I adore the fake dating trope especially combined with forced proximity. This one has both. It's also a celebrity romance. Grey is trying to keep her career alive. Ethan, a former A-lister, wants to make one more movie and needs to come out of his self-imposed isolation. They make a deal (contracts and everything) and, despite themselves and their own personal demons, they fall for each other. It's not an easy fall or an easy romance. There's grief and addiction along with regret. It gave me some of the same vibes as the movie A Star is Born (but with a different ending). It is a romance so you know there's going to be a HEA, but boy was it a journey to get there. This felt authentic and hard. It was worth reading and experiencing all they were feeling. I recommend, but know that this has some serious themes.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy. All opinions are my own.

I am not a fan of celebrity romance and this was a bit cringe for me but I wouldn't say it is an entire cringe cringe. But good enough cringe if that makes sense

Thank-you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the chance to review this ARC.

I was not expecting this book. Like I feel like I got more than I bargained for but in the best way!

Grey and Ethan I loved them!

I loved the writing style here, and how real and raw the characters felt.

I’m a sucker for fake dating stories and as a teenager, I was super obsessed with People magazine and reading all about celebrities and their lives. This book is really the best of both of those worlds, but with a lot more serious content than I was expecting.

Grey, a B list star, and Ethan, an A list star who hasn’t been out in years, agree on a mutually beneficial setup from their agents. They’ll get some buzz as a couple, it will help both their careers. Despite Ethan’s very prickly personality, they catch feelings. But that’s not the end of this story. They face a lot of battles as a couple - Grey’s hesitancy to trust, Ethan’s guilt over the death of a friend and his alcoholism.

This was a fun and sometimes spicy read that delved into much more serious issues than I had expected, but I enjoyed the candor and the lack of an immediate happily ever after as soon as they admitted feelings.

This book is a 4.5 for me. This book shows you a little bit of the struggles actors and actresses like Grey and Ethan may go through. From the first time they met, you could feel the tension between Grey and Ethan and I knew they couldn’t hold in their feelings and sexual desires for too long. They both had their own personal struggle that they tried to get through together but we all know they need to handle them alone. This book really pulled at my heartstrings and I recommend that all readers read this book at least once.

Eh. This trope is overdone. Why is it always a hollywood person meeting a normal person and suddenly their world is changed? The story was fine, but it isn't a trope I enjoyed reading.

First, I loved this beautiful cover art! It's what originally drew me into wanting to read this book. The story did not disappoint! This book was perfect. I absolutely loved Gray and Ethan. Can't wait to read more by Ava Wilder!

This wasn’t really on my radar….. Until I started seeing so many people talking about it. And then of course, I had to find out about it too. I will say this tho…. I will no longer be using Goodreads as my main book tracking app/site. I had no idea this had one of my biggest triggers in it.

Like I said this has one of my biggest triggers in it. Drug abuse. I’ve said why time and time again, and i don’t want to say it again. And because there’s no clear space on Goodreads for TW/CW, most people have put them on their review (which I don’t read until I’ve written my own so there’s no way I can be influenced on what I think about it ), or they might place a spoiler alert on it. Which doesn’t work for someone like me. I don’t like spoilers or any kind, so I would never click on that. Because of that, I missed them entirely. Normally when people say this is heavy or whatever, I would check on Storygraph, but for whatever reason I never thought it would be THIS. So I didn’t. And it cost me. I found myself anxious and stressed about their recovery and so so sad for the people they left behind. It took me a good while to remove myself from the situation and remember that it was a book and not what happened to my uncle and cousin. Once I realized I was spiraling, I realized it was my fault. I shouldn’t have let my guard down and assumed that it meant sad in another way. But then I also thought it was the author’s fault for not including a TW page. Obviously I was still spiraling but whatever lol

Other than that, I thought it was ok. Y’all know fake dating is my jam. It’s actually the reason I wanted to read this. I saw that people were saying it was heavy, but because it was fake dating, I was thinking heavy was concerning the dating part. (Definitely not.) The romance was cute also. It started off with what I thought was some elements of enemies to lovers, but now on the other side of this, it seemed like the fighting only started when they were still fighting their addiction. But once they finally got it together, it worked. And I was happy for them. They turned out to be what the other needed. Not savior wise, but really like they needed each other. It was sad and heartbreaking and not at all what I thought I was going to get from the cover.

Though I enjoyed this one and the angst, I could have done without the triggers. I now know better than to trust the cover and the just assuming triggers. Definitely something I will think about more when I think of picking up another book by Wilder. Solid debut, but I will be more wary of their next one.

