I always adore Ava Wilder’s writing, and this book was no exception! Merritt and Niko are very special to me, and the way Wilder tackled harassment in the workplace and mental health issues was admirable and impactful. A must read!

I loved this book. I love how Niko and Merritt offered a level of comfort for each other that they hadn’t found elsewhere in life. I love how we got sneak peaks into their lives before they met each other and it explained why they both were the way they were. Normally I hate miscommunication in books, but it made sense for both these characters for what they struggled with in the past. I loved Olivia and Merritt’s relationship. It truly showed the ugly and good of sister relationships and how tough love can be.

This book exceeded my already high expectations. Loved Ava Wilder's other two novels, but this one is my new favorite.

The story follows Merritt, a disgraced singer-songwriter that seeks refuge in a small ski town in Colorado. She meets Niko there and while they have instant attraction, the emotional intimacy is a slow build up. It really has the perfect mix of angst, yearning, character growth, and scalding tension/spice.

While Merritt could have easily come off as somewhat unlikable and selfish, you can really feel her vulnerability, struggles and desire to change. Niko was such a tender, understanding and fantastically layered love interest.

Please do yourself a favor and read this gorgeous book.

Wilder does it again with a romance that is more than just about a character or two finding their HEA. As with her previous books, there is more focus on the main character's growth and development as individuals than on the actual romance. Yes, the romance is there, but it builds through friendship and interaction which is more believable overall. There is chemistry from the start, but characters recognize that chemistry is not enough and they spend a lot of the book resisting their pull because of all the other reasons that they shouldn't be together. Merritt and Niko are good together, but it is hard for them to seek beyond their current hang ups to be good together. And that's ok, because they do both have things to work through, Merritt most of all.

When I first started reading, I was not convinced that Merritt would be a likeable character. She couldn't seem to see past herself, but she actually acknowledges this at multiple times especially when it comes to being supportive of her sister. And as a result, she actually was someone I genuinely wanted to succeed. I wanted her to find her way back to music. I wanted her to find someone to share her life with. I wanted her to stay clean and overcome her demons. And I wanted that to be done with Niko by her side.

The town the story is set in, as well as the cast of characters around the mains, is so much fun. And it did feel like a complete package .

Overall another good Wilder read. Maybe not my favourite by her, but sill enjoyable. And better than a bunch of the romances I have picked up lately.

there's no one in the romance genre who has a voice quite like wilder's (and no this isn't an exaggeration). she just gets how to write people who aren't perfect and who have goals that they're working towards and all the insecurities that can arise as a result of that. however, that doesn't mean someone like that isn't capable of love or deserving of love. the push and pull of all the build up makes for characters that wiggle their way into hearts as well as minds and i loved how the protagonists were able to support each other in order to grow. the sibling subplot was also well done for how loved ones may not know how to support people with BDP. put this novel on your to be read ASAP!

(my only qualm is the handling of substance use when the female protagonist has a substance use disorder.however, BDP was handled well.)

This book was so good. Merritt was a teen pop star who dove off the rails. Her twin sister Olivia lives in a small town with her husband, Dev. The small town known as crested peak happens to be where this hot contractor named Niko lives. And let’s just say every girl needs a Niko.

ava wilder my celebrity romance queen, you are back and better than ever!! this is definitely my favorite of hers so far. merritt as a character is someone who i absolutely adore, her struggles with her bpd and learning to trust herself again were so real. her arc was written so beautifully, i love messy characters and she truly learned how to clean herself up. it was incredible to see.

and niko!! what is a romance novel without an equally compelling love interest? NOTHING!! and luckily for us, ava wilder always delivers. his patience, kindness, and understanding leveled with his own insecurities and layers was done so masterfully. every time this man opened his mouth, i fell further and further in love with him right alongside merritt. may we all meet a greek man like niko of our own someday.

and y’all…this book is horny. like, so horny it’s unreal. and make no mistake, horny and smutty are not the same; it was the yearning, the desperation, and the such clear desire that these two had for each other that created such great romantic tension. i’m absolutely obsessed with the way this was written, she’s bringing back real sexual tension in romance books!!

