Romance with a side of angst!

Grey Brooks will do anything to get the role that she wants even faking dating reclusive Ethan Atkins who needs the publicity to try and finish the final project he was working with his best friend before he left the spotlight. He had been through the wringer of Hollywood after his nasty divorce, the death of his best friend Sam and he was trying to straighten out his life with little success. Grey wants to land a role on the new Golden City franchise, but fake dating Ethan Atkins will get some positive buzz her in the tabloids.

How to Fake It in Hollywood doesn’t gloss over Hollywood with a light bubbly romance but shows the reader all the angsty drama when they fall in love for real with the warts and all.

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

Make sure you RUN and pre-order this book. It comes out June 14th and you don't want to miss this outstanding debut by Ava Wilder.

I will talk about this book in themes because my brain is weird and this is the only way I'll be able to talk about everything and not get distracted.

The Writing.
Holy sh!t, this is a debut novel??? DEBUT??? This read like such a rich, seasoned story, so vivid, beautiful, real, and raw. And to think this masterpiece is just the first of many for Ava is absolutely amazing. I have loved the vivid descriptions, and the rich language which I can only describe as honey, and felt like it was submerging me into the story. It made me laugh out loud (like a hyena, if you get the reference), it broke my heart into thousands of pieces.

Humor
No but this was genuinely one of the funniest romance novels I've read? Without it being cheesy or weird. Grey and Ethan both use humor as a coping mechanism, especially in awkward situations and I can relate to it a lot.

There's an unexpected friendship that comes about between two women which I absolutely adored. Just women supporting women, women cheering women on, and women giving other women advice to last a lifetime. HOT.

Romance
This is what we came here for, right? And to be honest, I did not expect the turns this story took. But I loved them. This wasn't your traditional love story between two characters. This was a love story between two human beings, both flawed, scarred by their past, and prone to making mistakes. This was about second chances, being willing to do anything for the person you care about even if it hurts you. It's about forgiveness, compromise, and seeing the best in each other. What started as a PR stunt, quickly turned into a messy, complicated yet raw relationship.

Also, the spice is good. It doesn't overthrow the story yet allows you to connect with the characters in a beautiful manner.

Diversity
The cast of secondary characters is diverse and beautiful and I have loved it so much.

CW: alcoholism, death of a loved one, grief

475/5, cannot wait for future Ava Wilder releases and to consume them with the speed of light!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for an e-arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I have posted this review on the following platforms:
Goodreads (date posted: June 12th): https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4587860309
Instagram (date posted: June 12th): https://www.instagram.com/p/CeswszDu1-k/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Twitter (date posted: June 12th): https://twitter.com/teamdeckerstar/status/1535903991099441152?s=20&t=ZQuNkdRUK1-3CWbdK-QKBg
Storygraph (date posted: June 12th): https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/0e17ee7c-bf7f-417a-a9e0-1681591c6100

“When she was around, her presence was loud enough to drown out his doubts, his fears, his most self-sabotaging impulses.”

How to Fake it in Hollywood by Ava Wilder
Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 (5/5)
Spice: 🌶🌶 (2/5)

Teen soap star wanting to take more control of her career. Former teenage heartthrob turned burnout. Both need an image boost. Fake Dating. Ethan is struggling to recover in a healthy way from his best friends death. Grey is looking to rebrand but that’s been easier said than done. This book is a steamy summer read. Love the seamless queer and non-binary representation as well. So many unexpected twists and turns.

The attention detail that Ava Wilder puts into this story is *chefs kiss*. I can feel every time Ethan hurts and struggles. I sympathize with Grey yearning for more. The steam is hot in this fantastic book. I can’t wait to read more from Ava. This is sure to be a hit. Will need a physical copy ASAP so I can share it with all my friends.

