this is definitely not your light and breezy summertime read, Ethan is a total sad boy ™️

while I did like this more than other celebrity romances/contemporaries (though they may just not even be for me), I did feel like the pacing and tone of this book was a bit odd and that’s why I’m feeling a little stumped. I’m not really sure what to think?

I appreciate Ethan’s characters being given the treatment and help he deserved, but maybe I just wanted to see more of it after? Or just more of Ethan and Grey bc I feel like we never really get to see THEM, they’re just immediately thrown together and that just becomes all that they are: each other’s half. Can’t see one without the other, thus can’t fully get behind one because who even are you?

Regardless, this was still enjoyable and I loved some scenes more than most but the ending really rushed me out the door and WELL!


*T/CW: alcohol abuse, grief, loss of a loved one, parental abuse

An up and coming actress fake dates an older (and in need of an image boost) A-list actor. Seems like a win-win situation for them both. She becomes a household name with lots of job opportunities thrown her way because of her new beau, and he gets back into the limelight instead of drinking his days away and sulking in his house after a messy divorce and the death of his best friend.

Based on the cover and the blurb, I was definitely expecting a fun, summer read rom-com. I was pumped to start this! Instead, I got sucked into the characters dark sides of mental torment and I found myself not being excited to pick it up and finish reading.

The story could have ended with them ACTUALLY dating instead of fake-dating, Yay! They could have realized after so much miscommunication that they are really good for each other and sometimes faking it in Hollywood has its benefits! But instead, the story took a turn and dove deep into triggering issues. And while they were dealt with honestly, I wasn't prepared for this drama.

Overall, I gave this book 2.5 stars.

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Random House for the advanced read copy!

I was in for a big surprise with the direction of this book. Don't let the cover fool you! I thought this would be a light, sexy, Hollywood glamour type of story. Boy, was I wrong! I did not anticipate the depth of this story. Grey and Ethan became characters you wanted to root for. It was a sexy story and it featured life in Hollywood, but I would not classify this one as "light reading". A great book that breaks out of the typical romance category!

I am an absolute sucker for fake dating romance novels, so I was excited to read How to Fake It in Hollywood. However, as I read it, I was surprised by the pacing. The fake dating is contained to the first half of the book, with the second half pivoting to a very serious exploration of the hero's substance abuse. While the challenge that temporarily comes between the couple is a normal beat in a romance plot, the hero's escalating behavior with regard to his substance use marks the second major time the couple splits up. This repeated will-they-won't-they, paired with content I was not expecting, really took me out of the story. Instead of rooting for the couple, I felt ill-at-ease because I felt blindsided by the subject matter.

I do not take issue with romance novels tackling serious issues; I was simply surprised because the story pitched in the marketing copy suggested something more lighthearted. The book is fairly well-written, and the couple had decent chemistry. However, that chemistry soured for me when it became clear that it was a sign of the hero's compulsive behavior stemming from major unresolved trauma. I also found the tone and pacing uneven. Major trigger warnings for this book: alcoholism, grief/trauma, substance abuse.

How to Fake It in Hollywood is an age-gap, fake-relationship contemporary romance début that delivers a Real Deal Romance packed into a slightly uneven story.  

Grey Books (real name Emily) is a child actor-turned-teen TV star (think One Tree Hill) of moderate fame. At twenty-seven, after almost twenty years of work, she’s ready to reach the next level, headlining her own material and going after a role in Golden City, a major franchise à la Divergent. Ethan Atkins is the surviving half of Ethan Atkins & Sam Tanner, a Ben Affleck & Matt Damon-esque writing and acting duo that had major success, only for it to end when Sam died young. At thirty-eight, Ethan has spent the last half a decade drinking his way towards a bottom that he still hasn’t reached when How to Fake It in Hollywood begins. Grey and Ethan share a publicist who proposes a fake relationship to give Grey greater visibility and Ethan a positive reintroduction to the industry.  

