⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

• first of all... this cover 😍
• fake dating meets angsty romance
• flawed yet likeable characters

This book isn't a fluff romance... lots of depth and tough internal battles here. You love to see the character growth. If you're looking for a contemporary romance that is raw and real, read this!

🗣️ Thank you to @netgalley and @penguinrandomhouse for the opportunity to read and review this book via gifted eARC! All opinions are honest and my own.

I loved this book and found it so delightful! I am a huge fan of the fake dating trope and while not usually a grumpy/sunshine fan, this book won me over super quick! It was well written and supremely sweet, with great writing and fleshed out, thoughtful, characters. I found the romance between Grey and and Ethan very realistic, even given such a not-so-realistic storyline. I definitely will pick up more books by Ava Wilder in the future - she has a lifelong fan in me :)

4 star - Perfect Beach Read!

Grey Brooks is trying to make the transition from teen star to Hollywood leading lady.
Ethan Atkins is a movie superstar whose career (and marriage) took a nosedive after the death of his best friend.
Both of them need a boost, so their publicist arranges a fake relationship to get their names in the news. The plan works - a little too well.

This was such a fun read! It's not all light - Ethan is dealing with some serious issues. But, it's a fun backstage look at Hollywood and the downfalls of fame. It would be perfect for poolside, with a cocktail.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the opportunity to read a digital ARC in return for an honest review!

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This was really, really good. I’m not a huge fan of romance, so it takes a lot for me to enjoy them. This had likable characters, believable dialogue and storylines (once you get past the whole actors and beards thing, which I wouldn’t know about anyway), and none of those stupid conflicts due to miscommunication. The characters had depth, their backgrounds felt grounded in reality, and the author dealt with Ethan and his grief in a really gentle way as well. Great debut novel from an author I’d definitely read from again!

OH THIS BOOK!!! I immediately had to buy a hard copy after reading this because I loved it. I think this book deserves all the hype it already has. Loved the story and the characters.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

This book started strong, I was hooked at the start. It got VERY steamy about 30-40% through, which definitely was important to the plot (no spoilers), however, it still felt like it came out of no where and turned up in heat. The main characters were fleshed out nicely in details, however, wish I knew more of the adjacent to main characters a little better. I like a happy ending as much as the next person, but it just felt like it wrapped up ever so nicely for the main characters, a little too polished for me.

I love the concept of fake relationship between two people trying to clean up their reputation, but this one was not for me. I am not a fan an age gap romances at all. The usual younger heroine paints an immature picture to me. For me Ethan's character seemed to be too serious for a light hearted romantic comedy, but I also did not finish reading since it was kind of dry to me. Very possible for me to love the book if I finish, but for now I am ambivalent.

How to Fake It in Hollywood by Ava Wilder is a romance about two hollywood stars trying to put some spice back into their careers.

Meet Grey Brooks. A former teen soap actress, she is trying to establish her career as an adult. In order to do this she is set up with former star Ethan Atkins, who's been MIA since the death of his best friend Sam a few years ago.

If celebrity dating is a romance trope, sign me up. What I loved about this is that when Grey and Ethan were first set up they were both trying to play it cool but were actually really into one another. I was actually really enjoying the book until Sh*t Hit the Fan moment #`1. After the two made it through that moment (not a spoiler since we were only 60% into the book), I started getting...tense. To the author's credit, I think this is exactly what she wanted her reader to feel.

This is a "light" romance until that 60% point when things get more real. Alcoholism is a major premise of this book and for a while it bothered me that I thought we were all just ignoring it. I'm glad it was addressed but think it could have been a little bit sooner.

Everything in this book does wrap up nicely for the Happily Ever After moment I would just say there's a major shift from steamy romance to more complex drama in the second half. Overall I would recommend it as a page turning summer romance read!

Though the writing was easy to consume, this was ultimately not for me. I can see how others would like it though! I went into this thinking it would be a light, funny rom-com, but there was a lot more life than romance for me. I also felt like the main couple did not have any chemistry and did not feel excited to find out what was next between them. Chemistry between main love interests drives the book for me!

I have never been as invested in someone else's relationship as I was with this one. That said, I didn't like it. I had a hard time with both of these characters, but I was so so interested in what was going to happen. This is a page turner for sure and I would recommend for anyone that's interested in Hollywood relationships.

Thank you NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book, but the title and cover image are misleading. This is not a light and fluffy rom-com. It is, however a thoughtful love story with great character development. Don't get me wrong, there is definitely some fun banter and a cute enemies to lovers trope, but there is just so.much.more. Facing your demons, addiction, grief and lots of personal growth and development round out this story. It's hard to put down and definitely a great read!

How to Fake it in Hollywood is a celeb romance between two actors, Grey and Ethan, who have to fake date in a mutual beneficial set up to help one of them improve their reputation and the other get more famous. Despite what the title, cover and blurb might imply this is not a lighthearted romance. While it wasn't what I expected, and I wasn't a big fan of the romance, I did enjoy reading the book for its writing and emotions. I'd recommend it for those looking for something a bit deeper in their romance books.

The deep emotions in this book are handled very well. The topics are not what you usually see in a romance (alcoholism, death of a friend), and they're not handled lightly. Ethan's struggles are especially hard to read because his emotions feel so raw and real. I also really appreciated the importance that therapy is given in this book. And that therapy is not some spell that fixes everything; it's hard work, it's a process.

