This was a hot, hot, hot read!! I'm not typically a huge fan of celebrity characters, but I genuinely enjoyed the intensity between Shane and Lilah. There's something incredibly intoxicating about a love so passionate that it pushes and pulls back and forth for years until it finds the right time to just click. I also appreciate stories where not everyone is 22, so thank you for making characters that are realistic and relatable with real-life experiences. Well done, Ava Wilder 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻!!!

Costars who hate each other offscreen with an enemies to lovers plot? Sign me up!

Just like the title suggests this whole book had me wondering whether or not Shane and Lilah would end up together. Some highlights including Shane falling first, Lilah with walls so high around herself no one can get it, a slow burn, no third act breakup, and the DRAMA!! This book was a fun one to read.

adored this! celebrity trope, enemies to lovers, second chance romance- everything i could want in a book and more. this was a warm hug in a book and i loved every minute. thanks netgalley & the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars. This was my first Ava Wilder book and I really enjoyed it. I liked her writing, so at some point I want to check out her other book(s). This book has the co-star/Hollywood energy, which I love!!!! This also has second-chance romance, miscommunication, and enemies-to-lover tropes. Love it all except for miscommunication trope, which is why I deducted a star. The chemistry was phenomenal and I was rooting for the main characters, Lilah and Shane, the entire book. Such a great read and I definitely recommend it.

thanks to netgalley and the publisher (random house publishing group, ballantine) for the arc! all opinions are my own! Releases June 27th 2023!!

“As he looked into her eyes, he knew without a doubt, down to the marrow of his bones, that he wasn’t just in trouble. He was completely fucking in love with her. The knowledge didn’t bring any him comfort, though, because it didn’t matter what he felt if she didn’t feel it too. And on the off chance she did, he suspected she was constitutionally incapable of admitting it. But even if they never saw each other again after the show ended, he knew she would never ever work her way out of his system.”

I don’t know what she put in this, I don’t know what she put in this but it’s crack. The more and more I read this book the more I felt like I was being pulled into a drug induced haze or something. This absolutely solidifies Ava Wilder as an auto-buy author for me.

This book is about two actors who are principles on long standing show. Think Damon and Elena from vampire diaries. They get involved during the first season and decide to end it, then she leaves the show after 5 seasons to pursue bigger and better things. Which subsequently results in him/ other cast + crew resenting her, but ends up back on the show for the 9th and final season after a movie she did flopped.

Ava Wilder struck the perfect balance between hate and love the entire book the spice is piping hot and the tension is freaking delicious. I ADORE these super-flawed fleshed out characters.

Overall, I feel like I’m still processing this one. Maybe I’ll add more thoughts to this review in the future.

Ava Wilder does Hollywood romances so well. She is two for two so far. HTFIH was good, Will They or Won't They is just as good. Bingeable? Yes!

Will They or Won't They is a second chance love story. The story of two people, Lilah and Shane, who weren't ready for each other at the time. 8 years after their break up they are ready to finally have the necessary conversations. There were so many things left unsaid and so many misunderstandings.

Lilah and Shane were stars of a show. (Think Vampire Diaries). They were together for a short time. They kept it under wraps. When Lilah realized Shane was catching feelings she ends it and a couple years later she exits to show to try her hand in more "serious" acting. After a disappointing few years she comes back for the show's final season. There is tension in the air. The producers, clueless about Lilah and Shane's past, schedules a racy photo shoot to promote the final season and these two almost lost themselves to the carnal attraction. The tension continues during the filming of the last season though. It looks like the stars of the show don't get along well. So the executives send these two to couple counseling. And there Lilah and Shane's secret relationship starts unraveling. They slowly let out the big emotions not only when they are with the therapist but when they are alone. They start having honest conversions. Shane lets Lilah in his insecurities. What should he do after the show ends? He is not as talented as Lilah. Does he really want to be an actor? And Lilah softens up. She slowly lets Shane in on her own issues. Is she too high maintenance, too unapologetically focused on her career ? Does she deserve to be loved for exactly who she is? Does she want a public relationship?

This book was full of tension. The slow burn was so delicious. Watching these two who had been intimate before, the resistance to the temptation, the push and pull and just waiting for when they will just give in was torturous. They needed to clear all the misunderstandings and go slow this time to get it right.

