this book was a trip!! fake-dating in Hollywood while tackling alcohol addiction, grief, misogyny, and the toxic relationship fans can think they have with a celebrity. (please look up all content warnings!)

The romance build-up in this story is done so well, the conflicts they face are relevant, the chemistry is THERE, and the 3rd act conflict is heart-breaking but so so vital for the characters to thrive. I love how our main woman character, Grey, is powerful when it comes to the PR relationship arrangement and that continues when she and Ethan become a real couple. She does not let herself get taken advantage of if she can help it and she holds her ground in the arrangement regardless of Ethan's higher status as an actor and the fact that she idolized him when she was a teen. Both characters are complex and I loved reading about them.

This is a great spicy, character-driven, celebrity romance. Highly recommend!


This ARC was provided by Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I picked up this book and ended up finishing it the same day! The character development and underlying themes prove that this novel is about more than just romance, although the steamy scenes were definitely thrilling.. Grief, addiction, and mental health are highlighted in a realistic way, and you feel for the main characters. I also appreciated the vocabulary used in this novel, there were a lot of great word choices used, proving its mentally stimulating as well as entertaining.

I decided to try this book based on the blurb. Fake relationship of a Hollywood couple? Sign me up! I quickly got sucked into the story ( which I won't describe because there's already a blurb). The characters were fleshed out and the storyline kept me reading. Halfway through, I stopped to see what other books by this author I could read once I was done, only to see this is a debut author! The 'misunderstanding' toward the end of the book I thought was well done, not some trivial thing thrown together just for the sake of the breakup. The only (minor) issue I had with the book was that there were a couple mentions of his friend's funeral, but I never felt like the events were made clear; they left me wondering.. Now that I'm done with this book, I'll know to keep an eye out for this author's future releases.

I tend to have very high hopes for the fake dating, personally it's one of my favorites especially when the "there's only one bed" scenario occurs!

I think I was looking for a light hearted fun read but there were too many dark scenarios and felt a little crushing to me.

I didn't dislike the book but it just wasn't for me

I really enjoyed this book and felt the characters connections. It gave me Ben Affleck vibes. I loved the epilogue and the interview at the end. It was a cute way to end the book. I really enjoyed this and love books about people in Hollywood

PR fake dating between two actors.

Very nearly perfect. Great chemistry, great writing, funny, serious, mature, good pacing. I usually hate alternating POVs with a burning passion but it really worked here.

Heavier than it seems, so if you're looking for a fluffy read maybe save this one. But don't put it off too long, it's too good.

It's hard to believe this is a debut novel. I had to double-check the acknowledgements and Ava Wilder’s Goodreads profile to confirm that this was her debut novel. Even at this place in the publishing journey (ARC), this story feels polished and confident.

As a romance reader, this story checked all of the boxes. There’s the fascinating setting of Hollywood and the discussion of the dark sides of fame. There’s a slow-burn, chemistry-infused romance. And, of course, there are the ever-prevalent fake dating and just one bed tropes that I adore with every fiber of my being.

SUMMARY

Grey Brooks is a 27-year-old actress; she is trying to land her big break but is currently jobless and has become a homebody. Ethan Atkins has been out of the spotlight for five years, after losing his best friend and going through a high-profile divorce. He relies heavily on drinking to get him through his grief over all that he has lost. When a PR stunt brings them together, the two find themselves locked in a fake-dating contract, but things grow quickly out of the scope of that contract.

CHARACTERS

I never doubted that Ava Wilder knew her characters inside and out. From the first page, I had a strong sense of Grey—and later, Ethan’s—characterization, past, and misbeliefs. These characters popped off the page and into my head, and a large part of that was due to their voices. There was never a question of who’s perspective we were in at a time, as Grey and Ethan had distinct voices and thinking patterns. Their personalities shone in every scene, whether they were together or with other side characters. Honestly, they felt more than just characters on a page; they felt like people, and I was simply lucky enough to be along on the ride.

However, I would have loved to see more of Sam and Ethan’s relationship and the nuances of their own friendship. Yes, there is only so much space on a page or in a book. But, due to Ethan’s grief and repression, the reader doesn’t get to experience the full emotional ramifications of Ethan and Sam’s friendship. Ethan has sealed those memories away, and I wanted those relationship details to help make further sense of Ethan’s grief and alcoholism. Outside of that, the story does an amazing job of exploring the impact alcoholism has on various character’s lives and their relationships. In this case, it had a strong impact on Ethan, his family, and his relationship with Grey.

