Will They or Won’t They by Ava Wilder was an enemies to lovers celebrity romance with steamy chemistry and push and pull. Lilah and Shane have been co-stars for years and absolutely do not like each other. Their back and forth was so much fun and had me turning the pages. There was so much history and antagonism between these two. In order to be able to work together, they start dealing with their issues and I enjoyed seeing them work through them and slowly find their way back. Lilah and Shane’s story was angsty and a delightful read.

Happy reading!

"...maybe I wanted to be with someone that I could actually build a life with, together, rather than someone who already had their life all figured out before I even got there, and I just got slotted into it."

Ava Wilder has done it again!! She knows how to tell a damn love story. The sexual tension! I never thought I was a celebrity romance girl, but she knows how to reel you in! So I am! I am a celeb romance girl!

I was so invested in Lilah and Shane. I loved their love story. A trueeeeee lovers to enemies to lovers that just felt so real. The research and knowledge on Hollywood and fame! Yet the characters felt so genuine to me. Lilah’s anxiety 🫶🏾 Shane’s self-doubt through his confidence 🫶🏾 the angst in this was also addicting.

Basically, I’ll read whatever Ava writes because she also knows how to write steam. It’s good GOOD. Thank you for your time.

***ARC Provided by the Author***

There was a lot that I did enjoy about this title, and I did believe in Lilah and Shane as a former couple. The issue was that I never really believed that they would be a current couple.

I get the idea that when you are forced together with someone, you work out a lot of the things that were causing issues, but those issues were a little too well developed for me in this one, and I am not sure I ever fully believed they would move on from them so easily, or that they would be able to be a couple now, which is the risk of a 2nd chance and enemies to lovers, as if the reader is too able to believe the enemies part, and really not able to believe the friends part, the book doesn't work.

And, unfortunately, at least for me, that is what we have in this one, a title that didn't fully ever get out of the enemies portion to allow me to believe they would be a couple.

While I did enjoy parts of this title, I am unable to recommend it.

I just can't handle these characters. If they are in their early thirties, why are they acting like teenagers?! The plot revolves completely around them and their "romance". Since I couldn't stand either of them and how they treated each other since the beginning I really couldn't care less about the story. I just wanted it to be over.

Thank you Netgalley, author, and publisher for the ARC.

I absolutely LOVED Will They or Won’t They by Ava Wilder - the emotion was visceral, the characters vivid, and the story moving - and I highly, highly recommend it. Ten stars!

The hype won for this one, but I'm glad my FOMO anxiety was used for good this time! I'm pretty open about my dislike for "rich people romance" - no billionaire love stories for me. And thankfully, there are no billionaires to be seen here, but successful celebs carry their own brand of privilege that usually doesn't appeal to me in book form. That was quite the opposite case here. I'm a sucker for the classic TV trope this novel is named after, so I was immediately intrigued, but throw in some enemies to lovers and I'm ready to rumble.

The story follows two successful TV actors, Lilah and Shane. Lilah is back on the show that made her famous after leaving for a few years for more prestige projects. Shane stuck around and held his own. Neither of them want her back. But their connection is palpable and unavoidable, and an important aspect of what made the show famous. Wilder does an excellent job of honoring the trope itself while keeping it fresh. She balances playful humor and the realities of 21st century fame that feel endearing and real rather than focused on the glitz of wealth. It's not that it's invisible, but the focus really is on their relationship in this landscape - which makes it interesting rather than cheesy. Lilah and Shane each have their own intense and relatable struggles, and Ava writes them with aplomb.

A was surprised by how both riveting and sexy this was. This should be the romance read of the summer! And yes, it should also be adapted.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC.

This was like candy--so fun reading, but not much stayed with me afterward so I was hard pressed to remember details after I finished! But I love a well-executed Hollywood romance (which this was), plus the Jewish and mental health representation was great and the sex scenes were pretty hot, so I'm definitely planning on picking up the author's next book.

This is a review of an Advanced Readers Copy of Will They or Won’t They! Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

Lilah Hunter and Shane McCarthy star together in the hit TV show Intangible, where they are madly in love with one another. But in real life, they hate each other… or do they?

Lilah leaves the show after season 5 to pursue other things, and is returning for the 9th and final season. Lilah and Shane must find a way to get along for the sake of the show and its success, before bidding it farewell. They are asked to go to couples therapy to work on their issues while filming, which opens the door up for better communication and to work through misunderstandings.

For me, this novel was kind of stagnant until 80% of the way through, where the storyline began to pick up. There was a lot of back and forth angst between the main characters over their past, and most of the story was about their misunderstanding each other. That part of the story was hard for me to get into. If the first part of the book was more like the last 20%, I think I would have enjoyed it a little more!

