hank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a copy with this book.

Okay, imagine this, you're struggling to climb the Hollywood ladder so you're asked to fake date your preteen crush. That's exactly what happens to Grey In How to Fake it in Hollywood as she is asked to date former Hollywood heartthrob Ethan Atkins, now known recluse who is suffering from (trigger warning) substance abuse issues.

Grey is absolutely living my dream, like what I would give to even be in the same room as my celebrity crushes, but alas I can only live vicariously through her which was easy when I fell in love with her on page 1. The characters in this book are so raw and relatable. I was able to relate to their struggles and pain and it helped to remind me that while we see celebrities as these unattainable figures they're as human as the rest of us (well maybe not the Kardashians haha). I will say I was not expecting this book to delve so heavily on substance abuse issues and the impact of grief, but I think it really benefited from it rather than being bogged down like it can do to some books. So, if you are looking for a light, fluffy read this is not the one for you. That being said, I absolutely loved this book and cannot wait to see more from Ava Wilder in the future and I really hope that it involves Kamilah and Andromeda (iykyk).

Wow.. this book touches so many different bases in such an eye opening way. The quote above perfectly describes how Grey and Ethan start off their rocky relationship with each other. Wilder does such an amazing job at putting you right in the middle of their powerful and, at times, ugly relationship. The struggles that they are both facing a real life struggles that people can relate to. Loss, heartbreak, feeling lost in life, and navigating grief and confusion. I was lucky enough to get my hands on this book early, but it comes out in June of 2022. I highly recommend to anyone and everyone, especially if you are looking to get sucked into an emotional story!!

My review will be posted on my bookstagram @libraryofhallie and on my Goodreads!

This was… incredible. I’ll read anything with a fake dating trope, because it gets me every time. So I jumped right into this ARC from NetGalley. I expected just another romcom. I did NOT expect how DEEP this book would get. The characters were so complex, and the storyline was fantastic. Ethan and Grey’s relationship was written really well, especially with the heavy topics of substance abuse and grief. The characters’ experiences are not cheap or romanticized - they are real and raw. We love a good self growth journey. Highly recommend everyone read this when it comes out. For a story that revolves around Hollywood actors it felt so relatable (especially Grey, for me personally).

The synopsis for this was SO GOOD, but the book itself was just meh. Which made me very sad!!! The middle section was slow which really made it hard to finish. The male lead was not my favorite. This may work for others, but it wasn't for me.

Going into this book I was expecting a light, breezy romcom and while this wasn’t exactly what I was expecting, it was still an enjoyable read. The author did a great job of touching on some more serious topics (alcoholism, loss of a loved one) while also keeping enough humor to give you the best of both worlds. I liked Grey and Ethan together but especially loved their individual character developments over the course of this novel. Thank you Random House Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this e-arc! I will be recommending this book to my fellow romance lovers.

Hello my lovies. What to say about this book? I loved it. It was sweet, not a run of the mill story YET a typical romance. I also am a sucker for Hollywood books because there's a secret part of me that's wonders if the author KNOWS. Especially when the whole story takes place in Hollywood.

Grey, our leading lady, defined as old in Hollywood terms, is a 27 year old stunted actress. Old? I am 30 so my husband better be buying my burial site now since I'm already halfway in the grave- according to Hollywood.

Ethan, our leading fella, is a 42 (I can't remember EXACTLY how old but there is a significant age gap) A list recluse after some traumatic things happened in his life 5 years ago.

They share a publicist who concocts an idea of a fake relationship which should be mutual beneficial for both of them. And we all know it's gonna implode because fake dating ALWAYS implodes. Except this implodes WAY quicker than I was expecting in the book. Which leads me to believe IS THERE ANOTHER THING THATS GONNA HAPPEN? Is there more than one climax? Yes there is.

This book is a 4 star for me. Some things I just didn't get on board with. Some I truly truly did. There was one point, where Ethan gave something to Grey and I sobbed. And I had to be quiet about it too because it was 2am and my husband was sleeping.

Things I loved:
- badass female lead
- single dad trope
- fake dating trope
- the chemistry between the two characters
- the TENSION MY GOD
- grey getting to fake date her childhood celebrity crush - it reminded me of the time I was working as an extra for a tv show and I met Corbin bleu and i about lost my mind because 14 year old Vivian was in love with him


Things I didn't love:
- I always get pissy about women having to work harder than men for the same thing. It's not a bad thing this book touches on it pretty heavily. It just pisses me off that that is the way society is. Grey talks about how she's old at 27, yet here is this guy who is still an A lister, makes millions, has the whole world handed to him, etc and he's a dude. Yeah it just makes me mad (again not the books fault, its society)
- the amount of drinking in this book.
- Ethan's characterization. I love a good single dad trope, just hate it when he's a shitty dad. Plus so much more on just being a crummy human. (But caveat- wilder did a magnificent job making these characters well rounded. His good just didn't outweigh the bad in my opinion)

Ava was magnificent.