There was an important lesson to take from this novel: the reminder that it’s not your job to fix your partner’s problems. You can support them through it, yes, but it’s not your responsibility to fix everything wrong in their life. And that was a refreshing angle to see in a contemporary romance novel. All too often we see books where characters are fully changed or absolved from the sins of their past While that is a part of a characters’ journey, I found it more realistic to see the highs and lows Grey and Ethan’s relationship took throughout the story. It was truly a breath of fresh air to see that lesson/theme in this novel.

WRITING STYLE/DESCRIPTIONS

While I can’t share my Kindle notes and highlights for this arc, I can tell you that I easily have 100 marked. Most of those notes are calling out the writing style and beautiful descriptions this novel has. I never had to question the atmosphere, tone, or imagery of the novel due to these descriptions. I can't wait until I can grab a final copy of this novel to share some of those quotes here.

FINAL ACT

The only place where the book started to falter, for me, was within the last act. There were two moments of considerable time jumps (16 months, three years), and the character’s felt too different from what they had been established to be. I do think a part of that was due to the time jump. Off-page, Grey and Ethan underwent considerable development on their own. While that was right for the plot and their relationship, there were moments where their voices and inner thoughts didn’t feel the same as they had a chapter or two prior to that time jump. However, there were a few moments where the description and writing style felt a little inconsistent (especially the end of chapter 32).

CONCLUSION

While I wouldn’t label this novel as a rom-com, I would call this a contemporary romance novel with more depth than I anticipated. It’s full of dry humor, personal and inter-relational struggles, and heart. It probably goes without saying that I am already recommending this book to everyone I know. This book releases on June 14th, 2022, and I am already counting down the days to when I get can get my hands on a finished copy.

TW: Addiction (alcohol, drugs), depression, harassment, tragic death of a loved one (off-page), grief

Thank you to Penguin Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Books and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this book.

I LOVE a fake-dating trope and this was no exception. If you’re looking for a purely lighthearted romance this is not it, but I enjoy the grittiness and how fleshed out the characters were. I love reading for escapism as much as the next girl but romances are always more compelling and real to me when the characters have an interesting backstory and these characters do. An exciting debut!!

3.5

This book was really delightful! Or well, mostly - a lot of the topics in the book were a lot sadder than I was expecting in a romance! But I think it handled all the situations well. The characters were really nicely well rounded and I loved how people felt overall.

However, there was a weird... wall? I felt like something was missing for me in fully connecting with the characters, which was so weird as I really enjoyed them. I liked the fake dating set up, I liked the having to deal with being famous issue and the shittiness that sometimes being famous brings. But something felt off.

Also the pacing was... something. Wow this book sped along at lightning speed in terms of timeline. I'm sure it won't bother everyone but it felt a little weird to me!

But overall a delightful book that I would totally share with my friends.

Thank you Ballentine and NetGalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review!

This was a new author to me, and I selected this title from the synopsis alone. It sounded cute.

It was cute, but that's where it ended for me. I'm not sure exactly what was missing for me. I just wanted more. More connection, more sizzle, I don't know.
(Maybe it's just me.)
The whole fake relationship thing is fine, but I felt the characters were less than adult about things. I found them a little annoying, rather than relatable. There were ups and downs in their relationship, but I was expecting that. So no surprises.

It was easy to read, and I do recommend the read. I just wish I liked it more. This is a 3 1/2 star review that I rounded up. My free ARC of this book was provided by Netgalley, and I am voluntarily leaving my honest review.

How to Fake It in Hollywood is sexy, addicting and surprisingly deep. I loved it! Ethan is former Hollywood it boy, but after a few rough years he's ready to let it all go. He lost his best friend, got divorced and is now struggling with drinking. He doesn't see any need to go back into the spotlight except to finish his project that he was working on with his best friend. His agent suggests a fake relationship with a young up and coming actress, Grey. Grey is just coming off the ending of her successful teen drama but having issues landing a new job. So they both agree to date for the publicity. The only problem is their chemistry is fire! I was pleasantly surprised by how deep this romance got it. The story went below the romance to deal with lots of tough issues. I absolutely adored this story!!!

Grey is an actor who needs a career boost and her publicist suggests faking a relationship with a reclusive a-lister who would like to make a comeback, Ethan. Grey and Ethan are both reluctant to fake too much, but end up striking a frenemy balance where they barely speak. Over time Grey discovers why Ethan is reclusive and why he’s not interested in being her friend.

