Lilah and Shane for the win!

Lilah Hunter knew that she would get an icy reception returning for Intangible’s ninth and last season when she had left after season five. Lilah seeing Shane McCarthy, her former co-star again was going to take all of her acting skills because they hadn’t been on good terms since season one when their quiet dating off camera ended badly. Lilah and Shane have to play nice for the cameras especially when they are frosty off camera but they still have a long way to go dealing with their breakup. But what happens when they realize that some of their originally feelings are still there?

I loved how the author totally to the reader behinds the scenes in making a television show showing it is a lot of hard work!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Listen, there are just some books that you like while reading, and are engaged but you probably won’t think about much after. That is Will They Won’t They for me. Great beach read.

It’s basically if Dan and Serena (Gossip Girl) hooked up the first season and then hated each other after due to a host of issues. Serena finally left to make a terrible movie and had to come back for the final season of Gossip Girl. For her career, and also because the show only works with Dan and Serena (but in this book Lilah and Shane) headlining.

I stayed up way to late reading this novel as I couldn't put it down. This celebrity, second-chance love story is a coming of age for two former TV stars who needed to grow-up to find what the heart desires.

Lilah and Shane's journey through fame was a mess. They were young, naive and unsure how to be in love. They bickered instead of talking, and used their hook-ups to mask their struggles in Hollywood. Now many years later, they are back together on the TV for one final hooray. The tension thats spanned years is instantly back, and they are forced to finally communicate. The confessional of their hardships and misunderstandings is their only hope to salvage their broken hearts. Everything about this book was fabulous from the beginning to the end.

Wilder has a knack for writing flawed and angry characters that I love. I look forward to reading future works by this author.

Thank you Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Dell for the complimentary copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I would give this 3.5 stars. This was my first read by Ava Wilder, and I generally enjoyed it. I liked that both Lilah and Shane were complex characters, and there was so much tension between them. I am also impressed by Wilder's commitment to the celebrity relationship trope. Plus, I appreciate reading a romance novel where the main character has anxiety. I found aspects of the ending unconvincing and was frustrated by a couple of the interactions between the protagonists, but these didn't detract much from the overall experience and I would ultimately recommend.

Content Warnings: discussions of anxiety disorder, panic attack (on-page)

Lilah and Shane’s chemistry is instant and undeniable. Everyone sees it, especially the casting directors for the upcoming sci-fi tv show Intangible, making them the obvious choice for the show’s will-they-won’t-they power couple. The casting decision ultimately thrusts private, closed-off Lilah and instantly lovable Shane into the public eye. While fans speculate about their characters, Lilah and Shane turn to each other — the only other person who could possibly understand what it feels like to lose all sense of anonymity overnight. As the ratings ramp up, so do their feelings for one another. But, as Intangible’s meteor continues to climb, Lilah and Shane’s relationship, in true Hollywood fashion, spectacularly crashes and burns behind the scenes until after 5 seasons of torture, Lilah leaves in search of greener, Shane-free pastures.

Flashforward to season 9, and Intangible is coming back for one final season, and the network has the surprise of a lifetime planned for fans. It turns out Lilah’s character, Kate, isn’t quite as dead as they thought. And neither are the feelings both Shane and Lilah have tried to hide — from the public, from themselves, and from each other — for all these years.

Just as she did in her freshman novel How to Fake it in Hollywood, Wilder builds larger than life characters worthy of celebrity obsession. Her writing feels like the behind the scenes look into the lives of Hollywood’s most exclusive celebrities that fans crave — the characters are larger than life while also serving as the best representatives of the “Stars! They’re just like us!” Magazine spreads all millennials poured over in Us Weekly and People. Wilder peels back the glamorous layers and shows us all the things celebrities probably wish they could airbrush: their emotional insecurities, idiosyncrasies, and flaws — the things that actually do make them just like us.

Will They or Won’t They has all the best things that make a friends to lovers to enemies to friends to lovers: dual timeline, therapy representation, longing hugs and hand holds, and amazing banter.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Dell / Penguin Random House for the e-ARC! Wilder’s quickly and consistently became a must-read for me — so much so that I bought the physical copy of the book, too!

Lilah and Share are co-stars on a television show and have an on and off-screen romantic interest. They finally act on the interest, but it ends brutally after a few months leaving Lilah and Shane enemies. After their fifth season together, Lilah leaves for a promising lead in a major film. After the movie flops, Lilah is back on the TV show for its final season. There's only one problem, Lilah and Shane will once again be co-stars forcing them to work on their working relationship. Will they be able to fake their relationship on screen and will old feelings crop back up?

