The first half was so sweet and I loved it! The second half took a then from a cute romance to a series women’s fiction. I missed the beginning and the love I had for both characters. A solid 3 stars

I love a good fake dating love story and this one didn't disappoint. I loved the chemistry between Grey and Ethan even if they were just acting with each other in the beginning. Although there were some heavy elements mixed into the story I do think we need more stories that dive deep into mental health especially with what's happening in the world of Hollywood lately with some of its stars. Overall I really enjoyed this story and look forward to reading more by Ava in the future.

Honestly, this book is IT. The cover, the plot, the writing. Please read TW if that's your thing because this does touch on some important topics. The perfect amount of swoon and angst.

Edit: *I'm back to say this is my FAVORITE book of 2022. The angst, the spice, the ALL OF IT. omg. I'm clearly still very much thinking about it.

I absolutely LOVED this book! How to Fake It in Hollywood gets five stars from me! I couldn’t put it down. Fake dating, grief, love. This was so much more than a love story. Grey is a Hollywood starlet that needs a boost in her career. Ethan is a former Hollywood heartthrob that needs his image cleaned up a bit if he ever wants to produce the movie he wrote. Reluctantly they enter in to a PR stunt romance that everyone believes. What could possibly go wrong?

This is a book that I know I’ll read again and again! It was beautifully written and I am now a forever Ava Wilder fan! Definitely read this book!

Thank you to NetGalley, Ava Wilder, and Random House/ Ballantine for this arc!

**edited to add that I’ve now read over 200 books this year, and this is probably my Favorite out of all of them!

This is a new to me author and I have to say I am looking forward to reading more by this author! I loved this book

This book was a pleasant surprise for me! I went into this thinking it would just be a fake dating story but it ended up being so much more. Grey is trying to reset her acting career after not finding the success she hoped for after her teen drama ended and Ethan is trying to improve his image after falling out of the spotlight after the death of his close friend when they start a fake relationship for publicity. Their chemistry was fantastic and I loved their banter has they tried to resist their attraction to one another.

This book is the perfect example of the right people but the wrong time with Ethan struggling with his mental health and addiction issues while Grey was trying to figure out how to help. But you can’t help someone who doesn’t want to be helped. I loved watching how these characters grew throughout the entire story. I really loved the side characters, especially Nora. I loved the friendship Nora and Grey were able to create.

I think this book is more of a romance than a rom-com because it dealt with some pretty serious issues throughout the story. This was a great debut and I look forward to Wilder’s future books! Overall, this was a 4.5 for me!

Thank you to NetGalley, Dell and Random House Publishing - Ballantine for a copy of this e-book in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the first half of the book -- while we truly dove in and got to know the characters! The fake dating and instant attraction made this book very interesting -- but I did get taken out of the book a bit by some of the details being inaccurate.

While I enjoyed it, I'm probably not the target audience. I look forward to seeing what Ava Wilder does in the future!

3/5 stars for me.

I loved this book! I was really shocked by this -- I've worked in the entertainment industry and I think a lot of stories about celebrities get it wrong. But this book got so much correct that I never found myself being taken out of the story by inaccuracies.

I loved Grey as a narrator so much. She was fascinating, and I loved the choice to have her be a TV star struggling to find her footing in Hollywood now that her breakout role has ended and maybe pigeonholed her a bit. And Ethan! What a great love interest. Their relationship and mutual respect and admiration was so clear on the page. I fully believed their love story, even if at times I was yelling at Grey to run for the hills. This is one book where a third act breakup makes absolute sense -- Ethan needed time to heal.

I am still thinking about this book, even weeks later. I will absolutely be reading future books by Wilder!

Fake dating between two actors, Grey and Ethan, to as a way to help both of their images and status.

I thought this book was very charming, quick witted, and perfectly took us along for the ride during a PR stunt turned complicated situationship.

I didn’t love how some of the heavier topics were handled in the beginning, i.e. a very successful actor dealing with alcoholism where everyone around him will do anything for him except have an honest conversation with him. But perhaps that is just Hollywood, baby. I appreciate what the author was able to convey and accomplish in a fast paced/engaging book. There are times I wanted more, but overall really enjoyed this and think others will as well.

Thank you net galley for the e-arc!

Love the fake dating trope and enjoyed the characters. This was much deeper than just a PR stunt and fake dating. Nothing like I expected but still enjoyed.

First off, a huge thanks to @netgalley and @penguinrandomhouse for sending me this ARC!
I absolutely love this book and everything about it!! Definitely ranked as one of my favorite reads of the year! I love books with celebrity romance, and Ava Wilder delivered! The plot was so well constructed and you can really get connected to both Grey and Ethan. I've already read it multiple times over!

