When I picked this I read the synopsis and found it intriguing. Unfortunately, that was the only intriguing part. The book itself is so predictable and I really didn’t like the protagonist, never a good sign for me. 
Val Sullivan is an Oscar Award winning actor but she’s decided to make the transition to directing. She also has a PhD from Oxford University, though she hasn’t taught since she was a TA years ago. Another transition she’s made is coming out of the closet publicly. When she has a bad late night interview and feels her directorial debut flops she decides to hang up her Hollywood hat and teach at USC as a guest professor. She and Maeve Arko, the professor with whom she’s teaching, get off to an icy start, but soon both women are letting down their defenses and the sparks fly. When Val’s movie starts getting noticed by the bigwigs in Hollywood she has to decide which Val is the real Val- actor and director or college professor. She just has to hope that in finding herself she doesn’t lose Maeve. 
I found this entire book vapid from the get go. In the beginning there is so much information on musicals and stage shows and it actually felt as though I was being lectured to. In later classroom scenes, however, the information is glossed over and the focus is more on Val and Maeve’s relationship. Speaking of which, the bedroom scenes are quite graphic, which I never enjoy (both straight and gay). 
I wanted to like this and I’m sorry I didn’t. Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for an advanced copy of this. Director‘s Cut hit the shelves on June 11.