I was really surprised by this book. It's got all the tells of being a traditional romcom, but it was so much more than that. I absolutely adored Grey, and then pair her with tourterd grumpy Ethan, they were explosive! I loved how many topics this touched on (alcoholism, divorce, death of a friend) without it feeling like the author was trying to pile too much into the book. Everything flowed pretty well.

Thank you @netgalley for this ARC. #howtofakeitinhollywood By @avawilderwrites is a well executed fake dating story. The sexual tension between Grey and Ethan is 🔥. I could not put this book down. A talented Hollywood star, Grey, and a reclusive A-lister, Ethan get into a fake relationship, but quickly find out that their feelings are more than just a PR stunt. The highs and lows had me completely invested in their story.
I love the fake dating trope so this was a very easy and fast reading for me.

Review: 5/5

The fake dating to lovers trope is one that is always popular and a well known favorite. While the characters of How to Fake It in Hollywood, Grey and Ethan, were interesting I had a hard time believing in the. The dynamic between the two of felt flat to me. This doesn't there weren't entertaining aspects to this story. The hotel scenes were some of my favorite of the book even if I believe the chemistry was lacking. The writing was good and I would read something from Wilder in the future.

Grey and Ethan are two actors who end up fake dating for a PR stunt. The cover makes it seem like it should be a light easy breezy read about fake dating, but it's really more of a story containing angst and lots of self growth. I enjoy this trope and the story and the characters were engaging.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in return for my honest review.

Ohhhh what a fun book! Absolutely LOVED it and all the references to DeuxMoi's celeb secrets (@headphones). This was such a fun world to live in for a few hours, since it was such a quick and easy read. I would recommend this book over and over again to all my friends who are as invested in PR relationships as I am :) GREAT book!

This book was everything except what I expected, and that’s not a bad thing. I went into this expecting a rom-com based off the cover and blurb, but that’s not what I got. I do feel the cover does the seriousness of this book a bit of a disservice. I was expecting something light-hearted, but this one was heavy (which I did not hate).

The characters in this story, Grey and Ethan, were written in a very well-thought-out, complex manner. Ethan faces many struggles after the death of his best friend that make it difficult for him to move forward. Grey was a well-written female MC that knew how to be supportive while also having firm boundaries. Their relationship, which starts out as a fake-dating scenario to boost their careers, turns into something so much deeper and meaningful. It pulled on my heart strings, and I found myself rooting for them both as individuals and as a couple.

I liked the “mix-up” in this book that goes against the traditional story arc in a book. In a typical love story, there’s one “setback,” if you will, once the male and female MCs get together. I appreciated that this story deviates from the norm and had two. I read about this in another review & I was wary that it would be too much, but it really wasn’t. Both setbacks were well-written and not overdone. The second, especially, was authentically real and heartbreaking. Wilder did a fantastic job with that.

I also loved Nora’s character—Ethan’s ex-wife. She wins best supporting character.

I had to take off half a star in my rating for two reasons…
-The use of the f-word was excessive.
-Andromeda’s character…not needed because I didn’t feel like the character added anything to the story line except pushing a political agenda. I respect that we all have personal opinions and feelings on certain subject matters, but I don’t enjoy reading about those in fiction (either liberally or conservatively). Just my personal feelings.

This one ended up being darker than I expected from the description. Depression, alcoholism, grief, co-dependency. It was not the lighthearted, fake-to-real romance I thought I was reading.

My overwhelming feeling from the start was "these people do not belong together," and I'm afraid that feeling didn't change until the epilogue. Grey is a young actress who as a tween had had Ethan's TeenBeat poster pinned up next to her bed. Ethan is an A-list leading man who--having lost his best friend and acting partner to an accident, then his wife and family in a bitter divorce--has fallen into a bottle. Their mutual publicist decides a fake romance will help both their careers, and poof, a romance novel plot is born.

