4.5 stars rounded up. The writing in this novel was so nice and refreshing. I felt like I was watching a romcom. The enemies-to-lovers trope in this novel was done so well between Lilah and Shane, I could've read 300 more pages of them.

Before reading this book, I decided to pick up this authors previous book, How to Fake it in Hollywood. This was a big mistake on my part because I ended up hating that book, which lowered my expectations for this book.

DNF

I'm DNFing this book because I can already tell that it's not one for me. The main character's are very annoying and the author's writing style just doesn't work for me. Unfortunately, I won't be picking up anything else by this author.

This was a perfectly average, cute and easy rom com to read in a few sittings, but overall I found it to be a little boring, a little trite, and not one I'll remember. I read her previous book and didn't love it, either, so this might just be an author that isn't for me. I did enjoy the celebrity-normal-person trope, so if you've read and liked her other books, give this one a try. As for me, I think I'll take a pass on her books from now on.

I believe this is my first book by this author and I thought it was a fun read. I love enemies to lovers however something in this book was missing for me. I still enjoyed the book and would gladly read more but this wasn’t for me.

This was a great second book for Ava Wilder. The characters were charming and wonderful, even when they were the @**hole. I love that this was both enemies to lovers and a second chance romance. Ave is really good at character building and making you feel like you are right there with the main characters.

The most satisfying enemies to lovers romance. The tension was very much present. Enjoyed the flashbacks that showed Lilah and Shane’s first meeting all the way to the present. All these characters were lovely and the interactions with them were always a joy.

"𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘱, 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘴, 𝘵𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦."



Operation Get-Through-Well-Overdue-ARCs is in play!

I would say, overall, that I enjoyed this book. It wasn't my FAVORITE, but it wasn't bad.

I really liked the premise, and the show they were stars of gave me some serious "Supernatural" vibes (which is one of my favorite shows)... but at times, the 'will they won't they' went slightly too far (I mean, I know it's the name of the book, but still).

The ending really made up for some of that! I really am glad that they got their happiest version of their ending ❤️

Thank you to @randomhouse and @netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for the review!
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📖 Review: Will They or Won’t They by Ava Wilder
Will They or Won’t They follows Lilah and Shane - two former costars navigating a reunion when Lilah returns to the show she left a few years earlier. Why did she leave? Well, because she and Shane had a secret relationship that imploded. The plot follows everyone’s tv and real life favorite trope - where all fans want to see their OTP finally get together.

This book does romance right in that I think the character’s actions, misunderstandings, and miscommunications are completely believable. The anger and energy between the two feel REAL and not 100% contrived. And the background for this plot could easily have gone in an over-the-top fanciful way. Wilder does a great job of keeping her characters grounded in reality.

This book was released last summer, and I don’t think I ever saw it come across my feed, which is disappointing. Ava Wilder is someone I’ll definitely look out for in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of Will They or Won’t They by Ava Wilder in exchange for my honest review. Again, I’m sorry it took me so long to get around to it!

#willtheyorwontthey #avawilder #bookstagram #netgalley #booksta #bookstagrammer #romancebooks

This book had such a good premise...but when the title is literal over and over and over and over again...it gets old. The back and forth was just too much for me. I honestly couldn't really stand either of the MC's, but especially not the FMC, which hurts my heart to say. I thought she was self-involved, petty and just annoying. I understand that she has anxiety and attachment issues...but it felt like it became her entire personality, and she used it as a reason to just be mean. What really got me was how quickly they ended up back together at the end of the book, only for the author to try to make us think they broke up (again) and for it to all be fake to "throw off the press". Girl...I thought you didn't care if the public knew you were together? WTF? I'm so confused.

I gave this book 2 stars, and as I'm writing this review, I'm wondering if that was too generous. Oh well.

This captivating Hollywood romance intricately weaves tension, angst, and sizzling chemistry. As a reader familiar with similar novels featuring Hollywood stars, I approached this story with anticipation and skepticism. However, it pleasantly surprised me, exceeding expectations with minimal eye-rolling moments.

