Grey and Ethan and their relationship was just amazing to me. The romance in this book gave me the same feelings that all of Emily Henry's romances give me and I was SO hooked! It is also worth noting that the Palm Springs scene in this is quite possibly my my absolute favorite sex scene of all time! It just had the perfect amount of tension leading up to it and emotion and I JUST LIKED EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS BOOK A WHOLE LOT!
Wouldn't change a thing and was so thrilled that I was given the opportunity to review this book through Net Galley!

Oh how I love a Hollywood romance! This one had a lot of depth and tackled some tough topics but still gave me all the swoony feelings. It didn’t have the humor or banter I usually love to although I enjoyed it wasn’t a top pick for me.

This was such a surprising fun and emotional read. I enjoyed the characters and the trajectory of their relationship. Hollywood was a fun backdrop in the story. Looking forward to more books by Ava Wilder.

This book was everything! the two main characters had so much chemistry and I was rooting for them the whole time.

A fun romance read. I was three quarters into the book when I feared it was going to turn into A Star Is Born rewrite, with Ethan taking his life and leaving Gray to carry on. Happily, it had a happy ending proving once again we can’t fix others. It has to come from within. I like to read about strong women characters and this book didn’t disappoint.

I really wanted to like this book, i mean who doesn't like the fake dating trope ? because well I do I like the whole process f the characters falling in love and the yeaning for holding hands and more. Buuuuuut I was just not able to get into the story, there was a lot of little things that I did not like and the good parts were just not enough for me.

I suppose that I should start with the good things, I liked the fake dating... because of the reasons I mentioned before. I was ok with the age difference but only because she was over 25, I don't think it would have been ok for Grey to be with someone so much older than her if she was younger. Considering the issues that he has even for her someone who is older would have a hard time dealing with, specially if you are just in the beginning stages of a relationship. The writing was good, it was pretty quick and easy to read so everything kind of moved a long. oh and before I forget, the one bed trope was also there sooooo that was a plus for me.

Now for the things that I did not like... I did not like how everything happened quickly with their relationship. Ethan basically ignored her for a while at the beginning and there she was for some odd reason wanting his attention. But it wasn't odd because she already like him and knew about him while he didn't know anything about her prior to them meeting. The thing that bothered me the most is that Ethan was an alcoholic that was allowed to act however he wanted. Sure it fits the whole Hollywood stereotype that top Hollywood actors sometimes go on benders and that people turn to bad habits when horrible things happen to them. But that was not totally what bothered me.. what bothered me was that he had an ex wife who had been there with him through it all and kids. He had a whole family but it was a random girl who be barely knew that caused him to change. Talk about insta love …

Sometimes insta love is great but only if it makes sense.. in this story I was just not able to feel like their relationship was strong enough for him to change the one bad habit that he has for a gf. why didn't he change for his kids? if he was drunk half of the time, why was he allowed to have his kids around him. His ex wife was probably my favorite character, she had the best personality and deserved way better than having to take care of his ex husband.

I think that I would have liked the story more if it had been lighter on the trauma, I was expecting a rom-com.. something light that would be a quick read. And yes it was a quick book to get through but I also think that it tried to be a bit more than it should have been.

This book was literal perfection. I don’t want to spoil it for anyone, just read it!! 10/10 would recommend!! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this wonderful book!!!!

I had a hard time reviewing this one. I enjoyed most of it. The characters were likeable and well developed and they had struggles and things to address, opportunities for growth for sure! I wanted to watch them work through those struggles, see the hard fight to keep things stable. I am not a fan of the time jump.

I really enjoyed this book! I was immediately brought in by the cover and could not wait to read it. I tend to gravitate toward romance generally and love Hollywood style books, such as Daisy jones and the six. I love the realistic aspects and the way sensitive topics were handled with care. I do think the fake dating aspect could have been a little better but over all I’m really happy I read this

TW: alcoholism, grief, and mental illness

How To Fake It In Hollywood uses the fake-dating trope masterfully. This book revolves around Grey, a teen show star looking for the next stage of her career, and Ethan, a A-lister who wants no part of the spotlight anymore. Ethan’s trapped in a grief and alcohol spiral after his best friend’s death. Grey agrees to the fake relationship to land her dream. Their relationship formed due to close proximity, but featured so many genuine romantic gestures.

Oh this was good! Grey and Ethan's fake-to-real Hollywood relationship was full of angst, drama and yet...charm? I ended up really enjoying this book and the way both the characters and their story was written. Definitely would recommend this to others. Thank you Dell Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC.

4/5 stars

This ALMOSTTT got 5 stars, but the ending felt a little rushed. Without giving away too much, I understand the silence and then the lapse of time prior to picking the storyline up again. But it felt like the book ended and then the epilogue was like "oh we have to wrap this up in 5 pages". Otherwise, loved the book. Age-gap, I'm here for it. Male main character was a tad immature, but I feel like that fit with him being in Hollywood.