You will like this book if you like:
🎥 Celebrity romances
📺 Second chance romance
🎥 Lovers to enemies to lovers
📺 Dual POV
🎥 Dual Timelines
📺 Anxiety representation
🎥 Forced proximity
📺 Slow burn

10/10. Showstopping. Never been done before. Incredible.

I LOVE THIS BOOK, and I will shout it from the rooftops forever and ever and ever.

Lilah and Shane rocketed to fame when their chemistry during an audition earned them spots on the soon-to-be hit show Intangible. Too young to handle the pressures of a relationship in the spotlight, their on-set chemistry turned into off-set flamethrowers with which they tried to burn the other every chance they got. After years of making each other miserable, Lilah left the show to pursue a movie career, but when that bombed and she was asked to return to Intangible for one final season, Lilah swallowed her pride and agreed to do it. Forced into close proximity once again, will Lilah and Shane continue their petty feuding, or will they get to the bottom of what led to the hostility in the first place?

In spite of being set in Hollywood, Lilah and Shane were not stereotypical Hollywood characters. They were real people with vulnerabilities, dealing with issues of anxiety and imposter syndrome, to name a few. Their story tugged at my heartstrings, which I wasn't expecting. I enjoyed the format of present day mixed with flashbacks, and I loved that the counseling sessions were both prominently featured and integral to the plot.

Recommended for adults. Thank you Dell Publishing and NetGalley for my advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

<b>Ava Wilder's rom-com takes us behind the scenes of a hit teen TV show whose lead characters once liked each other in real life but now can't stand each other. This was funny, sweet, steamy, and poignant--a fantastic summer light-fiction read that I loved. </b>

<b><blockquote>Maybe she was just as confused as he was about what they were to each other: unsure what she wanted, what was attainable, what was worth hoping for. </b></blockquote>

Lilah Hunter and Shane McCarthy are the stars of the popular paranormal television show <i>Intangible,</i> and for multiple seasons they've yearned for each other on screen, but their characters have never gotten together.

Lilah has dreams of directing and of breaking into movies, but she's back for the sixth and final season of the show, in which her character and Shane's will finally get together.

But in real life, Shane and Lilah detest each other. Their secret tryst at the end of season one ended badly, and they've been far from friendly ever since.

In order to get through their final season, they'll have to play nice--and get more intimate on screen than either of them ever wanted to again.

I LOVED this. The premise sounded like a slam dunk for me, and the reality of the book was a funny, poignant, banter-filled, behind-the-scenes, realistically complicated, wonderful story.

The difficulties keeping Shane and Lilah apart felt realistic rather than manufactured--miscommunication and habitual defensiveness, the foolishness of youth, fear of vulnerability--so I happily bought into the will-they-won't-they tensions.

There's a ton of steaminess as Lilah and Shane at times can't deny their attraction and act upon it.

I smiled a lot, I teared up, and I loved this perfect summer read!

I received a prepublication edition of this book courtesy of NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group: Ballantine Dell.

If this book sounds intriguing, you might also be interested in the books on my Greedy Reading Lists Six Rom-Coms Perfect for Summer Reading, Six Great Light Fiction Stories Perfect for Summer Reading, and Six More Great Light Fiction Stories.

A fun contemporary romance with plenty of steam. A new twist on the enemies to lovers trope. Overall engaging characters and a page turning good time.

This book was one of my most anticipated reads since I really enjoyed ‘How to Fake It in Hollywood’ last year, but it unfortunately was a let down for me.

Some of the issues I had with the book:
1. We’re led to believe Lilah and Shane were in love during the first season of the show, but it felt more like it was all sexual attraction/lust. We don’t see them really get to know each other and there were times later in the book where they didn’t seem to know basic information about each other, which made the previous “relationship” seem less serious.
2. Their first fling only lasted 8-9 months, but then they spent ~7 years hating each other. I can understand that it’s harder to get over someone when you work with them and see them everyday, but the animosity 7 years later didn’t seem justified, especially if you factor in the reason for the breakup.
3. I don’t understand why Lilah was so adamant against dating Shane the first time and both characters felt very immature even though they’re both in their mid-thirties during the “now” portion of the book.

TLDR; the two main characters were immature and treated each other poorly throughout most of the book and their entire relationship was built off sexual attraction so I had difficulty rooting for them.


Thank you NetGAlley and Random House Publishing for this ARC.

When Lilah Hunter and Shane McCarthy meet at an audition, their chemistry is immediately evident and their initial interaction soon leads to a secret relationship when they’re both cast in the hit TV show, Intangible. The relationship eventually runs its course but their feelings for each other don’t, and even though Lilah left the show at the end of season five to try and make it as a big time movie star she comes back to be a part of the ninth and final season.

