Loved loved loved this book. Ava Wilder does not disappoint. Love her celebrity romances. This kept me turning the pages

Sassy, sexy and surprisingly emotional story of an actor couple told over a ten year period that they worked on a show together. Funny and tender in parts, certainly spicy and left me wanting to know how their lives continue.
4/5 stars

Lilah Hunter and Shane McCarthy are the stars of the hit paranormal TV show Intangible, Lilah and Shane spent years pining for each other onscreen . . . until Lilah ditched the show at the end of season five in hopes of becoming a movie star. After a flop movie, she’s back to film the much-hyped ninth and final season, in which Lilah and Shane’s characters will get together at last. But coming back means facing one of the biggest reasons she left: Shane. Ever since their secret behind-the-scenes fling imploded at the end of season one, the two of them have despised each other. Now reunited on set for the first time in years—with the world’s eyes on them and their post-show careers on the line—they’ll have to grit their teeth and play nice. But under pressure to give Intangible’s fans the happy ending they’ve been waiting for, Lilah and Shane are forced to get closer than ever. And if they’re not careful, they might just get blindsided by one final twist: a real-life happy ending of their own.

I really enjoyed this book! This was a great push and pull relationship. With a title like "Will They or Wont They" It's pretty obvious what the premise is about. We've got a second chance celebrity romance with side of enemies to friends to lovers. This story had lots of tension and angst. We get dual POV and 3rd person narration(which isn't always my favorite perspective). I loved the dual timelines of Lilah and Shane throughout the seasons. You could see where the miscommunications came in, in a realistic way. I liked that Lilah was culturally jewish and had Generalized Anxiety Disorder. I thought that back story was substantial and relatable. Shane was just such a precious hero. I wanted nothing but the best for him even in the darkest times. Also it was really fun to see this all set in the background of fame and Hollywood.

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review. This book releases 6/27

This was a true enemies to lovers book.

While yes, I wasn't a total fan of Lilah (Shane, however, was amazing), I think it played out well that while they came to eventually like each other again, their redeeming behaviors and personalities also lightened up.

This is my favorite kind of romance novel. No baby names or terms of endearment. It was straightforward and smutty, awesome, and bingeworthy.

The timelines did confuse me for a bit. It was hard to keep track of the past and the timing when we were in the present. Also the show they were on, I don't know why I struggled to follow the plot and what exactly happened when Lilah left, and all the way up to when she returned. I guess it doesn't matter as a whole, I just wish I was able to follow along with the Intangible storyline.

The ending felt a bit longwinded, and when I realized I still had 15% left, I was like oh wow. What else is there?

BUT! As I said, the romance was PERFECTION. That photoshoot, the flashback of them hooking up in the trailer, OH MY GOODNESS it was too good.

I do think Lilah will be a difficult character for readers to love. She came around for me for sure, while I loved Shane the whole way through. The miscommunication was luckily resolved early on, but I wondered why that was even an issue if it wasn't looming over them the whole book.

This was definitely will-they or won't-they territory. Sometimes it was frustrating how obtuse both Lilah and Shane were being about their feelings for each other.

For romance readers who love the inside scoop on their favorite celebrities, this novel will be right up your alley. Two onscreen lovers navigate the ups and downs of finding love in real life all while filming the culminating season of their beloved TV show.

Absolutely loved this book! I love a great second chance romance and this did not disappoint. It was full of angst and tension and, true to the title, an ongoing question of will they or won’t they. So well written with a dual POV that was perfectly executed. I’ve already recommended it to so many friends and they truly can’t wait for it to come out in a few weeks.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and Ava Wilder for the opportunity to read this ARC for an honest review.

I have a lot of mixed feelings about this one. It was written in a third person voice which off the bat I’m not a fan of. However I loved how effortlessly LGBTQ rep was included in the book!

This book definitely lives up to its title, the tension definitely went on and on…and on…and on. Lilah’s anxiety definitely made her feel more relatable, but at times her tough gal, I’m putting up a high wall because I don’t feel that I don’t feel lovable wound up being exhausting.

I feel like so misogynistic disliking FMC, but I feel like she was the common denominator for most of their issues. They both said things that weren’t great, but I felt like the fight like teenagers not the 30+ year olds they are. Her insecurities aren’t a good reason to take out her garbage on other people. Seems like she needed to be in therapy much more regularly.

I love a good character arc riddled with growth, but I just didn’t see that from her. It felt like things got rushed into without having the appropriate conversations. They just jumped into it and almost immediately out of it. Emotional whiplash much? I’m not convinced they were a good match for each other. Like Ian Malcom said in Jurassic Park, “yeah, but they were so preoccupied with whether or not they could that they didn't stop to think if they should.”

Ava has always said she writes characters that can be unlikable. While I agree, particularly with WTOWT, I also thing that “unlikeability” comes from the fact that her character make very real choices.

In romances, characters make some annoying choices but they are often choices with a rose gold filter. Over quick, easily fixed and smoothed over.

While I enjoy that kind of story (because real life and real humans cause enough headaches) I think Ava does a really, really good job at writing REAL feeling characters.