Would definitely recommend.

This was such a cute contemporary romance! It tells the story of Ethan and Grey, actors in need a career boost, so they and their teams agree to a dating arrangement to get more press for the two of them. This book wastes no time getting to the plot, which I loved.

I’m a sucker for a fake dating trope, so I loved seeing all the antics that come with that. Acting all lovey dovey in public, touching each other, etc. The first 50% or so of this book focusing more on the fake dating portion of this book, while the last 50% or so focusing more on the character’s flaws and their growth. There were several scenes near the end that were very emotional and really got to me. The author handled the subject of past trauma and addiction with such care. I was really pulling for Ethan and sympathizing with them at his worst moments.

My main gripe with this book is it seemed the characters fell in love too fast for it to be believable. Don’t get me wrong, but the end I fully believed they were in love, but the love declaration happened pretty quickly, and it happened after they hadn’t really spent enough time together for me to feel like it was true.

Overall, great book, just wish Ethan and Greys relationship was fleshed out a bit more.

Escrito em terceira pessoa, Ava Wilder traz em seu romance um relacionamento falso entre dois atores que precisam melhorar a sua imagem para conquistar seus objetivos. Enquanto Grey quer um papel depois de um tempo estagnada na indústria, Ethan tem que provar que está estável para que possa ter a guarda compartilhada das filhas.

Presos por um contrato, a química entre eles vai além da atuação. É perceptível desde o início o quanto esses dois se desejam. Porém, por motivos pessoais de ambos, tentam fugir dessa conexão o máximo que podem. Até certo ponto, o livro é bem leve e gostoso de ler. Grey é uma personagem muito fácil de amar. Doce e gentil, mas também afiada quando necessário, ela enfrenta suas batalhas e mantém-se firme diante das circunstâncias da vida. Ethan vem com uma carga mais pesada, lidando com o luto através de reclusão e bebedeira desde que seu amigo Sam morreu.

Ainda que a sombra das problemáticas estivessem ameaçando o casal, é depois da metade que o livro toma um rumo mais denso e pesado. E, apesar de ter amado e torcido pelo Ethan, muitas vezes vi a Grey se doando muito mais do que ele no relacionamento e sofri com as recaídas que ele teve no processo.

Até o final as coisas vão tomando forma e eu gostei muito de algumas abordagens que a autora tomou. Foi uma leitura muito boa, apesar dessa queda de ritmo ter me incomodado um pouco. A capa colorida e o início iludem um pouco, então já leiam sabendo que vão receber mais do que uma leitura fofinha.

Gostei bastante do final, apesar de desejar que fosse mais prolongado, e agora quero conhecer mais lançamentos da autora.

Honestly a fun time with all time witty banter and reflection of self growth that makes for an even better happy ever after. I loved the vulnerability aspects of this romance, and how Ava really drove how brokenness doesn’t necessarily have to be a barrier that isolates us from the kind of love and intimacy from those we need it from most.

I really thought that I would connect with the explorations of struggle and stardom in this romance, but the chemistry between the characters was not there for me, nor was the narrative spark. I struggled to complete it and did not feel engaged with the characters in the way I would like to be. I would explore other works by this author, but this one did not do it for me.

One of my favorite romances of the summer! This book was so well-written, swoony, and angsty. I loved every minute of it.

I was enjoying my read of this novel so much. The characters were well developed and had realistic obstacles in their lives that you want to see them overcome. I was so sure at the 50% mark that I would be giving this 4 stars as I had enjoyed myself so much to that point. Unfortunately this book lost me in the last 20%. I wanted to see these two work through their issues, I wanted to see the work. This went over the work and to the HEA with the time jump, and I was disappointed. I think that the style in the first half was amazing, and I will decently read more from this author in the future.

How to Fake it in Hollywood by Ava Wilder. Pub Date: June 14, 2022. Rating: 3 stars. Set against the backdrop of Hollywood, this story is about two famous people who need a re-vamp in their careers and agree to a PR stunt of fake dating. Faced with personal struggles, it is a rocky start to their relationship but ultimately sparks fly and feelings develop. There is growth, love, resilience and personal acceptance that blossoms into fun story of working through the "fake" for the "real thing." Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review. #howtofakeitinhollywood #netgalley

This book was absolutely magnificent, one of the best books I have read all year! I don't have enough words to say how enthralled I was reading this book! I am all about a good fake dating trope, and this is one of the best I have read! I love all the angsty drama that pushed and pulled me throughout the entirety of the book. I love how the characters pulled my heartstrings and didn't let go! The author wrote so beautifully about love and addiction, and I didn't want this book to end! It was one of my favorite reads of the year!