Y’all know I love a fake dating trope, so I was ready to jump headfirst into this one! But this was so much more than the cute love story I was expecting.

Grey Brooks has been a working actress since childhood, most notably starring in the long-running teen drama, Poison Paradise. As Grey tries to stay relevant and land new roles after the show ends, her publicist suggests a fake relationship with a reclusive former A-list actor. Ethan Atkins has taken time out of the spotlight after the death of his best friend Sam, and a corresponding public meltdown. Ethan and Grey are immediately attracted to one another and the chemistry is off the charts, but their romance runs wild with scandal. With Ethan on a downward spiral, it all explodes one disastrous night in New York. Can Ethan overcome his tumultuous past to build a future with Grey?

No, this is not just a cute love story. It is raw and real, and it includes a fair amount of heartbreak. Both characters have tons of personal growth, and the storyline seems much more realistic than your typical fuzzy fake dating romances. This book will tear you up and put you back together again in the most beautiful way. Five stars from me!

What an absolutely fantastic debut novel. You’ll go into this expecting something light and breezy, and it will deliver (the banter! the steam!) but it also packs so much more of a punch. There’s a lot of very dark topics touched on in this book, but they’re treated with respect and care through and through. This is an author who I will be anxiously waiting a sophomore novel from.

I have such mixed feelings about this book. At first I was loving it, had an upbeat pace and the plot was intriguing up until the couple got together. There was a push and pull between Grey and Ethan which drew me in. After they got together, it felt familial in a good way but I noticed the lack of his children's presence in many moments. While he did not have much custody of his children at the time, it felt like they were not really a big part of his life nor did he really accommodate them in his life in the beginning. Of course, the book was mostly entertaining.

However, I noticed so many toxic things throughout the story and had to put the book down at 80%. I ended up powering through to the end after leaving it alone for a month and it made the situation a little better. It did display the effects of alcohol and drug abuse intensely and while Ethan had poor issues with this, it made it much worse that nobody would really attempt to stop him or get him some help. This was my main issue with the topic being covered. Every character would recognize that Ethan would take it too far when indulging but every they'd make awkward eye contact and brush it off. They would excuse it as his way of grieving but Ethan struggled with this before Sam's accident. This is the point where I had to put the book down. He would ditch everyone for a drink and Grey would forgive him every time. Granted they found their way back to each other, but even in their break up scene in the cab, Ethan would give in to the temptation every time. I think the concept was great but the story was different than I expected. Needless to say, I feel like I learned a lot from the topics covered and I'm glad I read the book.

Thank you Netgalley and the Publisher for my ARC in exchange for my honest review. This was an enjoyable book.

Ok let's try this Hollywood Tabloid style.

𝗘𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗔𝘁𝗸𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝘆 𝗕𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀

Rumours of their relationship began when Brooks was spotted arriving at Atkins's residence. Soon, the couple made it red carpet official by attending one of Brooks's former 𝘗𝘰𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘦 co-star's movie premiere together. But despite withstanding the heat of the scandal of their leaked private life, the pair split after less than a year of dating.
       Now, months later, the pair seems to have rekindled their relationship since Atkins was caught slipping backstage after a performance of Brooks's latest Broadway show or were they just exchanging some good-natured apologies, especially after Atkins's inebriated stunt at the screening of his breakout film?

- ~ -

I can only say the book was imperfectly perfect.

The romance the characters shared had wisps of a first love, though it wasn't anyone's first rodeo. For some reason, their relationship, despite the circumstances, felt like home, like a summer evening, a stormy afternoon or a night out at the beach with waves clashing peacefully. It felt comfortable. Their chemistry, the tension, the angst and later the adoration came easily.

While the story centers on romance, it is decidedly not a rom-com. It explores other heavy topics such as grief, alcoholism, an undiagnosed anxiety disorder.
Ethan and Grey loved each other inspite of the struggles they navigated or maybe because of them, they were more than happy to support each other and be proud of each other's accomplishments.

- ~ -

Overall: A stunning debut, with a writing style I fancy, a skillfully crafted plot, impressive character growth and a diverse selection of secondary characters.
Mark your calendars, it'll be out June 14th.

4.47 / 5✩

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘙𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘮 𝘏𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘗𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 & 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘐 𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 & 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸𝘦𝘥. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.

