The Next Best Thing

At twenty-three, Ruth Saunders headed west with her seventy-year-old grandma in tow, hoping to be hired as a television writer. Four years later, she’s hit the jackpot when she gets The Call: the sitcom she wrote, The Next Best Thing, has gotten the green light, and Ruthie’s going to be the show-runner. But her dreams of Hollywood happiness are threatened by demanding actors, number-crunching executives, an unrequited crush on a boss, and her grandmother’s impending nuptials.

Set against the fascinating backdrop of Los Angeles show business culture, with an insider’s ear and eye for writer’s rooms, bad behavior backstage and set politics, Jennifer Weiner’s new novel is a rollicking ride on the Hollywood rollercoaster and a heartfelt story about what it’s like for a young woman to love, and lose, in the land where dreams come true.

My thoughts...

Ruth Sanders wants to be a television writer so she sets off to Hollywood with her grandmother beside her hoping to make it big. It takes a few years but she does get the green light on a sitcom she has written and she is in charge. What she finds on the set is that it's so hard to remain professional while dealing with executives and irate actors. Ruth gets very frustrated with the actors and has a crush on her boss.

This book has steamy love scenes, there's some comedy thrown in. Weiner's characters are a bit on the odd side, not very enjoyable. I wasn't impressed with the plot, the characters, or the steam. I thought it could've been so much better. I give it 2 out of 5 stars.

I received a ecopy of this book free from Simon and Schuster in exchange for an honest review.