Fabulous take on the Fake Dating trope that was so much more than you usually get. Layered complex characters deal with big issues and a romance that spans the times. Some slow burn, but when it heats up damm is it HOT

Wgile it did take me some time to get into I enjoyed this book. This was a good beach read. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced preview.

Overall, this is probably one of my favorite rom coms I've read. I don't think I'll recommend it to people that don't like the genre, but to all my romance besties out there, you will be hearing me rave about this book.

THINGS I LIKED:
3rd person POV was a great choice
Descriptions were imeccable
Renata and Kamilah are such fun side characters. I had a great time in the world
The setup felt so realistic. I want to read more books like this.
Love the concept!
I like how there was a clear difference between the two povs
Grey before meeting Ethan made me laugh so hard
Side note: I love the names in this book
THAT IS HOW YOU WRITE A FIRST MEETING. It's so awkward but endearing at the same time and you can tell they're compatible immediately
I like the tension/conflict at the beginning because you can see each of their perspectives, but you can also see where the other is coming from in their impression
So many of the scenes were so good, like the boxing scene. They took a lot of tropes and subverted them
That first kiss scene was swoon worthy and it wasn't just that the physical tension was good, like the mental chemistry or whatever it's called was also phenomenal

THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE:
The beginning didn't feel snappy enough for me. Like I wasn't immediately sucked in. It took a little bit.
I'd love to have more context for the two stars, like newspaper headlines or something.
Explaining the whole Ethan's backstory got a bit infodumpy and weighed down, which I didn't enjoy

Thank you NetGalley and Ava Wilder. I thought this was going to be cut and dry based on premise and beginning. This book was so much deeper. I loved the character development and steamy encounters. Solid Summer read! Add to the beach bag!

I usually stay clear of "celebrity" or fame involved books as I've never really been interested or liked them enough.

When I was offered to review this book I thought, "maybe this will be the one?" And unfortunately it wasn't.

It's still a good read. I did not like our hero, I have no feeling towards him other than he is not good enough for our girl Grey. He's an ass and imo not a very reliable father. 🙄

I still appreciated the character arc and growing we got as well as Grey getting everything she wanted and deserved.

I really loved this book and I'll definitely be reading more of Wilder in the future! It's always hard being in the spotlight but this book set it up really well! I felt all the emotions.

This was a fantastic fake-dating romance. I absolutely flew through it and found it to be right in the sweet spot of lighthearted romance with great characters.

Release Date: June 14th 2022

📖📖📖📖

Grey (though I kept reading it as Gary) wants to continue acting but since her tv series ending she continues to get type cast. She has a chance to get a completely different role. She needs some good PR and pronto. Ethan has too much PR but not the good kind. Between a messy divorce and drinking to numb the grief caused by the loss of his creative partner he’s a mess. When their publicist proposes a fake relationship, they agree. After all how hard can it be to #fakeitinhollywood ?

I enjoyed this book! The characters has great backstories and reasons to enter into the faux relationship. My biggest complaint was all the angst. I’m down for some but the amount cause this book to drag for me. It’s definitely not a re read but it’s a fun beach book.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

#bookstagram #netgalleyreads #bookrecommendations #howtofakeitinhollywood #avawilder

I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH!!

The fake dating for PR, the characters being celebrities, the angst, the romance, the self growth… all of it was amazing. I am always a fan of fake dating, but I love how the use of fake dating for this book is something I totally envision happening in the real world in Hollywood.

I really appreciated the characterization of Grey and Ethan, I felt like they had a lot of depth and weren’t just stagnant characters who’s sole purpose was to fall in love with each other and that’s it.

I think most of all I appreciated the third act breakup, I normally hate when that’s the method used for romance books to drive the plot, but that was so well done for this book and actually made sense for the story.

I love a fake relationship romance - add in that it’s a celebrity romance and the relationship is a pr stunt and it’s pure catnip. I am always intrigued by rumors of Hollywood relationships being fake.

Grey just finished a job on a long running series and needs to figure out what next. When a fake relationship with Ethan, an older A-list actor, is proposed - she figures she doesn’t have much to lose. They just need to be seen in public and entering/leaving each other’s homes.

This was a fun read and while I’m not sure it will stick with me, I would still recommend as a great pool/beach read. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance reading copy for review.

My only complaint about this book is that it suffers from a story-cover mismatch. The cover sold me a cute, Hollywood fake dating romance. The actual story does have fake dating but it’s heavy. There’s grief, alcohol, invasions of privacy, drug addiction and drug use, harassment, and stalking. Which is absolutely fine but I just felt surprised so I don’t want that happening to other people. Expect angst and drama and you’ll be prepared.