This book is not as sweet and fluffy as the cover might lead you to believe -- it deals with heavier subject matter like grief, addiction, dysfunctional families of origin, and the intense pressures of fame. But it deals with those subjects sensitively, and I could not put this book down until I had devoured every page. Dual POV was very well used to show the growing connection between Grey and Ethan as well as revealing the way their insecurities and emotional baggage contributed to how the relationship developed. I'm excited to read more from Ava Wilder in the future!

Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Oh I hope this book gets the attention it deserves this summer! Hollywood fake-romance, why do I always fall for you?

Grey Brooks is a year out of her seven season running tv series with few prospects in sight. Her fancy PR firm has the idea to bring her into the spotlight by featuring her on the arm of her teenage pin-up, Ethan Atkins. Ethan, a Hollywood A-lister, turned recluse after the tragic death of his best friend and working partner is now looking for a way to get their last screenplay produced agrees to the fake relationship with Grey. What's a few harmless photos and red-carpet appearances?

Don't let this cover fool you. It's not all sunshine and fluff in this summer read. Even celebrities have problems and vices they must overcome.

I really enjoyed this book, but there were a few things I took issue with. First, Grey's character felt a little flat. While she has past experiences to draw from, where she is in her life now just felt very blah. I didn't find her uninteresting, but after finishing the book and looking back, she's just kind of boring? Meanwhile, Ethan's character is much juicier. The second thing I took issue with was Ethan's recovery. Like he went to rehab and was magically healed? Anyone with experience with addiction knows theirs going to be some stumbles along the way. The ending where he's gone to rehab and just been sober ever since was unrealistic to me and I felt bad for Grey immediately jumping back into his arms. He hasn't proved anything to her!

Thanks to NetGalley, Random House, Ballentine, and Ava Wilder for an advanced copy!

An up and coming starlet and an A-list actor that needs a reputation boost enter into a fake relationship for the press, what could go wrong?
I grabbed this book because I love this premise but what I ended up getting was so much more than I bargained for. Grey is an up and coming actress that has been acting since she was 8, but is currently unemployed, waiting for her big break. Ethan is an actor that has fallen on hard times. After his divorce, he has basically fallen off the radar. He lost his best friend and he can't seem to shake the sadness and lonliness of not acting with his partner. He has been in a downward sprial ever since.
Grey is younger and had a crush on Ethan when she was first starting out. She remembers him the way he was and hopes he can get back to that place. They are attracted to one another, and when guards go down, they act on it, sending their lives into a bigger spiral. Ethan wants to be better for the girl that he has fallen for, Grey wants to help Ethan be the best he can be and get out of this depression that consumes him.
What I loved about this book was that "the love of a woman" doesn't just automatically fix the hero. It was real, it was raw and it was emotional. They both needed to work on themselves so that they could come back together and be stronger in the end.
Thank you to Random House, Ava Wilder and Netgalley for an early copy.

I think this was my last straw to just know reality tv/ Hollywood celebrity books are just not for me. I don’t know it was hard for me to get into and I just didn’t love most of this one. I think others will probably really enjoy this book but it was a miss for me.

Fake Dating. Celebrity Drama. Hollywood. Romance.
Lights, Camera, Action!

Ethan Atkins and Grey Brooks are two celebrities who agree to fake dating in an attempt to serve both of their careers.

From start to finish, I enjoyed EVERY second of this book. I think it’s a really phenomenal story. This is also the authors debut novel which makes it even more exciting! The plot of this story is extremely unique and creative. The writing is well thought out and so are the characters, each of them having a lot of depth to them.

Personally, I feel as though this story is already written in a way for television. While reading, I instantly began to cast various actors and actresses in their roles. From the pace and the idea that we are following along with people in Hollywood and the side effects of fame, it made me feel as though I could clearly visualize this story as a mini tv series.

I enjoyed the humor in the story and the romantic moments that made me giddy and blush. I think readers may appreciate that this isn’t a story that just simply “closes out” as regular romance novels do. There is drama and there is growth and healing that we get to also see and I really appreciated that!

This book explores really difficult topics like addiction, grief and alcoholism. I did not expect it to be as heavy as it was. I really felt like I was in those moments of anguish with the characters.

If these Hollywood characters were real, I would definitely be keeping up with them online.

