I wish I could have gotten more into the story to finish it but the characters were just getting on my nerves too much. They are supposed to be in senior year of college when their friendship falls apart but every scene that shows them back them just reminded me of someone in high school and they seem to have that immaturity level. I had to dnf at 30% because I couldn’t focus on it any longer. I’m sure it’s someone’s cup of tea and that’s fine. It just wasn’t for me and I had to give up.

I received a copy through netgalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review

This was a decent read. While I liked the voice of the story and the characters were interesting enough there was some aspect of it that didn’t quite keep me engaged. It was an easy read and I would still recommend it to others but it didn’t really stand out in my mind.

Hollywood Ending is the cute story of Nina and Sebastian, best friends since college until something happened and they lost contacts. Until suddenly they find themselves working in the same city, for the same TV show that in the beginning make them become friends.

This is a cute story of friends always having felt something for each other but unable to act on their feelings. I liked the premise of this book a lot, also because I knew that it dealt with fandom culture, and that's something I always like to see depicted in romance books.
In the end, I think this book was just an okay read for me. It was fine, but nothing actually stood out to me. Even the relationship between Nina and Sebastian sometimes I found unbelievable: it's like when they get together it seems that everything is going to be fine, but in every romance we know that something must go wrong in order to have the big happy ending at the end of the novel. In this case I found the conflict to be quite pointless and honestly so easily resolved.

I liked the familiar aspect in this novel: the relationship between Sebastian and his sister was the purest, and even if sometimes her ways of trying to get Nina and Sebastian together were a little bit extreme, I think she was one of the only characters that made the novel move a little bit forward.

I'm always a fan of friends to lovers in books, but this felt a bit flat for me. It lacked the angst I usually enjoy in this kind of novels. But if you like sweet stories about friends becoming more and fandom culture I think you could really enjoy this one.

"That's how most people live, right? Get up, go to work, drudgery, drudgery, get paid (not nearly enough), go home, repeat, repeat, repeat, die."

This quote doesn't exactly encapsulate the book in question, but it does explain why I was found cackling through my existential dread during a decidedly dark moment in the story. Because my sense of humor is objectively terrible.

But I digress. The Tash Skilton duo knows how to cook up a cute, clever premise. Here, college friends that built a relationship on mutual TV fandom, reconnect five years later on the set of that very show's reboot. The Hollywood behind-the-scenes was fun and sometimes absurd, which made for an enjoyable read. The interweavings of fandom culture spoke directly to my geeky soul. It showcases the joys and creativity right alongside the foibles and cruel realities.

The characters are well-formed, including their dreams and struggles, their personal and shared histories. Nina's afraid to be head-over-heels for someone and give up emotional control, and Sebastian lives in fear of his friends abandoning him, so he always attempts to give an impossible 110% to feel safe in his relationships. We meet their younger sisters, visit their memories of college, and view their horrific working conditions (relatable).

My stress levels were high as these two friends-to-estranged friends-to-roommates-to-lovers-to
-estranged lovers-to-lovers dated other people, pined, obsessed, and tried to act happy and fine. While I can be all about angst, in this case, it wasn't necessarily a good tension for this reader. There was no romantic content (aside from the aforementioned pining) until the 70% mark, and then things kicked off at 100 mph, only to hit the big crash-and-burn moment at 85% with a brief reunion/heart-eyes moment right at the end to wrap things up. I realize this is complex math, people, but that means we are only graced with about 15% of the book where romance is happening, and to be honest, that's generous, seeing as the red flags started popping up long before the big blowup. As usual, pacing is something I'm very particular about, so it had a strong influence on my perception of the book.

I think if you're looking for a high angst romance between nuanced characters with aspects of fan culture and/or movie magic (?), this book will hit the mark for you, so check it out. Thanks to Kensington and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. It's out 9/7.

Hollywood Ending was such a fun read. Friends to lovers isn't a favorite trope of mine, but this was done so well that you just have to love it. Sebastian and Nina are clearly meant to be from the first time you see them interact, and watching them find their way to each really felt like watching two friends of mine get together. The setting of the reboot of their favorite TV show was a great nod to fandoms and how strongly people can form bonds based on them.
Overall, I definitely recommend reading this one!