Okay, wow!!! I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I was talking about tropes with fellow romance lovers in my book club and those who loved this book also agree, there's just something so fun about a famous person romance that keeps me so drawn in, just like this one did.
What I loved about How to Fake It in Hollywood? The burn, the desire, that Grey and Ethan both felt. Going in, this book made sure it told you that these two were strictly fake dating, but soon enough, something just clicks within them that makes them realize that they really do have feelings for each other. Add like, a whole lot of baggage, and this book is a five star read. I felt this special connection between Grey and Ethan the whole time, rooting for them through it all, it was great. I definitely enjoyed this book and all it gave.

this one was amazing!!! i do think that this is definitely not a rom-com, although there are some lighter moments. it just needs to be said that there are lots of very intense moments throughout this book, lots of angst.

grey was a great character. ethan was a little more frustrating. i didn't realize the subject matter that this novel would cover (alcoholism) and i have a very personal relationship with addiction that makes novels like this tough to read. if i had known, i might have gone in with a different mindset.

this one was definitely steamy and had a lot of sweet moments that i can't get over. the scene where ethan gives grey her birthday present actually made me sob.

i also really loved all of the side characters, especially nora. it was nice to see an ex of one of the main characters still involved in the story in a way that was not negative, but rather the exact opposite. lots of people break up and maintain a great relationship with their exes and i wish i could see it more in romances.

This debut was 🤩🤩
Grey and Ethan; two Hollywood stars in need of some attention to their names get roped in to a scenario where they enter a fake relationship. They do so good keeping it casual; and then a free vacation happens and whew 😅
Ethan has his issues; a lot of grief and regret over the loss of his best friend, a drinking problem, a less than subpar life, and the inability to connect with anyone.
Grey is on a mission to keep her career after a stint on a guilty pleasure (lame but addicting) tv show, some serious angst towards her mom, and a cheating ex bf who was also her costar.
Dual POV 👩‍❤️‍👨
Banter 🥰
Steam 🥵
Messy AF 🙃
TW: alcoholism, grief, divorce, hollywood drama, death of a loved one
(Obsessed. @avawilderwrites did SO good - the messy and hard subjects were written SO well)

“How to Fake it in Hollywood” by Ava Wilder
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Release Date: 6/14
Genre: Romcom

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC! I loved every minute of it! The perfect Romcom! Fake relationship trope with lots of drama.

Grey Brooks has been an actress since she was a child, but never had been Hollywood famous. She wants to bring her career to another level. Ethan Brooks is an A-list superstar that turned hermit after his best friend died a few years back. He has holed up in his home drinking and feeling sorry for himself.
When their publicist throws out an idea for them to fake date for good publicity they both decide why not. Their fake dating starts off with scheduled appearances and lots of awkward silence. After a weekend in Palm Springs the heat turns up and so does the gossip. They both have lots of work to do. Grey needs to let her guard down and let other people in. Ethan needs to clean up his act and deal with his grief. Can these two become what they want? Will they end up together?

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Dell for the advanced reading copy via Netgalley. My review contains my own thoughts and opinions.

How to Fake it in Hollywood looks like a sparkly light romance, and while it was a delightful summer read and had me laughing, I was pleasantly surprised at the depth of development in the main characters and their vulnerability. Grey Brooks and Ethan Atkins could benefit from some good PR for their acting careers, for different reasons, and their publicist is convinced a fake relationship is what they need. I loved their slow burn relationship and rooted for them from page one.

CW: Alcoholism/addiction, grief, parental death/emotional abandonment

So, a quick summary: Grey is an actress since she was a small girl. But then, her most famous show is finished and she has no new projects. Ethan was once a superstar, but he has fallen from grace. However, he wants to be back.
Solution to their dilemma? Fake-dating. Grey needs the attention, and Ethan needs the good reputation.

Soo, what’s so wonderful about this book, you might ask:
1. The cover. Can be stop for one second and admire/watch/sigh/drool/swoon over this cover? So pretty and cute and attractive. I mean, I saw it and wanted to pick the book, immediately.
2. The title. Again, like the cover, it just calls for you. You cannot ignore it.
3. They are both in the entertaining media. I don’t know about you, but I really like to read about famous people.
4. Fake-dating in its perfection. What better and more believable opportunity to fake-date than being in Hollywood?
5. The angst. People, I swooned a lot and was neurotic half the time in this book because I needed Grey and Ethan to be together.
6. Their conversations. They are cute. Just, seriously cute.
7. Ethan is such a cute father too.
8. Healthy relationships. I really liked that Ethan and his ex-wife Nora were amicable. I really loved that Grey and Nora turned friends. Just, thank you for not putting ex dramas.

This book ended up being not what I was expecting and definitely not in a bad way. I ended up really enjoying the book and devoured it in basically one sitting. Yeah, it sucks you in. I was expecting something more on the lines of You Had Me At Hola by Alexis Daria or Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade. It's a much heavier novel than that, but don't let it stop you from reading it! Just check out the content warnings and enjoy because it was so good!!