Until the very end, it never felt like a partnership of equals. Whether it was Grey trying to force Ethan to act on their mutual attraction despite his clear reluctance to do so, or Ethan becoming overly attached as he clung to her to keep afloat in a sea of bourbon, there were too many times where I was hearing alarms going off. Every once in a while, they would have a genuine moment of closeness and it would almost seem like something healthy could grow from that, and then either fame or alcoholism would throw up a barrier.

Yet for all the reasons they should not be together, each of them had their moments, together and apart. I wanted them to thrive--just not together, because it didn't seem like they made each other better people. And that's true for the first 95% of the book. While the end did bring them together in a satisfactory way, I wish that we could have seem more of them as a functional couple after the early angst.

This book delivered way more than I expected...in a wonderful way. Instead of the light hearted chick-lit, romance that I expected, I was submerged in what felt like a real relationship. The ups, the downs, the good, bad and ugly shown through the eyes of incredibly real people with flaws (substance abuse issues, career lows, difficult relationships with their parents). I felt like I was Grey's best friend. The characters were so well thought out and so well written. Thanks so much for the ARC. This is one of my favorites of 2022!

With the very cute and carefree cover, I expected a light hearted fake to real romance. This book did not disappoint, but did get heavier in tone than I expected. I did think that the book could have been a little shorter with the same details/ending. I would recommend this book but would add trigger warnings of addiction. Thanks to NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! I wasn’t expecting this at all, the blurb made me believe this book was going to be light, funny, full of drama, and gossip, rom-com style.

This was full of angst and IMO no so much chemistry between Grey & Ethan, I think that it was more a journey for self-growth rather than romance, also I liked the way the touchy/hard subject were approached. This book was really realistic in how Hollywood is not so glamorous as they make us believe, we see the behind-the-scenes and is totally the opposite and like I said, real and I loved that.

I liked this book, it took me by surprise because it was some I absolutely didn’t expect.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group / Ballantine for providing me an ARC in exchange of my honest opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley for this arc!

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Wow, this book was not at all what I expected (in a good way). I expected a light and fluffy romcom. What I received instead was my heart ripped out of my chest, stomped on a few times, thrown in a blender, then stitched back together again, beautifully. I don’t know what Ava put in this book, but I greedily soaked it all up as if I couldn’t get enough. Ethan, my Ethan. He was such a complex character and my heart broke for him and Grey throughout the novel. I found myself feeling connected to Grey; I feel like she got me. Some of the things she said when she was trying to reconcile her feelings and reactions towards Ethan really hit home with me. But listen, this isn’t about me. This is about a beautiful story of love, addiction, alcoholism, loss, and recovery (TWs for these). Knowing yourself, knowing your worth, accepting who you are and accepting your shitty behaviors and working on them. Overall I really enjoyed this and I will absolutely be reading it again. You made me cry with WORDS on pages. I can’t wait for your next one, Ava. ❤️

Objectively, it’s a good book.

It’s just not the book I thought I was going to get.

Before I started reading this, I had read some reviews that complained about the lack of chemistry between Grey and Ethan. Honestly, for the first half of the book, I didn’t get that at all. I was really into it. I loved Grey’s feisty spirit and sharp, quick-witted tongue. I loved how Ethan seemed to be coming out of his shell and falling for her against his own will. Man, but I love a grumpy hero who falls for his sunshine girl against his own will.

But then – it seemed to sort of stop. The chemistry wasn’t cultivated. The second half of the book didn’t have the same feel or flavor as the first half of the book. The romance was abandoned for more of a Women’s Fiction vibe as Grey and Ethan hit troubled waters. I get that this was probably a pretty authentic take on the relationship dynamic with a partner who struggles with substance abuse. I get that it was real, and gritty. But my heart was set on a feel-good romance and I felt like the romance fell short.

