Summary
Lilah and Shane starred together in a tv show for years. Despite secretly dating for the first season, when it all blew up, they hated each other for the rest of their run. Lilah left the show for a few years to try to jumpstart her movie career and now she is coming back to reprise her role for the final season. Their characters are in love, but Lilah and Shane... they are not, not even close. But faking it brings up some past feelings for them both.

Review
If you want a book full of angst, this one is for you. Both characters have such strong emotions regarding their fling and the other, but also have lots of fear and anxiety about the show ending and how it will affect them. Lack of honest communication is a big part of the conflict, which isn't my favorite trope. There is definitely tension and slow burn and I did enjoy the enemies to lovers vibe. Lilah is not very likeable to start, but she grows on you as she opens up and becomes more vulnerable. Shane is a golden retriever of a male love interest, to everyone expect Lilah for a good portion of the book. There is good banter and tension and it made for a fun read.

It’s the kind of storyline that, in real life, I don’t care anything about. Feuding lead actors on a tv show, front page news of gossip sites, I keep on moving. But in Bookland, well in Bookland I looove it.

I also love Ava Wilder’s writing. The weight and angst, but never melodramatic, just appropriately dramatic at times, ha. It feels too real even while the page written actors play their parts. Fully formed characters and situations. It’s also sexy but slow-burn with the lovers to enemies to lovers dynamic.

Great banter and humor, explored backstories and idiosyncrasies, loves and fears, this story is balanced with all of it. The back and forth between past and present had a good flow. Getting their full love story was delicious.

I had a couple quibbles over the final conflict but overall, it’s dynamic and a must-read. I’m already forgetting my little critiques and just want to reread it.

Thank you @prhaudio for the free audiobook, and thank you Random House & Netgalley for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

I read How To Fake It In Hollywood last summer and knew I wanted to read Ava Wilder’s sophomore release. Will They or Won’t They is a standalone, second chance, enemies to lovers celebrity romance between TV show costars Lilah and Shane. They had a casual fling during their first season of filming, but after their arrangement fizzled, they did whatever they could to maintain civility on set until her contract ended. Now, three years later, Lilah is brought back on to the show for its final season and they’re forced to confront their complicated pasts.

Overall, this book felt similar in the quality of writing and story as How to Fake It in Hollywood. The angsty animosity between Lilah and Shane was palpable, so much so that I had a hard time feeling like their relationship issues were resolved. I enjoyed the reunion aspect of the show and both Lilah and Shane following their passions and diving into their issues individually and as coworkers. This wasn’t my first audio by Kristen DiMercurio but my first time listening to Jay Aaseng’s narration - together they voiced an audiobook that was easy to follow and kept me wanting to listen.

Whenever I read a book by Ava Wilder, I know I'll receive one of the best written character studies out today. This book was full of what I love to read and wish more existed: well-thought out characters, a slow burn that keeps me hooked from page one to the final sentence, and a carefully crafted story. I always want more! Can't wait to read her next!

After loving How to Fake It in Hollywood, I was really excited about Will They or Won't They. However, it didn't deliver fully for me. Nothing in this story really drew me in and made me want to keep reading. I think where it fell short for me is that the backstory of these two characters wasn't developed fully enough for me and then it was relied on so heavily for their current relationship that I didn't feel invested. I would definitely give Ava Wilder another try in the future, but this one just wasn't for me, despite really wanting to love it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House - Ballantine for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This review was posted to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5120255572

This book is what I imagine happens in true life behind the scenes off set. The push and pull of a relationship around the reality of being famous and the speculation from the public. I think the years between Shane and Lilah’s relationship was needed to mature and have the strength to quiet the outside noise. This was very well written and a pleasure to read.

Cute novel about stars of a teen tv show who are in love/hate with each other. Definitely four stars for what is is.

A second chance, enemies to lovers all set in the backdrop of Hollywood. This book was delicious from beginning to end.

She’s back to film a last season of their hit tv show, tensions are high, can they overcome their past for a future?

I was rooting for Lilah and Shane all the way. They both had valid reasons for their feelings and you just kept willing them together. Their chemistry and heat was palpable and you just wanted to shout “just do it!” Several times.

I throughly enjoined this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC.

I really enjoyed this celebrity, second chance, enemies to lovers, forced proximity romance! The dual timelines and perspectives made for an interesting read. The chemistry between the main characters was palpable.

Thanks Ballantine and Netgalley for my copy.

I devoured How to Fake It In Hollywood and was so excited to get my hands on Wilder's second book, which did not disappoint. The friends/love/hate/friends/love cycle, pining, and frustration in Will They or Won't They... just... it is everything I want, nay NEED, in a book. The yearning and second chance vibes were wrapped up and topped off with a spectacular shiny bow made of sexual tension, banter, humor, and spice.

Hot take alert…. I didn’t love it. This is a work place romance (one of my favorite tropes!) and a second chance romance. Lilah and Shane are stars of a paranormal show called Intangible. It’s a mega hit when Lilah shocks everyone by leaving the show to go make a movie. The show continues on for many more seasons and Lilah is full of regret after the movie flops. We get to see the catalyst behind her leaving and it was a big build up to that part.

