Director's Cut

A Novel

By: Carlyn Greenwald

Narrated by: Rachael Franco

After taking a guest teaching gig, Oscar-winning Valeria Sullivan finds herself trapped in a battle of wits with her sexy co-professor, but can she keep her cool when things heat up in and out of the classroom?

At twenty-nine, Valeria Sullivan is a celebrated, award-winning actress. But when her acting options start to decline and her attempt to transition to directing is complicated by a bad interview on a late night show, Val decides she’s had enough of Hollywood. Intent on pursuing a neglected passion, she pours herself into a guest professorship at USC, hoping to transition to academia fulltime.

Standing in her way is her co-professor, Maeve Arko, whose brilliance and beauty is matched only by her contempt for Val. As Val rises to the challenges that teaching throws at her, though, Maeve starts to soften, and soon sparks are flying.

Now with a job and a girlfriend she adores, Val should be happy. But Hollywood isn’t done with Val quite yet. Her directorial debut, Oakley in Flames, starts getting attention, and soon Val has to choose between her obligations to her class—and Maeve—and the burgeoning dream Hollywood career she may not be ready to leave behind.

©2024 Carlyn Greenwald (P)2024 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"Transcending traditional contemporary romance tropes to put a spotlight on the intersections of love and mental health, this deliciously spicy and achingly sweet romance showcases Greenwald at her best. . . . Romance gold."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Like the movie musicals her characters dissect, Greenwald captures the sizzle, joy, anxiety, and intimacy of careerdom and love in Hollywood and academia. The characters feel viscerally alive. They are swoony, and messy, and wonderfully real. Val’s journey as a newly-out Hollywood starlet-turned-director in search of happiness, and all the pressure it entails, is superbly crafted. Greenwald tackles difficult issues and realistic challenges with poise, character, and empathy. Not to mention the Hollywood Theater Kid in me was doing cartwheels the whole time; I would die to take Val and Maeve’s class. With the real-world insight of an indie film, and the romance of a big-budget romcom, Director’s Cut dazzles.”—Emma Alban, bestselling author of Don’t Want You Like a Best Friend

“Greenwald’s fresh dialogue and complex heroines toggle between Hollywood glamour and academia in a way that feels totally effortless. Director’s Cut is delightfully sweet, sexy, and I can’t wait for what comes next!”—Zoraida Córdova, USA Today bestselling author of Kiss the Girl

unlikable main character.

I found Val impossibly frustrating. Just a crotchety negative icky person. I can't imagine what a professor would want with such an emotionally immature woman. every other character in the book was great.

Val

Val was the only character I liked in the first book of this series and for some reason she lost her honesty and directness and was totally stupid at times. Could’ve been better if that didn’t happen

Very slow start

The book started very slow and didn't pick up till about chapter 6. From there on the story was much better.

ehh

I found Valeria to be pretentious and uppity from the start. as the book progressed I thought her to be incredibly naive towards a relationship with Maeve that she hadn't discussed or clarified but she was making major life changes for. then after blowing up her life with her intentional lies. she took zero accountability for her actions and proceeded to project onto Maeve issues with her ex. I found the story start to finish unbearable and uninteresting. the author writes very well and paints strong pictures, her style is descriptive and that I did enjoy a good bit. but the story itself very blah