Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing for an e-ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest thoughts. Happy Pride Month!

RATING : ⭐️⭐️⭐️
SPICE : 🔥🔥

I will always jump at a chance to find a good sapphic romance! This one features a Hollywood A-list actress turned academic, and her professor colleague. Val and Meave were characters that I emphasized with and wanted to feel connected to!

TROPES ⬇️

✨ Single POV
✨ Bi Sexual Rep
✨ Workplace Romance
✨ Dislike to Love
✨ Miscommunication Trope

We are told this story entirely from Val’s POV and honestly even though I loved being in her head, I wanted more form Meave. Valeria was a good character but at times she felt tedious and it made the story pacing seem off. I loved the tension we had in the beginning between the two characters and wanted to see so much more of that.

Overall the story was good but I really hate the miscommunication trope when it stunts a characters growth and that’s what I felt happened here. I still enjoyed it, but I wanted so badly to love it!

One thing I have to say though is thank you for Mesve and her bi representation because I understood and appreciated her so well.

Valeria, an award-winning actress, is in a bit of a slump. Though successful, she aspires to do more with her career. She, simultaneously, wants to expand her involvement with the production of film and TV by directing and using her PhD to teach. After starring and directing an indie film, Valeria takes a semester to teach an adjunct class at USC. (The California one though the University of South Carolina opened before California was even a state.) There, she butts heads with her co-professor, Maeve.

While I didn’t read Sizzle Reel, which is in the same universe and took place before this book, it isn’t necessary to do so to be able to read this book. While I enjoyed the premise of this book, the pacing and the overuse of the lack of communication/miscommunication trope really diminished my overall impression. While I did enjoy the classroom setting and the excerpts of the lectures Valeria gave, I do think more time could have been spent on the transition from butting heads to lovers. Very little time was spent on Valeria’s and Maeve’s friendship and once they got together, their relationship progressed rather quickly.

In the last ten or so chapters, Valeria learns something that is huge for her career but could impact Maeve’s career. Instead of just sitting down and coming up with a plan, Valeria just stews in her stress and anxiety for months. Valeria deals with debilitating anxiety that triggers existing health conditions. I, too, suffer from bouts of anxiety and executive dysfunction, but the reason in Valeria’s case just wasn’t that deep, even with that level of anxiety. I think the book tries to bring up the stigma of taking medicine to treat mental disorders, but it doesn’t really follow through with it.

As much as I wanted to enjoy this book, it was just a miss for me. I think plenty of people will enjoy this story, but I couldn’t get over some of the tropes used as several, if known, will be an automatic non-read for me.

#netgalley #directorscut #aaknopf #pantheonbooks

This was a lovely book, my first one by this author! I fell in love with all of the characters, which is so fun. There was no out-of-place villain. This book does deal a lot with the miscommunication trope, but fully backs it up.

Overall, this one lagged a little in the middle but picked right back up. I am glad I continued reading. This is an awesome sapphic read for anyone who loves Hollywood and especially musicals (that was a fun find!) 🎥🎶

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this book!

This book is a solid 4 stars because it has everything that I love in a novel. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read this advanced copy.

This is the first book that I have read by this author and it definitely won’t be the last. I love sapphic romantic comedies with celebrities and coming out stories and this book served up so many humorous and relatable moments between Val and her best friend, Charlie. I just love the whole Hollywood meets academia setting in this novel because I got a front row seat to Val’s internal conflicts and struggles to prove herself as a worthy director. Many people in Hollywood saw her as a successful actress but she wanted her work as a director to be acknowledged and respected, however, a lot of people and the media wanted to hear about her coming out story and they were focusing on her sexuality instead of her skills as a director.

I really enjoyed learning about the film industry and it was a pleasure to see things from Val’s point of view but I wish the author had included Maeve’s thoughts and emotions as well because the story felt a bit one-sided. In spite of that, Director’s Cut is a well-written and highly entertaining novel about coming out in Hollywood, mental health awareness, friends who are like family and finding love where you least expect it.

What a great way to kick off Pride Month. Academy Award Winning Val Sullivan takes a break from acting and directing to teach a film class at USC alongside Maeve Arko. She loves academia (and the women in it) so is drawn to Maeve's presence right away. I loved the college classroom atmosphere of Director's Cut, the tension and depth of the lecture scenes, and the exploration of the weight celebrities carry. As a sucker for dual point of view reads, I would've loved to get inside Maeve's head more, especially in the early chapters, but that didn't stop me from adoring her character. If you've read & loved any Haley Cass novels, you'll love Director's Cut.

Big thanks to Carlyn, NetGalley, Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for the ARC edition in advance of the June 11th release date.

This well observed Hollywood and academia based contemporary is one of 15 romances I selected for the Boston Globe’s summer books preview.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGallery for this eARC.