This book was slightly darker than the blurb and the cover described, with Ethan dealing with some demons from his past and present. TW: alcoholism and death of a close friend (death is in the past and not played out on page, but described.)

I liked the depth of the characters and their relationship, as well as the secondary characters who were all also flawed. I liked that Ethan’s ex wife was portrayed as caring and I loved how she was written in to the book. I also liked that though the ending was a HEA, it wasn’t perfect, with everything fixed.

I enjoyed this book but I just felt as though something was missing. The beginning was done well but by about the halfway point it lost me a little bit. I think that the love confession should have come right at the end before they break up, it would have meant more and made more sense. Besides the premature love confession(in my opinion), I really liked the book.

I received an arc through netgalley.

Grey Brooks is a young starlet who good use a boost after a her long running tv show has ended with not much to show for itself after, and Ethan Atkins is Hollywood royalty who ,despite a long term absence due to grief and a few nasty habits, is ready to get back to the limelight, so let the faking dating begin!

I really enjoyed this read! (but beware of TWs!)

It started out as a fun fake dating rom com and ended into a real world drama of grief and addiction. I didn't expect the heavy subject matter due to the light hearted cover and blurb, but enjoyed the grittiness of it.
I never expected any of the twists which absolutely kept me turning the page and stay up until 1AM to finish this one!

I found Grey and Ethan to be meaningful characters with layers. I rooted for them and felt like I knew them by the end of it, and still loved them despite their flaws. They gave a lot of fun sexual tension and some great spice!

There were a few things holding me back from making this a 5 star rating.
I didn't love how young Grey was. She was in her late 20s compared to Ethan's early 40s when she easily could've been in her 30s with the backstory she was given. Something about it felt extra predatory.
I also felt this could have been shorter. The middle felt a bit too descriptive at times and the end kind of dragged to the evitable.

Overall a good read and amazing debut with a fun premise!

This was a much sadder book than I was expecting. Content warning for alcoholism. BUT I thoroughly enjoyed it. Former CW show star Grey (ok so they don’t specifically say it’s a CW show but it screams One Tree Hill/Vampire Diary vibes) is struggling to book anything new and up for a potential huge franchise part. So her publicist thinks it would be great for her and another client, former Ben Affleck/Matt Damon level a lister turned alcoholic recluse, should fake date to get them both some good press. It starts off like most fun lighthearted fake dating trope stories but quickly becomes a much deeper story about grief, love, and addiction. I wasn’t expecting it to get so deep given the synopsis and cover so I was a little thrown at first but they’re such lovable characters you want to stick with them and see whether they come out on top.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc.
I really enjoyed this book. Grey and Ethan portray fake dating really well here. I thoroughly enjoyed the writing style!
5 stars

(4.5) Thank you to Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine and NetGalley for sending me an eARC of this book! I can't say much more than I adored this book. The characters were amazing, and it was easy to fall in love with both Grey and Ethan. What I liked most about this book was that beneath the heart-warming romance was a masterclass in dealing with the tough stuff. Wilder tackled addiction and the true meaning of healthy relationships with grace. The problems that the characters dealt with were believable and understandable, and despite the fact that this is a book about two celebrities, somehow relatable. Definitely will be purchasing this when it's published.

I had heard this book dealt with some heavy topics and I'm really glad I knew that going in. Otherwise, based on the blurb and cover I might have expected a lighter fake-dating romcom. But, Wilder is a very talented writer and I enjoyed following Grey and Ethan's story. The Hollywood setting felt real and the stakes stayed high the whole way through. I did have some frustrations with pacing and felt like a lot of the emotional connection between the characters happened off-page. I saw plenty of their physical connection, but not a lot of why they developed feelings for each other. That said, I really enjoyed this story and think the character work done in this book was extraordinary! Will definitely read whatever Wilder writes next!

I read few straight romances but this one really got me with its fame/celebrity set up and its characterization. Loved the alcooholic rep and the emphasis on self-healing instead of the usual "love can cure" bs.

How to Fake it in Hollywood is a enemies to lovers trope with an an age gap.
Grey and Ethan are brought together to help each others career. To increase her star power and bring him back to super stardom once again. Once Grey and Ethan become friends the outside world steps in and makes a mess of everything they have built. The characters are well thought out and likable. The plot is just a bit predictable but still enjoyable.
It’s worth reading