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

You may know that <i>Daisy Jones and The Six</i> is my favorite book of all time. Somehow <em>How to Fake It in Hollywood</i> gives me some sort of mixture of <i>Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo</i> and <i>Daisy Jones and The Six</i> by Taylor Jenkins Reid vibes. There are a couple of reasons for this. For one, How to Fake It in Hollywood doesn't really romanticize Hollywood. Ethan and Gray set up their fake dating arrangement in the office of their shared publisher and they hammer out the details of a contract with their attorneys at the same office. Paparazzi are called to let them know when good photo opportunities will exist. It feels grounded in reality in that sense. But it's also the fact that Ethan is dealing with alcoholism. He doesn't see it, really. He rationalizes it a lot to himself. But the facts are the facts. He's grieving, he doesn't know how to be a person without his best friend, and eventually there's a bit of a co-dependency situation. And Gray has her own issues. She seems to have this need to be liked, but also likes to keep her circle small, and has some unresolved issues with her mom.

I think, for me, it's the fact that this book gives me some similar feelings to TJR, but then ultimately doesn't quite manage to make everyone feel like totally real people (although I did love the cast of characters, I never forgot that this was a book and wasn't trying to google these characters or their movies). And then there's the fact that I think I needed a little more time to settle into the HEA before it hit. That said, the way this book actually ended? That epilogue? Brilliant. I wish more pieces like that had been woven throughout the story as I think that would have benefited it tremendously.

Overall, knowing that THIS book is Ava Wilder's debut has me so incredibly excited for whatever comes next from her because this is an amazing first book!

I am OBSESSED with this book. I am trash for a celebrity romance and I cannot say enough good things about this one.

Grey has been a working actress for most of her life, but now that her long running teen TV show has wrapped, she is looking to make a big move. She has dreams of writing and starring in a film with her best friend as director, but in order to get financing for her passion projects, she needs to make a name for herself and land a big role. Ethan was a Hollywood A-lister until the death of his best friend and writing/producing partner sent him into the shadows. He’s been living in a pit of grief and booze ever since, but if he ever wants to make the final movie the two started before his friend’s death, he’ll need to climb out of the hole and repair his reputation. Enter Grey and Ethan’s publicist, who sets the pair up to fake date. Ethan and Grey seem like a mismatched couple from the jump–he’s a surly divorced dad and she’s a rising star more than a decade his junior. But somehow the two click and after a bang it out to get it out of our systems weekend, they start to realize their feelings might be real. But Ethan is battling a serious addiction and needs to get his personal life in order before he can even consider being good in a relationship. Of course, this is a romance, so they manage to work it out and live happily ever after (but oh the angst along the way!).

You all know that I read a lot of books. A lot of really good books. But there’s just something about those books that give you a real physical feeling. Like I get an actual ache in my chest as I watch the characters totally blow up their lives and then piece them back together. This book gave me so many chest aches. I fell head over heels for these characters, they had me completely captivated from page one. There are so many good things to shout about in this book, but the depth of the love story and the realism of their relationship is high on the list. While I love me some celebrity romance, I’m picky about books set in LA because so many just don’t get it right, but this one absolutely nails the unique combo of grit and glamour. I absolutely loved the care with which Ava handles some of the tougher issues in this book. Nothing felt rushed or unrealistic, it was handled perfectly. I knew early on that this was going to be one of my top books of 2022 and I cannot wait to go back and read it again once I have a physical copy in my hands!

4.5 ⭐️

Two celebrities Ethan Atkins and Grey Brooks accept the publicity proposal to fake date to boost (possibly save) each other’s careers. Unfortunately, their chemistry is a bit hard to deny, so banging each other out of their systems might be the best solution. But… could what they have be the start of something new? Something true?

Utterly bingeworthy, this sexy contemporary romance debut was a treat! I loved the writing (though I wished it was in first person versus third), the dual POV, the crazy amount of sexual tension but boy did that tension get cuttttt. There were also heavy topics, like traumatic pasts, addiction, and sobriety, wanting to be better for the person you love type of thing. As far as celebrity romances go, this one is an easy fave!

I’ve never been a celebrity gossip maven, but the plot definitely held my interest. (I mean, I read the book in one day.) The Hollywood antics here, based on what we’ve all seen in gossip rags over the years, ring plausible, so we buy into the contrivances that ultimately build the romance between Grey and Ethan. Both of them are smart and shrewd enough to question where their own heads are at during this publicity stunt, and whether what’s going on between them is true love or just really convincing acting on the other’s part. Despite their 11-year age gap, Grey’s wise enough to know how to call Ethan out on his BS and not cave in to his brighter star power (even if he was her tween crush), which, in a world where he’s orbited by yes-men and yes-women, he finds refreshing.

