I really enjoyed Ava Wilder’s previous book, “How to Fake it in Hollywood” which was a romance-plus story involving complex characters dealing with serious issues. This book fell flat in comparison.

It took me two weeks to finish this book because I kept stopping and starting, not really invested enough in the characters to keep going. I read it on my Kindle and it became my reading at night -middle of the night insomnia- book.

This story starts with a couple who broke up several years in the past and they currently hate each other. I didn’t get any lingering feelings from a love-hate perspective, just hate. I did feel more invested after about 60%, and I liked the ending.

I had high hopes for this book because I love a good celebrity gossip romance. The first part of the story is really good and promising. However, as you continue to read the book you are continuously met with the story of will they or won't they get together. LOL I guess that's the name of the book, but I got so bored with this whole saga.

4.5⭐️

Very solid and enjoyable! I think this is a really accurate portrayal of what enemies to lovers would look like in a contemporary setting (which is rare to find) and the tension was really well developed! Just like How to Fake it in Hollywood, the characters and their struggles felt very real and you could clearly see that the elements of Hollywood were well researched and there was care to make sure things were accurately portrayed. I love second chance romances and though this one is a bit differently set up from most popular second chance romances, I think it fit the story really well. You could clearly see how both Lilah and Shane had changed in the years between and what was different this time around that made them work. I wish there were a couple more flashbacks, but I did like how the ones we got were sprinkled in at the appropriate times in the book. I loved the decision Shane made at the end for his future too! Will definitely be reading anything Ava Wilder puts out in the future!

Thank you to Ballantine, Dell, and NetGalley for the early copy!

RATING: 3/5 STARS

I think Ava Wilder's books are just not for me, and that's okay! Celebrity romances are usually my catnip, but this one didn't click with me. I wasn't drawn into the enemies to lovers tension, and the back and forth with alternating POV's was a bit jarring. Other readers might click with her writing, the premise is great - two stars had a falling out and have to work with one another again.

Ava Wilder is a fan favorite of my book club and is perfect for anyone who loves celebrity romance. I liked this better than her debut novel and if you're a fan of Buffy or Vampire Diaries this would be a great pick - ensemble cast of beautiful up-and-coming stars navigating fame in flashbacks and current times around a reunion show. She's a great writer, I just think celebrity romances are a miss for me.

thank you to random house ballantine and net galley for this arc of will they or won’t they by ava wilder!

one day they’re strangers. one day they’re costars. one day they’re lovers. one day they’re enemies. and one day (plus 9 years), they’re costars AND enemies again. is there any room for them to be lovers again?

i was honestly floored by this one. i haven’t read any of ava wilder’s work prior, but the way in which she writes complex characters is truly beautiful. i also will always love anxiety representation, especially when it is done so well like it is in will they or won’t they. the way in which lilah’s panic attacks and daily anxious moments were treated with such care and understanding is something i will always appreciate. i loved shane’s care for lilah, even when he is hating her, and i loved lilah’s journey to allow herself to feel love for other and to feel loved herself.


overall, this is going to be one of my top reads of 2023, and i can confidently say that. everyone i implore you to read will they or won’t they by ava wilder, out june 27th. thank you again to the publishers!!

A sweet feel-good read with plenty of tension between the two leads! Wonderful storytelling and a quick read!

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Dell and NetGalley for the advanced readers copy.

Lilah and Shane meet at a casting call for a new TV series. Lilah is a trained actor while Shane was discovered while working as waiter. They immediately have chemistry and are cast as the leads for the new series. Through the years on the show, they experience ups and downs, quitting the show, rejoining the show and more. Can these enemies to lovers learn that they were never enemies at all?

I enjoyed this one. The push/pull between Lilah and Shane was great. I also enjoyed the timeline flipping from then and now. It kept me wanting more.

For the most part, I really enjoyed Will They or Won’t They. I loved the push and pull of Lilah and Shane’s relationship. I loved that they really did seem like enemies at first, and I love how Wilder progressed their relationship. Just these small moments that helped guide the characters back to one another. The flashbacks were done well and added a lot of the present storyline. I was thrilled that it was dual POV!

My only struggle lies in the chemistry between Lilah and Shane. It was there, but just not quite enough for me to be completely wrapped up in their love story. I was invested and there were moments where I was like, “yes! There it is.” But then I’d lose it for a few chapters.

