⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️♾️ / 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!

I read Ava Wilder’s “How to Fake It In Hollywood” a few months ago and loved it. When I had the opportunity to review an ARC of “Will They or Won’t They” (thank you, NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine!), I was delighted.

I devoured “Will They or Won’t They” in less than a day. The character development was superb, and you found yourself rooting for the main characters, Lilah and Shane. I wholeheartedly recommend this book, and I look forward to reading whatever Ava Wilder comes up with next (even if it’s a shopping list)!

I really enjoyed How to Fake it in Hollywood so when I saw the newest Ava Wilder novel, I requested to review it immediately. Like her debut novel, Will They or Won't They also focuses on the love (hate?) story of two actors: Lilah and Shane. These two have a tumultuous relationship that we follow in flashbacks woven in with their current situation, which is less than warm and fuzzy--it's so NOT warm and fuzzy that their show ends up putting them in couples therapy (even though they aren't a couple) just so they can get along/get past their issues for the sake of a final season of work. As the novel progresses we come to understand the source of their continuing friction--a really yucky break up after the close of their first (and very successful) season--and both of them are holding some serious grudges and hurt feelings. Without going into it, I'll just say that Wilder did a good job of spreading the blame between these two, though I definitely had more frustration with Lilah than I did with Shane but maybe that was because of how passive (or passive aggressive? manipulative?) Shane was--he came off as less of the aggressor, even though he did some really crappy things too. To be fair to Lilah, the more you get to know her, the more you understand her motivations and mistakes and some of the sources of her issues. And as this is a romance, obviously they get past all of their hurts and manipulations to make a tentative peace that becomes even more than the first time they were together--the years apart did them some good, in that respect.

Other similar traits that this novel has to the previous one are things like a great ensemble cast of characters--they all enhance the plot between Lilah and Shane and make things entertaining and interesting, making our main characters seem even more real and well rounded because of the conversations and events undertaken with their friends. And Wilder doesn't shy away from digging in the things like anxiety and panic attacks, as well as the natural fear of career transitions and the unknowns that come with that.

Overall this friends to lovers to enemies to lovers really worked and leaves me just as interested and curious about what Ava Wilder will write next as I did after her debut.

Ava Wilder is becoming my slow burn queen. I loved How to Fake it in Hollywood, but she really did mean it when she said “less trauma more drama.” The drama was delivered!

I actually think this was even better than How to Fake It, but trust me when I say that this only for you if you like the type of romance that is nonstop tension and has you yelling at the characters to stop fighting and get together already.

I LOVED IT.

This is the first romance like this in a while that I just couldn’t put down. I won’t pretend like Lilah and Shane weren’t frustrating a lot of the time, but I think this book did such a good job at making it all feel explained and earned. Wilder’s writing and characters reminds me a lot of Emily Henry, so it’s no surprise that I love it.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House for the ARC!

Will They Or Won’t They by Ava Wilder
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
Genre: contemporary romance
Format: ebook
Length: 384 pages


✨Read this book if you enjoy✨
🌟 celebrity romances
🔥 second chance / slow burn romance
🌶️ open door romance
🕰️ Dual timeline

Thank you to Netgalley, Dell Publishing, and Ava Wilder for an e-arc of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Will They Or Won’t They follows Lilah and Shane as they work together to film the final season of their tv show. But the last thing that they want to do is pretend that they’re in love with each other after their secret off screen romance ended abruptly.

I was fortunate to be able to get an arc of Ava Wilder’s first book, How to Fake It In Hollywood and fell in love with her writing. When I saw she was releasing this book, I knew I needed it immediately and it didn’t disappoint. Ava Wilder writes books that have consistent pacing and relatable characters full of depth but also flaws. Lilah and Shane have the perfect chemistry and you can’t help but root for them. This is a book you can easily finish in one sitting if you have the free time.

Another great book from Ava Wilder! While I loved the characters from How to Fake it a bit more, I still enjoyed this story and I could not put it down!

I really loved this book from Ava Wilder. Much different than “How to Fake It” but still full of satisfying pop culture references and really good twists and turns that make this romance less formulaic, more surprising and emotional, which I loved. Highly recommend this if you like love, pop culture and feelings.

4.5/5

I had a pretty good feeling that I would enjoy this book before I even started it. I was so excited to read it because I loved How to Fake It in Hollywood, and I think I enjoyed this one even more. I’m such a sucker for anything with a Hollywood setting, but it wasn’t just the setting I loved. It was such a compelling and entertaining story! I couldn’t put this down once I started.

Lilah and Shane both got their start starring together on a hit paranormal tv show. After 5 seasons, Lilah exits the show, after years of not getting long with her costar, Shane. She decides to come back for the final season years later, and they have to learn to get along in order to have a successful show.

I loved the dynamic between Lilah and Shane. The history they had made their tension and connection so incredible. As you would imagine from a second chance romance, we get pieces of the past mixed into current story. I loved seeing these chapters and how they shaped who the characters became later in the story. I felt like I really knew who Lilah and Shane; who they were by themselves and who they were together.

What I didn’t expect was to get so emotionally connected to these two characters. I found myself in tears at a couple moments.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loved How To Fake It In Hollywood, Funny You Should Ask, or People We Meet On Vacation. I’m really excited to see what Wilder does next!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I thought I would love this but I really didn't. I thought I would see more of the chemistry that led them to their initial fling, but instead, we were kind of just told that they had a fling. It also seemed like their relationship was just very physical and I wasn't sold on their emotional chemistry. I found both characters to be pretty annoying and was overall underwhelmed with this one, but it was still a fine read and the writing was good so I'd be interested in reading more from this author.