The first half of the novel really shines. We’re tucked into Grey and Ethan’s secret world with them, and it’s fun. Their romance is the—ahem—star of the show. Wilder does an especially good job conveying that je ne sais quoi that makes Ethan the kind of person people want to feature in movies and in their lives, no matter what. (It’s a hoot when he and Grey watch one of his old films, showcasing him in all his ripped glory, and he pretended to yell at his younger self. “Enjoy it, man, it doesn’t last.”) 

The second half of the book, which rachets up the drama and shifts some of the focus off their relationship, has more of a burnished shine. Suddenly characters are making ominous pronouncements in one chapter and doom is coming to pass in the next, which is a little too on the nose. The story also manages to wedge in not one but two climatic low points. And because Ethan and Gray start doing things apart, tackling their non-romantic issues (her relationship with her mother, his career) without each other, the story loses the vibrant energy that their interactions bring to it.  

One of the more unusual aspects of How to Fake It in Hollywood is its hero’s struggle with addiction. What’s especially interesting is that the story doesn’t begin with Ethan embarking on the fake relationship because he’s gotten sober and is trying to turn over a new leaf. The story handles his addiction somewhat unevenly - in the first half it functions as a subtle but palpable seasoning to all events (Grey is floored the first time Ethan kisses her, while he barely remembers it), but in the second half it grows so substantially and abruptly that the consequent drama feels forced and inorganic. 

The ending, which sails firmly towards the HFN rather than the HEA horizon neatly skirts the big questions - Who is Ethan as a sober person? How do he and Grey balance the reality of his recovery with the fact that she (a consistent substance user herself throughout the book) will not be joining him in his sobriety? It’s hopeful but a bit of a cop out. That said, Ethan and Grey are sympathetic enough, and their love story so compelling, that it’s easy to imagine a duology in which book two answers those questions. I’d definitely read it.  

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I looooved this celebrity romance. This was an easy page turner with two tropes I really enjoy - celebrity romance and fake dating. I would definitely recommend this to readers that like that trope. Really easy book to get lost in.

Rating: 4.5 Stars

CW: Alcoholism; drug use; death of a friend; grief; references to cheating (not the main couple); references to physical abuse

Don’t be fooled by the illustrated cover and fun-sounding premise, How to Fake It in Hollywood tackles some heavy topics, most prominently alcoholism and grief, but Ava Wilder managed to write a story that perfectly balances the romance with the heaviness. This book felt like something magical, real and raw, and I cannot recommend it enough.

After her long-running role on a teen soap has ended, Grey Brooks is trying to keep her career afloat. With a significant role on the line, she agrees to a scheme her publicist proposes to boost her profile – faking a love affair with a disgraced Hollywood heartthrob who needs the publicity to rehab his image. Ethan Atkins just wants to be left alone. After the death of his best friend and creative partner Sam and a high-profile divorce, he’s stepped away from the lime life. But if he ever wants to get the final project he was working on with Sam produced, he needs to clean up his image and step back into the spotlight. While Grey and Ethan’s relationship looks picture-perfect to the public, it is anything but behind the scenes. But while they may be faking their relationship for the cameras, their sizzling chemistry starts to feel more than just an act.

Not everyone wants such serious issues in their romances – and that’s okay! I like them every once in a while and I think Wilder handles these issues with such care. My heart was aching for Ethan. His alcohol abuse and grief are so closely intertwined, and since the death of his best friend, Sam, he’s closed himself off and stepped out of the spotlight. He needed Grey in his life to help him wake up. She was the perfect foil to him, with her self-deprecating humor and calling him on his BS. Grey has her own issues as she’s a bit adrift in her career and has insecurities, but I admired her drive and how genuinely empathetic she was. Both Ethan and Grey have flaws and that made the story more real to me.