Do Lilah and Shane (mostly Lilah) drive me bananas most of the book because of her emotional unavailability, irritability, self sabotage, and lack of trust? YES. Is that literally the most relatable list of characteristics? Unfortunately, yes.

These two are so back and forth, are they together are they not? What the hell are they thinking and what’s going on?! I mean, it’s called “Will They Or Won’t They” for a reason. And isn’t that exactly the messy back and forth we see in Hollywood?

I know how hard it was for Ava to write this one. You did it, girl!

Thank you RHP/Ballantine and Netgalley for this free review copy!

3.5 stars rounded up to 4. 2 spicy chili peppers

Shane and Lilah are on again off again lovers and enemies who are thrown back together for the last season of their hit TV show. Their chemistry and animosity for one another is still at an all-time high following their last meeting 3.5 years ago. Now they have to figure out how to move ahead together and move on after the show wraps.

I was hooked on this story from the beginning, with bits and pieces of their history woven into the current timeline. Their chemistry was palpable and I enjoyed a behind the scenes look at TV production.

Tropes: slow burn (in current timeline) lovers to enemies to lovers, celebrity romance

Thank you to Random House and Netgalley for allowing me to receive this eARC.

This is my third book in a row that deals with a couple who were on a tv show in the past, had a falling out, and are now supposed to pretend like everything is fine during their reunion.
You'd think I would get sick of this but I LOVE it.

Will they or won't they was a such a fun book to read. The enemies to lovers and second chance romance tropes are my absolute favorite and Ava Wilder did such a good job making this believable. I spent my entire Sunday reading this book, the two main characters chemistry was so palpable and the intimate scenes and script were very well written.

I also really enjoyed the way that the book dealt with anxiety and showed the lengths that people go through to be able to succeed in their careers and relationships all while battling crippling anxiety. Very believable and relatable.

Highly recommend this book, thanks Random House and netgalley for the ARC!

This is Ava Wilder’s second book after absolutely knocking it out of the park with her first book, How to Fake it in Hollywood. I went in with high expectations and initially I thought I was going to love this one more, but unfortunately I didn’t.

I really enjoyed that she once again wrote a romance plot around Hollywood stars, I will never get enough of that, but it was super repetitive. Lilah and Shane meet at their audition for a tv show and there is instant chemistry. So much so that they are chosen for that fact alone since they’d be the on screen “will they or won’t they” pair, hence the name.

They end up in a steamy secret romance until it goes wrong. Now it’s years later and Lilah is back to reprise her role for one final season, and upon her return we learn how much her and Shane despise each other now.

We get flashbacks, some alternating POVs (within the chapters and not as designated chapters, which isn’t my favorite) and we have some intense toxic behavior & animosity.

The first few chapters had me HOOKED. It got hot & full on high tension very early, but it ended up fizzling for me. This got very repetitive for me and by the late middle I just lost a lot of interest.

I loved Shane & his humor, but Lilah was extremely unlikeable in my opinion. She had issues, and I fully understand that, but I just never enjoy miscommunication plots. Everything that was done was rooted in some kind of miscommunication.

All in all, the spice was there, the open door scenes were awesome, Shane was wonderful, and the first few chapters were so good. The repetition, sheer miscommunication, and pacing just made this feel off to me.

I did however enjoy the ending & I loved how she finished the story, but this entire book really was a non-stop will they or won’t they story that fell kind of flat for me, and there was no epilogue which I think we could have benefited from.

✨ Read this if you love: second chance romances, enemies to lovers, forced proximity, Hollywood romances, mental health representation, and romance books with open-door scenes. ✨

Thank you to NetGalley & Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. This book will be published on 6/27/23!

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine, Ava Wilder, and NetGally for sending me an ARC copy in exchange from my honest review.

"Will They or Won’t They" tells the story of Lilah and Shane, former co-stars turned lovers turned enemies. A second chance comes along when Lilah returns for the final season of their hit television’s show.

I really enjoyed the Hollywood setting, Lilah’s strong group of friends from her first job, the side characters in the show and the descriptions of life on set and in promoting the show. Also, we get then-and-now spice.

But wow, these two really hate each other. This was such toxic relationship it was hard to imagine how they could recover from it. As the story unfolds, we learn the reasons behind both of their actions and neither one has behaved well (but one behaved a lot worse than the other). It took them long time to communicate about their past and reveal their vulnerabilities.

I appreciated the mental health struggles Lilah is facing (generalized anxiety disorder) but there was a lost opportunity here for greater understanding and acceptance. Lilah was so mean and selfish that it was hard to like her or understand her. She also kept quiet about it for so long. This got better after the halfway point, but even so, she was still frustrating until the last few chapters.

Shane’s unwillingness to do something new was understandable and I really wanted him to grow out of it. He always took the safest route. I wanted him to stretch himself. All he wanted was her, but she was so abhorrent to him, it was hard to believe he would remain so in love with her.

