I tried so hard to read this book, but it just wasn’t for me, or wasn’t the right time for me to read it. I may pick it up another time, but officially am DNFing it 64% of the way in, even though it hurts my heart. Definitely give this book a try you might enjoy it!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an advanced copy of Will They or Won't They by Ava Wilder.

I am a sucker for unlikeable FMC and tons of banter, and Ava Wilder hits it out of the park. Will They or Won't They explores the long-standing working (and romantic) relationship between Lilah Hunter and Shane McCarthy. Told from both perspectives and covering past and present, we see the two land their first big TV show together. Like any two actors with amazing chemistry, it burns on and off screen. But soon, love turns to hate.

When Lilah returns for the final season, their contentious relationship permeates every aspect of production. The studio sends them to couple's counseling and past hurts are uncovered. Their changing perspectives and still scorching chemistry starts burning through the years of lies and assumptions, but they've already learned the price of failure and both have to decide if it's worth it to try again.

I am a huge fan of Ava Wilder's writing. It's sharp and clever. While I enjoyed Will They or Won't They, I'm not the biggest fan of the second chance trope. Wilder pulled it off masterfully, but I'm excited to see what she does next.

4.5 stars rounded up. Such a fun and binge-able romance! The characters had great chemistry and banter. I loved the way the enemies to lovers trope was used; it felt believable and fresh. This is my favorite book from Ava Wilder so far. Can’t wait for her next!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Will They Or Won’t They struck the perfect balance of poignant and fun. While it was very much an angsty slow-burn chock full of well-loved tropes, it also maintained an air of believability which grounded the story.

Both Lilah and Shane were deeply relatable, their faults and self-protecting reactions key players in their character. Psychology came to play and it really rounded them into characters that could walk off the page.

I will always read Ava Wilder’s books. No synopsis necessary; she’s gained my trust as a reader.

Shane and Lilah were so dramatically frustrating. I loved the book cause 2nd chance romance are an absolute favorite trope of mine. I appreciate how these characters were handled. They had depth and while I could somewhat understand where they were coming from, I just, UGH, the amount of times I just wanted to scream at them that they were both in love with each other and just letting pride and fear keep them apart more times than necessary was aggravating. These characters has so much chemistry and I kinda which there was a little more to the end.

The first portion of this book was a slow start for me. But it picked up and I found myself swooning and giggling in the second half.

This was the perfect example of a 2nd chance romance with a side of Hollywood drama. I think of the all the binge-able tv shows I’ve watched over the years, wishing the characters were together in real life. This book turned that into reality.

It was heavy on inner monologue and light on plot, but I didn’t care. I loved getting to know Shane and Lilah.

Read if you like:
✌🏻Dual POV
🎥Celebrity romance
💕2nd chance romance
🧠Anxiety rep
🗣️Therapy
😤Enemies to lovers
❤️‍🔥Slow burn

Will They or Won't They is perfect for second chance romance fans. Wilder forces Lilah and Shane to go through the hard work of not only looking at themselves, but why their relationship off screen fell apart the first time. There's a sense of falling in love with their relationship twice as the flashbacks bring us back to what happened. To the moments of intense longing and all that came after. It reminds me of that song lyric, "all my enemies started off friends" and the ways in which people who truly know us, see us, can be the ones who hurt us.

I loved How to Fake it in Hollywood but this book fell short for me. I just couldn’t get over the beginning, the hate between the characters was too much for me and I had a hard time connecting with them, especially Lilah. I was hoping for at least some sparks but even in the chapters set in the past it fell flat for me. I pushed on for the HEA and I did enjoy that part, but not enough to make up for the slow beginning of this one unfortunately.

Ava Wilder's debut, How to Fake it in Hollywood, was one of the first ARCS I read and reviewed. So I was just thrilled to receive an ARC of her follow up, Will They or Won't They, which is out on June 27! Big thanks to Random House and NetGalley for gifting it!

This was EXTREMELY my shit. I LOVE a celeb romance. But I'm also vocal about how enemies to lovers isn't always for me because it is so difficult to do well. And yet it was SO well done here - the chemistry between Lilah and Shane crackled from the first page and I just could not put it down.