Nina and Sebastian were best friends throughout college. One of the things that most closely bonded them was their mutual love for a tv series. However, a misunderstanding at a party leads to the downfall of their friendship and they lose touch for five years.

When Nina and Sebastian are reunited many years later, it's with a reboot of their favorite series at the center. They are each indirectly working on it or with people who are tied to it in some way. So, you can say that it brings their friendship back "together" again. But are unsaid words and thoughts lying just under the surface waiting to send their fragile friendship into another tailspin? Does one of them want more than friendship? Do both of them? Are they willing to risk the friendship they just found again for something that may not work out and could ultimately cost them everything? Can they find their "Hollywood Ending?"

Hollywood Ending was a cute rom-com which was mostly light and fluffy. Nina and Sebastian do both have some insecurities and misconceptions about life and their place in it that definitely impact their relationships. But other than that, most of the story isn't at all heavy - - it's light-hearted, fun and sweet.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

Was I hooked by that book? Yes and no. The first half was super frustrating, but it had a different twist towards the end that made the story more real.

Sebastian and Nina bonded in college through a mutual love and devotion to the show Castles of Rust and Bones. But when the series ended, so did their friendship. Five years later they are reunited again by the resurrection of the show, to which they both have contact because of their professional lives.

It was absolute torture watching Nina and Sebastian be just friends while both wanted more. All because of a very unlucky incident at a party.

Okay, I admit, I wasn't too enthusiastic about another only-friends story. But this one has some interesting twists and turns and about two-thirds through I was suddenly a lot more invested in Nina and Sebastian getting together. These two are just regular, insecure people, like most of us. And they had to figure out where they fit in their own skin before they could figure out how they'd fit together. It all turned out pretty good in the end.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I want to fist say thank you to the author and NetGalley for giving me the eARC. Este libro es un romcom super cute Sebastian y Nina Han sido amigos por años el libro es un friends to lovers y al mismo tiempo tiene su lado súper funny que hace al libro todavía mejor. El libro se sintió un poco predecible pero nada que dañe al libro. Me encanto ver el punto de vista del tipo y ver sus pensamientos. Este libro tiene personajes que son buenos y fuerte y te hacen sentir todo lo que está pasando en el libro.

I really enjoyed Sarah Skilton’s story from the Summer in the City anthology, so I was curious about this book that she co-authored with Sarvenaz Tash. It’s a delightfully tropey second-chance, friends-to-lovers romance, all set amongst a TV show in Hollywood.

“If I don’t recognize this for the reboot that it is, then I deserve to have my imaginary Writers Guild membership revoked.”


Nina and Sebastian were best friends for four years in college, bonded by their love of the hit show Castles of Rust and Bone. But in a plot twist worthy of the show, Sebastian has a secret: he’s nursed a crush on Nina from the beginning. Sebastian was afraid of confessing his crush for fear of ruining their friendship, but with college ending, he knows he needs to make a move. But in another surprise twist, their relationship ended suddenly on the night of the season finale before he had a chance to confess, and they haven’t spoken for five years – until they run into each other on the set of the reboot of their favorite show. Is this a chance to reboot their relationship as well?

“I can’t help thinking that if the show gets it right this time around, it could heal more than just my broken fandom heart.”


Nina’s a fun character. Newly arrived to LA, she’s already got a boyfriend (her airport Uber driver, no less) and a promotion (maybe?) to social media manager for the streaming company who’s rebooting the show. Seeing Sebastian feels exactly like a second chance at their friendship. Sebastian’s got a job as an assistant to the producer, which basically means driving around and doing whatever she wants him to do. Sebastian is afraid of not belonging, of losing his friends. He didn’t really have any before college, and he thinks if he stops doin things for them – cooking, buying groceries – they’ll stop being friends with him. This second chance at a friendship with Nina is too precious to waste on the off-chance they could be a couple. After all, Nina’s never dated anyone for more than four months, and Sebastian doesn’t want to lose her again. But when Nina ends up rooming with him when she can’t put up with her insane roommate (leeches and bees and the next yoni egg, oh my) any longer, keeping things platonic is harder than ever – for both of them.