Loves:

Communication- the communication that both characters had was phenomenal. Sure there were some moments when they didn't talk things through as much as they should have, but I understood the why behind those moments. However for the most part they acted like adults and talked things through!

Grey, Ethan, and Nora- I loved these characters. Each one felt like they were fully developed and utterly flawed in the best way. To be honest, Nora ended up stealing the show for me with her relationship with Ethan and Grey even though she was the ex-wife. Grey was such an interesting character too! She'd been in shows and worked her whole life which created a very interesting dynamic. Ethan was such a sad man. You seriously cannot hope but for the best for him the entire book

Plot- This plot does not go the way you think it will. I had a pretty good idea of what I was getting myself into with this book. Spoiler alert, I did not. I'm not going to ruin any part of this novel, but just be aware it's not going to go how you think it is. And honestly, that's for the better. The ending is absolute perfection because of it

Meh:

Side Characters- Look I just wanted more from them. I was really hoping we'd get a better interaction with Ethan and his children. Also some more from Grey's family. It's there but just isn't fleshed out the way the rest of the story was. I get why it was probably done, but if I could change one thing it'd be that.

Long Story Short

Do I recommend this book? YES! It was amazing and I really enjoyed the writing. Everything flowed so well. Totally a book I would give as a gift to a friend. There's just so much to unpack and also the steamy scenes were totally worth it. I really, really hope this is just the beginning of Ava Wilder's writing career because I so want more books from her!

If You Liked This One...

I would highly recommend checking out You Had Me At Hola by Alexis Daria, which also has two actor leads. Not a fake dating situation but super steamy and similar themes! Additionally,Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade also features fake dating and one character is an actor that is pretty much a combo of Grey and Ethan. Spoiler Alert is also fairly heavy in places so it's similar in that sense as well. For another heavier romance I'd recommend How to Fail At Flirting by Denise Williams as the title is close ;) and the plot lines follow a similar trend!

Thank you to Ava Wilder, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of a digital reviewer copy in exchange for an honest review!

Cute. Fake relationship. Feel-good.

"She gave herself exactly three seconds to be upset: <i> Three. Two. One.</i>
PLEASE CHECK TRIGGER WARNINGS PRIOR TO READING.

SYNOPSIS:
A talented Hollywood starlet and a reclusive A-lister enter into a fake relationship . . . and discover that their feelings might be more than a PR stunt in this sexy debut for fans of Beach Read and The Unhoneymooners.

Grey Brooks is on a mission to keep her career afloat now that the end of her long-running teen soap has her (unsuccessfully) pounding the pavement again. With a life-changing role on the line, she's finally desperate enough to agree to her publicist's scheme... faking a love affair with a disgraced Hollywood heartthrob who needs the publicity, but for very different reasons.

Ethan Atkins just wants to be left alone. Between his high-profile divorce, his struggles with drinking, and his grief over the death of his longtime creative partner and best friend, he's slowly let himself fade into the background. But if he ever wants to produce the last movie he and his partner wrote together, Ethan needs to clean up his reputation and step back into the spotlight. A gossip-inducing affair with a gorgeous actress might be just the ticket, even if it's the last thing he wants to do.

Though their juicy public relationship is less than perfect behind the scenes, it doesn't take long before Grey and Ethan's sizzling chemistry starts to feel like more than just an act. But after decades in a ruthless industry that requires bulletproof emotional armor to survive, are they too used to faking it to open themselves up to the real thing?

REVIEW - WARNING SPOILERS AHEAD (you've been warned):
i thought this book was going to be strictly fake dating that turned into a happy ending. Boy, was I wrong. This book was full of drama that did not prepare me for the ending. The angst I had for Ethan to simply act on his inner monologue left me speeding through to see what happened next.

Wilder's writing style is easy to get through and left me feeling quite steamy. My criticism would be that I felt like the ending was very rushed. The entire book has great character development on the protagonists and supporting characters, all for Grey and Ethan's reunion to be scrambled together and given to the reader. On multiple occasions, Grey said she was not going to give Ethan another chance after leaving her in the cab. And without any development of Ethan's character trying to win Grey back, they ended up back together for their "happily ever after" in the final three chapters. I would have liked to see more of Ethan "chasing" Grey to win her back and prove that he has changed for her, especially after 16 months of no contact.