4.25 stars! i was thoroughly surprised with this book and really liked it, which i thought i would!

grey and ethan were both such likable characters even when i didn’t want to. they were kind and wanted the best for themselves and the ones they loved but were dealing with their own demons. the synopsis had interested me but i was nervous it would let me down but it didn’t! truthfully, i did think it would be a little lighter in topic but the issues written about were handled well and not just fixed with easy solutions.

without giving too much away, there’s always simple love cures all solutions in books especially when dealing with issues discussed in this book and i’m glad it wasn’t. it was still light enough to be a romance so pleasw don’t look to this book like it has deep, intensive solutions. i just thought it was heavier than most romcoms but still in a tasteful way.

grey and ethan’s characters were ones i enjoyed reading. they were kind and multifaceted and lovable despite everything. tbh i was getting sort of a weird vibe from nora but that’s neither here nor there.

anyway! i liked this one and i probably will be buying my own copy! thanks netgalley and the publisher for sending this my way in return for an honest review.

I wasn’t a huge fan of this one. The way in which alcoholism was portrayed felt really … incomplete? I was telling someone i feel like people either LOVE this one or love funny you should ask & fysa is my top read of 2022 so far

𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 4.5/5⭐️⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
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𝗪𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲𝐞𝐝: Y’all know I love a fake dating trope, and this one had the perfect premise—Grey and Ethan had to sign a contract with their agents to boost both of their images. I honestly could see two real celebrities being in the exact same situation, so right off the bat it was believable. Factor in the dual POVs and the palpable tension between these two characters, and you’ve got me hooked.

The inclusion of Ethan’s ex-wife and his two daughters was something I didn’t expect to love so much. Not only did Wilder give us two co-parents who get along well, but we got an ex-wife and a girlfriend who also see eye-to-eye; plus all three of them had actual mature adult conversations. This is a POV that I don’t feel is represented enough for the sake of prioritizing drama, so it was really refreshing and enjoyable to read.

I also really enjoyed a lot of the themes that were explored, some more directly than others. Discussions of addiction, family estrangement, mental illness, being thrust into the public eye, invasions of privacy (by fans and paparazzi), double standards across gender lines, grief, loss, and guilt. It was all handled so seamlessly and, thinking back, there really was a lot packed into the pages.
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𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞: I waffled between 4 or 4.5 on this one for a while, and ultimately went higher because I do think this one will stick with me. This book explores really difficult topics like addiction, grief, and alcoholism; and I did not expect it to be as heavy as it was, but I thought it was all handled very well. I think my one qualm is that, while I appreciate that Ethan’s character sought help and treatment, I wanted to see more of the after. The ending just felt a bit like a quick and rushed resolution.

I ADORED THIS BOOK. I went into it knowing that I was probably going to really like it because I am a huge sucker for celebrity romances, but it totally blew my expectations out of the water! The characters had so much depth and nuance, without being bogged down by melodrama or too much angst. I loved it and will absolutely be reading anything Ava writes in the future!!!

I’m impressed by the complexity of this book.

Ethan Atkinson is a major Hollywood star with a messy history who is trying to get back some credibility. Grey brooks has reached a plateau in her acting career. They agree to fake date each other for publicity and added recognition.

The first half is the classic lovey-dovey, falling for each other, fake dating trope and the second half is a dramatic reality hit. I love that this is not all sunshine and rainbows and shows how real humans struggle sometimes.

Celebrity romances don’t usually work for me but this one is very different. The characters come off as genuine and human.

Thank you so much to Random House- Ballantine and Netgalley for letting me read an eARC of How to Fake it in Hollywood. I loved the cover of this one and the summary was super interesting too, so I was really excited to read it!
How to Fake it In Hollywood 4/5 Stars
Summary from Goodreads:
A talented Hollywood starlet and a reclusive A-lister enter into a fake relationship . . . and discover that their feelings might be more than a PR stunt in this sexy debut for fans of Beach Read and The Unhoneymooners.
Grey Brooks is on a mission to keep her career afloat now that the end of her long-running teen soap has her (unsuccessfully) pounding the pavement again. With a life-changing role on the line, she's finally desperate enough to agree to her publicist's scheme... faking a love affair with a disgraced Hollywood heartthrob who needs the publicity, but for very different reasons.
Ethan Atkins just wants to be left alone. Between his high-profile divorce, his struggles with drinking, and his grief over the death of his longtime creative partner and best friend, he's slowly let himself fade into the background. But if he ever wants to produce the last movie he and his partner wrote together, Ethan needs to clean up his reputation and step back into the spotlight. A gossip-inducing affair with a gorgeous actress might be just the ticket, even if it's the last thing he wants to do.
Though their juicy public relationship is less than perfect behind the scenes, it doesn't take long before Grey and Ethan's sizzling chemistry starts to feel like more than just an act. But after decades in a ruthless industry that requires bulletproof emotional armor to survive, are they too used to faking it to open themselves up to the real thing?
This book was way less of a romance and way more of a thinking book, but I enjoyed it so much! I always love the fake dating trope and the fact that Grey and Ethan were so different made it even more enjoyable. I think as soon as their relationship began getting toxic, it became really obvious how much Ethan had to heal still and how much Grey could grow, but if they both did that, you could see that they had something there that could grow and be amazing. I really enjoyed the pacing, plot, and characters in this book and I definitely recommend it, but don't be fooled by the fun cover, it's definitely a heavier book than it looks, so be aware of that going in.