Beyond the emotions, The characters were very well established. I didn't necessarily love them but they were three dimensional characters, with lots of flaws and inner conflicts. It helped that such serious topics were handled with these nuanced characters. While I didn't love the main characters as much, I did love many of the side characters! Grey's agent, her best friend, Ethan's ex-wife. I especially loved the best friend Kamilah and her work/relationship with Andromeda, I could read a book just about Andromeda and Kamilah's romance.

One issue I had with the book was that I initially I didn't get why they liked each other. And then once their relationship grew, it was so unhealthy that I just didn't see how they were going to be happy together. Their personal issues overshadowed the romance in a way where I was more interested in them healing separately rather than together. However despite my doubts, the final resolution felt like a healthy way for them to come together as a couple.

Finally, I didn't like that so many people around Ethan kind of ignored the fact that he was an alcoholic. They gave him shit about it but they didn't try helping him in any way, or verbalizing what his issues were. This includes people who supposedly genuinely love him. While I can appreciate that it's not an easy topic to broach, it made it feel like the people around him, including Grey, didn't really care about him in a deep way.

Overall, I liked this book a lot more for its handling of emotions and showing how two broken people can come together, and push each other to be better than the romance itself, but I did really appreciate how it handled it all the deeper topics.

Got around to reading this ARC a little late (just a couple weeks past its pub date), but I'm so glad I did! As the co-host of an Ethan Hawke podcast (shameless plug - go listen to Hawkeyes wherever podcasts are available!), there are a few things that are hard not to take note of with the male lead in this book, Ethan Atkins. One, his first name. Two, the movie star meets independent film star. Three, the relationship he had with a best friend and ex-wife where they all made a series of movies together over a decade (see Uma Thurman and Robert Sean Leonard in the last 90s/early 2000s). Four, the two kids he shares with his ex-wife. Of course there's also a strong Ben Affleck energy to this character, but I digress!

Anyhoo, all of the Ethan Hawke of it aside, I had a great time reading this book! I thought both characters were so clear and dimensional (maybe Grey, especially) and I always love a good fake dating storyline. What I really liked about this particular instance of fake dating was that while there was insecurity about one person being in the ultimately real relationship strictly for their career - it wasn't just that. I'll leave it at that to avoid including spoilers in this review, but I do think it subverts the trope in an interesting way.

I also think it would have been really easy to end the book at a certain point (again no spoilers!) but Wilder chooses to continue the story and give the characters a different, more difficult resolution and I really loved that choice!

Thanks to Ballantine and NetGalley for the ARC!

4.5 stars. How to Fake It in Hollywood is such a good summer contemporary romance book! A lot of the romance books I’ve been picking up lately have been cheesy and cringey. How to Fake It in Hollywood was a breath of fresh air by having real, dynamic characters. I really enjoyed this book!

This is a funny, raw, hard-hitting, emotional, and entertaining book about the behind the scenes of relationships in Hollywood. There was never a dull moment and I'm so glad I was able to read this book in exchange for a honest review.

Grey and Ethan were both charming in their own way and their chemistry was off the charts. I enjoyed seeing the push and pull of their relationship, even though it was supposed to be fake. They had an understanding of each other and a respect for each other that helped them grow throughout the story.

I caught myself smiling and laughing throughout because of both of their dry senses of humor. The side characters in this story were great too. Definitely saw some strong and dominant women taking over the Hollywood scene in this story.

Don't go into this story thinking it's a light-hearted romance, because it dives into alcoholism, drug usage and describes abusive situations between parents and children. This book also dives into mental health and is therapy positive!

Definitely pick this up if you're looking for a romance that will heat you up and make you laugh, and possibly cry at times!

What a fabulous debut! I flew through this book and would like the movie version now please. Grey and Ethan are wonderfully drawn characters with amazing chemistry. I loved that this book didn't shy away from the dark side of fame and the struggles they both went through. Honestly, I love when characters just TALK on the page. and these two are so, so fun. Anyway, great read. Highly recommend. I can't wait to read the author's next book!

This book surprised me, I thought I was just going to read an enemy to lovers rom com. However, this book is so much more, its grief, addiction and finding who you truly are.

Both Grey and Ethan had attraction right from the start, but both had unresolved issues so it teetered on a love that could be broken.

I love the authors writing and how it flowed perfectly, I didn't want it to end I wanted more from Ethan and Grey.

Thank you to NetGalley for gifting me this book for my honest review.

Well this was a big letdown. I had high hopes for this one, but it was not for me. Don’t get me wrong, I loved this book and the characters for about half the book. I thought I connected with them and then around halfway through, these characters went completely off script from what I perceived them to be. Their habits and moods started to seem out of character & I did not feel like the story was cohesive anymore. I probably should have DNF’d when this happened for me, but I pushed through and it was bleh. 2.5 stars purely for the first half of the book.

This book really took me by surprise!! I expected to enjoy it since the concept seemed a bit like Funny You Should Ask, which I loved, but it really went above my expectations.

I definitely got A Star Is Born vibes in the last third of this story with the relationship dynamic that developed, but not as violently if you know what I mean. I will be recommending this book to LOTS of fellow readers especially if you enjoy fake dating and hollywood romances.

A stranger to lovers forced proximity story that makes your heart flutter with how well Grey and Ethan got along from the beginning. They have their ups and downs but the angst to see them finally getting along was a bit intense. They both had a lot to work on individually, many things that resurfaced once they met, but some things were a bit too repetitive for me. I understand their struggles and how they might take one step forward and two steps back but I think it was stretched out a bit too much. Overall it was a good story to give you the feels and have you wanting to know more about their relationship.