Member Reviews
"๐๐ถ๐ต ๐ ๐ธ๐ข๐ด ๐ข๐ญ๐ธ๐ข๐บ๐ด ๐ต๐ณ๐บ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ฅ๐ช๐ง๐ง๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ๐ด ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ ๐ธ๐ข๐ด ๐จ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ถ๐ฑ, ๐ฅ๐ช๐ง๐ง๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ด๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ข๐ด, ๐ต๐ณ๐บ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ง๐ช๐จ๐ถ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ต ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ฐ ๐ ๐ธ๐ข๐ด ๐ด๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ด๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฃ๐ฆ."
Operation Get-Through-Well-Overdue-ARCs is in play!
I would say, overall, that I enjoyed this book. It wasn't my FAVORITE, but it wasn't bad.
I really liked the premise, and the show they were stars of gave me some serious "Supernatural" vibes (which is one of my favorite shows)... but at times, the 'will they won't they' went slightly too far (I mean, I know it's the name of the book, but still).
The ending really made up for some of that! I really am glad that they got their happiest version of their ending โค๏ธ
Thank you to @randomhouse and @netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for the review!
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๐ Review: Will They or Wonโt They by Ava Wilder
Will They or Wonโt They follows Lilah and Shane - two former costars navigating a reunion when Lilah returns to the show she left a few years earlier. Why did she leave? Well, because she and Shane had a secret relationship that imploded. The plot follows everyoneโs tv and real life favorite trope - where all fans want to see their OTP finally get together.
This book does romance right in that I think the characterโs actions, misunderstandings, and miscommunications are completely believable. The anger and energy between the two feel REAL and not 100% contrived. And the background for this plot could easily have gone in an over-the-top fanciful way. Wilder does a great job of keeping her characters grounded in reality.
This book was released last summer, and I donโt think I ever saw it come across my feed, which is disappointing. Ava Wilder is someone Iโll definitely look out for in the future.
Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of Will They or Wonโt They by Ava Wilder in exchange for my honest review. Again, Iโm sorry it took me so long to get around to it!
#willtheyorwontthey #avawilder #bookstagram #netgalley #booksta #bookstagrammer #romancebooks
This book had such a good premise...but when the title is literal over and over and over and over again...it gets old. The back and forth was just too much for me. I honestly couldn't really stand either of the MC's, but especially not the FMC, which hurts my heart to say. I thought she was self-involved, petty and just annoying. I understand that she has anxiety and attachment issues...but it felt like it became her entire personality, and she used it as a reason to just be mean. What really got me was how quickly they ended up back together at the end of the book, only for the author to try to make us think they broke up (again) and for it to all be fake to "throw off the press". Girl...I thought you didn't care if the public knew you were together? WTF? I'm so confused.
I gave this book 2 stars, and as I'm writing this review, I'm wondering if that was too generous. Oh well.
This captivating Hollywood romance intricately weaves tension, angst, and sizzling chemistry. As a reader familiar with similar novels featuring Hollywood stars, I approached this story with anticipation and skepticism. However, it pleasantly surprised me, exceeding expectations with minimal eye-rolling moments.
At its core, the novel follows Lilah and Shane, former lovers whose on-screen chemistry is eclipsed by off-screen animosity. Their tumultuous history sets the stage for a compelling exploration of love, forgiveness, and redemption as they reunite for one final season of their hit TV show.
What sets this book apart is its unflinching portrayal of Hollywood relationships. While the glitz and glamour serve as a backdrop, the heart of the story lies in the characters' raw emotions and vulnerabilities. Lilah and Shane's journey is about navigating fame, public scrutiny, and their own demons.
The palpable chemistry between Lilah and Shane is a highlight, adding depth and complexity to their interactions. Their banter crackles with wit and tension, creating an authentic and resonant relationship. Despite occasional pacing issues and easily resolved conflicts, the narrative arc is compelling and satisfying, skillfully navigating the challenges of fame, mental health, and communication.
Second chance is such a hard trope for me because an author has to show you why two people broke up and then find a way to bring them back together with a believable HEA. And it didn't really work for me here.
I was instantly invested in this one, I read 30% in one sitting and ignored the five other books I was reading to start this one, but unfortunately it didn't entirely land for me.
I really loved parts of this. Ava Wilder writes some fun dialogue/banter. There were moments where I LOL'd and found to be the scenes to be very creative. I also love a celeb romance and she used this trope so well.
I struggled with the pacing (something I struggled with her first novel too) and found the flashbacks to be so distracting and mostly unnecessary. The third act conflict just did not work for me. In second chance it's hard to do a third act break up because the whole book is them coming back to each other and while she tries to do a little creative thing, it just made me annoyed and everything felt so rushed.
Some things just didn't make sense. Like they only went to therapy once? At least on page? Like get rid of the flashbacks and have them work through it in therapy.
