How to Fake It in Hollywood by Ava Wilder
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Genre: 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞
Format: 𝐞𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤
Length: 𝟑𝟖𝟒 𝐩𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬
Trigger warnings: 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧𝐞, 𝐚𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐦
Tropes: 𝐟𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐱𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐝, 𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐩
Release date: 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝟏𝟒𝐭𝐡, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟐

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺, 𝘈𝘷𝘢 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘙𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘮 𝘏𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘗𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘎𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘱 - 𝘉𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘳𝘤 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸!

How to Fake It In Hollywood is everything I want in a book, especially a contemporary romance. This is Ava Wilder’s debut book!! We follow Grey Brooks, who is struggling as an actress. Her agent convinces her that perhaps a PR relationship could help. What her agent failed to mention is that it would be a PR relationship with non other than ETHAN FREAKING ATKINS. Grey used to have posters of Ethan on her wall and now she’s his fake girlfriend. Ethan is an A list celebrity or at least he used to be before the death of his best friend followed by his very public divorce.

This book is sooooo good. Yes, there are so many good tropes which make you want to read this book but there is a lot of development that happens here too. Grey and Ethan are dealing with their own struggles, not just with their careers. There are a lot of heavy subject materials in this book and it wasn’t always happy. But it was nice to have characters struggle with very real things and not just have everything work out so easily. I love that they had to really grow as individuals before they could grow together.

I cannot wait to see what Ava Wilder writes next.

This was your typical romance. Celebrity fake love and slow burn. I enjoyed it but didn't feel like there was anything new. It was just like the other couple of books I've read containing the same trope. Overall, nothing new. I expected a more unique story I guess.

this was my first ever ARC & I’m so happy it was! I absolutely enjoyed the universe Ava created here with Grey and Ethan. It felt like a hollywood tale similar to themes of A Star is Born with crossed with characters who’s careers were plucked out of the 90s heartthrob era (think river phoenix, keanu era) and the 2000s teen dramas (one tree hill, dawsons creek), respectfully. This was a really fun read & made me laugh way more than I’d like to admit. My only real complaint was that I felt like there were some parts of the story specifically developments with their relationship that you think would be more important were sped through really quickly. I think that was more to blame of my style as a reader and how I’ve chosen to read romantic comedies in the past. If it wasn’t important to the author to dive into deeper than I guess I shouldn’t really hinge myself to it more. It didn’t turn me off from the story or the characters at all though. I finished it still enjoying the story and the romance that was pathed out.

I’m very much looking forward to this coming out and getting my own physical copy to go back and annotate through. I’ve marked it down in my calendar!

One of my all-time favorite romance tropes is the “pretend dating” to falling in love tale. Grey is an actor whose teen soap ended a year ago, and auditions are drying up for her as she figures out what she wants next. Ethan is an older star who hasn’t worked in a few years, busy mourning the death of his best friend at the bottom of a bottle. When their shared publicist suggests they pretend to date to raise both of their profiles, they begrudgingly agree.

What I loved about this book (besides the falling in love bits) was how the author explores the trappings of fame in the present day. How much of your personal life do you have to sell and expose to do the job you love?

A star is born meets the proposal. This book got me thinking about all Hollywood relationships. And what really happens behind the curtains.

In my opinion, this is the ideal setting for a fake dating trope. Two actors; one washed-up and one on the come up, put in a contract together for a fake relationship to benefit both of their careers. What drew me in about this book is that this actually happens in Hollywood, and although these are fictional characters, quite a few celebrity couples came to mind when reading about Grey and Ethan, which made the story even more enjoyable. I would think, “Is this what really goes on between them?”

This book was pretty predictable, in the best way. There was a bit of a lull in the plot 2/3 through, but the rest of the book thoroughly makes up for it. There are likable characters, not-so-likable characters, and characters that grow on you. The character development was also a key point in what made me really love this book.

Alcoholism is an issue that is frequently talked about in this book, and the raw reality of it. Another issue that’s touched on is grief and how someone can process grief. The only thing holding me back from giving this book 5 stars is that it felt a little bit slow paced at times as well as the previously mentioned lull. Other than that, I would recommend this as a quintessential book to read for any romance lover.

Thank you NetGalley and Ava Wilder for this ARC. :)

I enjoyed this story and how the main characters worked to come together in a healthy relationship. I would read another book by this author and think it would be a good addition to a public library collection.

This Hollywood romcom was sweet as can be while avoiding the cheesy nature of many similar books. I highly recommend!

