I liked everything about this book. To start with, it tells the truth about the workings of Hollywood in a fictional content. Just that alone is enough to draw me in, but then, it also has excellent characterization and a good story, not with the accustomed kind of ending but a successful one, nevertheless.

In the novel, in a nutshell, the protagonist Ruth Saunders--despite her deformed looks due to a car accident in her childhood and her disappointments and insecurities--manages to find happiness on her own terms, not the kind of happiness a woman dreams of but the next best thing. The Next Best Thing is also the title for Ruth’s TV sitcom through whose writing and launching, other quirky, different, and original characters also make the scene.

The novel, aside from being an excellent Hollywood satire, has also romantic subplots and a style with a sense of humor. I noticed a few other reviews at Amazon that didn’t quite share my appreciation for this work, which may very well be due to the fact that this author’s other novels are deemed to be loftier. As this is the first book I read by this author, these negative reviews make my curiosity rise toward reading her other work. Just imagine, if this novel is her lesser work, how good the others must be…

enjoyment and seeing into how Hollywood works.

the characterization

read other books by this author

is Jennifer Weiner. All Fall Down, Good in Bed, In her Shoes are some of her other novels.

For me, even the unlikable characters were real, and I considered this book to be a fascinating Hollywood satire through a very human story.

Interested in buying this? Support Writing.Com by making your purchase of The Next Best Thing: A Novel   from Amazon.Com!

Created Mar 09, 2015 at 5:47pm • Submit your own review...