I'm incredibly grateful for the opportunity from NetGalley and Random House Publishing - Ballentine group to have an advanced copy for my honest review. Well done, all involved

What a shining debut! It left me longing for TMZ! I couldn’t put it down but also didn’t want it to end.

I was thinking this would be a light read since it focuses on two celebrities dating for optics, but it surprised me with some serious subject matter sprinkled through: namely drug and alcohol addiction. I thought the book was well written and the deeper subjects were handled well. The spicy scenes were good without being raunchy too which is a huge plus for a book, and I appreciated the moderate pace rather than a slow burn.

There were some great characters in this one too! I absolutely LOVED both Ethan and Grey's support systems and the healthy relationships in their personal lives. The growth you get to see from the characters really rounds out this novel and just further made it a solid book for me. I would recommend How to Fake it in Hollywood to people who liked Beach Read or even The Unhoneymooners.

Thank you Random House Publishing Group and Netgalley for the ARC! I so enjoyed it.
*This review along with a photo will be published to Instagram closer to publication under the handle @literary.erica. It has already been published to Goodreads.

Loved this book! An a-list actor and a c-list soap star pair up to fake a romance to try to propel their careers. After their first meeting, they instantly connect and of course their fake relationship turns real very quickly. This was a super cute easy read, and both characters were very likable.

• REVIEW •

How to Fake it In Hollywood
Ava Wilder
Romance
384 pages

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to @netgalley and @randomhouse for the eARC in exchange for my honest review! 💛

First of all, I’d be remiss if I didn’t touch on how absolutely stunning this cover is. I totally judge books by their cover (🤷‍♀️) and this is one of the best romance covers I’ve ever seen. Now onto the story- I loved getting to know Ethan and Grey together as a couple, and as individuals thanks to the dual POVs. Their love story is not perfect by any means, which made it all the more real imo. Ethan is dealing with some pretty heavy stuff, and I thought Ava Wilder did a really nice job handling the more serious themes of the novel. I also enjoyed the behind-the-scenes peak into the sometimes glamorous, often not lifestyle of the rich and famous. This one is out in June, so definitely add it to your TBR! Plus, as a bonus, it’ll look amazing on your shelf- win/win 😍

🎞 Dual POV
🎞 Open door romance
🎞 Fake dating (!)
🎞 Age gap
🎞 One bed
🎞 Actor MCs
🎞 Grumpy/sunshine (sort of?)
🎞 Hollywood setting with celebrity characters
🎞 Explores grief and substance abuse (in a deeper way than I was expecting)
🎞 TW: substance abuse, loss of a loved one (prior to book events)

#caitsquietplace #caitsquietplacereviews #cqpromances #howtofakeitinhollywood #avawilder

While this novel is too mature for my students, I thoroughly enjoyed it! Fake dating is my favorite trope. I will definitely be recommending How to Fake It in Hollywood to my friends!

Fine, but the middle was pretty saggy and the male lead was kinda...he didn't have alot going for him.

Oh my gosh. This is Ms. Wilder’s first published book! I am in disbelief. I fell in love instantly with the characters, the storyline and the Hollywood theme.

Grey Brooks is a “teeny bopper” actress (think “Twilight” stars) who is having a hard time getting new gigs after a series she starred in for several years has ended. Her “team” of experts decided to hook her up with a mutual client, who happens to be a 90s heartthrob A-list actor, Ethan, who is also struggling to get work after a traumatic event. The “hookup” is to fake a romance to be spotted together by paparazzi and cause a media frenzy, because any publicity is good publicity.
Obviously, the two fall in love and things start to get out of control.

I loved the Hollywood scenes. The inside look into what’s real and what’s not in celebrities lives. But most of all, I LOVED Grey & Ethan. The characters were beautifully created and you fall in love with every single one. I couldn’t say anything bad about this book if I wanted to. I simply devoured it.

Ava Wilder, please continue writing. This was an amazing read.

Thank you to Random House Publishing, Ava Wilder and NetGalley for the E-Arc of How to Fake it in Hollywood. Be looking for this one on June 14th!!

How to Fake it in Hollywood was a really fun fake dating romance set between two actors in Hollywood. Grey Brooks is looking for her big break after her hit show has ended while Ethan Adkins is hiding away in his home but needing help to clean up his act. Grey and Ethan enter into a relationship to help their images.

Ava Wilder has created some really great characters for How to Fake it in Hollywood, I really loved the relationship that Grey and Ethan form along with their banter. Would recommend for anyone wanting a good romance with some real life dynamics.

CW: anxiety, substance use, addiction

The fake dating trope is one of my favorites and was glad to get a copy of this. After a slow start I really got into the book after the 30% mark. Grey and Ethan are two struggling actors who are ask to enter a fake dating relationship to boast both of their carries. What happens though are two people not only trying to navigate the demands of Hollywood but the demons inside of that they been avoiding. The things I loved about the book where the emotional scenes where both main characters had to deal through out the book. I felt when the hit rock bottom or when they couldn’t deal with it all. But also loved when something would bring the, back. Love the main heroine Grey, although at times Ethan lost me but did liked him overall. I do wish for a little bit more romance in this. Just for my taste. Also again just for my taste, Ethan was a father of two in these books and they are important to him but they seemed like after thoughts in this. I love kids in romances so that’s probably where I am coming from. I just need one scene of the kids bonding or getting to know Grey. But that’s just me. One last thing loved the side characters that where the support system for the main characters. I thought they add great things to the book.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and am giving it four stars. Thatnks net galley for the arc and will gladly read more Ava Wilder after this.