“A knight always keeps his word.”
I grin. “You’re only a knight on the streets,” I quote back the next line. Sebastian’s eyes open and he turns his head.
We’re staring at each other when we say, at the exact same time, “But a freak in the sheets.”
We’re both grinning. Not a real line from the show, of course, but exactly what we turned and said to each other simultaneously seven years ago, watching that scene from the common room couch.”


Why Nina and Sebastian’s relationship fell apart is something that’s gradually revealed to the reader as the book progresses. Their friendship is deeply tied into their love of the Game-of-Thrones-like show, down to quoting random lines or finishing each other’s sentences or just debating which couple is the OTP. Someone who’s more familiar with Game of Thrones might enjoy the constant references to show trivia more amusing; I have some superficial knowledge (I read 1.5 of the books before throwing in the towel) but not enough to really get it. It did sometimes feel like the only way they could interact was through that shared interest, to the exclusion of everyone else in their lives, including the reader. On top of that, a good portion of the book is spent with them both thinking the other isn’t interested, so while there’s lots of mutual pining, there’s not a ton of on-page relationship.

But while I could’ve used more of their relationship, it’s also very funny. Nina’s roommate is a hoot, and I adored Sebastian’s sister, Millie, whose fandom appears to be shipping Nina and Sebastian, as well as Nina’s straight-speaking social media maven, Sayeh. There was enough behind-the-scenes hijinks (between cake mix, actual cakes, and more than one goat) to keep me giggling, and the characters’ reactions to each further indignity had me laughing. The plot is very predictable, though that is used in an interesting way. There’s a lot of purposeful parallels between their college life and present day life, and it was entertaining to see them try not to make the same mistakes again.

Overall, I’d give this 3.5 stars. It’s cute and silly, and based on the humor and writing style, I’d give this author duo another try.

I received an advance review copy of this book from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I absolutely loved Tash Skilton collaboration on their first novel Ghosting. So it was no surprise that I thoroughly enjoyed their second just as much. The book came together so seamlessly had I not known which author wrote which character I would be hard pressed to tell. Each author brought her own unique writing style and experiences to the character. Giving Nina's sister a Farsi name showed Tash's heritage. And Sebastian's quirks showed Skilton's writing style by his similarities to her previous characters. I look forward to more collaborations and solo work from these authors.

Thank you to the author, Kensington Books and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a quick and cute read of the friends-to-lovers genre, with a few extra wrinkles such as extreme TV series-fandom and meeting again in Hollywood, where both have managed to get jobs on the fringes of a reboot of the TV series. Of course both are oblivious to the other's attraction to them, and both have awkwardness resulting from their past/family. The story didn't always flow very smoothly - might be the result of multiple authors - and some of the UK elements were very wrong (e.g. distance in km - should be miles - and boys playing netball, some language issues). The Hollywood aspects definitely rang truer, and overall this was a satisfying read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for an advanced electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Sebastian and Nina were best friends throughout college, connected by their mutual love of the show "Castles of Rust and Bone." They went their separate ways at the end of senior year, but 5 years later, the show brings them back together as both of them have jobs connected to the reboot. Will they finally become more than friends?

Though there were some predictable moments, there were also a few surprises. This book was cute and fun!

My Thoughts
Longtime college friends Nina and Sebastian , whose relationship fractured five years ago, reunited and finally getting a second chance to be together as more than just platonic best friends.

As just friends Nina and Sebastians relationship could not have been more perfect when they were in college together.

One night is all it took to set the inseparable pair on separate paths right before graduation. An unfortunate, on Sebastians part, move on the wrong pair of female lips and what was thought to be an unbreakable bond breaks for Nina when she witnesses it.

Five years pass and both are hired to work in different capacities on the soon to be rebooted show which brought them together, Castles of Rust and Bone.