Just to clarify, my rating for this book is not because the story or writing was mediocre, the storyline just didn't play out the way I expected. I also felt that the title didn't fully fit the overall book. Of course, Grey and Ethan were fake dating in the novel and the title definitely fits the first half of the book, but the second half of the book was Grey and Ethan being completely truthful with themselves and each other to lead to their "happily ever after."

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

3.75/5 stars!!!

What I loved:
- fake dating
- tension and chemistry
- realistic and flawed characters
- fun Hollywood / celebrity vibes
- super fun ensemble cast of characters that I would read books about
- positive portrayal of co-parenting
- stubborn and witty MCs
- the romance of it all!!

What I wanted:
- more details on side characters
- less time jumps
- even more fake dating antics

First let me say that this is an absolutely fabulous debut novel and I will happily read anything else Ava Wilder writes!!!

Overall I loved this book, and I was drawn into the tumultuous relationship between Grey and Ethan!!! I loved their hot & cold fake dating, their development together, and the very real struggles they faced. While this book sounds like a sizzling summer read, and it absolutely is, it also delivers on conversations about grief and families that are broken (or rebuilding), and includes the realities of addiction and therapy and how that can impact a relationship.

I wish this book had 100 more pages that could have filled in the gaps. Throughout there are some pretty big time jumps or off page events that I wish I could have read about and think would have given even more context and wonder to this story.

When Grey and Ethan's publicist come up with the idea of a fake relationship to get their acting career's back on track both are hesitant to agree, but ultimately go along with it for the sake of the career. Grey's career has stalled while Ethan's A-list career was self sabotaged after his best friend and business partner died. While Ethan doesn't want to come back, he feels it needs to be done to get that last project he and his partner were working on into the spotlight. Can they play their part to successfully without getting real life feelings involved? Will people even believe them? Or will the gossip an paparazzi tear apart this relationship before it even begins?

I could not put this book down! A celebrity fake dating romance? I am on board! I am a Grethan STAN! I thought we were going to get this light fluffy celebrity romance, which I am all here for, but this book has so much more substance that it leads off with. There was a palpable tension between them the whole book and I loved it. But the best part of this book was picking real life celebrities to "play" the characters and seeing celebrity real life moments in the book. I mean Grey is totally Lilli Reinhardt, and Ethan has this bromance relationship a la Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. Every time a character came up I wanted to find their real life counterpart.

As much as I loved this book, there were some disconnects for me in the storyline. I felt like we had the story that the blurb mentions, the set up celebrity romance to help boost their careers. And 70% of the book is like that. We get the Hollywood conflict and the resolution between the two of them. Then there is still a whole chunk of book left. In that last part of the book we see a whole part of the story that isn't mentioned at all. It becomes a lot more serious we get a lot of drama. It's like a whole different book. I also didn't like that we jump 16 months in the future and everything is "fixed" we see no real growth or no journey. We just see the end result.

I think the story would have been a 5 star book had it chosen to be this light fake dating trope that the blurb promises (the first 70% of the book) or shorten the fake celebrity part, and focused on the emotional gritty redemption story that focuses on Ethan's alcoholism/mental health and the downside to celebrity, (the 30% and get a look into the 16 month gap we didn't get to see.)

This book is so so cute but so real. Grey and Ethan need a boost in their career so their PR agent puts them together in a PR relationship that turns into so much more. They’re both dealing with things from their past and have big dreams and goals that they’re looking to accomplish and realize they may need each other for more than just appearances. I thought the authors take on fame was brilliant. I was enthralled from the first page as it felt like getting a back stage pass into the life of a celebrity but it also gave a realistic view of addiction that I’ve rarely seen in books. Genuinely well told story and I can’t wait for everyone to get their hands on it.

Out of work former child star Grey agrees to a fake relationship with former A-lister Ethan in order to boost both of their careers. What starts off as a delightful romcom takes a turn for the emotional ride that I was not mad to take.

While the cover of this book makes it out to be a fun, light read, readers should be aware that this book dives into some heavy topics, such as alcoholism, death of a loved one, and codependency.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading How to Fake It in Hollywood!

Thank you Random House Publishing Group -Ballentine and NetGalley for the advanced copy. This book comes out June 14, 2022.

This is an angst filled story. Grey and Ethan are both Hollywood actors at different places in their lives. They are put together to make their careers better. It is an emotional story that exposes the effects that the past baggage they each hold onto from their past lives impact the present. It has good characters who make great friends and are able to help them rebuild their lives and careers. It does have a happy ending but it takes a lot of hard work.