Third person narrative can be tricky sometimes because there tends to be a disconnect with the characters since you are missing their internal dialogue, but this author made sure that Grey and Ethan emotions were felt through her words. It’s a fun take when I see a book that humanizes not only the idea of celebrities but reminds us that these people that we idolized are regular people.

There’s a quiet intrigue and magnetic caramesia to the author's writing style which instantly pulls you into this world of fiction and makes it feels like reality. The forced proximity lined with tension filled moments, blurring the lines so much that there’s no distinct line between acting and reality, and so many swoon worthy moments that just made my heart ache. The dialogue was both flirty and fun while also tender, raw conversations about grief, trauma , self doubt, and so much more.

This author tackled many topics that are not common in a romance book. She wrote characters that faced struggles and insecurities that go beyond the twinkling lights of Hollywood. Both Ethan and Grey tackled issues that many people face and it was written in a way that felt organic to the plot of the book, rather than using sensitive topics to dramatize their story. This author took a well known trope and gave a unique voice to a story that has an inclusive cast and a story that has you emotionally invested from the beginning.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine for this ARC.

I really liked this. It was serious, but so charming. They discussed some important issues in the book, but without making it feel overwhelmingly sad or preachy. I loved the romance of it, and I loved the supporting characters!

4.5 stars - delightful!

Full disclosure: this is the first time I ever got an Advance Reader Copy of anything (thanks @netgalley and @randomhouse!) and I’m in an internet group with the author (a group which also happens to be in the acknowledgments, so it’s pretty much like she’s thanking me personally, and you’re very welcome Ava!) So while this is my objective review, you know, subconscious bias, this happens to be exactly up my alley, yada yada, make of it what you will.

All that said, I enjoyed this SO MUCH! It was captivating, sweet, thoughtful and while it lovingly parodied celebrity gossip and Hollywood (the couple name! Virginia Virginia!), it never felt fan fiction-y. I literally couldn’t put this down, I *needed* to know what was going to happen, and I was happy to be spending my time with these characters!

My only (very minor) complaints: there were a couple of places where the word choice seemed a bit awkward/stilted. Mostly around the ~steamier~ scenes, which were still very well-done and I imagine that if I ever tried to write a romance novel I would go full Allison Janney in 10 Things I Hate About You and be incredibly awkward about it. Also, it was fully made up for by the fact that she casually dropped my #1 favorite vocab word of all time (ALACRITY) and this passage that literally read my mind (breakfast foods = 😍): “Just Ethan, who made her amazing fried-egg sandwiches, wrangled her off-menu Belgian waffles, gave her his toast and potatoes when she was too hungover to eat anything else. She frowned to herself. Why were so many of her fond feelings about him linked to breakfast? Well, no need to unpack that now.”

I also think the back half could have been condensed a bit. The last few chapters were gold and I wouldn’t change a single thing about the ending, but it took a bit to get there. And I don’t know exactly what I would change because there’s character reasons for the ups and downs and it does build empathy, but it also causes it to drag a little so that when we did get to the ending I had a bit of a “finally!” reaction.

How to Fake it in Hollywood by Ava Wilder.

4 stars for this enjoyable romance. Grey Brooks is a former child/teen star who’s looking for her next acting opportunity. Ethan Atkins is an A-list star who has been keeping a low profile since the death of his best friend 5 years ago. Their mutual publicist proposes a 6-month fake dating scenario where they both get the exposure they need.

I loved the almost slow burn pace of their relationship at the beginning of the story. Both characters were likable and flawed. Their struggles felt real and not over the top. I appreciate that Grey stood her ground and didn’t think it was her job to “fix” Ethan.

ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

As an avid reader I can sometimes predict how a storyline may go just by reading the synopsis and I know what I like. This author took the story of “will the fake Hollywood romance turn into the real thing” and gave it so much depth and so many layers that I literally had a hard time putting this book down, I read it in three days! The characters are so real and Grey is the kind of character I love to cheer for. This book will give you all the feels while you ride the rollercoaster of Hollywood romances. I will definitely read this author again!

From the cover I thought this was going to be a lighter romance read but much to my surprise it had a lot of substance and heart. I've read a number of fake relationship in Hollywood type books but I like that this really went into the darker side of the lives of actors. Ethan struggling with his mental health, death of his best friend, and his addiction(s). Grey trying to trust and love again while figuring out how to act and be in Hollywood in a joyful and meaningful way to her. I loved the inclusion of a non-binary character which was a first for me out of all the romance books I've read in the last few years. The relationship between Ethan and Nora luckily didn't go down the horrible ex plot line and instead showed a working co-parenting relationship including her and Grey becoming friends and business partners. The steamy scenes were wonderful and not too *spicy* if you will. I really enjoyed Ava Wilder's writing style and not having the traditional POV from each character, rotating chapters. You get to see from the outside and both of their perspectives.