Are you in the mood for a light and fun comedy? Well, this is not the book for you! I feel like people may pick up this book on a false pretense- while the description may seem light and fun, this is a much heavier read than I expected. Much less Beach Read/Unhoneymooners and more A Star is Born.
I'm not saying this is a bad book, but I do not think that the book description is accurate. If you want romance on the heavier side, you may appreciate this one.
⭐⭐⭐

Gotta love two cynics in love as a cynical girl myself. Really loved this one. Thanks to Random House for the arc for my honest review.

***ARC provided by the publisher on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***

A relationship of convenience and a lot of heavy baggage weighs this romance down, leaning into adult fiction territory for How to Fake It in Hollywood by Ava Wilder.

When Grey Brooks finds herself a little light on work after the end of her teen drama, Poison Paradise, her publicist has a perfect idea of a fake relationship to keep her in the public eye.

Audrey's idea of the fake boyfriend? Former Hollywood bad boy and current Hollywood recluse Ethan Atkins. With the connection to both, Audrey is hopeful that it'll boost their career profiles.

Ethan is a few years removed from the stardom he came into. After the devastating loss of his film partner and best friend, he spiraled into a miserable mess of drugs, alcohol, and self-loathing.

The characters feel real, and the chemistry between Grey and Ethan is absolutely off the charts from the start. It's this aspect that makes their love scenes all the steamier. I also appreciate that Grey has got her stuff together, is utterly self-assured in what she wants, and how she commands respect, especially when she first meets Ethan.

Her self-assuredness and sense of worth make their darker third-act break-up much more challenging to read. It pulls at the heartstrings, making you feel for Grey and Ethan, the latter dealing with an insurmountable amount of pain paired with his inability to work through that pain and grief.

Overall, though, this feels like adult fiction/women's fiction in romance's clothing, in a way. Though the crux of the story is centered on the two of them, the story goes to great lengths to focus on how they grow to be better because of the experience of being in each other's lives.

Fake dating troupe starring Grey Brooks, a young Hollywood starlet trying to make it in a cut throat industry, and Ethan Atkins, a wash up has-been looking to reinvigorate his career. Will this relationship accomplish what they set out to achieve?

Overall I enjoyed the plot and was rooting for Grey to find happiness! Ethan’s character definitely grew on me as his story gained more depth.

TW: Addiction, substance abuse, alcohol abuse

Sincere thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed the first half of the book and getting to know the characters. I loved the fake dating and the instant attraction. How to Fake It in Hollywood is incredibly well written. Unfortunately, several of the chapters were tough to read for me personally. But I am excited to see what Ava Wilder has next! The writing, storytelling and character development was very well done!

I'm such a sucker for fake dating and famous character tropes. How to Fake it in Hollywood had both! I appreciate how Grey Brooks and Ethan Atkinson were into each other while pretending they were not. I mean, Ethan was Grey's teenage celebrity crush, after all. We've all dreamed about this situation playing out. This book provided the behind the curtain feel into the lives of the celebrity culture and the real problems in this industry. This book also dove into the personal challenges of the characters in an emotional but meaningful way. It was not a light romance read. I could not stop listening to the audiobook. Both of the narrators did a great job. Andrew Eiden is one of my favorite male narrators!

Penguin Random House Audio and Dell, thank you for my gifted copies.

Really enjoyed the romance and the trope of this one! Was such a fun and engaging read. Hope to read more by this author.

Heavy but lovely. Fake dating! Flawed protagonists who take time to work on themselves before their happy ending! I think it suffers from being marketed as something fluffier than it is, while really dealing with some very heavy issues. Good for fans of Funny You Should Ask by Elissa Sussman.

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Grey Brooks wants to be taken seriously in Hollywood and book roles that are more than the teen fantasy lead she played up until a few years ago. Ethan Atkins, once major film star, hasn’t been relevant since that time he got drunk and punched a paparazzi in the face and went to rehab. When their mutual agent decides they both need a PR boost - Grey and Ethan find themselves in a fake relationship that is supposed to be mutually beneficial but quickly turns overly complicated and not-so-fake.

Right off the bat - the cover and description of this book is misleading. You should note that this is not an easy or light romance novel and deals with heavy themes of alcohol and drug abuse, destructive behavior and codepency. While beautifully written, it was definitely not what I expected from looking at the cover or reading the synopsis. Very reminiscent of The Idea of You or Annabel Monaghan’s Nora Goes Off Script.

Thanks to NetGalley, Random House / Ballantine and Ava Wilder for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review!