This book was a bit heavier than I was expecting.
At one point I got frustrated with Ethan - I have never read about a character more in need of therapy (I probably have, but you get what I mean). I wouldn't say that he was self-destructive, but the guy was in a lot of suffering. I kept thinking why isn't he in therapy?!
Grey has some baggage of her own. Together with Ethan, they enter a fake relationship to boost their public image. But then lines get blurred.
I really enjoyed this book. The heavy subjects were dealt with in a respectful and realistic manner, and I loved that Ethan and Grey got their happy ending.
ARC provided by publisher through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

I basically read this straight through on a plane ride. I could not put it down. Ava Wilder was able to capture my attention and hold it through witty banter, realistic characters, and heart breaking struggles.

Grey is a former child actress who worked on a series for several years. She feels afloat after the series ended and doesn't know what her next move is. A chance encounter with a successful publicist has her having lunch with an ultra-ultra famous actor and discussing a fake relationship to boost both of their reputations. She's crushed on Ethan for years but he's different now, after his best friend died and his wife divorced him.

Ethan is taken with Grey the moment he meets her. They start their fake relationship which becomes real when their attraction hits a peak. Their relationship has some big hurdles and in the end, Ethan needed to come to terms with his own grief and addiction before he could be a good partner to Grey. The scene in the taxi cab had me choked up. It does work out in the end and you are rooting for both of them because of the really hard work they need to do to be together.

This is a great book and I can't wait to read more from this author.

I wasn't planning on reading this book because I've already read two celebrity romances this Spring. What's up with all these celebrity romances btw? :) Anyway my friends from our arc bookclub read this one and would not shut up about it so I requested it to see what it's deal was. It did not knock it out of the park for me but I enjoyed it. I did.

Right of the bat, I pictured Ethan as Ben Affleck, I mean he HAS to be the inspiration for the character because he is one half of a screenwriter-actor duo with an Oscar, divorced with kids, with an alcohol addiction. and because I pictured him as Ben Affleck it took me some time to warm up to Ethan. I liked Grey, I liked her drive and determination to be taken seriously as an actor who has started as a child actor (a nod to Lydsay Lohan and Parent Trap here) and been in the business for so long. As a publicity stunt, these two enter into fake relationship arranged by their publicist. (cough Ana De Armas, I don't even follow Hollywood gossip but even I asked who this gorgeous young girl on Affleck's arm was and where she came from! okay back to the review) They just need to be visible as a couple. Nothing over the top but to noone's surprise they get closer and closer and bam! They have crazy chemistry and they just have to to bang once and get it out their system. You know. But paparazzi catches them in a compromising condition and you know who has to shoulder the burden of the photographs? yes, you guessed it, the woman!

Okay, won't go into anymore detail but I can tell this much: The book is not all light and fluffy. It touches on tough topics such as the dark side of fame, invasion of privacy, grief, addiction, and alcoholism, benefits of therapy and it does a pretty good job of it. It is a fast read, I couldn't put it down and finished it in 2 days. I've basically inhaled the first half due to extreme bangxiety, and the second half due to all the well timed and necessary tension and angst. I became emotionally invested and had to know how Ethan and Grey would get over their problems. I am not 100% sold on the romance. It felt slightly insta-romance. I know why Grey fell for Ethan, it is hard to resist your teen crush being there, in front of you, flirting with you and also there was maybe the factor of savior complex in play. He is the troubled, mysterious man and she wants to be there for him. But why did Ethan fall for Grey? himm, okay, she is young and beautiful, and feisty, she stands up to him and puts him in his place a couple times but that's pretty much it. They were both available, they were both attractive people and all the fake touching and kissing finally got to them? Did I still root for them? 100%.

This debut novel would make a really good beach read especially if you like faced paced books with good dialogue and some steam, I would definitely read what Ava Wilder writes next.

Grey Brooks has no prospects of working and she has suffered an humiliating breakup. Hollywood can be brutal. Ethan Atkins has suffered the loss of his best friend and partner. He is star and can still can bring in the work but he is spiraling out of control. Through a friend, they've come up with the brilliant idea to have them fake date. The only problem is, from the moment they set eyes on each other, there is a mutual attraction. The mutual attraction and falling in love did not stop the spiraling. It seems they both needed to find help. Addiction is something you battle everyday, Ethan is in it for the long haul. The only questions is, will Grey join him on this journey? I love all the secondary characters in this book!