After years of failure and a badly broken heart, Ruth gets The Call-her show has been green-lit. 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. 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 shes beautiful, even though her scars will stay with her forever.

At three years old, Ruth Saunders miraculously survives the car crash that takes her parents lives on the icy Massachusetts Turnpike. Book Synopsis Blockbuster #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Weiner returns with an irresistible story about a young woman trying to make it in Hollywood. Set against the fascinating backdrop of Los Angeles show business culture, with an insiders ear for writers room showdowns, Weiners novel is a rollicking ride on the Hollywood roller coaster. She encounters every problem from number-crunching network executives who dash her hopes to difficult actors.About the Book Blockbuster #1 New York Times-bestselling author Weiner returns with an irresistible story about a young woman trying to make it in Hollywood. Meanwhile, Ruth’s grandmother starts getting extra work and eventually falls in love herself.īut Ruth quickly finds out that nothing in Hollywood is easy. After years of failure and surviving a badly broken heart, Ruth finally gets the call: The show she wrote and developed has been given the green light.Īs Ruth attempts to create and cast the perfect sitcom, titled The Next Best Thing and based on her adventures with her grandmother, she falls in love with her boss. After college, Ruth pursued her dream of writing in Tinseltown, heading west on an adventure with her grandmother in tow, hoping to make it big. She and her grandmother have been a family of two ever since. Ruth survived the accident, but it left her with permanent facial scars. Ruth’s parents were killed in a car accident when she was just 3 years old. Years later, we’re all lucky that Weiner decided to return to Ruth’s life in The Next Best Thing ( available in paperback now) and explore what could happen if Ruth’s dreams came true.īonus: In case you haven’t read it, “Swim” is included in the paperback version of The Next Best Thing! Read another great book by Jen Weiner > Ruth Saunders, the heroine of The Next Best Thing, was also the subject of Weiner’s 2006 short story “Swim.” Fans find Ruth incredibly inspiring because, although she’s been scarred by an accident, she still has an incredible amount of resolve and heart.

The next big thing jennifer weiner