This book takes a sort of a dark “A Star is Born” turn, however, towards the last quarter of the book, which might already dash some readers’ hopes for the story to pull up out of the depths and return to the simply steamy, glamorous romp the blurb led them to believe. (DON’T WORRY, NOBODY DIES.) So wade in slowly, and at your own risk.

Meet the Characters: Grey Brooks, a former reality TV star who is unemployed and looking for her next job to keep her career afloat. With a potential shot at an upcoming movie, she needs a small shove into the spotlight and a reputation boost.

Enter the older, tall dark and handsome Ethan Atkins, a former movie sensation turned recluse, who in shorter terms needs to clean up his act.

This my friends is where one of our favorite tropes makes an appearance *drum roll please* the fake dating trope. Our two main characters are thrust into a 6 month-NDA contract that will boost their reputations, respectively.

A huge thank you to Ava Wilder, Netgalley, and Random House Publishing Group - Ballatine for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

TWs: addiction, alcoholism, death, grief, revenge porn

This cover photo fooled me. I went into this book thinking I was getting a cute romcom of celebrities fake dating their way through Hollywood, fooling the elite as they tried to make a name for themselves once more. What I wasn't expecting was a powerful punch to the gut about more prominent hardships.

While the first half of this book touched on the romcom side and edging the lines of fake dating into possibly real and undeniable feelings, the second half touched on harder topics: addiction, alcoholism and how it reflects back on those around you, career choices, and trauma. This book was a great representation to remind people that while celebrities are famous and willingly know what they signed up for regarding their personal lives - they are still human beings with emotions, trauma and private lives.

This book will definitely make you laugh with the banter, it'll have you cheesing over the intimate moments, and it will have your heart strings in one hand tugging on it gently. Keep your calendars open because this book is debuting on June 14th.

Read if you like: fake dating trope, age gap romance, Palm Springs, movie premieres, rom-com with a side of harsh reality, second chances, 1 bed trope, celebrity romance.

GR review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4734770636?book_show_action=false

The first thing I want to say before getting into the meat of this review is that this is another case of the illustrated cover not accurately reflecting the contents of the book. I went into How to Fake it in Hollywood thinking that it would be a lighter rom-com featuring two actors having to fake a relationship for the tabloids in order to pump up their careers. What I got was a much, MUCH deeper, angsty romance with some pretty dark themes.

Our two main characters are Grey Brooks and Ethan Atkins. Grey is a B-list actress who is looking for work after her long-running teen soap opera comes to an end. She has several projects she’s set her sights on, she just needs that media bump to get the public’s (and hopefully movie execs) attention. Even if that means fake dating a reclusive A-lister.

Ethan Atkins was once a Hollywood heavy hitter. After having won an Oscar for a film with his best friend and ex-wife he went on to star in several movies. Now he’s just a man who has shut himself off from everyone, drinking to oblivion and still avoiding the pain of losing his best friend. He has one last project from the time when he and Sam were a team and the only way for him to get back out in the public eye and maybe try to get it made is by indulging in his publicist’s dating scheme.

This is 100 % a grief book. Ethan is languishing in his grief and guilt over the death of his best friend. He has never moved on from it, and really has no intentions of doing so. Then he meets Grey and is forced to let someone new into his life. His alcoholism plays a huge part in this book. From the moment he is introduced sitting in a bar, getting blind drunk, you as a reader are aware that he has a major problem. And that point escalates all through the book as he continues to nurse his feelings with beer and bourbon.

Grey is a wonderful FMC. I really loved her. She has been in the business since she was a small child and has struggled to find work since her teen drama ended. She has some bitterness toward her family after basically being the breadwinner until her mother remarried, and as a result, doesn’t have a close relationship with her. But she’s formed her own found family of sorts with her roommate and manager. She’s smart, savvy, and talented. And she does not take Ethan’s shit.

The romance between Grey and Ethan builds slowly from strangers to hesitant acquaintances, to finally lovers who are just looking to get their lust for each other out of their systems. But something happens along the way and they become confidants and start to really care about each other. Their fake dating becomes real. Grey’s been burned pretty badly relationship-wise in the past when her long-time co-star and boyfriend cheated on her, but she can’t help but fall into a relationship with Ethan.