Overall, I would give this 3 stars. Hollywood stories are fun and there are so many good supporting characters in this one. And truth is that most relationships don’t wrap up their issues quickly or neatly. Wilder does a great job of showing us their thoughts and motivations. Lilah and Shane may be Hollywood, but their relationship is more realistic than most romance novels.

This is an enemies-to-lovers, second chance romance with a Hollywood setting and drawn out miscommunication trope.

4.5 stars. I read this book in a day and haven’t stopped thinking about it.

Hollywood stars, second chance, found family…
This book was brutal, but so engrossing and beautiful.
I felt all the feels reading it.

I loved Shane from the beginning… Lilah took me a minute. But once things started being revealed and they started to work through things… growing individually and together, I found myself rooting for them big time. Wew, these two went through the wringer!

I love the cast mates (side characters) in this story. So much richness was added with the different relationships being navigated throughout.

And the little twist towards the end?! I almost threw my kindle across the room but had to remind myself that it was a romance and I could trust Ava to give me an HEA 🤣

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read an advance copy.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an advance copy in exchange for honest feedback. This was a great romance read! Ava Wilder knocks it out of the park again.

I think most fans of How to Fake it in Hollywood will read this book and enjoy it! I loved Ava Wilder’s breakout story myself so I was excited to check this out.

While similar in its Hollywood-esque theme, the main difference here for me was lack of communication and miscommunication. That drives me nuts in a book as I feel like a “watcher” more than a participant and it makes it a bit harder for me to connect with the characters, I think.

So — my own trope quirks aside — this was a fun beach-read type of story that was enjoyable overall!

I loved this!! Their banter was so fun and realistic. Its not the post dramatic, plot driven story, but I was rooting for the couple the whole time. The scenes and they way they were written were just SO realistic I was able to visualize everything so well. It was such a perfect representation of a situationship at that age and how feelings get hurt, and how people get back together. Their texting was totally normal - sometimes texts get so cringe and cheesy in books. The facetime scene where she pulled the hood over her face had me cackling - and once again I can SO see someone doing that in real life.
Love this and definitely recommend! Left my heart so happy.

What an absolute GEM! I’m finding the more and more I read Hollywood romances, the more I enjoy them. Naively, I used to think there couldn’t be that much variety, but I’ve been happily proven wrong.

Lilah and Shane feel for each other fast when they were shooting the first season of their prime time supernatural drama, but after a messy breakup after season one was done filming, the animosity between the two was obvious to everyone. After a brief hiatus, Lilah is back for the show’s last season. The big question, can the two enemies get past their shared history for the sake of the show?

The chemistry between these two was off the charts. The banter was fun and they were easy to relate to, despite their fame. I think my absolute favorite thing was how realistically they portrayed Lilah’s anxiety, though. I was not expecting that going in and it really pushed this novel into a five star read.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

⭐️: 4/5

Lilah and Shane were the two stars of the hit TV show Intangible, until Lilah left after season 5 to pursue (and fail at) becoming a movie star. On screen, their characters were pining for one another constantly, but off screen, they’ve despised each other ever since the demise of their short lived fling while shooting season 1. Now, Lilah is back to star in the last season, season 9, but will the two of them be able to put aside their real life feelings in order to give the fans the happy ending they’re hoping for?

The synopsis had me a little unsure about how much I’d like this one, since on and off again love stories sometimes give me the ick, but I found Will They or Won’t They to be a really sweet and entertaining story! I so deeply felt Lilah’s attitude toward relationships and the anxieties that come with letting someone in fully, which was a nice surprise, since I wasn’t anticipating relating so much to one of the main characters since they’re both written as TV stars, which I thought would put them a little out of touch. I also loved how the chapters alternated between Lilah and Shane, so there was never any doubt about how the other felt. The storyline of them being TV stars stuck on the same show made the forced proximity feel so much less forced than other books with similar tropes, and it also kept the plot feeling just unattainable enough to make quality rom-com entertainment. The ending was so heartwarming, and I loved the ultimate message that everyone is worthy of love.

Thank you to @netgalley and @randomhouse for this eARC in exchange for my honest review!!

Will They or Won’t They
Ava Wilder
Pub Date: June 27, 2023

Will They or Won’t They was a super cute, second chance romance and I adored it!

Based on two TV stars, Shane and Lilah, who reunite to film one last season of the show they met on 10 years ago. After a falling out, they are forced to figure out what went wrong and attend counseling to work through things. I just loved the banter between the two characters and felt that the character development was phenomenal. I finished the book with a smile on my face!

💕Read if you like:
💕Second Chance Romance
💕Enemies to Lovers
💕Forced Proximity
💕Anxiety Rep
💕Dual Timeline
💕Grumpy x Sunshine
💕Celebrity Romance
💕Slow Burn

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to Ava Wilder, Headline Eternal and NetGalley for a gifted copy of Will They or Won’t They!

Posted on Instagram on May 27, 2023 (Currently Reading): http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
Posted on Goodreads on May 31, 2023: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/144922955?ref=nav_profile_l
**Posted on Instagram (full review) on June 27, 2023: http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
**Posted on Instagram (mini review) mid June 2023: http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
**Posted on Amazon on June 27, 2023
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