Funny thing how when Nina and Sebastian find themselves together again as work colleagues then shortly thereafter falling back into their friendship with each other like no time has passed at all.

Thanks to certain circumstances repeating themselves the friendship is almost derailed before it gets off the ground again, as is any long term blossoming romance between Nina and Sebastian.

Finding out whether these perfect for each other people stay together after all is part and parcel of what makes this rom-com a second chance romance that is rather unique in it’s execution.

[EArc from Netgalley]

On every book read as soon as it is done and written up for review it is posted on Goodreads and Netgalley, once released then posted on Amazon, Barnes and Nobles as well.

Nina and Sebastian are best friends and super fans of a game of thrones esq. television show. But as seniors in college, the show gets canceled and a relationship forms breaking up their friendship. Fast forward 5 years, both living in California and working for the reboot of their favorite show they run into each other in the parking lot and realize how much they miss each other and pick up right where they left off. While their picture perfect lives look great from the outside, on the inside both start wondering if working for a show you're a fan of isn't as great as it sounds and the feelings their old selves had for each other are both at the forefront. Can they get together almost 10 years later? Or will the relationship ruin their friendship forever.

This book was super cute and funny. The secondary characters were quirky and interesting. I related super hard to Sebastian's character flaws of people pleasing and bribing his friends. And Nina's character flaws of not deserving love was also very relevant and relatable. You want to shake Nina and Sebastian and different points at the book and yell OPEN YOUR EYES! Overall this was an enjoyable book, lighthearted and dreamy if you ever wanted to live in LA.

Can Nina and Sebastian rekindle their friendship?

Nina Shams and Sebastian Worthington bonded over their love for Castles of Rust and Bone (CoRaB), but it never went any further because Sebastian didn’t want to lose her friendship if they broke up. But the friendship ended when everything went wrong during their end of season party for CoRaB when Sebastian kissed another girl.

But five years later they run into each other on the set of the reboot of CoRaB, but can they rebuild their friendship now they were out of college, or could it change to romance?

Nina and Sebastian go from friends to enemies and back again before realizing that they can kiss a friend with the friendship never dying with so many missed opportunities!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Sebastian and Nina have been crushing on one another for years- but they've never fessed up. They broke up, as it were, when the tv show they used as an excuse was cancelled, and went their separate ways. Now, five years later, they're both low level employees in Hollywood and well, they're back in each other's orbit. She's in social media and he's a production assistant on a new show. Can they get together this time around? You know they will from the start of this fun read so go along for the entertaining look at their lives and work (as well as the relationship). Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

Calling all nerds and television junkies, this book is a fun adventure for you! Tash Skilton - better known as the writing duo Sarah Skilton and Sarvenaz Tash - have written a friends-to-lovers coming of age story that includes fandoms, nerds and a Hollywood love story. It’s a quirky, fun read with a great group of characters and an interesting journey that everyone goes on in order to find themselves while finding the one they love.

Nina and Sebastian met in college and became the best of friends while bonding over the biggest television show at the time - Castles of Rust and Bone. They finished each other’s sentences, they knew what the other was thinking and the whole time, they harbored intense feelings for one another. But neither of them realised that. Not so surprising that everyone else around them knew about these feelings, but didn’t want to get involved - because isn’t that what friends do? But when one slip-up derails the course of their friendship and any hope for romance, Nina and Sebastian are ripped apart and don’t see each other again. Till five years later.

I really enjoyed this book! There were more than a few laugh out loud moments, lots of cringing because friends are sometimes the worst and a lot of swooning because these characters have so much history! Plus, I’m a big fan of fandoms (even if I never want to be in one again) and I like seeing how deep people get with their fandom love and hate and the wars and fights. It’s a whole other world that none of us can even process fully! I also really enjoyed seeing these two friends reconnect, because it’s always bittersweet to suddenly be facing the person you once loved and have complicated feelings for now.

