im so sad to say this but im so so so so bored. I love ava's books but this one didnt land for me. I will check out her future books though!

If you know me you know I’m a huge Ava Wilder fangirl, and if we’re friends in real life I’ve probably forced you to read her books and/or gifted you a copy of them because that’s how much I love them!!!! So I was SO delighted to get to read an advance copy of SOME KIND OF FAMOUS, which absolutely lived up to my incredibly high expectations! (Also, this book has one of the most beautiful covers ever!!!)

When Merritt’s career as a singer-songwriter implodes, she moves to a tiny Colorado town to recoup. Ten years later, she’s still there, stuck in a limbo and afraid to take a step in any direction. When her sister tells her it’s time to finally move out of her guest bedroom, Merritt enlists the help of local handyman Niko, a kind-hearted man who Merritt knows she should stay away from. She’s too prickly and difficult for a guy like that. But my girl Merritt PERSISTS!!!!!

So many things to love:
🎶He thinks her laugh sounds like music
📕They nerd out over a book together
🤦‍♀️”Let’s just date for 2 months!” ok good luck with that
👨‍🎨He’s a painter!!!!
👑Male beauty pageants lol

I am preordering the heck out of this book! Out on 10/28 ✨

When musician Merrit Valentine left LA to lick her wounds after a messy break up it was only supposed to be temporary, but two years later she is still living with her twin sister and brother-in-law and has no plans to leave their small Colorado town. When they suggest it might be time for her to get her own place she hires local contractor/carpenter/artist Niko Petrakis to help renovate a house of her own. Despite a mutual interest/attraction, Merrit and Niko have generally steered clear of each other. Both have reasons to avoid relationships and their mutual friends have strongly suggested that them getting together—even for a fling—would be a disaster. But as they work together on Merrit’s house, they realize that although they seem quite different, they may be just what the other needs to feel seen and accepted for who they are.



I love Ava Wilder’s books and was so grateful to have the opportunity for an early look at Some Kind of Famous ahead of its Fall 2025 release. I think this is probably Wilder’s most character driven book to date; there is not a lot of plot, particularly in the first half. Tonally, it feels closer to her debut (How to Fake It in Hollywood) as both books deal a lot with addiction, mental health, and recovery. While both main characters go on an emotional journey, this is really Merrit’s story. Unlike Ethan’s slide to rock bottom in How to Fake It, here Merrit is on the other side of hers and is still trying to find a new equilibrium. It was beautiful to see her realize how much she has grown over the course of the book as she makes peace not only with herself but with the music she’s loved and hated in equal measure, and with her sister who has lived in her shadow (and in fear of losing Merrit to addition) for most of their lives.

Wilder has said that Some Kind of Famous will be her last “celebrity” book and in fact this one is much more removed from LA/celebrity culture than the other two (I did love the cameos from several How to Fake It characters though). With this book, Wilder as cementer herself as an auto-buy author for me; I can’t wait to see where she goes next!

Thanks to Netgalley and Dell Publishing for the e-ARC; all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Reviewed for NetGalley:

Merritt, having left left her Singer Songwriter past behind in California for the quiet ski town where her twin sister resides, embarks on a home remodel of her own. While hiring Niko, the local contractor, sparks begin to fly.

I found the pacing a little slow at times, but overall a cute, fun read.

Meh this just was not for me. I didn’t like the writing or the characters. I was bored pretty much right away. Cute cover though.

I absolutely adore romance books when a person is famous!! This book was so sweet and it felt like such a nice hug

1.5⭐

DNF @ 50%

What the freakery freak! Why am I reading about a cheater FMC and a doormat MMC??
0% chemistry, 100% nothingness...... This unfortunately is not for me. I don't know where the story is!

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚𝕻𝖗𝖊-𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖉˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the free eARC 💕 💕 all thoughts are my own

Loveddd this! This was such a lovely read, about trusting others, trusting yourself, and just letting yourself grow. Ava Wilder is one of my favourite authors - she never disappoints, and she certainly didn't disappoint with this novel. I loved the slowburn of it all, the gentle way this romance developed. Definitely recommended!

Merritt and Niko's really captured me from the very beginning. Merritt was a famous singer, and she has stepped away from the spotlight. She has been living with her twin sister and brother in law in a small town in Colorado, and she has been enjoying her life there. Her sister is pregnant, and she needs to move out. The good news is that she already has a home, but it needs to be renovated.

She hires Niko, who is a local handyman and contractor to renovate her house. She has had a crush on Niko for awhile now, but she knows that she would just hurt him if they got together. Niko has always admired Merritt, but he has been warned to stay away from her, so he can avoid getting hurt. Their mutual pining heats up as they spend time together designing and renovating Merritt's home. The story is a slow burn, but it does get spicy.

I loved that both Niko and Merritt were bi, and the discussion about that was very interesting and thoughtful. There are heavier topics in the story, such as substance abuse, panic attacks, parental neglect, and mental health concerns.

Overall, this story had some heavy parts to it, but I enjoyed both Niko and Merritt.

