Beach read alert! This book has a little something for everyone - a little drama, some romance, and a fantasy set up in the world of Hollywood stardom. While it wasn’t a hit for me, I get the appeal of attractive people with complicated pasts coming together with steamy scenes thrown in. It was too much of every common trope in a single book - had me rolling my eyes as I read page after page of hot, rich guy needing saving - from himself. I couldn’t get past it. I know I’m in the minority with this opinion! It’s an escape read at its best and what’s wrong with that?! Thanks to Ballantine for the advanced copy!

This was a solid 4 star for me. I loved this book so much. The banter, the honesty, the depiction of addiction and how it effects the people around you. The only thing that really struck a nerve and dropped this down a star was the ending. The entire book I couldn’t put it down but towards the end, I found myself skimming just to get it over with. I felt like after he found out she loved him it fell flat. I don’t know if it was anything in particular. I felt like it just kind of stopped trying to get captivate me. Overall it was a great book and I’d totally read this author again.

This book took me by surprise when I first started reading it. I got hooked without even realizing. This book was more than I expected and I'm so happy I read it. It does go over some sensitive topics for some readers so please check your triggers. Overall, I am so happy with the character growth throughout the book, definitely loved the romance aspect of the book, and I loved how this was in a Hollywood setting.

Grey is going through some struggles, she is currently unemployed, had a recent terrible break up but this all changes when she makes a deal to fake-date Ethan. Ethan has been practically living under a rock, not only did he have a divorce but his best friend has passed away and he cut communication with the outside world. This was definitely a book that you enjoy because of the journey you see the two main characters overcome a lot of situations and you cheer them on. This was a really great read, thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for a honest review.

If you are looking for a light beachy read, choose another book. How to Fake it in Hollywood is a well-written, serious narrative, with some good times sprinkled throughout. It is a hot, sexy read, with characters that experience realtime ups and downs which are easy to identify with.

Grey Brooks has been acting for almost all of her 28 years of life. Her most recent role on a soap opera ended a little less than a year ago, and finding new jobs has been challenging. In order to get her name out there again, her publicist recommends a fake romance with an A-list actor, Ethan Atkins. Ethan used to love life, until his best friend and business partner died. Now he lives a reclusive existence and alcohol is his best friend. Dating Grey should help him move back into the limelight and hopefully grace the silver screen once again. Overtime, Grey and Ethan fall into lust and love. However, their road to happiness is a journey.

I truly liked this book. Author Ava Wilder has created amazing characters and a plot that tugged at my heartstrings. The story grabs you right from the beginning and the emotional journey never lets up. The co-stars of the book are equally as interesting. This is the author's debut novel and I am looking forward to her next book offering.

Complimentary copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley.

Heavy, romantic, steamy, and so, so fulfilling. Truly, this book is not for the faint of heart, especially given that it is about two very messy people who enter into a fake relationship for a PR stunt and then have to confront even more real feelings. But this book tackles so much more — celebrity culture and status, trying to maintain privacy when your career is very public, issues of alcoholism and addiction, and the angst of moving on from personal tragedy in your past. This was a phenomenal debut, and a surprise in so many ways, and ultimately, I'll be looking for more from Wilder in the future.

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

I love the whole fake relationship troupe but I sure hate how Hollywood acts the way it does, if that makes sense. Everything about this book is a realistic situation and I loved it. I fell in love with Grey. She was down to earth and gave Ethan a chance to show her that he's more than the heartthrob that he appears on the screen!

Dual pov
Fake dating
Forced proximity
Dilf😸

Thank you very much to PRHInternational for giving me the opportunity to read this book!!
Now let's start with the review, the book is so addictive that you won't be able to stop reading!
It is a very entertaining story, with characters that you will love as soon as you meet them!
The book grabbed me from the beginning, I never got bored and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I loved that it is not only about the relationship of the protagonists, both protagonists have a personality growth throughout the book, and also the author talks about other issues that were very important in the development of the story.
This book was definitely a roller coaster of emotions!
If you are a fan of the tropes I mentioned above, don't hesitate and go read it right away!! You will not regret!

If you're going to read it, don't forget to check the TW (trigger warnings): alcoholism, death of a relative, grief.
•
Muchísimasss gracias a PRHInternational por darme la oportunidad de leer este libro!!
Ahora sí comencemos con la reseña, el libro es tan adictivo que no podrán parar de leer!! Es una historia muy entretenida, con unos personajes que amaras apenas los conozcas!
El libro me atrapó desde el comienzo, nunca me aburrí y lo disfruté muchísimo.
Amé que no solo se trata sobre la relación de los protagonistas, ambos protagonistas tienen un crecimiento de personalidad a lo largo del libro, y además la autora toca otros temas que fueron muy importantes en el desarrollo de la historia.
Definitivamente este libro fue una montaña rusa de emociones!
Si son fans de los tropes que ya mencioné arriba, no duden y vayan a leerlo inmediatamente!! No te arrepentirás!

Si lo vas a leer, no olvides revisar los TW (trigger warnings): alcoholismo, muerte de un familiar, duelo.

