We've Decided to Go in a Different Direction: Essays

by Tess Sanchez, Max Greenfield Narrated by Tess Sanchez

Overview

A “funny, relatable, honest” (Mindy Kaling, actress and New York Times bestselling author) essay collection about navigating a career change in Hollywood, rediscovering your identity, and overcoming the relatable messiness that ensues from unforeseen circumstances.

Tess Shanchez, wife of well-known actor Max Greenfield, the mother of two, and former Hollywood casting director, lived a life that felt like a hit sitcom-until an unexpected career loss changed everything. Now, in this “truly funny and heartfelt read” (Judd Apatow, director and New York Times bestselling author), Sanchez examines the aftermath of a major shift that forever changed the course of her life, and how losing her Hollywood career led to a journey of resilience, reinvention, and rediscovering her identity.

“We've decided to go in a different direction” was a phrase Sanchez rattled off to countless agents, actors, producers, and many more. But in the fall of 2020, the tables turned and she was on the receiving end of that phrase when she lost the long-held job she adored. She quickly discovered how much that career defined her identity, from her personal relationships to her own perception of herself. In the midst of facing this upheaval, her father was diagnosed with a devastating illness and suddenly, Sanchez had to learn what it means to parent her parents.

Moving, witty, and fun, We've Decided to Go in a Different Direction offers both welcome comedy and empowering strength in a relatable and inspiring story about overcoming life's challenges.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Praise for We've Decided to Go in a Different Direction

“We’ve Decided to Go in a Different Direction is funny, relatable, honest, and most of all, just like Tess Sanchez, a really good time. It’s literary meet-cute for moms meets fun ride for friends.”
–Mindy Kaling, actress and New York Times bestselling author of Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?

“We’ve Decided to Go in a Different Direction takes readers on a roller coaster ride of rare vulnerability and laugh-out-loud, messy moments. Tess Sanchez reminds us in this amusing essay collection that a bad day, bad luck, or really any unexpected bad thing is not what defines us. Love and laughter is. A truly funny and heartfelt read.”
–Judd Apatow, director and New York Times bestselling author of Sick in the Head

“We’ve Decided to Go in a Different Direction is a frank and funny book about how our relationships are the only business that matters.”
–Amy Poehler, actress and New York Times bestselling author of Yes Please

“Hollywood is a lot of things, exciting, weird, confusing, unique, fun, and often times discouraging. With this wonderful and funny memoir, Tess Sanchez does something truly remarkable — she makes it feel human. So much more than just an insider's tale, this book offers an honest, humorous look at life, marriage, parenting, and friendship.”
–Mike Schur, creator of The Good Place and New York Times bestselling author How to Be Perfect

“Reading Tess’s book is like curling up on the sofa with your best friend. Her hilarious, incredibly candid perspective is addictive!”
–Andy Cohen, New York Times bestselling author of the Andy Cohen Diaries and Most Talkative and host of Watch What Happens Live

“In her personal essay collection, We’ve Decided to Go in a Different Direction, Tess Sanchez gives us full access to the dynamic world of casting. But more importantly, she offers a front row seat to view her messy and marvelous life, up close and personal in these funny and touching essays.”
–Andrew Rannells, actor and author of Too Much is Never Enough and Uncle of the Year

“Tess has written an incredibly entertaining and inspiring story about how scary and exciting it is to start over in life. As she introduces us to the rainbow of characters who make up her story, she invites all of us to pull up a chair and join her warm, welcoming, oh-so-fabulous table.” –Jesse Tyler Ferguson, actor

Kirkus Reviews

2024-12-28
The life and times of a casting director in pre- and post-pandemic Hollywood.

Reading this book will involve recognizing a great many names from the entertainment industry, but the key one is this: Max Greenfield. The debut author’s husband, Greenfield was the star ofNew Girl, a popular 2010s sitcom that became an obsession for many during lockdown. As he writes in his introduction to his wife’s book, “Tess has found humor, irony, and emotional resonance in the messiness of her life, while simultaneously being able to expose her vulnerability, because that’s who she is.” He’s got that right: The essays touch on her rise to success as an obsessively box-checking beginning casting director (this section is very detailed and would be useful for those with similar aspirations); the blip in the early days of her relationship with Greenfield when he had to confront addiction; the much later period, after their marriage, when she literally pooped her pants at a children’s sporting event; the emotional complexities she faced in her relationship with her aging parents. Another essay describes her indignation when, after the pandemic, the workers at a resort instantly recognized and fawned over Greenfield but assumed she, perhaps because she is of Mexican descent, must be the nanny. This essay has a “do you know who I am” vibe that is almost endearing—considering that she was a casting director. (It’s not fully clear what happened to her work life during the pandemic, but it wasn’t good.) Perhaps the biggest drawback of the book is the shtick of introducing every character by naming an actor they resemble, and then calling them that name. It works well enough with Reese Witherspoon or John Mulaney, but the suggestion that you “think” Vanessa Bayer, Jared Hess, Topher Grace, Meagan Good, Merritt Wever, etc.—in order to imagine the people she’s writing about—ends up being a limiting shortcut.

Very TV-literate readers who also love memoir—this book is for you.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940192214893
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster
Publication date:	04/01/2025
Edition description:	Unabridged

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