Idk I think Ava Wilder's books are just not for me which is annoying because there is so much I like in her books, but the structure just never works for me!
I had a hard time getting into it, the characters didn't feel super personable and the plot wasn't hooking me. I really enjoyed her debut, How to Fake It In Hollywood, and this plot also seemed a bit too similar to that book. I didn't finish, but I might come back to it some day! just wasn't for me, but I always recommend trying for yourself!
I really enjoyed this romance! There was a lot of fun, but also a lot of depth. Their relationship unfolded over a long time, and therefore, the romance felt epic. But also with some fun!
I couldnโt finish this one I was bored. Sorry! I really try to give it a shot but I kept coming back to it and was bored.
I love the 2 sides to the relationship and this book didn't disappoint. It was definitely worth the read and I'll be reading more from Wilder in the future.
This was great fun! Angsty, snappy dialogue, sparkling chemistry, and just all around a lovely romance. I can't wait to read more from Ava Wilder.
I looooooved How to Fake It in Hollywood, so I was psyched to receive this eARC (many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher), but woof. It was a letdown unfortunately. My most controversial bookish take is that I'm a staunch defender of the miscommunication trope *in certain instances* and so can be pretty understanding when reading books based around relationship issues. However. It was so painfully clear Lilah was the main problem in this relationship, and she completely lacked any self-awareness. It was a real drag to read.
I'll absolutely still read any and all books by Ava Wilder in the future, this may just be a sophomore slump, but woof.
DNF, but tried a couple of times. I think it was a me not the author. I feel I have an unpopular opinion as a lot of people loved this book. I felt the two characters hurt each other so much and I couldn't get over that. And OH my the miscommunication!
With that being said, I did like the authors writing style and the flow of the story. I will definitely try another book by Ava Wilder.
I loved this Hollywood behind the scenes romance of co-stars who can't stand each other. It has an enemies to lovers vibe and some explosive chemistry between Lilah and Shane. The characters are flawed and their banter is super entertaining as they try to get through filming of their last season together. It's a funny and spicy read.
Another winner from Ava Wilder and I can't wait to see what she writes next!
I'm so sorry I didn't review this when it came out--totally missed it in my list. I adored this so much, and I'm not always a fan of Hollywood romances. This was the perfect blend of history, heat, and longing, and watching them fall back in love and admit their feelings was SO satisfying.
This is kind of a second chance, enemies to lovers vibe and I was surprisingly here for it. Lilah and Shane started on a paranormal TV show. They dated at the beginning of the series, then broke up and continued to act together (itโs giving 2000s teen show vibes). Lilah takes a several year break from the show to pursue other opportunities, but has to come back for one final season when her career fails to take off without the show.
On paper? Shane and Lilah are finally being reunited and are a beloved couple. Americaโs sweethearts, anyone? Behind the screen, they can barely stand each other. That leads to a lot of tension and chemistry between the two. Lilah is flawed, Shane has his faults but at the end of the day do they love each other enough to try and make it work?
In a nutshell, you get:
*second chance romance
*Hollywood couple
*mental health representation
*dual POV
*enemies to Lovers
*elow-burn that does lead to spice
Do I see this couple as long term? Maybe not, it is a bit toxic and they both need some work. Was it still an enjoyable read? Absolutely-and the audio was even better!
Ugh I wanted this to live up to the hype so badly, but I felt like it was just super drawn out and long for now reason. This wasn't one of my favorite reads unfortunately.
I read Will They or Wonโt They back in August and Iโm still thinking about the ending right now in March lolol I LOVED this book!! Iโve said it once and iโll say it again. Second chance romances are magic to me BUT theyโre hard to get right because thereโs a difference between telling us two characters have a history and chemistry and actually *showing* their relationship to us. Lilah and Shane felt fulling fleshed out and reading about this made me feel like I had already known them for years before they appeared on page 1. Their tension truly was palpable. Iโm usually wary of contemporary romances that advertise โenemies to loversโ because in a modern setting, itโs usually more so rivals at best and the stakes donโt feel very high. But in Will They or Wonโt They, it really did feel like actual enemies which is such a testament to Ava Wilderโs writing. And no spoilers but the third act of this book WOOO just go read it, i promise you wonโt regret it. 4.75โญ๏ธ
I wanted this SO BADLY to live up to how much I adored Ava's first book but unfortunately it did not... it just felt super long and drawn out, which is not how I want my romance books to feel.
Thank you to NetGalley for this free copy in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed the premise of this book and the writing. I appreciated getting a better understanding of the characters. The will they or won't they required a lot of flip flopping of the characters so it wasn't easy to be engaged with them as people until they went to therapy and learned to open up and be vulnerable with each other.
This was a great enemies to lovers story. Great chemistry and conflict throughout the book with a creative plot.