A cute story between Ethan and Grey. Ethan, A burnout star that went through a rough and public divorce, and Grey, a bit younger actress having a hard time getting that breakout role, fake date each other to help their career due to being advised by their PR rep who happens to be the same person, Audrey. Definitely work a read in my opinion, even if it did take me a while to get through it. The only thing I wasn’t a fan of was the 10/11 year age gap between them. Thanks so much to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC!

I pretended in my stupid little head that this book is Harry Styles and Taylor Swift fanfic. A PR stunt romance that becomes more!!!!!! Say less bestie, I'm in and I'm obsessed. This book wasn't as light-hearted as the blurb and the cover made it seem, which is fine! But I was just not expecting it.

Am I currently obsessed with this book? Yes
Am I in love with Ethan and Grey? Also, yes.

Ethan is an a list actor who has been hiding for the past 5ish years, and enters into a fake relationship with Grey, a former soap opera star, to help both of their careers.

I found myself needing to savor every moment between these two. The sexual tensions was of the charts! Like damn 🥵. I loved the easy banter between the two main characters.

While there are a lot of funny and swoony parts, it also packs a powerful angsty push, as it deals with childhood stardom, loss, and alcoholism. That may your heart breaking for a little bit.

I could definitely seeing this playing out in a movie. I would love to see more from this couple, because I have all the heart eyes for them! 😘

Melli’s Book Breakdown
🤍Fake Dating
🤍Celebrity Romance
🤍Single Parent
🤍Only one bed
🤍steamy
🤍angsty

How to fake it in Hollywood by Ava Wilder

This book follows the story of Grey and Ethan. Grey is a rising actress hoping to land her next gig after a long running teen TV drama. Ethan is an award winning, acclaimed actor grappling with the death of his friend and colleague. These two fake date to help boost their image. And so much love, despair, and real life happens along the way.

I seriously could not put this book down! This is so much more than just a rom-com, which I was not anticipating. Ava Wilder writes the characters artfully, adding depth and complexity to both main characters. I was thoroughly impressed by the deep character development and emotion throughout the book. I found myself falling in love with both Grey and Ethan, and you will too!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC

I received an advanced copy of this book through Netgalley, by new to me author Ava Wilder. I think this may be her debut novel, but I'm not certain. If it is, I'm even more impressed. I knew the premise going in, a fake relationship between an A-list actor and a not quite at that level of fame yet, actress. For him, it was to revamp his career and for her it was to elevate her profile, to hopefully get her some roles. What I didn't expect, was an angsty story about addiction and the relationships it affects.

After reluctantly agreeing to to a fake relationship, Ethan decides the best way to get through this is to ignore his attraction to Grey. The same attraction that had him agree to this in the first place. Grey just wants to get along and make the best of this situation, but it's not easy because Ethan's mood swings are giving her whiplash. When they go away for a weekend together, the tension finally gets the best of them and they give in to the mutual attraction. That weekend ends badly and they go their separate ways, only to reunite a bit later and enter into a real relationship. Grey has seen the signs and red flags pop up every so often, but always found a way to justify or excuse his behavior. When things come to a head, his addiction wins, leaving Grey broken hearted.

I mentioned this was an angsty read, and it is, but it was also funny and sweet with an interesting cast of side characters. It was incredibly well written and easy to read. I got sucked into the story without even realizing it was happening. That's how you know you're reading a good book! I look forward to what comes next from Ava Wilder.

Bookstagrambrielle

This book is about two well-known people (Grey and Ethan) in Hollywood that get set up together as a PR stunt. Grey is known for her role on a teen drama tv show and cannot seem to find work since completing her role. Ethan is well known but has been secluding himself since his very public divorce. Both people have things going on in their lives that cause their PR agent to believe a setup is a good choice for their careers. As the book progresses, we learn more about the past of each of these people, and we gain insight into why they are the way they are.

Going into the book, I thought it would be a rom-com, but I was wrong. There are some heavy topics in this book, but that only made me like the book more. I felt like the serious topics made the book more believable because Hollywood is not all positive; people have real struggles, and they were addressed in this book. I also enjoyed how when there was an issue with Grey and Ethan, it wasn't just solved overnight, and they lived happily ever after; it made it feel more realistic.