Second chance romance done right!

Ava Wilder absolutely nailed it once again in her second book. Thank you to Ballantine Books and Netgalley for providing me with an e-ARC to read and review. I loved this book. There was second chance romance. There was enemies to lovers. There was the fake Hollywood setting and I was here for it. The sexual tension and slow burn was immaculate and I was truly rooting for these characters the whole time. Lilah and Shane were fabulous, from the bickering to the spicy time to the real and raw vulnerabilities they both showed, truly a 10 out of 10. Also Lilah is Jewish!! I wasn't expecting that going in, but there were a few times she mentioned it and I appreciated that. This book had an air of sophistication while also being light and funny at times. I can't say enough good things and I love books that pull me in like this. There was a tiny twist at the end and I was internally screaming, but everything was great. Overall, highly recommend this wonderful book.

The storyline was super cute! The characters were super cute. It’s an enemies to lovers story. Shane and Lilah were absolute fire as in the story was quite spicy. It’s a 4 stars for me bc it took me a while to get into the book in the beginning. also, it’s in 3rd person, dual pov, & it switches from past to present time.

This was a solid entry. I felt it was a little over dramatic and that it could have been shorter. However, the characters were enjoyable and the main love story was worth sticking it out.

I thoroughly enjoyed Will They or Won't They by Ava Wilder. I hadn't read her other book, but want to read it now! I thought the author did a wonderful job balancing the then and now story lines, as well as building out character development between both of the main characters. This book was an easy read and kept me wanting more. I loved the co-stars who are secretly in love with each other trope and how easy it was to picture it to be applicable to my own favorite shows! I would highly suggest if you enjoy enemies to lovers, then and now storylines, second chance romance, and celebrity relationships. Highly recommend!

Lovers to enemies to lovers?
Second chance romance?
Jewish mc?
Hot girls with anxiety?
Spice? 🌶

Will They or Won't They by Ava Wilder explores the lives of two actors, Shane McCarthy and Lilah Hunter as their hatred for each other reaches its peak when they are about to work together again after a 3-year break. Having dated previously and fallen out, the relationship they have is tense.

Lilah Hunter is such a badass even when anxiety gets the best of her. The thought process is so painfully familiar and I felt so seen through Lilah. We meet her when she is coming back to the show she left (to pursue a bigger career which didn't pan out when the movie she was in flopped).

Shane is charming and easy-going, his career having started when he was discovered at his bartending job. He is universally loved by everyone which makes Lilah even more aggravated lol.

Their tension was superb. The bitterness, snarking remarks, banter - everything was fun and explosive and felt real. And dual POV allowed expanding on the past without it feeling too explanatory.

I love how even when they hated each other or pretended to, their true selves still shone through, and at the end of the day - they always cared for each other. You could feel how fiercely protective they were of each other even when they wouldn't admit it. And how they actually talked to each other, explained stuff, and made sure they were on the same page.

Ava makes these characters feel real. They read like real human beings, flawed and imperfect. Their lives were not easy and their journey was long and anything but smooth but at the end of the day, their souls were bound to find each other.

These characters feel so real because this has plots from media and celebrities we have lived through. The world of Hollywood is dark and alluring and we just want to learn more.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Dell for the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. And thank you Ava for another banger!

This is a typical love story set in Hollywood with two actors who had instant chemistry, hooked up, and broke up. Now, several years later, one actor is coming back to the show for the farewell season.

Lilah and Shane were okay. I was expecting more, but was super grateful they didn’t have the dreaded miscommunication trope at the end. Though, they did struggle with that throughout the years. At least they semi discussed their feelings with couples therapy, though they weren’t really a couple.

It’s a quick read. Some spice. It was an okay read.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review:

3⭐️1🌶
I received this book as an ARC through NetGalley for my honest review.
Lilah and Shane get the lead the lead roles in a new TV series and hit it off right away and have a fling. It ends with the first season and they continue working together for 4 seasons while hating each other until lilah leaves the show. Now she’s come back for the 9th and finale season to give the fans the ending they deserve. They still don’t get along at first, until things start to change between them.
This moves between the past and present and I have to say that I found a lot of this kinda boring 😬Not that I didn’t enjoy any of the book, there’s definitely some sweet and funny moments. And the ending threw me for a loop!🙃 It made me infuriated and then happy but still a little salty about it. I just didn’t fall in love with these characters and didn’t feel as invested as I should’ve by the end. There was nothing that stood out for me. I didn’t hate it but I also didn’t love it. It was a solid 3 stars for me.

