Oh this was good! Grey and Ethan's fake-to-real Hollywood relationship was full of angst, drama and yet...charm? I ended up really enjoying this book and the way both the characters and their story was written. Definitely would recommend this to others. Thank you Dell Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC.

4/5 stars

This ALMOSTTT got 5 stars, but the ending felt a little rushed. Without giving away too much, I understand the silence and then the lapse of time prior to picking the storyline up again. But it felt like the book ended and then the epilogue was like "oh we have to wrap this up in 5 pages". Otherwise, loved the book. Age-gap, I'm here for it. Male main character was a tad immature, but I feel like that fit with him being in Hollywood.

Would definitely recommend.

This was such a cute contemporary romance! It tells the story of Ethan and Grey, actors in need a career boost, so they and their teams agree to a dating arrangement to get more press for the two of them. This book wastes no time getting to the plot, which I loved.

I’m a sucker for a fake dating trope, so I loved seeing all the antics that come with that. Acting all lovey dovey in public, touching each other, etc. The first 50% or so of this book focusing more on the fake dating portion of this book, while the last 50% or so focusing more on the character’s flaws and their growth. There were several scenes near the end that were very emotional and really got to me. The author handled the subject of past trauma and addiction with such care. I was really pulling for Ethan and sympathizing with them at his worst moments.

My main gripe with this book is it seemed the characters fell in love too fast for it to be believable. Don’t get me wrong, but the end I fully believed they were in love, but the love declaration happened pretty quickly, and it happened after they hadn’t really spent enough time together for me to feel like it was true.

Overall, great book, just wish Ethan and Greys relationship was fleshed out a bit more.

Escrito em terceira pessoa, Ava Wilder traz em seu romance um relacionamento falso entre dois atores que precisam melhorar a sua imagem para conquistar seus objetivos. Enquanto Grey quer um papel depois de um tempo estagnada na indústria, Ethan tem que provar que está estável para que possa ter a guarda compartilhada das filhas.

Presos por um contrato, a química entre eles vai além da atuação. É perceptível desde o início o quanto esses dois se desejam. Porém, por motivos pessoais de ambos, tentam fugir dessa conexão o máximo que podem. Até certo ponto, o livro é bem leve e gostoso de ler. Grey é uma personagem muito fácil de amar. Doce e gentil, mas também afiada quando necessário, ela enfrenta suas batalhas e mantém-se firme diante das circunstâncias da vida. Ethan vem com uma carga mais pesada, lidando com o luto através de reclusão e bebedeira desde que seu amigo Sam morreu.

Ainda que a sombra das problemáticas estivessem ameaçando o casal, é depois da metade que o livro toma um rumo mais denso e pesado. E, apesar de ter amado e torcido pelo Ethan, muitas vezes vi a Grey se doando muito mais do que ele no relacionamento e sofri com as recaídas que ele teve no processo.

Até o final as coisas vão tomando forma e eu gostei muito de algumas abordagens que a autora tomou. Foi uma leitura muito boa, apesar dessa queda de ritmo ter me incomodado um pouco. A capa colorida e o início iludem um pouco, então já leiam sabendo que vão receber mais do que uma leitura fofinha.

Gostei bastante do final, apesar de desejar que fosse mais prolongado, e agora quero conhecer mais lançamentos da autora.

Honestly a fun time with all time witty banter and reflection of self growth that makes for an even better happy ever after. I loved the vulnerability aspects of this romance, and how Ava really drove how brokenness doesn’t necessarily have to be a barrier that isolates us from the kind of love and intimacy from those we need it from most.

I really thought that I would connect with the explorations of struggle and stardom in this romance, but the chemistry between the characters was not there for me, nor was the narrative spark. I struggled to complete it and did not feel engaged with the characters in the way I would like to be. I would explore other works by this author, but this one did not do it for me.

One of my favorite romances of the summer! This book was so well-written, swoony, and angsty. I loved every minute of it.

I was enjoying my read of this novel so much. The characters were well developed and had realistic obstacles in their lives that you want to see them overcome. I was so sure at the 50% mark that I would be giving this 4 stars as I had enjoyed myself so much to that point. Unfortunately this book lost me in the last 20%. I wanted to see these two work through their issues, I wanted to see the work. This went over the work and to the HEA with the time jump, and I was disappointed. I think that the style in the first half was amazing, and I will decently read more from this author in the future.

How to Fake it in Hollywood by Ava Wilder. Pub Date: June 14, 2022. Rating: 3 stars. Set against the backdrop of Hollywood, this story is about two famous people who need a re-vamp in their careers and agree to a PR stunt of fake dating. Faced with personal struggles, it is a rocky start to their relationship but ultimately sparks fly and feelings develop. There is growth, love, resilience and personal acceptance that blossoms into fun story of working through the "fake" for the "real thing." Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review. #howtofakeitinhollywood #netgalley

This book was absolutely magnificent, one of the best books I have read all year! I don't have enough words to say how enthralled I was reading this book! I am all about a good fake dating trope, and this is one of the best I have read! I love all the angsty drama that pushed and pulled me throughout the entirety of the book. I love how the characters pulled my heartstrings and didn't let go! The author wrote so beautifully about love and addiction, and I didn't want this book to end! It was one of my favorite reads of the year!

I am a sucker for a celebrity romance and I loved this one. The audio with Therese Plummer is incredible too. Can't wait to read more from this author.

A good rom-com that actually had some serious depth to it. It was refreshing read, that pulled me in from the get-go, both Ethan and Grey were characters you could root for but also human.

I was so excited to get this book because of the hype surrounding it but for me it didn’t hit as hard as I was hoping!! I enjoyed the story and loved how real it felt with the emotions, relationships but something about the pacing of the book just felt so incredibly off to me!! Overall, this was an enjoyable quick read but sadly not my absolute fav!!

This book is super exciting and entertaining. The angsty drama just hit. This isn’t as light hearted as you expect it to be so beware heavy topics throughout

2.5 stars

Liked: fake dating troupe, flawed characters, alcoholism and rehab rep

I didn’t love or hate this book. I don’t think it was for me. I didn’t think the romance and chemistry was there, so it was hard to root for the love interests.

I liked the reason the two individuals were thrown together for this PR stunt, but I just couldn’t like Ethan. I get his alcoholism stemmed from trauma, but it’s just not something I am a fan of in books. I did, however, enjoy the spicy scenes, and the way Wilder incorporated the pressures of the spotlight into the story.

Read this book in one sitting; safe to say I am OBSESSED!!! The character growth in this novel is incredible as this book is more than your average romance book. It tackles serious issues that make the book even more powerful. This is a slow-burn and fits perfectly given the topic matter, overall an incredible debut novel from Ava Wilder!!

Special Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a cute read. It was angsty, funny, real, and emotional. I loved getting to see the different sides of the characters and the author did a great job of peeling back the layers. Would recommend!

I have been loving the "celeb love" trope, and How to Fake It in Hollywood by Ava Wilder does it with particular panache. She's up there with Nora Goes Off Script, which was a fav of 2022.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

Sooo this was definitely less of the cutesy romcom that it appears to be by the cover and was more of an emotional ride. So with that considered it is definitely not what I expected but that was not necessarily a bad thing. Overall I thought that this book was good and it was an enjoyable read for me.