As a romance, this book had so many tropes I absolutely adored. Obviously, you get fake dating, but you also get a bit of grump/sunshine, only one bed, and let’s bang it out of our systems. I guess there is also a bit of an age gap since Ethan’s about 11 years older than Grey. The chemistry and sexual tension between the two of them were electric. One of my favorite scenes was Ethan helping Grey read lines for a chemistry read audition she was going on – there are so many layers to that scene and, boy, was it hot. When these two finally decide to act on their attraction, they dive in head first and then get thrown through the wringer a bit when compromising photos appear in the press. While the relationship starts out as something purely sexual, it goes much deeper than that for both of them – but they’re just scared to admit it. I want these two to be together so much, even if they were hurt by being together. Ethan, particularly, couldn’t be ready for a real relationship with his issues, but that didn’t stop me from wanting Grey and him to work it out. And don’t worry, this book does have a happily ever after, which makes all the emotions and heavy stuff worth it!

Outside the romance, I loved the supporting characters in this novel. Grey’s best friend Kamilah, her non-binary partner Andromeda X and Ethan’s ex-wife Nora rounded out the story and they all played an important part in Ethan and Grey’s journey. They felt as real as Grey and Ethan, which I thoroughly appreciated.

As for the writing, I enjoyed Wilder’s style! Both Ethan and Grey had such distinct character voices, and the pacing of this book was spot on. I think I’ve already harped enough about how well she handled balancing the heavy topics with the romance, but I think it’s worth mentioning again. Truly, her writing made my heart ache for Ethan and Grey as there was a rawness to the emotions conveyed through the writing that made you feel their pain. That’s something seasoned authors cannot always do.

How to Fake It in Hollywood is a stunning debut novel, and I cannot wait to see what Wilder writes next! I highly recommend picking this up as you won’t be disappointed by this beautiful, achingly raw romance that delivers on the emotions and the steam!

Thank you to Random House for the ARC. All thoughts, ideas and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This was *exactly* what I wanted it to be, and more. Don't get me wrong, the plot of the book was entertaining in and of itself, but this book was truly all about the push and pull and the give and take between Grey and Ethan and their relationship was just everythingggggg to me. The romance in this book gave me the same feelings that all of Emily Henry's romances give me and I just loved it SO. MUCH. It is also worth noting that the Palm Springs scene in this is quite possibly my my absolute favorite sex scene in any book ever. It just had the perfect amount of tension leading up to it and emotion and I JUST LIKED EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS BOOK A WHOLE LOT, OKAY? With that being said, I do want to make sure to note: this is not an easy, lighthearted story. It deals very, very heavily with grief and addiction and it is not a book to go into lightly. If you think you can handle the subject matter, I HIGHLY recommend checking this out and I personally cannot wait to read whatever else Ava Wilder puts out next. This was a phenomenal debut and absolutely one of my favorite books of the year.

CW: death of a loved one, alcoholism, addiction, relapse

This is posted on my Instagram account (@katielovestoread95)

I was excited to get an eARC of this book through NetGalley! I read most of this book in one day and really liked it. It was a good, more serious romance exploring fame and issues surrounding it.

I loved both leads, Grey and Ethan. Ethan is struggling with the loss of his best friend, Sam, five years before, and with likely addiction as well. He had a messy divorce from his wife and would like to gain more custody of his kids. He doesn’t want to let in people easily to his life, and is taken by surprise by his relationship with Grey as he gets to know her.

I especially enjoyed Grey’s arc. She wants to be able to be taken seriously and to produce a movie that she has been working on with her best friend. She isn’t really looking for a relationship with Ethan and has had a past bad relationship. I liked seeing her grow throughout the story and get to know Ethan and what she wants.

This felt like a very mature romance, in that both characters had their own issues to deal with and while they had arguments, I didn’t feel that they fell into the miscommunication trope. They both needed to work through some things and I think the book dealt with that with depth and respect.

I really liked this and would absolutely recommend it, especially if you enjoy books about famous characters!