As a reader looking for escape from a world that feels a little too heavy most of the time, I didn’t really get what I was looking for from this story. As a reader who recognizes smart, engaging writing, and multi-dimensional characters – I can appreciate that this book is going to be a perfect fit for a lot of readers.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for giving me a chance to read this before the release date.
If I could give this more stars I would I read this in one day so that should say more than enough.
I have been reading so many rom-com books about fake dating but this one is so different on that It touches on some dark subjects and makes the characters have real flaws. Flaws and issues that we deal with. I loved how the book just flowed I stayed up till like 2 am reading and I had to wake up to work at 7 am but it was worth it.

Grey is an actor struggling to find work after her teen-hit series ended. She really wants to be taken seriously and find a breakthrough role. Ethan has spent some time out of the spotlight after a divorce and the loss of his closest friend. He has a lot of things to work through and vices to overcome. As a PR stunt, these two get wrangled into a relationship of convenience to further their careers. What starts as a sham quickly turns into an attraction that can't be ignored.

I loved this book so much! I just couldn't put it down. It has rom-com vibes, a bit of a slow burn, and the perfect amount of spice, but it was also so much more than a love story. There is conflict, resistance, and a lot of personal growth in both main characters. This would be a perfect beach read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC.

Let me start by saying that my 3 point rating does not equal bad. It was a good story with a lot of drama but I think I was looking for something a bit lighter and from the blurb I thought that is what I would get. This is a fake dating story with actors in Hollywood. I just felt that I had read this story before, I was just ok with the story. For me I struggled the most with connection to the characters. I need to feel connected to really be blown away and these two didn't connect with me.

I received this ARC innexchange for my honest review.

This book was a slow start for me. Grey seemed nice and steady but wasn't loveable to me and of course Ethan had his slew of issues. I just felt a disconnect I couldn't shake, even as Grey helped Ethan overcome the many challenges brought on by his past. It was interesting to read about the celebrity side of things, how telhey got to enjoy the villa in Palm Springs, the ramifications of Grey losing her casting in her dream movie. In the end, it was nice to see her pursuing her passion with Kamilah and to see Ethan becoming a happier and healthier person

I have mixed feelings about this book. The book definitely had all the elements I love in a romance novel and it sucked me right in mainly because I love a good fake dating trope mixed with a bit of angst. However, I felt like there was a lot going on with the plot, almost too much, to the point where it felt like things moved too fast and were glossed over. There were good statements being made within the book and important topics being discussed, but only at what I felt was a surface level. That being said, I really enjoyed the book and didn’t want to put it down the whole time I was reading it! Thank you so much to Netgalley and Random House Publishing for my ARC!

Two actors, a PR company, Los Angeles, New York and Palm Springs setting. Recipe for a fun read? I think so! This was quick and painless with a sprinkle of spice 🌶. Overall a fun romcom, but if it wasn’t for the free e-galley, I’m not sure if I would have read it.

I received a ARC copy of How to Fake It in Hollywood from Random House Publishing and I absolutely loved it. Ethan and Grey relationship was just for PR at first and to help with their careers. And they both have their issues to lives to get through. Ethan more than Grey. I loved reading every moment of their blooming relationship. Then Ethan’s problem happens to them. I loved the ending was a magazine interview.

How to Fake it in Hollywood by @avawilderwrites ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

For fans of a “fake dating” trope + so much more, put this on your radar with a 6/14/22 pub date.

Grey and Ethan are two Hollywood actors that have been set up by their individual PR teams to both mutually benefit from a “dating” stint in order to improve each of their outward brands. Grey is the girl next door type who could benefit from positive PR in order to help secure her next big role, and Ethan, a mega movie star, is looking to increase the optics about his private life after he’s pulled back from being in the limelight over the last few years. After they sign their NDAs and contracts to appear to be dating to the public and to the paparazzi, they both have so much to gain… and so much to lose. This book entwines a modern day romance with some heavier topics. I enjoyed reading it a lot and think it took make a great summer read.

Thanks @netgalley for the arc!

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