The present day takes place before the last season begins and Lilah returns to the show. The story flips between present day and the past. I enjoyed the parts where we see Lilah and Shane get together, but over all the story was just okay for me. Some second chance romances work, but I think Shane and Lilah were better apart. I did enjoy that parts where they had to pretend to like each other for the show. The show reminded me of a CW show that has its main actors date in real life to gain publicity.

Thank you @penguinrandomhouse for the gifted ebook. I haven’t read Ava’s first book, How to Fake it in Hollywood so I still have high hopes.

I thought this book was very enjoyable. I don’t love when the main problem is communication which I think was present in this book, but I thought it was very well written and a unique concept. It was funny at times and also very serious and heartbreaking. A quick and entertaining read.

3.5 Stars. I really loved How To Fake It In Hollywood by Ava, but this one missed the mark a bit for me. For some reason the relationship just felt a bit stunted and forced, so I found it a bit harder to root for Lilah and Shane. The chemistry just felt like it was lacking. Thank you to Netgalley and Ballantine Books for the ARC.

A very fun romance! I don't always love a second chance romance, especially when it seems like they came to hate each other in between, but this one was still very fun! The tension was HIGH for sure, and I loved the celebrity set up.

Thanks to NetGalley for my gifted copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion and review.
Will They or Won’t They is a cute rom com about a couple of actors who have a hit breakout tv show that spans 9 seasons.
Lilah and Shane are trying to get their big breaks and land their auditions for a upcoming tv show, they have no clue how entangled their lives are about to become. Although their characters have a prolonged romance, Lilah and Shane started off with a bang and it all went sideways very quickly. This then developed to a hate hate relationship. Several years later, after leaving the show, Lilah is set to make a grand return. Will they be able to put the last behind them and send the show off in style?
Cute read, some slow parts. Slightly spicy. Overall 3.5 stars rounded to 4.

this was such a fun read about the celebrity world that also had so much depth. i am so deeply in my second-chance romance era so this 100% hit on all the goodness that comes with that trope.

i loved the way the relationship was built between lilah and shane and the way their work on the show was interwoven with their personal conflicts.

the bond between them was so real even when they were in their enemies era, but i do wish some of the drama felt a little more grounded and less like they were just causing it for themselves. overall such an enjoyable read and i can’t wait to keep reading whatever ava wilder writes!!!

thank you so much to the publisher for the early e-arc AND the gifted copy <33

Thank you NetGalley and Random House-Ballantine for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Having two main characters with very little likable characteristics is a recipe for disaster. I was really hoping that as I read that I would start to understand these characters more and the decisions that led them to their current enemies status, but I truly just got angrier as I read. They are old enough to know how to be respectful at work, yet they just continue with their snakiness. I feel like there was no real character growth.

"They spoke the secret language of old friends, that unconditional love and acceptance that could only come from years of shared history."

Thank you NetGalley for granting me access to a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. It was adorable, and the perfect read for my absolutely too fast brain. I've been struggling to sit down and read a book, and while this one isn't perfect, it was exactly what I needed. Sometimes, that's all a book needs to be. Exactly what you needed.

If you were ever a fan of angsty teenage cw shows... this is for you. If you're a fan of hate to love where they have to co star on a show together... yeah, this is for you. If you're a fan of celebrity romance at all, this is for you. Think Elissa Sussman meets The Vampire Diaries, especially with the paranormal aspect of the show Lilah and Shane are co-stars on.

On screen, you wouldn't think there was a huge misunderstanding in their past that caused Lilah to leave their highly successful show to pursue another level of her career. You wouldn't know that they go years without speaking before they do a final, epic season to save that career. The way their chemistry flows on set, you would have no idea that outside of the steamy moments they share on screen: they absolutely despise each other.

The give and pull was exciting: enticing. I was drawn in from the very start.

I love that authors choose to use so much representation of mental health these days, and this book wasn't a disappointment in that department. I do wish it was more subtle, more understanding, at times, but I enjoyed it all nonetheless. A happy, easy read for a difficult time. Takes you right out of the world and right into another.

And isn't celebrity gossip always just... so juicy? It makes it so you have to know more.

I am 100% in support normalizing mental health and therapy. It has been in many plot lines of my reads this year and I appreciate it. ​​​​​​​​
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Ava Wilder puts a spin on therapy that I very much enjoyed by sharing couples therapy. And the idea of going to couples therapy to improve a work relationship was enlightening and entertaining as they dissected their issues together. ​​​​​​​​
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Similar to her debut novel, 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗼𝗿 𝗪𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 is a great celebrity romance with amazing chemistry, perfect to take to the pool.. Their back and forth attraction, banter, and history kept me questioning how these two would end. Right up to the end. Trust me you will be rooting for these two.

Unfortunately, Ava Wilder's second novel fell a little flat for me. I absolutely adored her first book, so my expectations were sky-high and almost predictably unmet. I didn't really love either of the characters, and their drama didn't captivate me as much. It's possible I read it in the wrong mood, but these two annoyed me more than I was rooting for them, and that's never a good sign.
The book's premise was fascinating, but the second chance aspect didn't quite work for me here since I am not a fan of the trope to begin with. And while enemies to lovers IS a favorite trope of mine, here it didn't give what it usually gives. Shane and Lilah read more immature and honestly just petty, especially Shane.

<i>Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC!</i>