The Next Best Thing

The Next Best Thing

Jennifer Weiner

Enjoyment: Quality: Characters: Plot:

Blockbuster #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Weiner returns with an irresistible story about a young woman trying to make it in Hollywood…At three years old, Ruth Saunders miraculously survives the car crash that takes her parents’ lives on the icy Massachusetts Turnpike. Her eccentric grandmother, who comes out of Florida retirement to care for young Ruth, nurtures her through years of surgeries, feeding her home-cooked meals, dispensing irreverent wisdom, and telling Ruth she’s beautiful, even though her scars will stay with her forever. After college, Ruth pursues her dream of writing to Hollywood, heading west with her grandmother in tow, hoping to make it big in the world of TV. After years of failure and a badly broken heart, Ruth gets The Call—her show has been green-lit. But Ruth’s happy ending is only the beginning, as she struggles with how television gets made: terrified (and terrifying) executives and actresses with their eyes on bigger prizes than Ruthie’s show. Add in an unrequited crush on the man who has been her mentor. Add to that her grandmother’s impending nuptials, and Ruth’s big break might just break her. A rollicking ride on the Hollywood roller coaster, The Next Best Thing is a heartfelt story about a young woman searching for her own happily-ever-after in the land where dreams come true.


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    So Cracker Barrel had a brilliant idea: an audiobook lending library. I was driving 10 hours home from Georgia last week all by my lonesome. I stopped in CB to have breakfast before hitting the highway and decided to borrow The Next Best Thing to keep me occupied on my drive.

    I have read a few of Weiner's other books and I am a fan of her writing style. TNBT was funny and emotional and the perfect length to get me back to Virginia. I liked the characters; I cared about what happened to them. As a matter of fact, I'd like to have a second book to let me know how their lives turn out after TNBT ended.

    Excellent vacation read, or do like I did, listen to it in the car on a long drive.

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