I'm Glad About You (Rebeck) - Book Reviews

Book Reviews
Theresa Rebeck's take of two star-crossed Midwesterners passed my screen test with flying colors. You know the one—you have a little pocket of time (15 minutes in the eye doctor's waiting room, three minutes while waiting for the coffee to perk), and you have a choice: You can check your phone or dip into a book. When you pick the book, you know you're reading a winner. I'm Glad About You is one of those novels… Allison and Kyle may fall short of Catherine and Heathcliff's iconic love, but…I still found myself more invested in them than I've been in any thwarted couple since Ross and Rachel dominated Thursday nights…satisfying…funny, heartfelt…[Allison's] a scrappy, deliciously flawed character, impossible not to root for… [I'm Glad About You] strikes a buzzworthy balance between down-home charm and Hollywood glitter. People will be talking about this one. Remember, you heard it here first.
Elisabeth Egan - New York Times Review


This tale of thwarted former high school sweethearts is a pleasurable blur of inside dish, major erotic energy and refreshing realism about love and destiny.
People


Bombshells, assemble: The Smash creator is once again training her shrewd spotlight on the inner workings of the entertainment industry, introducing a new can’t-help-but-cheer-for-her ingenue.... [A] smart, heartfelt tale about the price of our dreams—and whether they’re ultimately worth it.
Entertainment Weekly


Can small-town romance compete with big-ticket success? The award-winning playwright and creator of NBC’s Smash examines how love fits into the fame game.
Cosmopolitan


[This] unputdownable novel pairs the competing fates of two former lovers...both defined by their inability to forget the other.
Vogue.com


Rebeck’s sharply funny I’m Glad About You is a cautionary tale—choose your dreams with your eyes open.
Vanity Fair


Rebeck...puts her showbiz expertise to good use, following a young actress in NYC. While Alison’s future looks bright, she can’t shake the memory of an old flame.
Us Weekly


Rebeck takes on a lot, including the vagaries of entertainment media...as well as the problematic impact [of] religion.... [S]he entertainingly gets her message across that celebrity is not as fabulous as it looks and that people who follow their dreams need to stay true to themselves to find true happiness.
Publishers Weekly


"You never get over your first love" seems to be the premise of this novel.... Rebeck is strongest when portraying Alison's experiences in Hollywood after she's discovered in New York, no surprise given her screenwriting credentials as the creator of the television series Smash. —Christine Perkins, Whatcom Cty. Lib. Syst., Bellingham, WA
Library Journal


Rebeck’s comedic and heartbreaking love story...is anything but predictable. From Hollywood red carpets to Midwestern mansions, Rebeck takes us on a wild ride through the lives of two high-school sweethearts who just can’t seem to get it right.... [A] refreshingly honest character study that explores how flawed people attempt to build a love that thrives in a messy, complicated world.
BookPage


Like Nick Hornby and David Nicholls, Rebeck possesses an effortless prose style that edifies as much as it entertains.... Rebeck delivers some hilarious riffs on the venal nature of show business, even as she also imparts some hard truths on the need for compromise in relationships.
Booklist


(Starred review.) A rare honest story about love, ambition, and compromise.... The snappy dialogue and plot you'd expect from a veteran dramatist plus the rich exploration of character that novels are made for.
Kirkus Reviews