The Next Best Thing

Book excerpt: From the bestselling author of Good in Bed, In Her Shoesand the forthcoming Who Do You Lovecomes a Hollywood rollercoaster ... 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 Big 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. Praise for Jennifer Weiner's Then Came You: "An absorbing read, and, for all its spot-on social commentary, a serious book at heart." -Philadelphia Inquirer "Weiner brings her trademark wit and empathy to this lively story." - Parade