In this romance novel, Grey is an actress who has been acting since childhood and is between projects now that her teen soap has gone off there. Ethan is a big name actor and writer who has disappeared from the spotlight in the years since the death of his best friend/writer/costar Sam. When their publicist suggests they have a pretend relationship for publicity, they both reluctantly agree. And this being fiction, of course fake dating turns into some real sparks.

Don’t let the cover fool you - this is not just a light fluffy romance story, but also deals with some heavier issues like grief, addiction, and learning to trust and open up to someone else. I liked that the book was light enough while dealing with more serious stuff, and really enjoyed the two main characters as well as the side characters. If you enjoy the fake dating trope or books set in Hollywood, I’m sure you’ll enjoy this one too.

How to Fake it in Hollywood is an excellent faking dating romance. Wonderful story and fantastic characters

Grey and Ethan had so much chemistry! Their attraction jumps off the page, and it made it even easier to root for them, but it also had me yelling for them to get it on already! I liked Ethan, but for me, Grey was really the star of How to Fake it in Hollywood. She was such a fantastic character, and I loved how kind he was, but she also spoke her mind.

This was written in the third person, and while I would have preferred dual first pardon POV, this worked. We needed insight into both of their feelings, especially Ethan’s. This book deals a lot with mental health and substance abuse, so make sure to check the trigger warning. I thought these were all handled well.

The story wow great! The pacing was perfect, and even though I was anxious for the romance to start, the timing was perfect! If you enjoy the fake Dating romance trope, then pick this one up right away!

REVIEW: How to Fake it in Hollywood by Ava Wilder 💫

This was sooo good!!! If you need a summer read, look no further!

This debut came out yesterday - June 14th - and I’m so thankful that @randomhouse & @netgalley gave me an eARC exchange for a honest review 💓

well in this case a ✨glowing✨ review because I loved it!!

As cute as this cover is, Grey and Ethan are so much more than two Hollywood celebrities trying to revive their careers through fake dating. There are definitely some CW/TW to be aware.

I liked this one so much because I did get so sucked in Grey and Ethan and all of their struggles. I really admired how they worked through all of their own things! And the healing wasn’t linear, which made it feel so real.

Also, fake dating is one of my top 3 tropes and I’m a sucker for celebrities, so yes I loved this one!!

Can’t wait to see what you write next @avawilderwrites 🤩💓

Loved this one. This is the 3rd or 4th romance novel I’ve read in the past few months where at least 1 person is famous but this one definitely stood out. I’m loving the Hollywood celeb stories this year! Swoony & fun, this is the perfect book for rom-com fans to add to their beach bag!

A Hollywood starlet (Grey) and reclusive A lister (Ethan) enter into a fake relationship and find out their feelings may be more than a PR stunt.

Holy smokes y’all I just love Grey and Ethan. The celebrity aspect was super juicy but I enjoyed getting to know grey & Ethan behind the scenes. They gave me all the warm fuzzy feelings of new love. And the steam y’all is off the charts 🥵 Read this one of you love fake dating, one bed, celebrity gossip.

❌Alerta de gatilho/conteúdo: luto, exposição de imagem sem consentimento, alcoolismo❌

Thanks @prhinternational for this ARC!

Após o término da série de televisão que estrelou nos últimos anos, Grey Brooks está determinada a manter sua carreira em alta. E é por isso que ela começa a fingir um relacionamento com recluso ator Ethan Atkins.

O livro de estreia de Ava Wilder acerta o equilíbrio entre o tom leve de comédia romântica e o drama em assuntos mais sensíveis.

Grey é uma mulher determinada, astuta, batalhadora, pé no chão e sempre fala o que pensa. Ela atua desde criança e adora o que faz, mesmo que a fama tenha seu lado negativo. Ethan é um famoso ator cuja morte do melhor amigo afetou profundamente sua vida e seu casamento. Por baixo de todo charme e beleza, há um homem que ainda sofre pelo luto.

A química entre Grey e Ethan se dá desde o primeiro encontro, o que é bom para o fato do relacionamento falso mas péssimo caso os dois não queiram se envolver de verdade. Mesmo antes de se envolverem por completo, os dois desenvolvem uma camaradagem bem gostosinha, regada a flertes e provocações.

