The storyline was super cute! The characters were super cute. It’s an enemies to lovers story. Shane and Lilah were absolute fire as in the story was quite spicy. It’s a 4 stars for me bc it took me a while to get into the book in the beginning. also, it’s in 3rd person, dual pov, & it switches from past to present time.

This was a solid entry. I felt it was a little over dramatic and that it could have been shorter. However, the characters were enjoyable and the main love story was worth sticking it out.

I thoroughly enjoyed Will They or Won't They by Ava Wilder. I hadn't read her other book, but want to read it now! I thought the author did a wonderful job balancing the then and now story lines, as well as building out character development between both of the main characters. This book was an easy read and kept me wanting more. I loved the co-stars who are secretly in love with each other trope and how easy it was to picture it to be applicable to my own favorite shows! I would highly suggest if you enjoy enemies to lovers, then and now storylines, second chance romance, and celebrity relationships. Highly recommend!

Lovers to enemies to lovers?
Second chance romance?
Jewish mc?
Hot girls with anxiety?
Spice? 🌶

Will They or Won't They by Ava Wilder explores the lives of two actors, Shane McCarthy and Lilah Hunter as their hatred for each other reaches its peak when they are about to work together again after a 3-year break. Having dated previously and fallen out, the relationship they have is tense.

Lilah Hunter is such a badass even when anxiety gets the best of her. The thought process is so painfully familiar and I felt so seen through Lilah. We meet her when she is coming back to the show she left (to pursue a bigger career which didn't pan out when the movie she was in flopped).

Shane is charming and easy-going, his career having started when he was discovered at his bartending job. He is universally loved by everyone which makes Lilah even more aggravated lol.

Their tension was superb. The bitterness, snarking remarks, banter - everything was fun and explosive and felt real. And dual POV allowed expanding on the past without it feeling too explanatory.

I love how even when they hated each other or pretended to, their true selves still shone through, and at the end of the day - they always cared for each other. You could feel how fiercely protective they were of each other even when they wouldn't admit it. And how they actually talked to each other, explained stuff, and made sure they were on the same page.

Ava makes these characters feel real. They read like real human beings, flawed and imperfect. Their lives were not easy and their journey was long and anything but smooth but at the end of the day, their souls were bound to find each other.

These characters feel so real because this has plots from media and celebrities we have lived through. The world of Hollywood is dark and alluring and we just want to learn more.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Dell for the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. And thank you Ava for another banger!

This is a typical love story set in Hollywood with two actors who had instant chemistry, hooked up, and broke up. Now, several years later, one actor is coming back to the show for the farewell season.

Lilah and Shane were okay. I was expecting more, but was super grateful they didn’t have the dreaded miscommunication trope at the end. Though, they did struggle with that throughout the years. At least they semi discussed their feelings with couples therapy, though they weren’t really a couple.

It’s a quick read. Some spice. It was an okay read.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review:

3⭐️1🌶
I received this book as an ARC through NetGalley for my honest review.
Lilah and Shane get the lead the lead roles in a new TV series and hit it off right away and have a fling. It ends with the first season and they continue working together for 4 seasons while hating each other until lilah leaves the show. Now she’s come back for the 9th and finale season to give the fans the ending they deserve. They still don’t get along at first, until things start to change between them.
This moves between the past and present and I have to say that I found a lot of this kinda boring 😬Not that I didn’t enjoy any of the book, there’s definitely some sweet and funny moments. And the ending threw me for a loop!🙃 It made me infuriated and then happy but still a little salty about it. I just didn’t fall in love with these characters and didn’t feel as invested as I should’ve by the end. There was nothing that stood out for me. I didn’t hate it but I also didn’t love it. It was a solid 3 stars for me.

Amazing!!!!!! I LOVED this book! The characters, the writing, EVERYTHING was sooo good! The tension between the characters were just chef’s kiss 💋!! I would highly recommend this book! I literally read it in one sitting! I couldn’t go sleep until I finished it!

Quick Summary: An emotionally packed wofi-ro

My Review: Will They or Won't They by Ava Wilder was a beautiful story that had substance and depth. On the surface level, it was a second chance romance. However, as readers delve deeper, they will find that this book is about more than that. It is about relationships, love, personal perceptions, social anxiety, insecurities, reconciliation, and forgiveness.

Moving back and forth from the present to the past, this story dissected the anatomy of the relationship between two people who genuinely cared for each other. Although much time had separated them and misunderstanding after misunderstanding had derailed them, Lilah and Shane moved toward a new hope with a clearer future, deciding together how their tomorrows would be written.

My Final Say: This work was so much more than a romance. It was a lesson for the heart. Overall, the story pacing was good. The EQ exploration and subsequent journeys of the leads were done well. The underlying message was relatable. Readers who want a full circle reading experience will shed a few tears and smile many smiles with this one.

Rating: 5/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: A
Status/Level: M
Chemistry: +
Character Growth: +

Thanks to the author, to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Dell, and to NetGalley for providing a digital ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review. The words I have voluntarily shared are my own.

* A Goodreads review has been posted.

