2.75 stars

I think the premise of this was very interesting and had a lot of potential. However I think it all fell flat. The fake romance between them wasn’t impressionable or last very long. Most of the time they were fake-dating the author went onto telling us what they spent time doing rather than showing us. This led to a lack of romantic development making the whole relationship feel rushed. Nevertheless I thought the hollywood setting was written well and not too meta(?) (I’m not sure if thats the right word) and the FMC had a backbone and was able to stick up for herself.

**This I ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange of an honest review**

Best read this year ! This book is so cute ! Grey agrees to be in a fake relationship with Ethan. They're hoping this relationship helps both of there careers. I love a fake dating trope. The chemistry with them is 🥵 This book is one of my favorites. I would definitely reread

TW this book has alcoholism

the premise of this book was so promising - fake dating, two washed up borderline mid life crisis individuals, all the works
but then the book just flopped so hard in the actual 'romance department'
don't get me wrong, this book manages to address some deep-hitting issues such as alcoholism and death/guilt and that's what the 2.5 stars are for but for a book that is literally a romance novel there was absolutely no natural progression of events
the fake dating was set up so nice and then it just felt like insta love
fake dating is ABOUT THE FALLING! it's about the PROGRESSION INTO LOVE! ooh i've been spending so much time with this person i'm beginning to feel things uhoh
not like,, i'm horny r u let's bang yas
anyway it's a very quick read fun if you like your romance quick and public

I loved this book so, so so very much. The writing and characters pulled me in right from the start. Grey was relatable, funny, snarky and so likeable. Ethan was messy, broken, charming and painfully real. The chemistry between Grey and Ethan was everything and you could not help but be drawn into their “fake relationship”. Together they were a wonderful mix of vulnerable, funny, sweet, desperate, hot, hot, hot and heartbreaking. There were some heavy topics with loss and alcoholism which I think the author handled really well especially the elements of codependency that can develop between an alcoholic and their partner.

I just loved every single minute spent reading this book and even though I did not want to say goodbye to the characters I was desperate to get to the end to see if these two imperfect people, with this very real connection, would be able to figure things out and make it work together. That for me is the sign of great story and great writing. Shout out also to the great supporting characters Renata, Kamilah, Sam and Nora who added their own spark to the story and made both leads more rounded and well developed. A great debut by Ava Wilder who is going straight onto my auto read author list. (5 ⭐️)

Basic plot: Two Hollywood stars are set up for a publicity “tour” as a romantic couple. Do they end up making a real couple? Does the contract get fulfilled? A must read to find out!

Rating: 5/5

What I enjoyed the most: I laughed, I cried, I could hardly put this book down. Ava Wilder totally has my number and I am so honored to have received an ARC of her premier novel. Absolutely cannot wait for more of her work!

“How to Fake it in Hollywood” was a very good book and I will recommend it to all!

Thank you to NetGalley for granting me permission for an advanced copy of this wonderful book!

Thank you for the advanced copy of this book! I will be posting my review on social media, to include Instagram, Amazon, Goodreads, and Instagram!

I really liked this book, it was a bit heavier than the title and description might suggest but it was a refreshing take on this trope. I also appreciated the discussions of addiction and healthy relationships in the book. My only comment is the ending felt a little rushed.

How to Fake It in Hollywood follows Grey Brooks who is an actress trying to keep her career from crashing. And Ethan Atkins who is an Oscar-winning actor but hasn't made any movies in a while. They both have the same publicist who decides that the two should be in a fake relationship. This way it will draw more attention to them and hopefully get them more jobs. They both agree to it but at first, they do not like each other. But, since they are spending all of this time together they start to like each other. Then a scandal comes out about the two of them which causes tension. Then Grey and Ethan need to decide if they really like each other or, was it always just a publicity stunt.

I am such a sucker for cute romance books. And this was another one that I liked. It was a super-fast read and one where you knew what the ending was going to be. But, I felt like these characters were very likable. I was never bored at any point in the story. And I liked the overall plot. If you are looking for a cute rom-com to read I would suggest this.

Thank you NetGally, Random House Publishing, and Ava Wilder for the ARC of this book.

Grey Brooks is an actress trying to breathe life into her
failing career. She accepts a deal made by her publicist
to fake a relationship with another star, Ethan Atkins.


I love fake-dating stories and Fake It In Hollywood was no different. A light and fun read to pass the time, it's a really amazing book.

I loved the characters, the romance and the Hollywood setting.

I definitely want to read more by this author.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC
in exchange for my honest review.