I will still recommend this one and pick up a copy for my shelf!

The story felt disorganized which really caused a lack of flow for reading. There could have been a bit more clarification of whose POV was whose, which I find is a HUGE factor in reading books with multiple POVs. The MC's weren't very likeable and honestly, I was hoping they wouldn't have their happy ending. It just seems like the entire relationship arc was a bit toxic.

From the start we start to get glimpses of Lilah and Shane's relationship in the past and present in different POVs. I felt like sometimes it was hard to keep up with the timeline and figuring out where in the story it was happening.

The celebrity lifestyle of the story was very entertaining and I loved the insight we got as readers. From auditions, to chemistry reads, all the way to promo tours, it very much mimicked what I always see and imagine goes behind the scenes in the industry.

Circling back to Lilah and Shane's relationship. I found them very hard to root for because I felt like they had almost no redeeming qualities. Most of the story focuses on them not liking each other and what we do get are very small scenes of when they're together, I find both of them very hard to like and their dynamic lacks chemistry. It seemed to me that the characters didn't have much development. I loved the anxiety rep with Lilah, but I think it wasn't presented in a way that readers could connect.

It's a very entertaining story surrounding the entertainment industry and celebrity culture, which is always up my alley! I do recommend it for a quick, light romance read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for a copy of this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I loved How to Fake It in Hollywood, so I was excited and grateful to have the opportunity to read this book. And it cemented Ava Wilder as a must read author for me! Loved these characters and their story - all the build up, both of them growing and learning about themselves, the pro-therapy stance... perfect.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for a copy of this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Will They or Won’t They follows Hollywood actors from a popular show called Intangible. Both Lilah and Shane are the main characters, who happen to be in love both on and off screen. Lilah and Shane called it quits 9 years ago because of a major fight. Lilah left the show years later, and pursued other projects. Now the show is on its last season, and Lilah is back. What happens when Lilah and Shane can’t deny their chemistry any longer? Will they find love or still hate one another from afar?
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I thought this book was really fun. It took me a bit longer to read, but I was in a weird reading mood. However, once I started reading this book, I couldn’t stop. I read this book from 6% all the way to 100% in one day. I thought it was captivating! Lilah and Shane had such an interesting relationship and I kept wanting to know what happened between them. I thought the second chance, enemies to lovers was fun, exciting, and sexy! It was a super cute read that made me smile and laugh.

I have to admit, the ending had me like what???? Then I took a deep breath. However, I was really happy to have read this and would recommend it to other romance lovers.

I enjoyed her first book, How To Fake It In Hollywood, so I was excited to get my hands on this one. If you like enemies to lovers with spice and lots of banter, this book is for you. It was well written but I found myself a little frustrated with their lack of communication at times. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

Will They or Won’t they is my second book from Ava Wilder and I must say she is getting better by the book. This second-chance, enemies-to-lovers book is full of tension that could cut through the pages (in a very good way). The book goes back and forth over several years, which allows for the characters to develop beautifully and gives the reader more insight into their past and their unquestionable chemistry. Mrs. Wilder checks all of the boxes that I look for in a romance and I am excited for more from her.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC. I highly recommend.

AVA WILDER, YOU'VE DONE IT AGAIN! How to Fake it in Hollywood was one of my favorite reads of 2022, so I had high hopes for Will They or Won't They—those hopes were met, and then some! I absolutely loved this book from start to finish. It was one that I could have run through in a day or two, but I tried my best to stretch it out because I just didn't want it to end. I loved following Lilah and Shane's character arcs and really enjoyed the flashbacks to their first go-around.

I did not love this one.

The story, the characters, and the timeline all felt so disorganized. There were a few chapters where I struggled to catch on to whose POV and what point in time I was reading. Also, the MCs were pretty unlikeable. There were good, sweet moments that redeemed it overall but this isn’t one I’d recommend.

Having read and loved How to Fake it In Hollywood, I was excited to receive an e-arc of this one!

It focuses on Lilah and Shane, actors who found fame as a couple on a hit TV show. Lilah left a few seasons in, exploring other acting opportunities which did not do well, and is now back for the show’s final season. Their real life, tumultuous past relationship is affecting their onscreen performances, and as they work to move past it, find that those feelings never really went away.

While I enjoyed this story, the chemistry between Shane and Lilah just wasn’t quite there for me. I appreciated the complexity of their relationship and loved the anxiety representation, but I just wasn’t as invested as I was with Grey and Ethan’s story.