This was my first Ava Wilder book and I loved it so much! I was a little thrown off by the third person at first and had a little trouble getting into it but once I got into it I was fully absorbed. I loved that these characters were so real and messy and had so much depth to them. Their awkwardness from the start and their personal journeys were so endearing. There were some heavy topics covered but the book itself never felt heavy. My only gripe was how unlikable Merritts sister was for 95% of the book.

SHE NEVER MISSES!!!. This was everything I love about Ava's writing: sexy, perceptive, sharp, and full of complex, messy characters that feel fleshed out and real. The romance was tender and emotional and so so swoony while the discussions about art and what it's like to create art for yourself versus an audience were nuanced and authentic. I love that not only did Niko and Merritt get a HEA, but their art did as well.

I always enjoy a good celeb romance, and Ava’s first two books were good. This one just didn’t quite hit the mark for me. It really felt like it dragged for a big chunk of the book, but I did feel invested by the end at least.

Thanks as always to NetGalley for the ARC.

I really enjoyed this book. The main characters were so adorably awkward at the beginning stages of their friendship/relationship that it seems so relatable. Merritt is finally adjusting to real life after living as a pop star. She is living with her Sister in a small town in Colorado where she meets the town handyman, Niko. She thinks he’s handsome but avoids him for two years until she needs his help fixing her house. Niko has been intrigued by Merritt for quite some time but doesn’t understand why she avoids him. While he works on her house Niko learns more and more about who Merritt is and who she used to be.

The emotions that are shown in this book make everything feel so real and tangible. I truly wanted the best for each of these characters.

As I expected this book is absolutely perfect. I love Ava’s writing so much. Both How to Fake it in Hollywood and Will They or Wont They are some of my favorite books. And just like those this is so sharp and witty and complex but also so easy to take in. Her characters are messy and flawed and filled with so much love. I LOVED Crested Peak and everyone that made up the town. I also LOVED the Ethan and Grey cameo!!! And the girls!! And Nora and Jeff!! I love the Ava Wilder universe so much. I will FOREVER read her books. And this is another I likely reread before pub day!

I LOVE MERRITT AND NIKO! They were wildly different people but they were also just two people desperately trying to figure it out. And watching them connect on such a deep level was absolutely BEAUTIFUL. I loved that we got to see how they had been circling each other before the story stared and how inevitable they were. They were tender and sweet and fragile but so easily the most important thing to both of them!!

I also really loved their individual journeys throughout the book. Merritt finally coming back to her music, to herself, kind of finally facing her fears, and seeing how much she’s grown and changed!! NIKO! The sweetest man alive!!! Ava does know how to write a man who is down bad!!!! And she also knows how to write a SOFT man. I really loved seeing him also work through some of the things from his past. He was able to finally plant himself somewhere, and it was BEAUTIFUL.

Thank you so much to Dell for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!!

This is definitely a slow burn but it is so worth it! It is a very cozy enemies to lovers! I will defiantly be reading more books by this author!

This was my first Ava Wilder read and I absolutely loved it! I first want to mention that I appreciate the note about sensitive content at the front of the book. When you go to Ava's website it will not specific items that this book mentions/discusses that some readers maybe sensitive too. This is a trend I hope continues in writing. This small town romance was beautifully written. Ava did excellent really setting the scene of the small town and building the characters between Merritt and Niko. Merritt's growth from her struggles with her mental health was incredibly heart felt and written in a way that felt sensitive to those who maybe triggered by it. Niko as the golden retriever male lead had me rooting for him from the jump! Every character felt relatable, even Merritt at the FMC who was a former celebrity who fleas for cover and security. This book was a good medium paces read and is wrapped up with a perfect ending and epilogue. I look forward to reading more of Ava's work in the future.

Thank you NetGalley, author Ava Wilder, and Random House Publishing Group - Ballentine I Dell for this advanced digital reader copy for my honest review.

Ava Wilder proved yet again she is the queen of celebrity romance. I loved Merritt and Niko’s journey of love and self-discovery. Set in a picturesque rural Colorado community, Some Kind of Famous proves just how valuable and necessary focusing on your mental health and growth is. A quick read, SKOF had me hooked from start to finish.

ARC via NetGalley

Goodreads review

unfortunately this was not for me.

i turn to romance books to feel happy, but for some reason this book made me feel really stressed. maybe it was the imperfections in the characters - lots of body hair, not my thing - but also in the very prickly and hard to like nature of the FMC and the blandness and blind adoration of the MMC.

if you like lots of angst across the board, snippy FMCs, and docile MMCs then this might be for you. i will say these characters did feel real - but i wanted fiction.

thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC!

Mixed feelings about this one. Ultimately, it gave me too much second hand anxiety to fully enjoy because the characters are too immature/insecure for my taste. I would have liked to see a little more relationship development between Olivia and Merritt and more integration of music and art into the plot.

Also, all of the different sexual/gender expression bits and bobs felt performative vs adding to, what is ultimately, a very typically heterosexual romance.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group for the advanced reader copy.

I loved this. It felt raw and real. Obsessed with Niko’s character and how he inspires Merritt. It’s such a real love you can feel it coming off the pages!! Very well written!