Nerves are high for both Lilah and Shane, especially since didn’t leave things in a good spot when she left to pursue other opportunities. But the show’s storyline has their characters finally getting together in the final season, which means lots of time together for two people who despise each other — or do they?

I loved, loved, loved this book. The characters were great and the way that their chemistry was written about throughout this book was so well done. I also loved how the characters had more dimension than just regular old celebrities and I felt that their personalities, insecurities and fears were written so well. I also normally don’t care too much for books that are written in both past and present tense, but I think it really worked well for this story and didn’t bother me the way it usually does.

This was the first book I read from Ava Wilder and now I’m dying to read How to Fake It In Hollywood and I know that any future books she comes out with will be high on my list.

✦What to Expect✦
• Celebrity romance
• Second chance romance
• Workplace romance
• Lovers to enemies to lovers
• Flash backs

✦Thoughts ✦
I was super excited for this one because I loved her first book. But unfortunately, I found both main characters to be very unlikeable. I wish we saw more of them getting along and being together. I think if we got more insight or background about Lilah I could have rooted for and sympathized with her a little more. I did enjoy when Shane and Lilah were together and getting along. I enjoyed the celebrity/Hollywood romance aspect of course. But for me something was missing with this one, besides not liking the characters. I still enjoyed it for the most part.

I really do love a Hollywood romance, and this one with a second chance story was solid. It's too long, but Shane and Lilah were both interesting, and I loved the behind the scenes drama. There was honesty about the struggles they still face while being aware of their privilege.

Sadly I'm DNF-ing this book. I tried several times but I just can't do it. The story line is so annoying and the characters are so unlikable.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the E-ARC.

All thoughts and opinions are honest and my own.

4.25 stars

I really enjoyed Will They or Won't they. It was a quick read, perfect for a day lounging by the pool.

Shane and Lilah met auditioning for Intangible, a tv show they both land beacuse they are both talented and their chemistry is off the charts. They have a secret rmoance their first season and when it crashes and burns they barely tolerate each other. Their TV characters have are in love but can't be together and Lilah and Shane just avoid each other at all costs. Lilah decides to leave the show at the end of season five in hopes of becoming a movie star and when her career doesn't really take off she comes back to the show for final season. The season when their characters will finally get together.

Lilah deosn't start off really likeable but her character grows and the more she opens up and shows her vunerable side the more Shane starts to fall again. Lilah has always lied to herself about her true feelings for Shane and you start to really pull for them to find their HEA.

It's a forced proximity in a Hollywood setting with an ememies to lover trope and some steam. It's a perfect summer read.

#WillTheyorWontThey #NetGalley

Lilah and Shane.

Lilah vs. Shane.

Lilah...possibly loves Shane?

Hence begins this (very spicy!) enemies to lovers to enemies to friends to lovers treat of a book. Lilah and Shane have starred on the hit sci-fi show Intangible for many years -- except that Lilah left after five seasons and then starred in a movie that flopped and had to come back to the show for its final season with her tail between her legs -- and the final season promises fireworks on screen...and off. Because these two can't get along. It becomes so bad that the show makes them to go couples therapy. Except they aren't a real couple, BUT they secretly once were in a situationship. (I learned that from Taylor Swift and I'm hoping that I'm using it in the right way here.)

I know this all sounds confusing, but I couldn't tear myself away from this book. The characters were not one dimensional -- the author did such a great job of creating flawed people with difficult pasts in a way that seemed unmanufactured in the midst of a romance novel. I liked this one, but I have to say I felt like the main characters squabbles went on for a bit too long. I would still recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars rounded to 4.

ava wilder can do no wrong actually xo

Lilah Hunter and Shane McCarthy are madly in love—at least, their characters are. As the stars of the hit paranormal TV show Intangible, Lilah and Shane spent years pining for each other onscreen . . . until Lilah ditched the show at the end of season five in hopes of becoming a movie star. With no such luck, she’s back to film the much-hyped ninth and final season, in which Lilah and Shane’s characters will get together at last.

But coming back means facing one of the biggest reasons she left: Shane. Ever since their secret behind-the-scenes fling imploded at the end of season one, the two of them have despised each other.

Now reunited on set for the first time in years—with the world’s eyes on them and their post-show careers on the line—they’ll have to grit their teeth and play nice. But under pressure to give Intangible’s fans the happy ending they’ve been waiting for, Lilah and Shane are forced to get closer than ever. And if they’re not careful, they might just get blindsided by one final twist: a real-life happy ending of their own.