This book is told from both of their POVs, which I appreciated. It’s easy to see why Grey cares for Ethan, he is charming and their chemistry is off the charts. But she starts sensing that something is really wrong with his behavior and alcohol usage. Yet she loves him. Ethan KNOWS he needs to get his shit together (as he calls it) or he is going to lose her, but alcohol is a crutch he’s used for so long he can’t stop himself. When he’s forced to confront Sam’s death and revisit a time when they were together, it all falls apart.

I think this author did a great job of portraying the ins and outs, ups and downs, good and bad of fame in Hollywood. I also think the depictions of struggling with drug and alcohol addiction were well done. There is a HEA, I know romance lovers out there will be relieved to hear. But it comes after Ethan finally checks himself into a 12-step program and starts seeing a therapist. There is a time jump between when it all falls apart and when he and Grey finally see each other again, and while I was at first worried that rehab would be glossed over, it wasn’t. These two sit down and talk it out, and acknowledge that it is something he will continue to struggle with for the rest of his life.

There is another time jump in the epilogue, but it was lovely to see Grey and Ethan in a good place, both professionally and personally.

One other thing I adored and would like to mention, is that Ethan’s ex-wife was well crafted. Nora isn’t just a plot device for the hero to compare to the current love interest. She’s a whole person, who is interesting, and nuanced, and plays a big part in both the lives of the main characters. She and Grey become great friends and business partners. I really loved that.

While this wasn’t quite what I expected, I did really enjoy How to Fake it in Hollywood. At times heartbreaking and sad, there were moments of fun banter and a really lovely HEA at the end.

Content warnings- Alcoholism, off-page death of a friend, off-page child abuse in the past, invasion of privacy

Thank you to Random House/Ballientine and NetGalley for this advanced copy.

How good is this book? This is a late-to-work, up-until-2am, ignore-your-friends-or-family kind of book. I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN. How is this a debut novel? It felt so wonderful and nuanced and thoughtful. I can't wait to read more.

Grey and Ethan are both broken actors in Hollywood, set up in a fake relationship to help Grey get cast in a big film series and help Ethan "come back" to Hollywood after a significant loss and career meltdown. I loved Grey and Ethan. They are so imperfect and rough and yet they are so wonderful together. The way Wilder builds their relationship is such a delight to read. it felt like even as they made some very bad decisions, those decisions made sense for each character and helped shape the story. Every plot twist felt purposeful and I really appreciated the representation with regards to addiction and past abuse. No one is perfect and no one is magically changed through love, but two people find each other and become better people to accept the love that exists for them and it is really great.

I don't want to keep going because I'll get into spoilers but I can't wait to talk about this book with people as they discover it and I'm really looking forward to more from Wilder. 4.5 stars (rounded up)

3.5. I actually did enjoy this a lot, I read it in one sitting. However, this book is not a fluffy romance at all as the cover may lead you to believe. Even the synopsis made me think it would be a cute fake dating book. There is a lot of trauma and other issues discussed in this though. That’s not a problem of course, but I was just looking for something different. Some things that were going on made it harder to see the connection between the characters as well. All in all, I thought the writing was great and I’d definitely read Ava Wilder again, just not my favorite.

This rom-com was hilarious and fun! Great character development and I read it in one sitting, I didn’t want to put it down!

I very much enjoyed this debut from Ava Wilder and expect it to find a wide audience with the adorable cover and blurb that makes you think you’re getting a lighthearted celebrity fake dating romance. To be clear, that’s not what this book is but, like others, it’s what I expected at first blush. What I got was something much deeper and nuanced than that.

Grey Brooks had a good run as the star of a teen soap, but it’s been a while since she’s out herself out there. When her publicist suggests a fake romance publicity stunt with Ethan Atkins, former teen heart throb turned recluse, Grey can’t resist the potential upside for her career.

The first half of this book and they’re fake dating and getting to know each other was swoony and hot. Grey and Ethan had excellent chemistry and I really enjoyed how much we got to see the two of them on page together. The narrative is done in dual POV which really helped us get to know both of the characters and see them falling for each other.

You knew pretty quickly that the book was headed toward a conflict having to do with Ethan’s dark history and present drinking problem. I thought it was executed well overall but would have liked to see a little bit more of how that played out from Ethan’s POV. Overall I very much enjoyed this and look forward to seeing what else Ava Wilder writes.

Content warnings galore including on page drinking and drug use, history of child abuse (off page), and gross invasion of privacy with the fallout entirely on the female character.

Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.