Link to be added once posed

Absolutely divine! I am shocked by how much I loved this one. Romance is a hard 5 stars for me but this was it-100%. I loved Grey and Ethan- alone and apart and all of the side characters just added such a great fleshed out work to inhabit with them.

I think it must be noted that this is all not light hearted and sweet. Does it have an adorable fake dating and age gap tropes? Absolutely but it more importantly faces death and addiction and inner demons and the cost of fame. It was very powerful and applicable within the realm of the story. Most of the drama made sense and was applicable which I think can be challenging in a Hollywood based story.

Also did I mention hot? There is some high quality smut in this book and it did not disappoint at all. I was thrilled- and definitely need to be taking my own Palm Springs trip now.

A great one by Ava Wilder and I look forward to seeing what she releases next. Thank you Penguin and Netgalley for the advanced copy. This was such a gem!

This was just OK.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for my advanced copy of How to Fake It in Hollywood.

Things I Enjoyed-

✨ The Audio- This book had two narrators. Thérèse Plummer & Andrew Eiden. I enjoy multiple narrators when there are multiple POV's. Both Thérèse and Andrew did a great job.

✨ The Writing- This book was super easy to follow.

Why This Book Lost Stars-

I wasn't particularly invested.
There was zero chemistry between the characters and I didn't really believe they were in love.
I wanted more plot and more drama.
I expected so much more entertainment than what this book delivered.

Overall- I'll still give this author another try.

Incredibly fleshed out, emotional, and romantic story with fake dating in hollywood as the perfect backdrop.

I was expecting this to be a light romcom, but wow. It was so much deeper than that. This book dealt with some heavy topics including addiction and grief. I love a good fake relationship troupe, and this definitely hit that craving. There were some fun, steamy parts balanced with heartbreaking drama. I really loved both Grey and Ethan. While this wasn’t what I was expecting when I picked it up, I quite enjoyed it. I believe this is a debut from this author. I can’t wait to see what she writes next.

Bottom Line: Read it!

**I received a copy of How to Fake it in Hollywood from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are of my own.**

I was so grateful to receive an ARC of this book, so much thanks to the publisher and author! While it took me quite a bit to get through this one, it wasn't because I didn't like it; I actually rather enjoyed this one!

We follow Gray, a rising star who started acting as a child and it quickly became her life. We see things from her perspective as well as super star actor, Ethan, which makes for an interesting contrast.

The main plot line is that the two actors wind up "fake dating" in order to improve their reputations. Grey is trying to book more gigs while Ethan is trying to undo the damage of his rather uncouth habits in the wake of his best friend's tragic death.

I have to say, I knew where this was going from the get-go, as the fake dating trope is pretty common. Even though the plot was pretty predictable, the character development was really well done and drew me in. There were also quite a few things I didn't see coming, which is what kept me reading!

I'm all down for a cheesy romance novel, even if I kind of already know how it's going to end, but it's all about the journey! Gray and Ethan's relationship was gritty and real, which I found refreshing and interesting. I also adored the side characters! Wilder really let each of them have their moment to shine & I'd love to read a book based around Grey's best friend Kamilah and her partner, Andromeda!

I gave this one an easy 4 stars! How to Fake It In Hollywood is out now in paperback, audiobook & on Kindle!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

3.5**

I am convinced that this book is compared to Beach Read because based on the synopsis and cover you would assume it is a light, fluffy, & fun romance and it CAN be but there is way more heavy topics in it. I was not expecting nor in the mood for it so it affected my rating a bit however - still pick this up and give it a read! Just be aware.

The believability of the fake dating in this book is on point! I can see so many reason to fake date in Hollywood. I wish the characters has more felt chemistry or angst with the characters. The side characters were awesome and well thought out and I enjoyed the fact that there weren't too many. Grey is strong and 'built tough skin' from being in the spotlight which is shown.

Overall a good debut from the author!