But let's back up and talk premise. Lilah and Shane were the stars of one of the hottest supernatural shows out there (gives me strong Vampire Diaries vibes) - yet they cannot stand each other. Lilah left the show a few years ago with her sights set on bigger and better things, but flamed out a bit. So she is back for the final season which means having to reunite with Shane - who she hasn't spoken to since she left the show.

Through flashbacks we learn exactly why these two don't get along. It becomes so hostile that their colleagues take notice and force them to couple therapy - where they have to really dig into the why, and how they can move forward.

This was so sexy and I loved these characters. I got VERY invested in Lilah and Shane - both their journey together but also each of them. They were nuanced and felt honest, authentic and raw.

What a perfect poolside read!

Will post this review on Goodreads, retail sites and my bookstagram @scottonreads

Will They or Won't They by Ava Wilder is a terrific read that I spent a day reading and thoroughly enjoying.

Ms. Wilder's main characters, Lilah and Shane meet at an audition and are instantly attracted to each other and after reading together for the roles are cast as co-leads in a supernatural type show. After a months long co-workers with benefits type relationship, Lilah breaks it off with Shane and eventually leaves the show, much to Shane's surprise. They hate each other at this point and Lilah wants to try her hand at a major movie. She comes back to the show for its last season and that's where things pick up between them.

Shane and Lilah are written with both of them being witty and with a lot of chemistry between them. It's believable and despite misunderstandings that should have easily been resolved with a little communication, I believed the story line. (Something that isn't always the case)

This was a fun read and I immediately went and bought Ms. Wilder's other book because I enjoyed this one so much.

**This book was given to me by NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review. **

Loved Will They or Won't They! It combines many of my favorite tropes - enemies to lovers, Hollywood romance, second chance romance - so successfully. I really enjoyed Ava Wilder's debut last year as well, and you can feel Wilder's growth in writing a second novel: the pacing, the turns in the relationship, the layered characterizations. Wilder's depictions of Hollywood and the dynamics and worries within it feel well researched and also genuine to the specific characters. Beyond this, though, the tension of Lilah and Shane's relationship was excellent. From actually selling the lovers to enemies to lovers trope - in their dialogue and in building it over several years - to their intense connection, with the tension stretched out until quite late in the book, Lilah and Shane have strong, jump-off-the-page chemistry. I also love how Wilder explores mental health in her books, providing a balance to the Hollywood glamour without going into the typical "dark side of Hollywood" stories.

I loved this book, just as I suspected I would after reading this author's debut last year. She writes a story in a way that draws you in from the first page and has you so invested in her characters that you're rooting for them to get their happily ever after, no matter what that might be.

I loved Lilah and Shane and only wanted them to find their happiness. This story takes place over a decade, with flashbacks that allow you to see how much they both grow as humans, as friends, as partners.

I will read every single thing Ava Wilder writes. I know exactly how her words will make me feel and I want more of that in my life.

Will They or Won’t They was a super cute enemies-to-lovers story. I basically read it in less than 24 hours because I couldn’t put it down. It seemed unbelievable that the main characters loved each other for over nine years without doing something about it, but Shane and Lilah were both young and famous so I guess they weren’t ready for a relationship. I highly recommend this book. Thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read Will They or Won’t They.

First thought: Caution this book gives whiplash the love hate between Shane and Lilah is strong; but it’s also too good and you can’t put it down and want to read this over and over again.

This story is a dual timeline and POV. That follows the two main characters Shane and Lilah on a decade long journey of discovery, hate, growth and love.

For Shane it was love at first site when he locked eyes with her at the auditions for what would turn into the career of a lifetime. Shane came to LA with no goals of becoming an actor but he was discovered while he was waiting tables and thanks to his insta chemistry with Lilah he landed a role on his first try.

For Lilah it was not love but definitely attraction, hot undeniable pull that made their interactions extreme. She discovered acting in childhood as it helped her cope with her anxiety, she did theater in hs and studied it at Juilliard in college. She worked her butt off to be discovered and to break into the industry.

After filming the pilot and having it picked up for the first season Shane and Lilah find themselves in a hotel bar after the launch party and can’t resist the pull between them any longer. They spend the first season filming in their blissful bubble hiding their relationship. After a drunken night they awaken with couple tattoos in the shape of ghosts on their hips and Lilah freaks out. Shane is in love and Lilah doesn’t want more more, so they end it.