Overall, I enjoyed this book, and I highly recommend it to anyone that likes romance with some heavier topics.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing-Ballantine for the opportunity to read and review this book before publishing.

I started & finished this rom-com on my flight to Vegas and let me tell you - it was a great plane companion. An accidental steamy romance between two celebrities mixed with a little drama and a couple of tears - what more could you ask for? After reading this and Funny You Should Ask, I think this is my favorite romance trope.

How To Fake It In Hollywood comes out June 14 - preorder your copy asap for the perfect beach read ⛱

Thank you to @netgalley + @randomhouse for this ARC!

So much angst! I love a good fake dating plot and this one felt so real! It is interesting to dive into the life of hollywood stars and see what happens behind closed doors.

Great writing! Great characters! Interesting and dramatic plot!

I had a good time reading this, but overall I didn't love it. I especially didn't love Ethan's storyline, because I felt like his recovery was really rushed by the end when we just made a quick time jump and it was all solved. I think the last 10% of the book should have been at least 30% of the book and I wanted to see more of them getting back together, because I felt like this was really glossed over when that is the point of a romance novel.

Thank you for the advance copy! Coming from someone who works in the industry, fake relationships do happen. More so, make sure people see them walking around. This book does a great thing of having the certain tropes many people like fake dating, forced proximity, there's one bed, love/hate each other it's a good read. My only issue was 1) the build-up to their first sex scene was great, but then it seemed like although they desired each other, it was lackluster as well, and 2) yes, I understand Ethan's issues with he views himself I also felt annoyed when everything was going great and then boom lack of communication trope that caused more issues. Overall quick read and hope others enjoy it.

This book was so fun! I found the beginning a bit slow, but was quickly invested. Ethan and Grey are such a cute match and their chemistry was written phenomenally. This book reminds me of another favorite of mine: Funny You Should Ask by Elissa Sussman!!

As a person that reads a lot of romance, I always look for a few key things: Well-developed supporting characters, subplots (it is about the romance, but also so much more) and chemistry/tension. This book had all three!

There was a nice mixture of fluff, tension and character development (as one of the main characters battles with addiction). I really enjoyed this one.

Solid 4.5/5. Thank you Dell and Random House Publishing Group for the eARC!

I enjoyed this one a lot, but it was a lot heavier than what I normally want in my romances. Despite this, I thought Grey and Ethan had a lot of chemistry and I enjoyed the way their relationship evolved throughout the book and especially the way Grey handled Ethan and his downward spiral. This book was pretty steamy, too, and I will say that the major issue I had with the romance was how they decided to sleep together to relieve the tension, rather than this just happening naturally. It did take some of the anticipation out of it. Overall, a very enjoyable, steamy read and perfect for contemporary romance fans, especially those who enjoy fake dating and Hollywood tropes. I would love to read more from this author. 4 stars.

I would like to thank NetGalley for an ARC of How to Fake it in Hollywood, by Ava Wilder.

When I first read about this book I was immediately wanted to read it. Then I saw it consisted of fake dating and I was hooked. This story flowed so well I couldn’t ask for more. The main character are Grey and Ethan. They both had good development throughout the book. I highly recommend this book!

I love a fake dating trope and this one did not disappoint! The book and characters had a lot more depth than I was expecting for a celebrity romance story. There are some heavy subjects, but lots of growth. I really enjoyed it!
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for the arc. All opinions are my own.

I love the celebrity trope. It’s one of my absolute favorites. As I’ve said before, I’m not always a huge fan of the fake dating trope but celebrities fake dating and a dual POV? Give it to me! Once I heard about How to Fake it in Hollywood by Ava Wilder, I knew I had to read it so I was so excited that I got approved for the ARC. I devoured this book. It wasn’t what I was expecting but in the best way and this book made me feel allll the emotions.