I loved this lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers story. I found myself so frustrated with Lilah in her inability to open up to Shane, but the author did such a good job creating a background for Lilah and Shane that I understood her character flaws. I really liked the slow climb of Lilah and Shane building back their relationship over the course of the season. It was almost a slow burn, but with the flashbacks to nine years ago the book flew by and I finished it within 24 hours. The ending left me shocked!! 4/5 loved this book.

”In one version, she glanced back at him, making sure he was watching. In the other, she didn’t bother. Three and a half years later he still wasn’t sure which one was worse.

Can’t believe everything I’m about to say.

At first I thought this was going to be a miscommunication trope (and there is some of that), but no. It’s a he falls first and harder trope. And ya girl was here for it!

Books that are in the same world as Will They or Won’t They usually have all these cliches that irk me, and I find myself usually hate reading them, but Wilder had a way of keeping the classic romance vibe alive and fresh. She managed to pull off a book with the perfect balance of banter, backstory, and believable chemistry.

The witty banter between Lilah and Shane was never too much too. You know how authors often make that the characters whole personality and then there’s no depth beyond that… well this just gave the characters the extra little bit of personality to pull you in. Oh, and I have to let it be known the two leads have actual conversations!!!! It’s not just them talking about their romance! Amazing right?!

I loved the pull between the past and present. How the story flowed. The build up and the take backs. It just worked for me. Also the spice was the perfect amount and perfectly placed throughout.

My favorite part and the thing that shocked me the most, was how funny this was! The jokes were so perfectly timed. The Lean Pockets and Redbull joke coming full circle had me dying!! All of it just felt authentic. Scenes and dialogue felt real. The kitchen scene with Shane and his mom… perfection! Everything seemed so well thought out.

My only real criticism is the last like ten or so pages I didn’t love, besides that I have no real complaints.

I went into Will They or Won’t They not expecting to like it, but always happy when a book proves me wrong.

4.5 stars

I thoroughly enjoyed this authors previous work, How to Fake It in Hollywood, so I was excited to receive an eARC for this new release. Unfortunately, it fell short of my expectations and I felt myself struggling to become invested in the characters or their relationship. I do think the anxiety representation was really well done in this novel.

Shane and Lilah are co-working actors of a long-running major network TV show. After leaving the show, Lilah returns for one final farewell season to help restore her career options. After ending their relationship 8 years ago, Shane and Lilah have nothing but animosity towards one another and are now forced (once again) to work closely on-screen.

You may like this if you enjoy:
- celebrity romance
- second-chance romance
- anxiety representation

Ultimately, my biggest disconnect with this book was that I found both characters unlikable and I found the ending to be manipulative. I'm not sure how else to describe it without giving away too much.

Rating: 4/5
Steam: 3/5
Warnings: anxiety, panic attack (on page), family tensions
Tropes: second chance, forced proximity, enemies to lovers, jewish representation

Thank you to Random House, PRH Audio and NetGalley for access to these advanced copies in exchange for my honest opinion.

Welcome back to the land of Hollywood told by Ava Wilder. After a stellar debut, I was so thrilled to read her second novel. Ava writes forced proximity so well and Will They or Won't They was not exception.

I really enjoyed the flashbacks in these books, seeing the characters through both evolutions of their relationship. I loved the use of counseling sessions to gain a glimpse into their journey. There was so much sexual tension and pinning between these two, you could feel it.

Can't wait for what Ava gives us next!

I really wanted to enjoy this book - and was so excited to receive an ePub file - but unfortunately, I had to DNF around 25%. I couldn't get into the storyline or connect with the characters in any way, and the chapters were really long and drawn out. I really enjoyed How to Fake it in Hollywood, so I thought for sure I would enjoy this one as well. Based on some reviews I've seen on Goodreads, I might be the minority on this one. I think the right reader may enjoy this book, but that reader isn't me.

Two co-stars play on screen love interests but their personal history is a bit more complicated. When they reunite to film the final season of their TV, the set is tense and they must figure out how to work together again.

I enjoyed this one overall, though it took me a bit to get into at the start. There were so many references to Lilah and Shane's explosive past but it took a while to reveal what actually happened.

Once we got some more of their back story and saw them warming up to each other I really enjoyed the pair. We get to see where it all went wrong and that they both had some growing up to do. With the dual points of view we got to experience their mutual attraction and care for one another, and I loved their tender moments holding hands or confiding in each other.

Recommend picking this one up if you like:
- Hollywood setting
- Second chance romance
- Enemies to lovers
- Slow burn

I could not put this book down. I love an enemies to lovers, but also misunderstood but also celebrity drama romance!!!! Ava Wilder is turning into a must read I am loving her Hollywood storylines.