O romance entre Grey e Ethan é fofo e sexy, mas há uma grande nuvem cinza ameaçando estragar o dia. Ambos se apoiam incondicionalmente no quesito profissional; já no quesito emocional, a autora soube trabalhar bem os sentimentos de Grey em relação aos comportamentos erráticos de Ethan. E por mais que o ator tenha algumas atitudes questionáveis durante a história, sabemos que isso tudo vem do fato que ele nunca superou a morte do amigo e o alcoolismo só potencializa esse sentimento. Ava abordou muito bem como o vício não afeta somente a vida da pessoa, mas todos ao seu redor.

Eu devo destacar Nora, ex-mulher de Ethan. Sua personagem é bastante cirúrgica praticamente toda vez que abre a boca, principalmente quando Grey começa a se envolver com ele. Ela tem por experiência o que é ter um relacionamento não apenas com Ethan, mas também com seu vício. Adorei a amizade que nasceu entre ela e Grey.

How To Fake It In Hollywood traz a premissa de relacionamento falso e entrega muito mais.

This was a much grittier fake dating Hollywood romance than I was expecting but I really enjoyed it!! Grey is looking for her next big hit, while Ethan is a single, divorced Dad battling alcoholism. In an attempt to bolster both their careers, their agent arranges a fake dating contract.

A bit of a slow burn, the chemistry between the two leads did quickly heat up as they fight to keep things platonic. Things blow up after a romantic getaway weekend though when the paparazzi get a hold of compromising photos.

Grey and Ethan have to fight for a second chance at love and I really enjoyed that it wasn't a quick fix love story. My only complaint was that I thought Ethan's addiction issues weren't addressed as fully as they could have been. We only learn that he's recovered and been in rehab after the characters reunite at the end of the book.

Other than that though, this story had lots of depth and great banter (plus an AMAZING cover)! Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

What a beautifully written book! It was engaging and insightful. Both Grey and Ethan are such rich characters with so much depth. It was so easy for me to be invested in them. In their well-being, and in their relationship with each other. I loved watching their journey, watching them work through past traumas, and relearning how to connect and trust others again.

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩:
Age gap
Fake dating
Undeniable attraction 🥵
Fun banter
"Just this weekend"

𝙋𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙨 𝙄 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙙:
😏 That first meeting
🔥 Running lines together
🥺 When their walls came down

Overall, this was a stunning debut and I will definitely be reading more Ava Wilder books!

CW: alcoholism, substance abuse (off page), death of a friend, cheating (past), abuse (past).

I would give this book 3. 5 stars, so I'm rounding up to 4 stars. I really enjoyed the beginning and end of this book, but parts in the middle fell flat. I liked the main characters until the middle and then I started to get annoyed with them. Very clearly Ethan has an alcohol problem from the beginning of the book. I think where I had a hard time connecting in the middle was due to Grey and her relationship with drugs and alcohol. Grey knows that Ethan has a problem, but she continues to drink with him and in front of him and she even does drugs at one point. I felt like she should've done a better job of abstaining instead of continuing to enable Ethan. Overall I did enjoy the book and got the feels that I want when reading a Rom-com.

3.5/5 Stars

** I received this as an E-ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review, Thank you!**

I really enjoyed reading this, I'm always a sucker for a fake dating trope. I will say that this did seem to focus a little bit more on the characters than anything else. I also would've liked to see just a little bit more chemistry and passion out of this couple. However, I did really enjoy it. The writing was pretty good and kept me interested, and I did feel attached to the characters to become invested in their lives. I would for sure recommend this book and will keep an eye out for more books by this author!

I really enjoyed this book. It was full of emotions and really looked at a characters growth and struggles. Wilder really did a great job handling heavier emotions and topics. I really enjoyed the celebrity trope in this. I can't wait to read more of her books.