Overall, I’d still recommend this book for those who want an angsty, lovers to rivals to lovers, celebrity romance.

4.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the E-ARC!

This is officially the newest addition to my favorite romances list – I absolutely adored it!

Will They or Won't They follows Lilah and Shane, the actors of the two lead characters of the extremely popular paranormal show: Intangible. Fans avidly ship their characters, Kate and Harrison, but have no clue how complex and tumultuous the history is between the actors behind their favs.

So complicated that Lilah stunned viewers all across the country when she left the show after season 5 to pursue other projects. One failed movie later, she's back at Intangible to film the ninth and final season where fans hope their OTP will finally come together... the only issue is that she has to confront the main reason she left in the first place: Shane.

After their secret fling "imploded" after filming season 1, Lilah and Shane have loathed each other. However, this final filming season may just be a second chance in more ways than one...

Okay, first off, I'm OBSESSED with Lilah and Shane. And when I say that, I mean I'm obsessed with them individually first – something that cannot always be said for the leads in romance books. Wilder really excels in the care and attention she directed towards developing both Lilah and Shane as people separately through dual POVs and carefully incorporated insight before developing their relationship together. I feel like I know both of them, and I'm able to care for them that much more as a result.

I also really appreciate how easily I could link the insight I got into each of them individually to how their relationship unfolded in the past and how it's unfolding in the present. The dual nature of the timeline allows us to see these characters at two different stages of their life, and the growth they experienced in between is extremely evident. Those personal facets and aspects of their characters very obviously informed the nature of their relationship and its associated conflicts, making them come across as incredibly tangible, authentic, and natural.

The depiction of Lilah's anxiety was really well done as well, and I appreciated how it was handled and how it was involved in the story to begin with. I also really enjoyed the portrayals of an intimacy coordinator on their set, the couples counselor they saw to work through the tension in their professional relationship, and the mentions of therapy interspersed throughout the novel. All of that made me happy.

As for the whole premise of the story: I LOVED IT. The whole co-stars-that-play-love-interests-but-hate-each-other is exactly up my alley and it was done so so so well. All the frustration, the misunderstandings, and the complexity of their emotions was executed wonderfully by Wilder, and I could feel every inch of that tension from beginning to end. I also love that it's second chance and there was that extra layer of past history between them – the dual timeline aspect of this story isn't too big of a focus but I personally feel like it was done very well.

It sounds strange to say, but I really enjoyed that the celebrity aspect of this "celebrity romance" was actually emphasized. Often times the career/location/not sure what to call it remains in the "backdrop" of the story and doesn't really play all too much of a role, but in this novel, the TV show and their roles as actors are front and center. I loved every single scene relating to them filming for the show, the promo, etcetera. It just made the story feel even more real and also it was just so entertaining! I loved that both of them were independently going through internal conflict regarding what they're going to do after Intangible ends and their identities as actors – again, it just made them feel even more real to me.

This book is also just... funny. It made me laugh multiple times. Lilah and Shane's banter is So Good. And the tension between them... ugh it's perfect.

Really the only issue I had with the story was that I felt like there was so much build-up towards them finally "getting together" that I felt a bit disappointed and unsatisfied by the way it ultimately unfolded. I feel like it didn't quite fulfill the anticipation it had accumulated.

That being said, this is a fantastic romance and checks literally every box. I highly recommend picking it up when it comes out this June because it's not one to miss!

WOW i loved this book. Ever since I read How to Fake it in Hollywood, I have been waiting for Ava Wilders next book. And boy was I not disappointed.
Shane and Lilah gave tension, heartbreak, chemistry, and just heartwarming love.
Lilah and Shane were two actors on a very popular show and just like their characters began to develop real feelings for each other. They shared a secret relationship until that was destroyed and both hated the other. Then after ten years Lilah is back for their final season and we see that things are still very raw between the two.
Their second chance romance was so well done because you could tell how they loved each other at the start of their relationship but needed time apart to grow as individuals. And even though they started off bickering like crazy you could tell it was just so they could be around the other person.
Everything between them felt so genuine and just UGH PRECIOUS!!! I just kept yelling at them to stop fighting and kiss already. Overall, I LOVE THEM AND AVA WILDER.

thank you to netgalley and random house publishing for the ARC.