A cute and super fast read. You can never go wrong with a good old fake dating trope. I loved that it wasn’t all fluff but also wasn’t extremely angsty. The story touches on dealing with grief and addiction, without letting the relationship become super toxic, which I really appreciated. Overall, I enjoyed reading about their relationship and had no problem finishing this in one sitting.

This is a sweet, but not Hallmark sweet romance! Grey is on the rise in her acting career and has agreed to begin a fake relationship with an older actor. He's got some issues surrounding him and has made some poor choices in his career. It's spicy, witty, and packs a punch! I loved the character development throughout and look forward to seeing more from Wilder!

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for my ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

Grey, a child star turned cw-type actor and Ethan, a former hollywood heartthrob turned recluse launch into the fake dating plot of the century. Ava takes her time to establish Grey and Ethan as flawed individuals writing a story that’s easy for the reader to get lost in. Maybe it’s not the healthiest relationship but it’s real and honest and Ava doesn’t shy away from the hard topics. With their sizzling chemistry and roundabout cast of secondary characters and maybe the best debut novel I've read this year, I cannot wait to see what's next for Ms. Ava Wilder.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for this ARC.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 (4 stars)

T R O P E S: fake dating, one bed (sort of?), age gap
TW: alcoholism, past death of a loved one, depression, brief discussions of body size/weight

If "fictional stories about famous people" was a real sub-genre of contemporary romance, it probably would be my favorite. I adored this romance novel between two actors at different stages in their careers.

Grey is an emotionally intelligent, well-adjusted actress in the midst of attempting to rework her image into that of a serious actress. On the other hand, Ethan is Brad Pitt-level famous, and ever since the death of his life-long friend and creative partner, has been on the brink of an emotional catastrophe (not to be confused with a mere breakdown). The characters embark on a mutually beneficial fake relationship/publicity stunt.

Grey is FUNNY, and the two's witty banter breathed life into this novel. I appreciate when romance novels don't invent conflict for the sake of having conflict, and instead establish characters plagued by real-life issues (in this case: alcoholism, fame, and grief). I won't go into much detail as to avoid spoilers, but I also appreciated that this romance didn't go the route of "love can fix all problems." And you know what else was refreshing? I loved the dynamic between Ethan and his ex-wife. They had both established a highly amicable friendship and co-parenting situation. Wilder took one look at the available crazy/bitter ex-wife trope and said: absolutely not. My only qualm is that I wish the author involved more scenes with Ethan's two daughters.

I don't read many age gap romances because I have a fear that they will turn into a romanticized grooming situation, but I had absolutely no problems with the 11-year gap in age in regards to the romantic dynamic between Ethan and Grey. Not only did these characters meet at a later stage in life than I see in many age-gap romances (Grey being 27 and Ethan being 38), but Grey holds herself with such an air of maturity, stability, and level-headedness that I honestly couldn't see her realistically meeting her intellectual and romantic match with another male love interest her age.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

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

4.75 stars

How to Fake It in Hollywood is the debut novel of Ava Wilder. Fake dating is the main trope. Grey Brooks has in the Hollywood industry since she was a child but has been unemployed for a year. Ethan Atkins is an Oscar winning actor, single father, who had a life as well as career downfall when his best friend died five years ago and still hasn't recover from it . Their publicists comes forward with a plan of fake dating to boost her fame and to restore his reputation for a duration of 6 months. Will they be able to retain a platonic relationship? Will their whole fake relationship thing come unveiled in front of the world ? THE ANSWER IS WAIT AND READ.

For a debut novel, it was REALLY GOOD. The writing was excellent. It was really captivating. I can't imagine losing my best friend. I felt for Ethan so much. The storyline had its cheeky , fun moments as well as emotional once. Grey was kind , even though he tried to put her off several times she took her ground.

I loved both of them. Ethan has grown a lot throughout the book. I loved that they took a break from their relationship to grow individually after initially starting a type of symbiotic relationship( i.e. fake relationship). They needed that. The end was so good.

It was dual POV book which I love . But the shift of POV midst a chapter was very off putting. Other than that , I am really happy. It has been one of my fav reads of this year and I would absolutely recommend it.

Trigger warnings : alcoholism
loved ones death
fat shaming
addiction

OUT JUNE 14

I received this novel as an advanced reader copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed the build up and chemistry between Grey and Ethan in the first half of the novel, it was fun and flowed easily. The second half took a bit of a downward twist but I was relieved for the happy ending.