Because this is an excellent book and a strong debut. It interwove the glitz of Hollywood with the darker sides of fame.

I enjoyed the relationship between Grey and Ethan. As well as the relationships between the side characters. The writing was excellent, especially for a debut, and I think Ava Wilder pulled off a story that not a lot of people could have.

The ending did feel a little rushed and the expectation mismatch were my only issues. I’d still recommend this book, but know what you’re getting into and check trigger warnings.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

• first of all... this cover 😍
• fake dating meets angsty romance
• flawed yet likeable characters

This book isn't a fluff romance... lots of depth and tough internal battles here. You love to see the character growth. If you're looking for a contemporary romance that is raw and real, read this!

🗣️ Thank you to @netgalley and @penguinrandomhouse for the opportunity to read and review this book via gifted eARC! All opinions are honest and my own.

I loved this book and found it so delightful! I am a huge fan of the fake dating trope and while not usually a grumpy/sunshine fan, this book won me over super quick! It was well written and supremely sweet, with great writing and fleshed out, thoughtful, characters. I found the romance between Grey and and Ethan very realistic, even given such a not-so-realistic storyline. I definitely will pick up more books by Ava Wilder in the future - she has a lifelong fan in me :)

4 star - Perfect Beach Read!

Grey Brooks is trying to make the transition from teen star to Hollywood leading lady.
Ethan Atkins is a movie superstar whose career (and marriage) took a nosedive after the death of his best friend.
Both of them need a boost, so their publicist arranges a fake relationship to get their names in the news. The plan works - a little too well.

This was such a fun read! It's not all light - Ethan is dealing with some serious issues. But, it's a fun backstage look at Hollywood and the downfalls of fame. It would be perfect for poolside, with a cocktail.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the opportunity to read a digital ARC in return for an honest review!

Posted to Instagram on 7/7/22
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This was really, really good. I’m not a huge fan of romance, so it takes a lot for me to enjoy them. This had likable characters, believable dialogue and storylines (once you get past the whole actors and beards thing, which I wouldn’t know about anyway), and none of those stupid conflicts due to miscommunication. The characters had depth, their backgrounds felt grounded in reality, and the author dealt with Ethan and his grief in a really gentle way as well. Great debut novel from an author I’d definitely read from again!

OH THIS BOOK!!! I immediately had to buy a hard copy after reading this because I loved it. I think this book deserves all the hype it already has. Loved the story and the characters.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

This book started strong, I was hooked at the start. It got VERY steamy about 30-40% through, which definitely was important to the plot (no spoilers), however, it still felt like it came out of no where and turned up in heat. The main characters were fleshed out nicely in details, however, wish I knew more of the adjacent to main characters a little better. I like a happy ending as much as the next person, but it just felt like it wrapped up ever so nicely for the main characters, a little too polished for me.

I love the concept of fake relationship between two people trying to clean up their reputation, but this one was not for me. I am not a fan an age gap romances at all. The usual younger heroine paints an immature picture to me. For me Ethan's character seemed to be too serious for a light hearted romantic comedy, but I also did not finish reading since it was kind of dry to me. Very possible for me to love the book if I finish, but for now I am ambivalent.

How to Fake It in Hollywood by Ava Wilder is a romance about two hollywood stars trying to put some spice back into their careers.

Meet Grey Brooks. A former teen soap actress, she is trying to establish her career as an adult. In order to do this she is set up with former star Ethan Atkins, who's been MIA since the death of his best friend Sam a few years ago.

If celebrity dating is a romance trope, sign me up. What I loved about this is that when Grey and Ethan were first set up they were both trying to play it cool but were actually really into one another. I was actually really enjoying the book until Sh*t Hit the Fan moment #`1. After the two made it through that moment (not a spoiler since we were only 60% into the book), I started getting...tense. To the author's credit, I think this is exactly what she wanted her reader to feel.

This is a "light" romance until that 60% point when things get more real. Alcoholism is a major premise of this book and for a while it bothered me that I thought we were all just ignoring it. I'm glad it was addressed but think it could have been a little bit sooner.

Everything in this book does wrap up nicely for the Happily Ever After moment I would just say there's a major shift from steamy romance to more complex drama in the second half. Overall I would recommend it as a page turning summer romance read!

Though the writing was easy to consume, this was ultimately not for me. I can see how others would like it though! I went into this thinking it would be a light, funny rom-com, but there was a lot more life than romance for me. I also felt like the main couple did not have any chemistry and did not feel excited to find out what was next between them. Chemistry between main love interests drives the book for me!