Grey is an actress, struggling to advance her career. Ethan is an established actor with a complicated past. When their mutual publicist suggests a fake romance to advance both of their careers, they agree. But things become more complicated when real feelings evolve.

LOVED this book! How to Fake it In Hollywood is such a great romance read, and was so much more than I expected. I went in expecting a more typical rom-com read with a fluffy plot and was pleasantly surprised with the complexity of Ethan and Grey’s relationship.

What I liked:
- Unique plot
- So many tropes!! (fake dating, enemies to lovers, age gap romance)
- Hilarious banter
- Emotional depth

After reading this book, I’m so excited to see what Ava Wilder comes up with next 🤩 I’d definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a new romance read ❤️

How to Fake it in Hollywood is about a PR relationship between two actors. This contemporary romance was super cute. It had the classic fake dating trope. I love a quick contemporary romance but HATE a third act break up. For that reason I gave it 3.5 stars. The characters banter was fantastic and I loved the pacing.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the Advanced Readers Copy!

Grey is struggling to transition her acting career from a teen soap opera to the big time. Ethan needs to fix his damaged reputation in order to make the movie he wrote with his recently deceased creative partner. The solution? Grey and Ethan need a flashy Hollywood romance to grab the media’s interest. After building their lives on pretend emotions, a fake relationship is no problem. But when real sparks fly, can anything genuine come of it?

This book has all the glamour, drama, gossip, and heart I want in a romance about fictional celebrities! Grey and Ethan have perfect chemistry, and I love how their cynicism plays off of each other into something beautiful and healing. Ava Wilder is a very talented writer, and I can't wait to see what she writes next!

4.5 stars! I loved this one! I knew pretty early on that this book was going to be great and it did not disappoint!

I loved the characters and how much depth each one had. This is way more than your typical fake dating rom com. It dives deeper into more serious issues (check out the content warnings before reading for sure) and the relationship between Grey and Ethan is just so much more real. They deal with real life struggles that so many of us face, while also having to deal with being uber famous and being followed by paparazzi, which I can assume most of us cannot relate to 🤣

I really loved the dual pov. It gave amazing insight into both characters. My only call out would be slight repetition in the fight/make up thing. But that’s literally the only thing I can think of!

So. So. Good. Go read it!

I love good fake-dating and How to Fake it in Hollywood hit the spot! I definitely was expecting more of a light and fluffy summer read but was surprised to see there was a lot more depth to the story. If you're a fan of Emily Henry's books, you should definitely get your hands on this one!

The journey that Grey and Ethans go on together and personally really had me rooting for the both of them. You can't help but want the best for these two characters after learning what they've been through. Their growth and their romance are well-written and I was in my feelings a lot while reading this book. Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

This is a great beach read that you are sure to want to read. Full of juicy romance between two very unlikely characters, a very famous but washed up Heartthrob actor due to his self-destructive addictions and a Hollywood starlet struggling for her next big break. But this relationship between Ethan and Grey is fake, contrived by their publicist to revive their careers and push them out in to the spotlight, making them more relevant and in demand. However, things don’t go as plan as their “business” arrangement turns very personal and real, as much as they both struggle not to go there. But can they make it work? Can they trust each other after living in a world of make believe?
How to Fake it in Hollywood will grab you from the beginning as you follow along on the journey with Ethan and Grey. It’s fun to see them become real with each other and discover how alike they really are. Some steamy parts thrown in with some really sweet moments that are tender. Sensitive subjects are handled well. The author showed how everyone can fall victim to struggles with alcoholism, grief, and disappointment and how it affects those around them. Not your typical rom-com, but a good read that is fast-paced that you don’t want to put down. Grab this for your beach bag and enjoy.

Many thanks to #netgalley #howtofakeitinhollywood #avawilder for the opportunity to read and review this book.

The thing I LOVED about this book is that you start it expecting a cute rom com story of famous love, but instead you get pain, alcoholism and depression. And somehow it still works PERFECTLY.

I love it when romance books take on real life issues, and they show that the couples take on the world together. Obviously everybody wants that HEA, but not all relationships are smooth sailing all the time. And this book was the perfect example of that.

I can’t recommend this one enough!!!! Read it for yourself!

What a great debut novel, and fantastic read by Ava Wilder! How to Fake It in Hollywood tells the story of Grey (a struggling Hollywood starlet) and Ethan (a reclusive Hollywood A-lister) who enter into a fake dating relationship for very different reasons. Ethan and Grey definitely enter into this “relationship” with baggage, and Ethan struggles pretty mightily with some demons in his past in not the most healthy way (substance abuse), but the character development and the real world struggles make you as a reader fall even more in love with both Ethan and Grey.

Fake dating is one of my favorite tropes, and the author added in a couple of other things that I’m always a sucker for…only one bed and taking care of someone when they’re hurt/ill.

If you’re expecting a light-hearted beach read, this definitely isn’t that, but will deliver on having you in all your feelings and rooting for these two flawed people to find their HEA. Definitely one of my top reads of 2022!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book provided to me through NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Ava Wilder and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for giving me the opportunity to read this book!