I fell in love with both Ethan and Grey as a couple and as people. They are both such lovable characters and I connected with them instantly. I love good banter and these two had great banter and chemistry right from their first meeting. It was a little bit of a slow burn but it wasn’t too slow that you were just screaming for them to get together already. Both characters had great character development and it just made them better together. It did deal with some heavy topics and Ava Wilder did a great job with the characters emotions. My heart hurt for Ethan (and Grey) and I just wanted to give him a hug and was rooting for him to succeed. I loved this book and am looking forward to more from Ava Wilder! If you liked A Star Is Born, you’ll love this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC! How to Fake it in Hollywood will be available on June 14, 2022 and I can’t wait to buy a copy.

I just loved this book so much. It is definitely not a light rom-com, but instead a very deep and emotionally filled journey to Ethan and Gray's happy ending. The chemistry and connection between the two main characters felt feel and palpable. I was rooting for them the whole time and stayed up way too late racing to read to the end. The writing was beautiful and I am so impressed this is Ava Wilder's debut. I'm definitely a fan for life now!

This book was hard to review because the writing, flow, characters, etc were all great. It was easy to get into and easy to read. So for all the technical components I give it a good rating. But personally I did not like the content. Besides the very typical and predictable trope situation it was just not for me. Very much an open door, some language and the conflict part of the storyline was just annoying. Also, for those who would want a heads up one of the characters is non-binary. Reading “them/their” was very confusing. I made it about 65% of the way through and just put it away. I wasn’t compelled to finish it. So while the author is a great writer and story teller the book was not for me.

Thank you Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Wow! Where to even begin with this book. I requested this book after Ashley Winstead posted about it in her stories recommending it. I know it would be an amazing book, but I didn’t know how much I would fall in love with these characters and not know what to do without them in my life! Ava Wilder did such an amazing job with the character development throughout the book and I thought it was amazing how she incorporated a character dealing with addiction and how trauma can play a huge role in addiction.

I found myself rooting for both Grey and Ethan the entire novel and I just felt so connected to them. I think Wilder did such an amazing job helping the reader relate to the characters (even though shockingly we aren’t all A list celebrities LOL). She does such a great job showing you what it’s like to fall in love, with another person and even with yourself. Overall, I will be screaming this book at the top of my lungs to anyone who wants to listen to me. I cannot wait till it is released and I can buy a copy for my shelves!

This review will be posted to my Instagram blog (read_betweenthecovers) in the near future!

Although it wasn’t quite what I was expecting, I REALLY enjoyed this book. There was a depth to this book, both in the plot and characters. The author did a great job of creating a world I felt I could just step into. She challenged stereotypes in a way that didn’t feel overly forced. It simply created a sense of normalcy. My biggest complaint is that I felt the emotions could go a bit deeper. Yes, I felt them, but it seemed like there was always something holding back. But this was an incredible debut for the author. I can’t wait to see what they write next.

Review:
Grey and Ethan are very similar, both actors struggling to find their next roles and their future in the industry; and they are both trying to see if they can make a comeback. For all their similarities, they are in very different positions. Ethan is an established actor who successes, credits, awards and accolades. Grey is finally trying to put her long running teen series behind her and find some control in her future by creating her own projects and opportunities. Here enters the fake dating idea. I was not sure I would like these characters in this circumstance, I was worried it would become some kind of TomKat expose, but I was delighted to find that was not the plan at all. I felt vague recollections about other hollywood scandals without feeling like I was reading about a specific one about real people.
Grey and Ethan are complicated, complex people with flaws and a lot of trauma in their lives and as they spend more time together they seem to get more and more attached, but their issues follow them throughout their relationship, until they realize they need to work on themselves.

This book both felt like a fun summer read and a romance with many of my favorite tropes, but I soon changed my mind and realized that there was more than what appeared on the surface and I found myself falling in love with these truly flawed people who work hard to try and find happiness both alone and together.

Synopsis:
Grey Brooks is on a mission to keep her career afloat now that the end of her long-running teen TV show 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: fake 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, struggles with drinking, and grief over the death of his longtime creative partner and best friend, Ethan has 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?