This book is basically my new religion. Like it was everything. THE TENSION. Ava!!!! I can’t wait for this book to hit shelves!! I know everyone is going to fall in love with these characters, the town, and their story. 💕

Ava Wilder is in a top 3 romance authors spot for me. This one felt completely different from her other two while also feeling the same, which I'm not sure how she accomplished that. I don't mean it negatively either. You can feel the warmth of the town, the way everyone knows everyone and you never really have a secret for long. The relationship between Niko and Merritt felt so tender and delicate. I'm always afraid of the doomed "third act breakup" but I adored the way it was handled in this (if you wanna call it that). But the most heartbreaking and heartwarming relationship in this book is the one between Olivia and Merritt. I loved both of them so much. It physically hurt to see them fight and when they talked it out, there was not a single time I wasn't at LEAST tearing up. Ava Wilder approaches some deeper subject matter in this book so beautifully and I am so thankful I got a chance to experience this early. Now I just need October to be here so I can display it on my bookshelf.

This one made my heart feel like it was quietly unraveling and stitching itself back together, all at once. Merritt’s story hit me so deeply. The small-town setting makes everything feel slower, quieter, more honest. Their relationship grows not in grand declarations, but in little moments. The writing is stunning, with this soft kind of ache running beneath every line, and the romance feels deeply grown-up, and full of careful hope. It’s a love story, yes, but it’s also about rebuilding. About finding your way back to yourself through connection, through patience, and through the gentle, terrifying possibility that someone might actually stay. I loved it, fully.

MerrittValentine, is a musician hiding away in small town Colorado. She had left LA and life in the public eye in favor of living with her twin sister and brother in law. When she hires handsome Niko to fix up the property she bought, her sister warns her to keep her distance. But as she and Niko spend more time together, Merritt comes to terms with the life she led and the life she wants.

oh this was gorgeous. i literally couldn’t put it down from the first page, their tension is genuinely so palpable and i loved every second of both their romantic development and personal backgrounds that made this one of us is famous trope (one i don’t typically gravitate towards) much more rooted in reality!

Merritt Valentine, una ex cantautora famosa, abandonó su carrera tras una devastadora crisis emocional. Durante ocho años, vivió sin rumbo hasta que decidió mudarse con su hermana Olivia a un tranquilo pueblo en Colorado, buscando la paz y alejándose de todo lo que pudiera traerle emociones por los siguientes dos años. Sin embargo, su atracción por Niko, un constructor local, complica su intento de vivir una vida monótona. Niko, marcado por viejas heridas, también se mantiene alejado de las relaciones, pero cuando Merritt lo contrata para arreglar su casa, la conexión entre ambos es inevitable. A medida que pasan tiempo juntos, se dan cuenta de que sus vidas y emociones están más entrelazadas de lo que esperaban, enfrentando la posibilidad de un futuro juntos y sanando sus heridas del pasado.



Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest

I haven't met an Ava Wilder book I didn't like and SOME KIND OF FAMOUS is no different. As usual, Wilder killed me with her signature mix of tender, heartfelt moments and all the delicious sexy moments.

This blew me away. I loved every second of it, specially how tender and heartfelt Niko and Merritt's connection was portrayed though the entirety of this novel. There were so many sweet moments between them that had me smiling like an idiot. Also, this was SO sexy!!! I was foaming at the mouth the entire time. So good.

Thank you so much Dell Romance for the advance reader copy.

Ava Wilder has been a favorite of mine since “How to Fake It in Hollywood” and this book was just as wonderful. AND it was tied to some of the characters from that book which was so fun!!!

This book was fantastic. Ava did an amazing job developing Merritt and Niko. The chemistry between these two and the lack of communication (which worked for this because it really added to the tension) was delicious!!!! And when they finally got together? PERFECTION!!!!!!

Niko is just the a golden retriever angel human - absolutely yearning for Merritt in a way that gave me butterflies. And Merritt, wow- I just wanted to give her a hug. From what we learn about her previous life in Hollywood to how we see her currently, it makes the reader so proud of how far she came and what she was able to conquer.

Make sure to add this one to your TBR- you won’t be disappointed!!!

Thanks NetGalley and Ballentine for an ARC!!

5 ⭐️
2.5 🌶️

AVA WILDER!! things you did??? THAT. This was my first book by this author and now I am anticipating reading her backlog. The angst, the slow burn, the tension!! So well done. I found myself not wanting to finish this book to quickly because I wasn’t ready for it to be over.

A well done small town romance where Merritt + Niko fail at denying their attraction to each other!! Niko…the man that you are!! And Merritt!! Forehead kisses for you, the growth!!!