This book ended up not being what I thought it was going to be. It wasn't bad at all, quite the opposite in fact, but I was expecting a fun light rom com and there was way more angst and drama than I was prepared for. There are also a few things that could use trigger warnings. While the fake dating trope is usually fun, I didn't think it was especially well done here.

As I’ve never been a celebrity watcher and I honestly can’t stand celebrity gossip, I’m not sure what drew me to asking for an ARC of How To Fake It In Hollywood, but I think I was drawn to their situation; two people at very different points in their careers needing to build buzz to get their names out there and move forward. I didn’t expect the depth, the realness, the rawness, and the emotion of this fantastically written, character driven story and found it in impossible to put down.
Grey Brooks is thankful for the career she’s had acting since she was 8 years old, now almost 28 and her long running teen drama out of production for a year she still hasn’t landed new work and she’s beginning to worry that she won’t. She has other things in the work including a screenplay she’s working on with her best friend who is currently touring with the love of her life, but to say Grey is becoming a bit worried is putting it mildly. When her agent and publicist cook up a scheme to get her name out there by having her fake date another celebrity she isn’t too keen on the idea, but finding out that the man they want to set her up with once graced her bedroom walls she decides to take the meeting.
Five years after the death of his best friend and creative partner and three years after his very public divorce all Ethan Adkins wants to do is to be left alone. A problem with alcohol and grief he still wants to get the last script he and his best friend Sam were working on into production and knows he has to come out of his hermit style life to get it done. When his publicist suggests a fake relationship with an up and coming starlet ten years his junior he thinks she’s crazy and he goes in planning to sabotage it from the start, but there’s something about the way Grey calls him out on his bad behavior that has him agreeing, he just has no idea how he’s going to deal with her being in his orbit.
It would have been easy for the author to make this a superficial tale about superficial people but instead she dug deep and let readers see the gritty underbelly of these characters; their fears, their past hurts, their flaws, and their self-sabotaging ways. I knew early on this wasn’t going to be a pretty story; it was evident that Ethan was an alcoholic in denial and while he was pretty high functioning that never lasts. At times it seemed like he was getting his life together but unfortunately it didn’t take much for something to set him off and he’d go on a bender. At times I felt like Grey was enabling him, but I don’t think she really understood the depth of his problem at first she just thought he liked to drink, but as they grew closer she began to realize it was more.
This story was multi-faceted with a lot of different parts going on throughout yet I didn’t feel like Grey and Ethan’s arrangement turned friendship turned more got lost in the story. Grey was strong, independent and smart, but at times she was extremely vulnerable and I liked that Ethan saw that in her and was there to bolster her confidence when she needed it. Ethan was hard to pin down he was great at hiding things (including himself for a lot of this story), but it was easy to see that so much of his life had been a struggle and when he lost Sam, he felt untethered and lost his way in all things; his career, his marriage, his fatherhood, his life.
While this book addressed some deep and hard situations it was also smart and funny at times and I truly enjoyed watching Grey and Ethan fall for one another even when they didn’t want to admit it.
A debut novel, How To Fake It In Hollywood stands out as one of the most engaging, entertaining, and outstanding books I’ve read in 2022.

Fake dating trope? You've got me! I was hooked from page 1 as celebrities Grey and Eathan agree to fake date to revive their acting careers. Of course, they don't quite get along at first, but the chemistry is sizzling! The first half of the book was a full 5 for me. There was plenty of steamy sexual tension and all around cuteness. The second half of the book dragged a little, while the characters dealt with some serious issues, but it was still a book I couldn't put down. I'm really looking forward to reading more from this author in the future.

This book is tailor-made for people who troll DeuxMoi and Blind Gossip for behind-the-scenes celebrity gossip. Grey Brooks is coming off of her long-running successful teen soap (I imagined Pretty Little Liars) and needs a visibility boost to snag new roles. Ethan Atkins was the Hollywood king until hitting the skids after a divorce, floundering and drinking too much (since he hit it big with his best friend, I gave him Ben Affleck’s face.) He needs the illusion of stability - and their agents write them a fake-dating contract.

It’s a pretty standard celebrity fake-dating setup at first, with many sly nods to real-life inspiration. About 75% of the way through, the tone shifts from formula to a more realistic-based scenario. Since Ethan clearly needs some therapy and rehab, this was a welcome shift instead of expecting “true love” to work magic.

Wow, I can’t say how much I love this book. Why? Because it’s not perfect. I mean, it’s well written. It’s a great story. But the characters are human. Grey and Ethan aren’t perfect, they have flaws. This is why I adore this book.

This was my second time reading it, and I still loved every moment. From the fake date trope to the unexpected caring for each other. It’s so good! But even then, it’s real. grey wants more control of her career, and Ethan is dealing with the loss of his best friend. He has a drinking problem, and it’s not all easily fixed or written away. This book can be angst ridden and sad at times. However, there are amazing moments as well. This is one of my favorite books because it’s about a fun trope, but it is multi faceted as well.

I can’t suggest this book enough, for fans of romance and not. I devoured this book both times I read it, and I eagerly await for another from the author in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital review copy.