I adored this book! I was immediately hooked by the premise and was drawn even further in by the incredibly well-developed characters who felt so real to me. It had all the familiar romance tropes that I love in the genre while also taking me to places I didn't expect. Highly recommended!

Wow....I definitely need to decompress after reading this book. What I thought would be another sappy rom-com about fake dating with a celebrity twist, turned out to be a very deep and emotionally filled journey to a HEA.

After composing myself, I went to see what other Ava Wilder books I could add to my TBR....there are none. This slice of perfection was her debut novel. It had no right to be that good for a debut!!!!!

What I liked about the book:
1. The writing is flawless. I thought it flowed really well and was edited well.

Overall, I love how once they got together, it wasn’t the typical Hollywood HEA. We got to see the troubles with Ethan’s drinking and drug problem, and self-loathing and how that impacted their relationship.

Instead of the book having a "I don't know if he/she likes me or not" feel, this one was definitely "Oh no, he/she definitely wants me, but I don't want to hurt him/her". That was a bit refreshing of a viewpoint within the fake dating trope.

2. The characters are deep and complex. Both of the MCs have deep rooted issues with trust and it definitely manifests in each of them in different ways.

Ethan has become a reclusive, alcoholic who will seek out the comfort of cigarettes and drugs if around them. He spirals to the point of blackout episodes and delusions of how he'll ultimately harm those around him.

Grey is such a pushover at times, that she even begins to drink excessively and she enables Ethan a lot. She also has such a flight response when it comes to hardship, probably from the years of being stuck as the breadwinner for her family and not really having too many people she could trust and depend on.

I also really enjoyed Nora as a character. You can tell she honestly wants the best for Ethan (her ex-husband), but she's also realistic having lived through his problems before and knows that she can't fix him, he has to want to fix himself. The way she "checks up" on him, is happy for him in his new relationship, and becomes like a big sister to Grey, makes her hands down one of the best supporting characters I think I've ever read.

3. The steam is good, the love is better.

4. First book I’ve read that mentioned a sex-induced UTI. That’s fantastic to see talked about.

5. The author does a good job using they/their pronouns when it comes to Andromeda.

4.5 Hollywood Stars!

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book in exchange for my honest review. The book is set to be published June 14, 2022, so do yourself a favor and just go pre-order it now.

A sexy, tender, and ultimately redemptive book about forgiveness, empowerment, and facing your own mess head on. This book was funny and light at moments, but deeply moving in others and I loved the blend of romance and vivid contemporary story-telling, all set in a glamorous LA backdrop amidst all the drama of Hollywood.

It's not a rom-com as the cover tends to sway you that direction. Two actors decide to fake a relationship in Hollywood to spark media's interest in them as a couple. Each has their own baggage. Ethan is a bit older than Grey and his baggage light years more terrible to overcome. Grey and Ethan fall in love but Ethan's baggage is a lot to bear for both of them.

It's gritty and real. It does HEA but what a ride!!

Grey Brooks, fresh off a staring role in a hit teenage soap opera, is struggling to make it to the next level. Ethan Atkins is reclusive A-lister looking to find his way back into civilized society. When there mutual publicist suggests a fake romance to set Hollywood abuzz, they reluctantly agree. Sparks flying, gossipers gossiping, and soon both Grey and Ethan are unsure where their fake relationship ends and a potential real one begins.

What I expected to be a rom-com, is actually not a com at all. Ava Wilder’s highly anticipated debut novel is a full fledged romance/women’s fiction novel about relationships, love, self doubt, dealing with past traumas and so much more. While the overall premise is fun and light (who doesn’t love the fake dating trope especially one set in Hollywood), some of the issues addressed are anything but.

Wilder’s characters are rich in depth, with struggles and insecurities anyone can fall victim to. The dialogue, and specifically the banter between the two main characters, was a treat. I also adored all of the other supporting relationships in the book including those between Grey and her best friend Kamilah, Ethan and his ex-wife Nora, etc. And a big shoutout for a very inclusive cast of characters including a non-binary character.

This was a very enjoyable, fast paced, steamy and romantic book. I found myself reading at a pace quicker than usual, and I became very emotionally invested, which is always a good sign for me that the book is going to be at least a 4 star read. Also, what a gorgeous cover!! I’ll definitely be pre-ordering a physical copy for myself. Highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine/Dell Books for an arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Ava Wilder's How to Fake It in Hollywood is a realist look at celebrity culture. While the situations in which the protagonists, Grey and Ethan, find themselves, can teeter on the edge of cliché, Wilder manages to subvert readers' expectations and present an earnest portrait of addiction and love. The pacing of the novel is fairly consistent, with a slight imbalance in the third act and a bit of a lull when characters walk back and forth on the same issue. The writing is also solid, if a little overly straightforward in certain areas; I particularly enjoyed Wilder's tongue-in-cheek dig at a certain small-town, absolutely bonkers teen drama featuring the epic highs and lows of high school football. (Or, theoretically, if such a bonkers teen drama could exist and be nonsensically renewed for years on end. Theoretically.)