Director’s Cut is the perfect Rivals to Lovers. This is the second book in the series. You don’t need to have read Sizzle Reel to read Director’s Cut but it definitely helps. I absolutely loved Val’s character and the growth she developed despite her many struggles. Absolutely couldn’t get enough of her. The author did a great job showing how anxiety can really affect a person and handled the topics of mental health and queer representation beautifully. I loved Val and Maeve together and want more. I can’t recommend Carolyn Greenwald's books enough. Thank you for this opportunity.

I truly enjoyed this book and am so grateful to receive an eARC on NetGalley.

The characters were wonderful and I enjoyed everyone’s interactions with each other.
I love the deep dive into anxiety and the conversations and thoughts that come with it. I wish there had been more discussion around the process of treating anxiety and how Val felt with it. I feel like part of it was how other people reacted to her not being on meds.
Other than that, I enjoyed Maeve and Val’s relationship. They were so adorable.

I think the best character to come out of Sizzle Reel was Val so I was very excited that this story centered around her. You don’t necessarily need to have read Sizzle Reel to read Director’s Cut but it definitely helps. I absolutely loved Val’s character and how she grew and developed despite her many struggles. Unfortunately I wish we could have learned more about Maeve and think the story would have benefited from her point of view. Maeve was such a fabulous character, I loved her intellect, passion, kindness, and especially her loving and understanding when it came to Val and her flaws. I think they complimented each other really well and were truly supportive of one another, despite the epic communication fail towards the end. They had true chemistry which clearly showed in their steamy romance connections.

A common theme I do find with these types of romance novels is how quickly the characters get together. I mean one moment Val and Maeve dislike and aren’t sure of each other and then the next, they are making out. Yes the main focus of the story is how they navigate through the romance, but it could have used a little more build up in my opinion. It just always seemed too easy, when in reality it doesn’t typically go that smoothly. And speaking of conflict, I feel like it was really stupid and could have been solved with a simple conversation. I feel like most plot’s these days rely on a single conflict that solely revolves around miscommunication which gets old and boring.

With no prior knowledge in the entertainment industry, it was fascinating the class that Val and Maeve end up teaching together and the author did a good job of mixing academia with the entertainment/film industry. Both Val and Maeve had relevant information and experience to add to the discussions and topics being addressed. I am glad the author did not shy away from addressing topics such as mental health, anxiety, IBS, unfair treatment in the workplace, and lack of opportunities for openly gay characters. Which was why Val was such a great character because she is not portrayed as a Hollywood bimbo, but has a strong woman with a PHD and is interested in things like academia outside of her role as actress, producer, and director, and fights for openly gay characters to be treated fairly in the industry and be given the same opportunities as straight people, which gave her a greater sense of depth.

As far as side characters go, Charlie is simply one of the best. He is your typical gay best friend but with such a huge heart and funny personality, and he just gets Val. Their banter is hilarious and made me laugh out loud at times. Overall I enjoyed this book much better than Sizzle Reel and would recommend readers give it a go!

Thank you NetGalley for this chance to review an advance reader's copy.

Director's Cut is a companion novel to Sizzle Reel, but can be read separately. Just knowing that does give you a bit more background on why we are told Valeria is an award winning actress, since a lot of detail isn't given about that part of her life in this particular book. This book focuses more on the fact that she has had ENOUGH of the Hollywood life and transitions into academia. While teaching at USC we discover that her co-professor, Maeve, doesn't particularly care for her. How fun does teaching your first class with someone that doesn't like you sound, right?! This sets us up for the enemies to lovers trope, that I personally enjoy. However, it transitions from enemies to lovers soooo quickly, it felt a bit rushed. It took away from the trope for me. I would have liked to see this transition a bit slower. The book is written only from Val's POV, so you don't really see things from Maeve's POV. That didn't bother me, but I know that it has bothered some other readers. So, just know that going in. While not a main character, Charlie, Val's BFF, was probably my favorite character. They really added some realness and comedy to the book that I loved.

I felt like it was a good sapphic love story, with some spice and humor. I really did feel like I could relate to the anxiety and communication struggles the characters went through. The inclusion of addressing mental health in multiple ways was great to see. Normalizing therapy, medication, and working through past trauma is something that I wish could be normalized more in books. To some the conflict portion may not have seemed like a big deal, but when you really have experienced trauma, sometimes the build up of an issue seems like a larger mountain. (Also, addressing homophobia and biphobia was well done. Thank you!)

I want to thank NetGalley, Vintage Books/Random House, and Carlyn Greenwald for the opportunity to read the eARC in exchange for an honest review. This book comes out on June 11, 2024!

I made it about 60% through this book before I called it quits. It is not written poorly, just predictably, and I felt that the main romance was very rushed. I couldn't get a good sense of Maeve and her thoughts/feelings, and it felt like the enemies to lovers path was more of a shortcut. Ultimately it felt like the book had a conclusion that was apparent VERY early on, and any of the conflict was manufactured and not real problems. I'm never a big fan of creating conflict when it's something adults would have a very simple conversation about, and I just couldn't buy Val making decisions that serious after a few weeks of finally being friendly with Maeve, let alone before a first date.

