Bubbling up with Helena

• Title: Director’s Cut
• Author: Carlyn Greenwald
• Publisher: Vintage
• Release Date: 6/11/24
• Genre: Romance
• Age Range: Adult
• Rating: ★★★★★
• Publisher’s Summary: 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.

I loved Carlyn Greenwald’s last book, Sizzle Reel, and I was so excited to continue reading about the journey of these characters. While Sizzle Reel is focused on Luna, she becomes a side character in Director’s Cut in order for Greenwald to tell Valeria’s story.

I am a musical theater nerd, and I had so much fun reading about the syllabus for Valeria and Maeve’s class. It is a class analyzing movie musicals including West Side Story and La La Land. I even thought through how I would answer all of the questions on the midterm exam outlined in the book. I snickered at the snide comments about the Dear Evan Hansen and Les Misérables movies. This is absolutely a class I would have loved when I was in college.

I also love good Jewish representation in romance novels, and I enjoyed the references to Valeria and Maeve’s Judaism. Valeria tells a story during an interview about unintentionally becoming a drug dealer for her younger cousins at a Passover seder. Valeria’s mom also gets very excited when she guesses Maeve is Jewish based on her last name. I appreciated that there were references to their religion without it taking over the whole story.

More and more romance novels I read have bisexual representation, and I am all for it. Maeve and Valeria have a beautiful conversation about what it means to date as a bisexual person and the difficulties and judgments that can come with it. Maeve makes it clear that the conversation makes her feel heard and validated, and it is just such a lovely moment. More representation like this please!

Of course, good mental health representation is also so important to me. Valeria is in therapy and her longtime relationship with her therapist is very important to her. Director’s Cut also addresses the difficult decision to go on medication. At first Valeria is hesistant to go on medication and tries a supplement instead, but Valeria’s sister lovingly encourages her to explore medication. Mental health treatment is a deeply individual and personal decision, and Greenwald handles it with such care and nuance.

One of the things I loved about Greenwald’s writing in Sizzle Reel is how real it feels and that holds true in Director’s Cut as well. She brings you into Valeria’s head in a way that makes you feel as though you’re talking to your best friend. Valeria is a famous director and actress, but Greenwald depicts both the good and the bad that come with fame (especially when it comes to dating). The reader becomes intimately aware of all of her feelings and insecurities. It makes it easier to empathize with Valeria even when she messes up because you are so immersed in her world and her reasoning behind her actions.

Greenwald’s work is fun, funny, and thoughftul. I loved Director’s Cut and cannot wait to see what is next for Greenwald and her characters.