Director’s Cut is the latest sapphic romance from Carlyn Greenwald. What a gorgeous cover! I loved her debut, The Sizzle Reel, so I was excited to read this. Director’s Cut follows Val, an actress and director in Hollywood who also happens to have a PhD. When Val gets an opportunity to teach students at USC, she leaps at it. Val isn’t sure what she’ll do if her film doesn’t succeed and is eager to explore other options. Her co-teacher is the unimpressed Maeve, who believes Val hasn’t really earned the position. Yet as Val proves she deserves to be there, Maeve and Val grow closer. What happens when Hollywood intrudes on their classroom? 

Val and Maeve have a lot of sizzling tension between them, which I loved. I enjoyed how it took Val some time to prove to Maeve that she was truly invested in the class and not just as a gimmick for her career. There is fantastic LGBTQ+ rep throughout, including side characters. I loved Charlie and his friendship with Val. Val has some mental health challenges to work through before she is ready to be in a true relationship, especially relating to anxiety. The lack of communication at the end frustrated me, yet I understood why Val did it. Greenwald’s writing is witty and relatable. I’m looking forward to seeing what she writes next! Readers looking for sapphic romance, a celebrity MC, mental health rep, and sizzling tension should check this book out. 
 
Thank you to Carlyn Greenwald, Vintage, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.