Oh my goodness. I loved this book. This was such a fun ermines-to-lovers-second-chance book. I could really feel the chemistry and tension. The little surprise at the end really did get me. Several parts actually made me laugh which I always enjoy in a book. Ava Wilder’s future books will definitely be on my TBR.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

liked this book even better than How to Fake it in Hollywood! As Wilder says, this book is softer and more romantic. The chemistry between Lilah and Shane is palpable and will have you on the edge of your seat just waiting for them to finally act on their feelings. Lilah and Shane both had great depth to them and their stories outside of the main romance plot were still very interesting! There were no large pieces of "fluff" I felt I had to skip over or begrudgingly get through. I highly recommend for those who love a second chance romance, enemies to lovers, and workplace love tropes!

*Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Will they or won’t they? This book was great. You could feel the deep love of the characters from the start. Their hatred of each other really fueled their love. Great read.

It took a me a little bit to get into this book. Once I did, I really liked it. I will say that Lilah and Shane made me mad....You could tell they really liked each other but were both too stubborn to admit it. I would say this book is definitely worth a read!

This was a perfect follow-up to Wilder's debut, full of more sizzling chemistry, wonderful banter, and a deep, nuanced relationship. I loved it!

Shane and Lilah had a wil-they or won’t they relationship on their hit TV show, but hate each other in real life. Lilah left the show a few years ago but is back for the final season in an attempt to salvage her career. Can she and Shane get it together enough to make it through the season?

This is a sweet, sexy second chance romance - the chemistry jumps off the page. I found myself re-reading paragraphs just to slow it down
Read if you like The Reunion but want open door

3.5/5 stars. Fun but a little underwhelming. I was thrilled to get an ARC of this one after loving Ava Wilder's debut novel, and was excited to see her continuing with the theme of Hollywood romance. The concept was there for this one, but it didn't quite stick the landing. I think that she was going for a second-chance romance situation here, but given the fact that the two main characters barely admit to having a real first chance, it fell a bit flat. When done well, a romance that alternates between flashbacks and the present can build a delicious amount of tension, but by the time these two finally got together in the present, I wasn't that invested in it anymore. Then to have the final conflict still developing with barely 20 pages left in the book just left me, as a reader, exhausted, and almost not wanting to finish. While Lilah and Shane have great chemistry, I'm not convinced that they would have one therapy session and suddenly be able to get past 10 years of treating each other poorly. Still excited to see what she does next, but this didn't quite give me the emotional impact or the spice of How to Fake it in Hollywood.

After loving How to Fake it in Hollywood, I was thrilled to read Ava Wilder's next book and I love this one just as much. I was trying to pinpoint what I like so much about both novels. It's not the trope, or the celebrity world that she creates, although she does both very well, It's the excellent character development. Lilah and Shane are imperfect, very much so, but in a nuanced way, and they want to be better. Lilah could be downright cruel at times and Shane could be very immature, but they reasons behind who they are and what they do are conveyed in a way that showed their complexity and made me understand them when they hated each other and when they loved each other and when they hated and loved each other at the same time. Until the very end, I didn't know how they would find their way back to each other, I didn't even assume that they would, but I was hoping for them every step of the way because with all their growth and effort they deserved a happy ending of their choice.

BRILLIANT. I LOVED IT.

AVA WILDER KNOCKED IT OUT OF THE PARK WITH THIS ONE.

I felt like this read smoother and flowed better than How to Fake it in Hollywood. It was probably because slow-burn and second-chance romance are some of my favorite tropes - or just because Lilah and Shane felt really fleshed out. They were complex, flawed, yet lovable characters. They had to work on a lot of things here - both individually and together.

I loved their banter, though some of them came from a place of hurt and anger. The chemistry was palpable from the moment they met. There was a good balance of angsty and tender moments. I swear I was squealing most of the time - good thing I was working from home when I read this.

The journey from enemies to lovers, such as getting to know the good and the ugly, the shifting feelings, working to move on from the hurt in their past, and the fear of trying again after they failed the first time were perfectly captured here.

This also tackled a lot of deeper themes including generalized anxiety disorder, imposter syndrome, and the importance of trust and vulnerability in a relationship.

I like how Ava Wilder writes Hollywood - we still get to feel the glitz and glamor but it's balanced with the reality that these stars are also people like us who get nervous, get hurt and fall in love. The characters also felt so real that I can't believe I can't find them on Instagram!

The last few pages almost gave me a heart attack. Ahhh I'm so glad with how everything wrapped up though! Don't miss this!

Thank you to Netgalley Random House and the author for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Other details: dual POV, open-door
CW: drug abuse, divorce (off page, not directly involving MCs)

I will be posting on Goodreads and Instagram closer to pub date (both @readsbynaia)

I absolutely loved How to Fake it in Hollywood and Will They or Won’t They was even better.

Ava Wilder sophomore novel is steamy, angsty, and full cathartic moments. This enemies to lovers will have you canceling your plans and I stay in and read.

Lilah’s and Shane’s story has the perfect amount of past chapters that contribute to understanding their relationship.

The ending had me shocked at first but the author did a beautiful job overall.

I love books about Hollywood celebrities, so I was so excited to pick up "Will They or Won't They" by Ava Wilder. This story follows Lilah and Shane, two costars on a hit television show. The book flashes back to their relationship throughout the years starting at their auditions and leading up to the final season of the show.
Often times when two characters are 'enemies' I find that their reasonings are a bit unrealistic. However, I thought that both of these characters had understandable reasons why they had trouble working together. I'm not usually a huge fan of the of-again/off-again trope, but I thought it was really well done in this book! Lilah and Shane felt like real people with real issues, which is often hard to come by in the romance genre.
I will definitely be reading more from Ava Wilder in the future!