I would said the concept is nice, but I couldn’t get into it, not crazy about it but other wise is good read

5⭐️
3🌶

Another stunning celebrity romance by Ava Wilder!!

Lilah and Shane met almost 10 years ago, at an audition for a then-upcoming show. Little did they know that the show would cast them both, becoming a defining moment in both of their careers. Add in a secret romance with an eventual breakup that made working together a little... difficult, and you have a perfect recipe for disaster.

Fast forward a few years... Lilah and Shane find themselves brought back together by the very same show. Only now, they're a little older. A little wiser. And still very much attracted to one another. Can they set aside their differences and work together once more? Or will their animosity show on screen? Can they put the past behind? Or will their simmering attraction swallow them whole? The answer is... read and find out for yourself!

Set in the same universe as How to Fake It in Hollywood, Will They or Won't They follows Shane and Lilah as they navigate their workplace, second chance, hate-to-love (and back again), forced proximity situation they so happen to find themselves in. This story is full of my favorite tropes, along with representation for living with anxiety and the beauty of humanity and people *not* being perfect. As I did with Ava Wilder's debut novel, I binged this book because I simply could not put it down. I laughed out loud, my palms got a bit sweaty, and I fell in love with Shane, Lilah, and all they taught one another.

Ava Wilder has a fan for life, in me!

**THANK YOU to Ava Wilder, Dell, and NetGalley for an ARC of Will They or Won't They in exchange for my honest review!**

I absolutely devoured this read in about a day in a half. As a fan of second chance romance, and love a good enemies to lovers, this book had both tropes and they were done SO well. You could feel the disdain each other had for the other, but you also felt the tension...ahem....sexual tension between them as well. Wilder's debut, How To Fake It In Hollywood, was a favorite of last year and I'm so happy to say that this will definitely make my favorites for 2023.

4.5 stars!!

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

This was a cute story about two TV costars with a past. Lilah and Shane had an instant connection, but over the years they have fallen out. This is a second chance romance, and is a pretty traditional take on the trope. I found Shane to be more likable than Lilah. I'm knocking this down a star because she felt whiny to me at times, which is a huge pet peeve. Overall it was a breezy enjoyable story and is a fun quick read for romance fans.

Thank you to Random House Publishing - Ballantine for my ARC!

Ava Wilder continues to stun with her sophomore novel. The enemies to lovers is absolutely exquisite, the tension, pain, romance, and more is so beautifully portrayed and written. Shane and Lilah have such electric chemistry throughout the book. The hate felt genuine yet charged with undeniable attraction, the gradual change as they overcome their past transgressions and animosity is so unbelievably realistic that I felt physical pain as I read about the small moments that fostered newfound love between them. Ava is just such a stunning writer and this book shows exponential growth in her craft. Her debut was already a show stopper so this is just above and beyond. I LOVED IT!!

You know when an author has a really good, really popular debut, and then they announce their next book and there’s all this pressure to live up to the hype of the first? Ava Wilder does not have to worry about that. Will They or Won’t They is so sweet and soft and kind of angsty, and I loved it. From the jaw-dropping, squealing-on-public-transportation-(sorry-fellow-passengers) moments to the staying-up-too-late, tearing-up moments, this celebrity-meets-second-chance-romance love story was so, so good, and you need it on your TBR right now 💗
Also, I love Shane—precious, respectful good boy that he is 🥹
Also also, I’m an Oklahoma girl living 9000 miles from home, so the shoutout to Braum’s was much appreciated🍦

Lilah and Shane met at the audition for the show Intangibles, their roles being the two romantic leads in the cast. There was chemistry immediately between the two of them, leading them to be romantically linked both on and off the screen until the fling imploded at the wrap party at the end of season one. Lilah left the series in search for something greater (and to avoid Shane, as the two felt immense hatred for each other after post-breakup), while Shane stayed at the show for another few years, until Lilah is brought back on for a final season. But now that they're back on the same set for a season that involves seeing their character's romance through, and it's hard to ignore the chemistry that's still there between them.

It was so fun for the book to start off as a flashback, as you see how young these two were when they first met. But that set up the future perfectly to illuminate just how much they grew as people and how a second chance at love could be different between the two after working through insecurities, the past, and miscommunications. But have they grown enough as people to give their relationship one last try, or will they let each other go forever after their on-screen Intangibles romance is over?

As a romance novel lover, the enemies to lover trope is one of my favorites! Plus, there was an ALMOST twist at the end that almost had me jumping out of my chair, but in the end, I was so pleased when I turned to the final page.

But my gosh did I love the chemistry between these two - the banter, the tension, the humor, the steam! I love that these two could be in an emotional moment, even a steamy moment, and they can drop this hilarious one-liner that doesn't offset the passion, but just shows how these two know each other so instinctually that they can speak to each other in a way no one else would understand.

Big thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved How to Fake It in Hollywood so I was ecstatic for the amazing opportunity to read and review Will They or Won't They by Ava Wilder.