The feud between the two begins and oh man it’s intense, passionate and burns hot. Tensions run high as they film 3 more seasons of the show. Lilah decided to break away and try out staring in a movie but it flops bad. A few years pass and she find herself back on the set with Shane making a comeback for the final season farewell of the series. Sparks continue to fly!

To find out what happens and if they continue as lovers, enemies, coworkers read this book when it launches on June 27th.

Angst fans, this one's for you!

This is one of those, everyone else knows the characters are in love with each other except the characters themselves. They fight their attraction, they fight each other with cutting remarks and pretending inattention, and ultimately they fight what has always felt easy and right because of perceived notions of what it might do to their careers.

It was a little slow in the beginning, setting the tone for their hate and the whys behind it, but it did pick up and then it became quite addictive. The sexual chemistry between Shane and Lilah was off the charts, like seriously palpable from the pages. Lilah wasn't the most likable character but the girl has a wall built a mile high around her and that wall remains intact for almost 2/3 of the story. Shane wears his heart on his sleeve, trying hard to be likable, a true people pleaser (so the opposite of Lilah,) but he was burned by Lilah's indifference so much he's turned to snark, insults, and digs to protect himself from the attraction his still feels towards her. It's a long, hard journey for these two but I have to believe once they get out of their own way, the payoff is the sweetest possible.

This is my first Ava Wilder book and I love a good Hollywood romance so it was a must-request on Netgalley.
Overall this book was just okay. It felt overly long and maybe that's because of the more telling of the story than showing with dialogue and actions.
I loved Shane (a lot!) and his patience and love for the heroine totally showed through this second chance, enemies to lovers, forced proximity romance. I didn't love Lilah all that much... she seemed to like being mean just to be mean though I enjoyed watching her learn her worth and how to really love. I think Shane had feelings for her from the very beginning but she made it hard to love her. I wish there was more conversations, more passion, more together time than what was in the book. It just felt like it needed more.
Thanks to the publisher for an ARC of this book.

Is it a second chance romance if you only had a fling and really didn't like each other the first time around? Lilah and Shane starred together in a paranormal TV series where they're meant to be a couple- until she left for greener pastures. Or so she thought. The movie flopped and she's back, back with Shane and now the two of them have to face the fact that they had that fling. It's a dual POV, dual time line novel with Hollywood vibes and all the tropes. I did like however the sensitive portrayal of mental health challenges. Fans of How to Fake It in Hollywood should know that this isn't as deep but it's a lot of fun. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A good read for a lazy day that made me smile.

This book is second chance perfection—angsty and sexy, with a celebrity storyline that feels so realistic, it's like peeking behind the Hollywood curtain. I would read Ava Wilder's grocery list, but I'm grateful she gives us masterpieces like WILL THEY OR WON'T THEY.

Immediately add this to your TBR!! It comes out June 27th.

I am an absolute sucker for a second chance romance, that is dual timeline and dual POV. This is also a workplace romance, and lovers to enemies to lovers— and they’re both celebrities. Shane and Lilah are co-stars on an incredibly popular paranormal drama in which they are lovers on screen. Lilah ditched the show at the end of season 5 after their fling imploded, and is coming back to film season 9– the show’s finale. They are forced to work together again now under very different circumstances, and everything that comes along with the world watching.

Ava’s writing is absolutely incredible. She adds so much depth and background to each scene and character, I feel like we truly get to know both MC’s, their histories, their childhood, parent relationships— to get a fuller picture of who they are— fears, insecurities and all. These are details that are often left out of romance books in order for them to feel more lighthearted. I was sooo pleasantly surprised. Ava balances these characters feeling complex and real, while still also giving us chemistry, angst, and sexual tension that you expect in a romance. The book still left me feeling hopeful, and I can’t stop thinking about it.

I also love how the author touched on double standards for men and women in Hollywood and how it impacted their relationship.

This is one of my favorite of the 86 books I’ve read so far this year, and probably one of my top favorite romances ever.

Thanks to Netgalley, Random House + Ava for the ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Normally the hate to love trope is one of my favs but this one takes it a little too far. Shane and Lilah go a bit too far with their hatred which makes it hard to believe they can ever get past their differences. The story bounces around a lot between past, present and dual POV without it being clear dual POV. The transitions seemed a bit clunky and there were big gaps in time in the story where the two characters spent a lot of time apart instead of mending the broken relationship. The characters just seems too far apart for most of the story to ever believe they would be good together.