In her debut novel, Susannah Erwin delivers a charming, emotionally complex romance that explores the tension between artistic vision and personal happiness. Love and Other Hollywood Endings takes readers behind the scenes of a movie production, where two former flames must confront their unresolved feelings while navigating professional boundaries. With its authentic industry backdrop and characters who feel refreshingly real, this romance offers more depth than your average beach read—though it occasionally stumbles on its path to the final act.
Setting the Scene: A Plot with Promise
Erwin introduces us to Sutton Spencer, a determined film executive who’s clawed her way up the corporate ladder at Monument Studios. When she’s sent to Arizona to possibly shut down the troubled production of sci-fi blockbuster “The Quantum Wraith,” she comes face-to-face with the film’s director, Xavier Duval—the man who broke her heart a decade earlier when he was her college professor.
What begins as a tense professional reconnection evolves into something more complicated when Sutton decides to save the production by stepping in as producer. As they work closely together, old wounds resurface alongside unmistakable chemistry. Xavier’s emotional walls, built to protect his adopted son Erik after his sister’s tragic death, crumble in the face of Sutton’s persistent optimism and undeniable competence.
The strength of this narrative lies in how Erwin intertwines professional challenges with personal growth. Production crises, from stolen funds to temperamental actors, create natural opportunities for Sutton and Xavier to build trust and mutual respect before rekindling their romance. Their journey culminates in a realization that feels earned: sometimes the best endings aren’t the ones we script, but the ones we allow ourselves to embrace.
Character Development: Complexity in the Spotlight
Erwin excels at crafting layered protagonists whose flaws feel authentic rather than manufactured for plot convenience:
- Sutton Spencer: Her journey from naïve film student to confident executive reflects genuine growth, though her rapid transition back to screenwriting feels somewhat rushed. Her optimism about both movies and relationships serves as a perfect foil to Xavier’s cynicism.
- Xavier Duval: His artistic intensity is balanced by genuine care for his nephew-turned-adopted son Erik. His character arc—from believing love is a Hollywood fiction to embracing vulnerability—is the emotional core of the story. However, his sudden shift in perspective after reading Sutton’s alternative script ending feels somewhat abrupt.
- Erik: More than just a plot device, this precocious twelve-year-old provides both comic relief and emotional grounding. His matchmaking schemes highlight how Xavier’s fears of abandonment affect not just his romantic relationships but his family dynamics.
The secondary characters, particularly actress Contessina Sato, bring dimension to the Hollywood setting, though some, like the villainous producer Pauley and executive Zeke, lean toward caricature rather than complexity.
Chemistry That Sizzles Off the Page
Where Erwin truly shines is in crafting palpable chemistry between Sutton and Xavier. Their intellectual debates about film—particularly their running argument over Hitchcock’s “Vertigo” versus “Notorious”—serve as perfect metaphors for their contrasting worldviews. When they finally reconnect physically during an unexpected desert thunderstorm, the scene balances sensuality with emotional vulnerability in a way that feels both steamy and significant.
Their “penalty box” arrangement—agreeing their relationship exists only while on location—creates delicious tension that any romance reader will appreciate. The author skillfully employs the forbidden romance and forced proximity tropes without making them feel stale.
Industry Authenticity Adds Depth
Erwin’s portrayal of the film industry feels refreshingly genuine. From the complex hierarchy of a movie set to the financial pressures from studio executives, the professional challenges feel as real as the personal ones. The author cleverly uses filmmaking terminology and debates about artistic vision versus commercial viability to mirror her characters’ internal conflicts about love and risk.
This level of authenticity elevates what might otherwise be a standard romance, giving readers insight into an industry often glamorized but rarely depicted accurately. Particularly effective is how Erwin contrasts Xavier’s preference for practical effects and location shooting with Sutton’s pragmatic focus on budget considerations—a perfect metaphor for their approaches to life and love.
Structural Strengths and Weaknesses
The novel’s structure generally serves the story well, with alternating perspectives that provide insight into both main characters’ thoughts and fears. However, the pacing occasionally falters:
- The first half of the book moves at a deliberate pace, allowing tension to build naturally as Sutton and Xavier navigate their complex history.
- The middle section, centered around their deepening connection during location shooting, provides satisfying emotional and physical payoff.
- The final act, however, feels somewhat rushed, with career opportunities and life-changing decisions arriving in quick succession. Xavier’s transformation from confirmed pessimist to romantic optimist—while emotionally satisfying—happens with surprising speed.
- The epilogue, set two years later, provides closure but might have benefited from more development of how the characters navigated their long-distance relationship during the intervening time.
Writing Style: Cinematic but Occasionally Uneven
Erwin’s prose is largely engaging, with dialogue that crackles with wit and emotional honesty. Her cinematic descriptions of the Arizona desert and film set bring vivid imagery to the page. Particularly effective are the scenes where Xavier and Sutton debate film theory as a proxy for their differing perspectives on life and love.
However, the writing occasionally relies too heavily on telling rather than showing, particularly when explaining characters’ emotional states. Some readers may find the film industry jargon overwhelming, though others will appreciate the authenticity it brings to the setting.
Thematic Depth Beyond the Romance
What elevates Love and Other Hollywood Endings above many contemporary romances is its thoughtful exploration of competing worldviews:
- Art versus commerce: Xavier’s artistic integrity versus Sutton’s commercial practicality mirrors many creative industries’ fundamental tensions.
- Risk versus safety: Both protagonists must decide whether emotional vulnerability is worth potential heartbreak.
- Fiction versus reality: The central question of whether happy endings belong only in movies or can exist in real life gives the romance genuine philosophical weight.
- Control versus surrender: Xavier’s need to control his narrative—both in filmmaking and life—must ultimately yield to the messier reality of authentic connection.
These themes give readers something to ponder long after the happily-ever-after.
Verdict: A Promising Debut with Hollywood Sparkle
Despite some structural issues and occasionally uneven execution, Love and Other Hollywood Endings is a promising debut that will appeal to readers who enjoy workplace romances with depth. It’s not a perfect production, but like a film with strong performances and genuine heart, it leaves a lasting impression.
For fans of Emily Henry’s Beach Read or Christina Lauren’s The Unhoneymooners, Erwin’s novel offers similar emotional intelligence with a unique Hollywood backdrop. While this appears to be Erwin’s debut novel, her authentic portrayal of the film industry suggests she knows her setting well.
The book’s greatest strength lies in convincing readers that, like Hitchcock’s “Notorious,” sometimes the happy ending isn’t just a Hollywood cliché but a genuine possibility worth fighting for—both on screen and off. For romance readers tired of formulaic plots, this behind-the-scenes love story offers a refreshingly thoughtful take on how we script our own lives and loves.
Final Cut
Strengths:
- Authentic portrayal of the film industry
- Strong chemistry between well-developed leads
- Thoughtful integration of film theory and life philosophy
- Emotionally satisfying resolution of both personal and professional conflicts
Areas for Improvement:
- Somewhat rushed character development in the final act
- Occasionally uneven pacing
- Some secondary characters lack dimension
- Limited exploration of the long-distance phase of the relationship
If you’re looking for a romance that balances industry insight with genuine emotion, Love and Other Hollywood Endings deserves a spot on your TBR list. It may not be a perfect production, but like the best films, its flaws are easily forgiven when the heart of the story resonates so deeply.