Ava Wilder does such a fantastic job making her stories so compelling.
The book is so much fun with plenty of sweet, swoony and tension-filled moments.
I devoured this story and couldn't get enough of these characters.
Shane and Lilah, I just loved and adored. I couldn’t wait for the moment till they were finally together. So much fun! I also loved the development of the characters.
Adorable Hollywood, enemies-to-lovers story with that second-chance trope.
So all in all, this was a win for me. I thought it was cute, fun, and a quick read!

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review
are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and Random House for your generosity and approving this eARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for sending me an eARC copy of this book!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Absolutely loved this second chance / enemies to lover romance ✨💕

Shane and Lilah were costars of the hit TV show Intangible. While on the screen they were the audiences dream couple, yet behind the scenes they couldn’t stand to even speak to each other. When Lilah returns to the show after a few seasons away, they are forced together again much to both of their dismay. As the season moves on, and they begin to get to know each other again, Shane and Lilah have to decide if they will ever be able to let go of the past and move forward.

This book was so well done. The dual point of view along with the flashbacks to the past, really allows you to see both Lilah’s and Shane’s points of view and their inner workings of why they felt the way they did. Both characters were smart, complex, and funny. The chemistry between them was so clear, but Wilder didn’t veer too much into the over the top cheesiness, which I appreciated. I hope to see many more like this in the future from Wilder!

This should be on all romance lovers summer read lists for 2023!!!

Ava Wilder understands angst.

In fact, Wilder is so good at crafting characters drowning in longing, fear, insecurity, and regret that it takes until the final five pages of Will They or Won’t They to be sure Lilah and Shane get their Happily Ever After.

The wait is worth it, resulting in a love story which feels earned in a way few contemporary romances pull off. The genre guarantees a Happily Ever After, but the “how” in this book makes it a deeply emotional page turner.

Wilder’s How to Fake It in Hollywood was one of my favorite reads of 2022. The celebrity tropes are often fun romps to feel the “Famous People! They are miserable and lonely sometimes, just like us!” factor.

However, How to Fake It in Hollywood stands above the others in the celebrity romance pack because Wilder is a brave writer. She isn’t afraid to dig deep into flawed characters and present them as they would be, raw and real, cruel and kind, the filters stripped away. The result is Lilah and Shane who are perfect together because of their imperfections.

Will They or Won’t They is Wilder’s sophomore effort, which can often be a struggle. After all, a writer has decades to put the first one out and a year to nail the second. Luckily, there's no sophomore slump in sight.

It must be said that second-chance romances are a tricky trope, requiring a tightrope act of bad behavior and believable attrition/forgiveness. Lilah and Shane do bad things. Possibly worse things than most characters we get in contemporaries now. The difference is how humanely they are treated in the narrative and the depth we are taken into their emotional worlds. That sets this story apart from the second-chance tales which fail to connect with me.

There is a moment in the final pages where a few simple lines starting with “You’re in trouble…” pack so much weight it was like a hotshot of serotonin. And that’s why I say Ava Wilder understands angst. If we read romance to feel there’s hope even when a love story isn’t easy, Will They or Won’t They delivers on the promise of the premise. Enjoy the wild and bumpy but beautiful ride.

__________
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing - Ballantine for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Expected publication date June 27, 2023.

4.5 Stars

Will They or Won't They is a enemies-to-lovers, second-chance, Hollywood romance. (although, it's really more of a friends-to-lovers-to-enemies-to-friends-to-lovers story, hence the title.) The book follows Lilah & Shane, former co-stars from a hit tv series who are forced back together for the show's final season. The story is told through dual timelines - giving us a look into their past as well as present.

I really appreciated the inclusion of mental health and therapy in the story - Lilah and Shane's mandated "couples" therapy sessions were some of my favorite scenes because they gave each other a glimpse into their feelings behind the façades they had both built up.

Overall I loved the chemistry and tension between Lilah and Shane and would definitely recommend for fans of the second-chance trope!

Thanks to Random House & NetGalley for the eARC!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️♾️ / 5

WOW WOW WOW!!!! I had high expectations for this book. How to Fake it in Hollywood was my favorite book out of 237 books I read in 2022. This did not disappoint!!! I honestly don’t know which one I love more. This book was soooooo good! No one does a celebrity romance better than Ava Wilder! She will forever be an automatic buy for me.

Lilah and Shane were actors on a hit tv show. They had a secret fling the first season, but it ended as soon as one of them caught feelings. She left after five seasons to star in a movie that flopped, but also to get away from Shane. Lilah is invited back to be in the last season. She and Shane have to learn how to get along with each other to in order for the show to be a success.

I LOVED the chemistry and sexual tension from these two! 🔥 I also loved watching their growth throughout their final season.
This was a great enemies to lovers, second chance romance, and dual timeline read! Ava does such an amazing job writing her characters that you really feel like you know them and every emotion they are feeling. This book is one that I will read over and over and forever recommend!

I LOVED IT! 💗💗💗


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

Thank you to NetGalley, Ava Wilder, and Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine for this ARC!

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

*Reviewed on NetGalley and Goodreads. Will review on retail once published!