Unfortunately I did not enjoy this one as much as I wanted to. This is a rom-com about Val, a gay A-list Hollywood actress who takes a break to do a teaching gig at USC and Maeve, her co-professor, who hates her at first. It sounds fun and entertaining and lighthearted and gay. Who wouldn’t love that?

There were definitely many things I did enjoy! So here’s the PROS list:

-fun Hollywood life details
-everything was set in real life LA places which was cool to see. The setting itself was very well done imo
-touches on biphobia and homophobia in general
-the way it deals with mental health and medication for it
-the spicy scenes were not half bad
-Maeve calling out Val on her bullshit, especially about not taking responsibility for her actions and blaming her anxiety instead
-Charlie and Gwyn and the whole scene with Gwyn’s kids’ birthday.


However there were definitely some things that impeded my enjoyment of the book considerably. So here’s the CONS list:

-pacing. THE PACING! Oh my god!! So frustrating because the first third of the book is just Val and Maeve doing the lectures and IT’S ALL WRITTEN OUT!! Random trivia/history/analysis of musicals that they’re teaching about has NOTHING to do with the story!! Literal paragraphs and pages could’ve simply been replaced with a sentence or two just saying that they were doing their lectures. Their word for word transcriptions did not need to make it into the book. In the rest of the book this doesn’t happen and everything is much better for it so why is it happening for at least 30% of the book? Who edited this? It just felt like the author was filling up a word count when she could’ve used that part in the book to explore the transition between Maeve hating Val and becoming her friend because dear god was that not handled in a way that realistically made sense. Enemies to insta-lovers?

-this is also related to pacing but why the hell do we spend the other two thirds of the book basically spiraling with Val? I understand she has anxiety but it did not need to go into such repetitive nitty-gritty of it. Like at some point I felt tempted to skim because it was the same thing over and over.

-the conflict felt forced. Everything could’ve been fixed immediately with some very simple communication. I understand the point was that Val WASN’T good at communication but that could’ve been showcased with something a lot more subtle and complex that didn’t have such an easy obvious solution.

-Val is a young famous attractive white woman and obviously sexism and homophobia in the industry exist but she’s hardly the most marginalized person out there. Despite that she took on the gay persecution cross hard. Like girl, it’s HOLLYWOOD. NO ONE takes actors seriously, especially when they represent any kind of minority. Yeah it sucks but you CHOSE this career. Stop acting like JoJo Siwa who’s “the first in the generation to invent gay pop.”


Anyway, as I said, I wish I had liked this much more than I actually do. The potential was there but proper editing wasn’t and Val, despite all her charm, got pretty damn annoying. I also think a Maeve POV would’ve fixed a lot of the problems and made it a much more fun rom-com read.


Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

I liked this a lot even though it was really really really hard to understand Val during most of the book -- her motivations weren't clear (and probably not even to herself) but I found myself wanting her to just get out of her own way in so many respects. But there was growth and some swooning and a great ending.

Director's Cut comes out next week on June 11, 2024 and you can purchase HERE.

Trish and I slowly ease back into normal conversation as we get closer to my home in Hollywood Hills. Yes, I'm that asshole who lives in Hollywood Hills. I've wanted the BoJack Horseman view ever since I binged the show and like fifty pounds of Wendy's in the months post-failed PhD and failed engagement with Emily. At least I think that's where I got the idea to move here from. Truthfully, all I remember about that time period was sobbing into my older sister Gwyn's shirt and asking if I was Mr. Peanutbutter or Diane. Gwyn told me I was the worst parts of both.

I love a sapphic romance, but unfortunately I could not get invested in these characters. The representation of academia and Hollywood was good, I liked the best friend, but did not enjoy the single POV. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy.

A Oscar-winning actress takes up a guest teaching gig and begins falling for her co-professor, all the while juggling her directorial debut and what it means to have an obligation to something other than Hollywood. Valeria Sullivan is an actress who has always wanted the chance to teach, so when she is offered a teaching gig at USC she says yes. What she doesn't realize is that her co-professor, Maeve Arko, dislikes her on the spot and thinks that Val isn't taking the gig seriously. Maeve is stunning and Val is stuck between how gorgeous Maeve is and how much Maeve is challenging her. All the while she is also starting to work on her directorial debut and trying to juggle her teaching commitment and her career in Hollywood she isn't ready to leave behind. This one really fell flat for me, I was hoping for a fun sapphic romance with a touch of Hollywood. The romance between Valeria and Maeve kind of just came out of nowhere. They went from disliking each other to instantly being"oh I love her so much" and it just lacked chemistry. Their romance really gave me nothing and I found myself not caring all that much about the story. The book itself felt like it dragged on at parts and i was really hoping I would love it, but it just was not for me. Valeria felt like an insufferable character, she was so privileged and could have easily solved a lot of her problems if she just communicated, she got angry at things that were her fault and honestly, I was just baffled she even got the gig as a teacher with the way everything was going. This one did not work for me but if you enjoy sapphic romances set in a teaching place with slow progression, then give this a go, maybe you'll have a better time with it than I did.

Release Date: June 11,2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor | Vintage for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*