While the book maybe a fictional Hollywood romance, I found it to be one of the most realistic portrayals of relationships out there. The author describes real issues and real struggles that couples must face when the romance wears off and the real world intervenes. It was a beautiful story that I couldn't put down and stayed up way to late waiting to see how it ended. A fantasy at first turned into a beautiful story of the complexities of real like romances.

I love a good fake dating plot. Add in two hollywood actors and that stunning book cover and I was sold! I thought I would be getting a lighthearted, sweet rom com and, instead, got an emotional, deep story about love, relationships, addiction and fame.

Grey is a former teen soap star whose career is not taking off the way she hoped. Ethan, a reclusive disgraced Hollywood star has been struggling with personal demons for years. When their teams decide that pairing them up for a publicity stunt could help their career goals, they begrudgingly go along with it.

This has a lot of witty banter, chemistry and steamy love scenes while also portraying a character dealing with grief, guilt, alcoholism, addiction and destructive behavior and doing so in the public eye and also in a new relationship. Both characters have to find themselves and work on themselves and I found that to be so important and something that wasn’t just magically fixed once they were in love. It was messy and gritty at times which made it seem so realistic.

This was more than a fake to real love story and, while unexpected, it sucked me in and made me root for Grey, Ethan and their loved ones.

Easily ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars

It’s been a minute since I’ve read a romcom that truly sucked me in and made me fall in love with the characters. Not to mention Palm Springs as the setting!?! Literally one of my favorite places on earth.

If you know me at all, then you know that there is nothing that I love more than an age gap romance and this book does it so right 😍 This book is everything from grumpy/sunshine to fake dating to one bed to forced proximity to dual POVs. This book is not only so much fun banter but also follows along as the characters grow and face the dark side of Hollywood together. This story was much more heartfelt than I was imagining and it was a refreshing take on a fun summer romance novel.

If you were a fan of The Unhoneymooners or People We Meet On Vacation, I highly recommend adding this one to your list. ✨

How to Fake it in Hollywood started as a fun, carefree romance with a health dose of fake dating - which is exactly what I expected based on the cover. Gray & Ethan had great chemistry and banter - once they finally started to open up - and I really enjoyed watching their relationship develop.

However, we took a very sharp left turn at some point and this story ended up being much more serious than I anticipated. Touching on alcoholism, grief, depression, a fear of abandonment and more - this novel did not shy away from addressing some tough topics. While I appreciated these conversations, I will say that I was not emotionally prepared for them at the time I read this book. I specifically picked this up because it looked like it would be fun & carefree, and it was compared to Beach Read & The Unhoneymooners - both books I enjoyed very much. The cover is fun, flirty & marketable - but it did not feel like an accurate representation of the content.

All that aside, I did really like the story. It was easy to ready, engaging and did an excellent job showcasing the way that codependency can be detrimental to a relationship, as well as the fact that in order to accept help, someone needs to truly want it.

I also loved both Ethan & Gray's relationships with Nora. I thought they had a great coparenting set up, and I really appreciated how supportive Nora was of Gray when she needed someone to talk to.

Overall, I would absolutely recommend this to a friend, as long as they know what they were getting into.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this story in exchange for an honest review.

This book is not your typical romance novel. It honestly and delicately delves into very heavy issues. Grey and Ethan are both at all-time lows in their acting careers. To get their lives back on track and into the spotlight, they agree to a six-month fake dating arrangement set up by their mutual publicist. The two severely flawed characters are dealing with emotional traumas. The story touches upon alcoholism, drug abuse, child abuse, death, guilt, unresolved grief, family estrangement, and divorce. They start the arrangement as strangers, but their mutual desire is almost instantaneous. The sexual tension between them is intense. As their relationship blossoms, their heated banter almost ignites the pages. When they finally give in to their desires, it is all caught on film by intrusive paparazzi. The sexually explicit and pornographic photos, especially of Grey, released by the press, circulate around the world without their consent. These photos cause Grey to lose the movie deal she had just accepted. She calls an end to their relationship contract to salvage her career. Ethan spirals out of control and falls back into his old unhealthy habits. If they find their way back to each other, can they overcome all their emotional issues and make their relationship last?

I loved how everything evolved in this story. Their relationship was not always healthy, but it was honest and real. Hitting rock bottom allowed for Grey and Ethan to eventually, with the help of therapy and time, find their way to a better life. I loved the openness and vulnerability of the characters. Their pain was raw and unfiltered. The perfectly written ending satisfyingly completed the story. This is not a fluffy romance; it is a deep and scarred story. It is worthwhile reading. An impressive debut novel!

Thank you, Net Galley and Random House/ Ballantine, for an eARC in return for my honest review!