I thought this was a cute love story with a surprising amount of depth. I have read several books lately with this nostalgia show troupe and I thought I wouldn’t be as interested but Ava Wilder build a lovely set of characters in complex situations. Thank you to NetGalley for giving me this arc in exchange for my honest review and I honestly highly recommend this delightful novel on your vacation this summer.

Thank you net galley and random house publishing for letting me read this in exchange for an honest review.

I am going to start out by saying that I haven't read something this spicy since I read "After" by Anna Todd. Wow! This was good!

It's your typical celebrity romance enemies-to-lovers story but this time the two actors have been on set together for more than 5 years. Shane and Lilah are very romantic and intimate on screen but off screen they are a hot mess full of jealousy, rage, and unknown feelings. Now, it's the last season of their show "insatiable" and they have to put up with each other on and off screen. Fans have shipped their characters together for years but they can't even stand a few feet away from each other without swearing. It's a classic will they or won't they relationship, you won't want to miss out on.

I've never read an Ava Wilder book before. This was a very enjoyable read and it reminded me of some of my favorite celebrity couples that have drama. I loved reading about their banter with each other and their lives outside of the show. I think that there was the perfect amount of angst and tension in the book. I would read this again. I also want to mention that the representation in this book is so well written.

This book reminded by of the "Charm Offensive" by Alison Cochrun. readers kinda knew by chapter 20 what was going to happen at the end. It seemed a bit too obvious especially since they are a Hollywood couple. I honestly, wanted to see more of the mental health aspects of their lives than the clubbing and after-parties.

And for that reason, I am giving this book 4.5 stars.

This novel is a master class in enemies to lovers. The characters had a real hatred between them, explored in the past timeline and revisited in the present. I loved reading about the key moments in their relationship alongside their present-day reunion when Lilah joins their show again. It truly lived up to its title with back and forth between our two love interests, keeping you guessing until the end whether they will or won't end up together.

I loved both Lilah and Shane as characters. Lilah battled anxiety that was explored with care. Shane is a super hot book boyfriend with his own struggles to work through. The author hit it out of the park with their banter, tension, and spice. This was my first novel from this author but it won't be my last!

Swoon. What a great romance. Definitely one of the best I’ve read this year.

Will They or Won’t They tells the story of two Hollywood co-stars, Shane and Lilah, and the ups and downs of their 9 year long relationship. The communication in this book should be an example for other writers and enemies to lovers has never been done better. I’m so happy to have discovered Ava Wilder and I can’t wait to read her other books.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

An enemies to lovers trope is always intense!!!! I love their back stories, two up and coming actors fall in love, they share years in this amazing series and they are making a name for themselves. There is a ton of emotions between Lilah and Shane, I went from disliking Lilah, to loving her and also annoyed with Shane but then not so annoyed lol. The steam and the chemistry between these two before and after was soo good. Love the fact that we get a little peek into the life of an actor, and the need to keep personal life and work life separate, and the power of love. I am such a sap I love me a good romance novel.

This book really made you become invested in the characters and their relationship. I was pulled in and really needed to know what happened. It was an enjoyable read with many different emotions.

Enemies to lovers! I absolutely loved this book! Highly recommend! I really like Lilah and Shane characters and how they would banter.

Title: Will They or Won't They
Author: Ava Wilder is new to me. I haven't read How to Fake It in Hollywood, but I'll definitely go back and read it
Book cover: nice pink/red color. The couple represents the different stages of their relationship: together, apart, and back together
Publisher: Dell
Format: e-book
Page Count: 373
Setting: Hollywood
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Rom-Com, Women's Fic
Tropes: celebrity romance, enemies to lovers, forced proximity
POV: Dual, then and now timeline
Representation: Jewish, therapy positive
Rating: 4****
Source: Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. I voluntarily give my honest review and all opinions are my own.

Quick summary: Fantasy becomes reality for Lilah Hunter and Shane McCarthy. They are stars of a paranormal TV show- Intangible. The show is full of angst and longing for them to be together. In reality they had a fling that ended badly. They reunite for the final season to give the fans what they want.

Content warnings/triggers: Mental Health

Characters-Main
Lilah-32, formerly trained actress, leaves the show to become a movie star. Things don't work out, so she comes back to the show.
Shane-35, is working as a waiter, gets discovered.


Conflict: who will make the first move, step out on faith, be vulnerable, and admit their feelings. Fear of rejection, social anxiety

Resolution: Lie to public/paparazzi to take the pressure off them. Allow the relationship to be whatever it will be.