While the book is about these characters and them falling in love (we’ll get to that in a minute), I liked the look we got into their lives outside of each other. They have their other friends, they have their fancy Hollywood jobs and they also finally have the show that brought them together back in their lives - and it’s so much fun to watch all of that unfold. Whether or not these are things that actually happen in Hollywood wasn’t even a concern for me, because I was captivated by Sebastian getting a briefcase handcuffed to his wrist every day and Nina having to deal with the actors while handling their social media.

Nina and Sebastian’s romance is a slow burn - there’s a lot of pining and staring and waiting for the perfect moment, but I love that the people who help them get there are their siblings. Having so many years and time together from the past, Nina and Sebastian fall into the relationship quickly once they take that step and it’s great to watch them navigate going from friends to being more. I love best friends to lovers for this reason, they know exactly how the other works and they do just what they both need. All of it together made for a really interesting relationship that I enjoyed watching unfold. I also liked how involved their friends and families get when it comes to the relationship, that really makes for an interesting combination of people.

All in all, Hollywood Ending was a fun read. It definitely made me curious about Task Skilton’s other books!

I really enjoyed this second novel by writing duo Tash Skilton, after loving Ghosting last year. Friends-to-lovers stories can be challenging for me, as I keep wanting to scream "Just tell her/him already!", but Hollywood Ending takes that trope and goes beyond it, delving into issues of making a relationship actually work. It also goes into relationships with family and friends, and I was there for all of it. I also enjoyed the setting in the LA entertainment world, and the tv show tell-all aspects of the book. I look forward to reading what they write next! Thanks to Netgalley and Kensington Books for the advance digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Nina and Sebastian met in college over their shared love of their favorite fantasy television show (CoRaB). By graduation, they're both hiding romantic feelings towards one another on the grounds that they're preserving their friendship--until something else entirely separates them for five years. Now they both find themselves living in LA and working on the reboot of CoRaB. ⁠
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Nina and Sebastian are characters that instantly click on page. The author's did an incredible job describing the minutia of their reactions. Small gestures that built this world entirely made up of them.⁠
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I don't even need to say it--but I will--there was so much tension. I liked that this book took an unconventional path with their friendship and relationship. I believed the drama and the character development. I might have liked to see Nina work through her issues a little bit more but I still felt there was a satisfying conclusion.⁠
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What sets this book apart for me is that the side characters are just as memorable--the meddling sisters, horrible bosses and roommates, and lets not forget the fandom. I think its safe to say I won't be forgetting this book anytime soon.⁠
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Thank you to @Netgalley and @Kensingtonbooks for this eARC. Hollywood Ending is out on August 31 and you can pre-order your copy now!

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for letting me read an e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to like this book but unfortunately I didn’t enjoy it for a number of reasons. Firstly, I found the writing to be quite clunky at times and the pacing just didn’t really work for me. I also noticed quite a few grammatical errors (e.g using ‘were’ where ‘was’ ought to be used) which just made me feel like the book would’ve benefitted from a bit more editing.

The main reason for me not enjoying the book was that I really felt a lack of chemistry between the characters. Obviously I am outnumbered here by people who loved the book and the characters, so it may be a me problem rather than an issue with the book, but I just really didn’t feel a genuine connection between Nina and Sebastian existed beyond their mutual interest in the show they both love. The book is full of romance cliches (e.g. forced to share a bed; one character bandages another’s wound) which normally I actually quite enjoy in romance novels, however in this case because I felt there was a lack of chemistry these cliches fell flat for me. By the third act conflict I think I had pretty much mentally checked out of this book, so it felt like it really dragged.

One final more personal gripe, there were few mistakes about the UK which just irritated me as a native Brit. For instance, Sebastian reminisces about happy memories playing netball as a child in England, but netball is treated as a girls sport here and it is actually incredibly uncommon for boys to play netball (so much so that I have never heard of boys playing netball before reading this book). Another simple mistake is that Nina thinks Sebastian will think about driven distances in Kilometres, but we actually use Miles here to measure distance (it’s pretty much the only thing we still measure with the imperial system)! Obviously these are not big issues but there were just a number of instances like this which made me want to mention it.