At its core, the novel follows Lilah and Shane, former lovers whose on-screen chemistry is eclipsed by off-screen animosity. Their tumultuous history sets the stage for a compelling exploration of love, forgiveness, and redemption as they reunite for one final season of their hit TV show.

What sets this book apart is its unflinching portrayal of Hollywood relationships. While the glitz and glamour serve as a backdrop, the heart of the story lies in the characters' raw emotions and vulnerabilities. Lilah and Shane's journey is about navigating fame, public scrutiny, and their own demons.

The palpable chemistry between Lilah and Shane is a highlight, adding depth and complexity to their interactions. Their banter crackles with wit and tension, creating an authentic and resonant relationship. Despite occasional pacing issues and easily resolved conflicts, the narrative arc is compelling and satisfying, skillfully navigating the challenges of fame, mental health, and communication.

Second chance is such a hard trope for me because an author has to show you why two people broke up and then find a way to bring them back together with a believable HEA. And it didn't really work for me here.

I was instantly invested in this one, I read 30% in one sitting and ignored the five other books I was reading to start this one, but unfortunately it didn't entirely land for me.

I really loved parts of this. Ava Wilder writes some fun dialogue/banter. There were moments where I LOL'd and found to be the scenes to be very creative. I also love a celeb romance and she used this trope so well.

I struggled with the pacing (something I struggled with her first novel too) and found the flashbacks to be so distracting and mostly unnecessary. The third act conflict just did not work for me. In second chance it's hard to do a third act break up because the whole book is them coming back to each other and while she tries to do a little creative thing, it just made me annoyed and everything felt so rushed.

Some things just didn't make sense. Like they only went to therapy once? At least on page? Like get rid of the flashbacks and have them work through it in therapy.

Idk I think Ava Wilder's books are just not for me which is annoying because there is so much I like in her books, but the structure just never works for me!

I had a hard time getting into it, the characters didn't feel super personable and the plot wasn't hooking me. I really enjoyed her debut, How to Fake It In Hollywood, and this plot also seemed a bit too similar to that book. I didn't finish, but I might come back to it some day! just wasn't for me, but I always recommend trying for yourself!

I really enjoyed this romance! There was a lot of fun, but also a lot of depth. Their relationship unfolded over a long time, and therefore, the romance felt epic. But also with some fun!

I couldn’t finish this one I was bored. Sorry! I really try to give it a shot but I kept coming back to it and was bored.

I love the 2 sides to the relationship and this book didn't disappoint. It was definitely worth the read and I'll be reading more from Wilder in the future.

This was great fun! Angsty, snappy dialogue, sparkling chemistry, and just all around a lovely romance. I can't wait to read more from Ava Wilder.

I looooooved How to Fake It in Hollywood, so I was psyched to receive this eARC (many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher), but woof. It was a letdown unfortunately. My most controversial bookish take is that I'm a staunch defender of the miscommunication trope *in certain instances* and so can be pretty understanding when reading books based around relationship issues. However. It was so painfully clear Lilah was the main problem in this relationship, and she completely lacked any self-awareness. It was a real drag to read.

I'll absolutely still read any and all books by Ava Wilder in the future, this may just be a sophomore slump, but woof.

DNF, but tried a couple of times. I think it was a me not the author. I feel I have an unpopular opinion as a lot of people loved this book. I felt the two characters hurt each other so much and I couldn't get over that. And OH my the miscommunication!

With that being said, I did like the authors writing style and the flow of the story. I will definitely try another book by Ava Wilder.

I loved this Hollywood behind the scenes romance of co-stars who can't stand each other. It has an enemies to lovers vibe and some explosive chemistry between Lilah and Shane. The characters are flawed and their banter is super entertaining as they try to get through filming of their last season together. It's a funny and spicy read.
Another winner from Ava Wilder and I can't wait to see what she writes next!

I'm so sorry I didn't review this when it came out--totally missed it in my list. I adored this so much, and I'm not always a fan of Hollywood romances. This was the perfect blend of history, heat, and longing, and watching them fall back in love and admit their feelings was SO satisfying.