The stars of the novel, fittingly, are Grey and Ethan. Grey is especially three-dimensional and realistic, and her choices and internal monologue emphasize—cleverly subtle on Wilder's part—not only her youth but also her position as a woman in the entertainment business. Ethan's struggles are also crucial to the story, but I found that they became secondary (fittingly, in my opinion) to Grey's stronger character arc.

While How to Fake It in Hollywood is, perhaps, at its core, a romance story, it is also a deeply realistic and truth-adjacent novel. There is an eerie familiarity to it because the reader will have likely read this story dozens of times before—in tabloid headlines jeering at celebrities gone wild, in TV recaps of celebrity divorce scandals, and in thousands of Instagram posts obsessively analyzing celebrities' bodies. Wilder uses her readers' muscle memories of celebrity intrusions and offers a glimpse into the private actions behind the public speculations.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House - Ballantine for a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. This review will be posted on my blog, le livre en rose (lelivreenrose.weebly.com) sometime in the upcoming week.

I. Loved. This. Book!! I'm a pop-culture junkie so I'm always excited to read books that give me a *realistic* peek into celebrity life and this did it better than most. Wilder built a romance that delivered the swoon but also left me questioning if the two were really meant for each other. As all my favorite books do, it forced me to think about what I would do if I was the MC and a week after reading it I'm still not sure. A book that made me laugh, tear up, and think! It doesn't get much better!

Really enjoyable romance! The idea of two celebrities being set up isn’t a brand new premise, but I think this was really well done. The characters were both developed and likable, but still flawed. I would definitely recommend this and would read another story by the author!!

If you're looking for quick, chemistry-filled romance, How to Fake It in Hollywood might be a perfect fit. It's an interesting look inside the celebrity PR machine and the challenges of facing blatant sexism as an actress. Of course, the main driver of the plot is the relationship between Grey and Ethan, who are both multi-dimensional characters.

However, the pacing of the plot kind of threw me off. It felt like the story almost wrapped up 70% of the way through, only to have the author throw in additional challenges for Grey and Ethan. I think the different plot lines could have tied together in a neater way that didn't feel dragged out or monotonous.

3.5 STARS!!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

This was a cute fake dating story following two actors, Ethan and Grey.

I didn’t love or hate it. I liked it. It held my attention throughout the book for the most part but it wasn’t anything crazy or emotional for me that made me want to give it more stars. The characters were okay but I feel it was kinda repetitive throughout, same problems over and over which made it predictable.

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

How to Fake it in Hollywood is all of my favorite things in a romance novel: surly male love interest, witty, sharp, beautiful female main character, celebrity, great writing, fake dating, a truly deep love story, and even a tongue-in-cheek nod to another popular trope (I won’t say more than that because spoilers). There was even a little section that gave off strong blind items/Deux moi vibes. Needless to say, I LOVED this book.

Grey is talented and driven, but she’s just not getting the traction she needs in Hollywood to get her career to where she wants it to be. Luckily for her, her publicist (who I’d love to read a sequel about 👀) thinks that a PR relationship with uber- famous Ethan will make Grey’s stock skyrocket. The catch? Ethan isn’t thrilled with the idea since he’s been out of the Hollywood scene for a few years and has no desire to re-enter it.

Grey was an absolute delight to read. She’s not a damsel in distress, she’s smart, she’s funny, she overthinks just as much as I do—she’s a very relatable main character. Ethan is written just like I’d imagine a fallen-from-grace megastar would be. Turns on the charm when the cameras are on, but gruff and distant behind closed doors. His vulnerability comes out organically and, of course, it’s all thanks to Grey. Their interactions are realistic for their situation, nothing was ever over-the-top or unbelievable.

Some housekeeping notes on things that I REALLY appreciated: they practiced safe sex, there was actual consent for sex, the author included a non-binary character and a queer relationship, the conversation between a main character and the ex of another was incredibly well done, the characters are layered and nuanced, like real people, all of that and then some more that I can’t write without spoiling it. I can’t believe this is a debut for Ava Wilder because it is wonderful. I can’t wait to read more from this author. 5/5!