Amazing!!!!!! I LOVED this book! The characters, the writing, EVERYTHING was sooo good! The tension between the characters were just chef’s kiss 💋!! I would highly recommend this book! I literally read it in one sitting! I couldn’t go sleep until I finished it!

Quick Summary: An emotionally packed wofi-ro

My Review: Will They or Won't They by Ava Wilder was a beautiful story that had substance and depth. On the surface level, it was a second chance romance. However, as readers delve deeper, they will find that this book is about more than that. It is about relationships, love, personal perceptions, social anxiety, insecurities, reconciliation, and forgiveness.

Moving back and forth from the present to the past, this story dissected the anatomy of the relationship between two people who genuinely cared for each other. Although much time had separated them and misunderstanding after misunderstanding had derailed them, Lilah and Shane moved toward a new hope with a clearer future, deciding together how their tomorrows would be written.

My Final Say: This work was so much more than a romance. It was a lesson for the heart. Overall, the story pacing was good. The EQ exploration and subsequent journeys of the leads were done well. The underlying message was relatable. Readers who want a full circle reading experience will shed a few tears and smile many smiles with this one.

Rating: 5/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: A
Status/Level: M
Chemistry: +
Character Growth: +

Thanks to the author, to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Dell, and to NetGalley for providing a digital ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review. The words I have voluntarily shared are my own.

* A Goodreads review has been posted.

I would said the concept is nice, but I couldn’t get into it, not crazy about it but other wise is good read

5⭐️
3🌶

Another stunning celebrity romance by Ava Wilder!!

Lilah and Shane met almost 10 years ago, at an audition for a then-upcoming show. Little did they know that the show would cast them both, becoming a defining moment in both of their careers. Add in a secret romance with an eventual breakup that made working together a little... difficult, and you have a perfect recipe for disaster.

Fast forward a few years... Lilah and Shane find themselves brought back together by the very same show. Only now, they're a little older. A little wiser. And still very much attracted to one another. Can they set aside their differences and work together once more? Or will their animosity show on screen? Can they put the past behind? Or will their simmering attraction swallow them whole? The answer is... read and find out for yourself!

Set in the same universe as How to Fake It in Hollywood, Will They or Won't They follows Shane and Lilah as they navigate their workplace, second chance, hate-to-love (and back again), forced proximity situation they so happen to find themselves in. This story is full of my favorite tropes, along with representation for living with anxiety and the beauty of humanity and people *not* being perfect. As I did with Ava Wilder's debut novel, I binged this book because I simply could not put it down. I laughed out loud, my palms got a bit sweaty, and I fell in love with Shane, Lilah, and all they taught one another.

Ava Wilder has a fan for life, in me!

**THANK YOU to Ava Wilder, Dell, and NetGalley for an ARC of Will They or Won't They in exchange for my honest review!**

I absolutely devoured this read in about a day in a half. As a fan of second chance romance, and love a good enemies to lovers, this book had both tropes and they were done SO well. You could feel the disdain each other had for the other, but you also felt the tension...ahem....sexual tension between them as well. Wilder's debut, How To Fake It In Hollywood, was a favorite of last year and I'm so happy to say that this will definitely make my favorites for 2023.

4.5 stars!!

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

This was a cute story about two TV costars with a past. Lilah and Shane had an instant connection, but over the years they have fallen out. This is a second chance romance, and is a pretty traditional take on the trope. I found Shane to be more likable than Lilah. I'm knocking this down a star because she felt whiny to me at times, which is a huge pet peeve. Overall it was a breezy enjoyable story and is a fun quick read for romance fans.

Thank you to Random House Publishing - Ballantine for my ARC!

Ava Wilder continues to stun with her sophomore novel. The enemies to lovers is absolutely exquisite, the tension, pain, romance, and more is so beautifully portrayed and written. Shane and Lilah have such electric chemistry throughout the book. The hate felt genuine yet charged with undeniable attraction, the gradual change as they overcome their past transgressions and animosity is so unbelievably realistic that I felt physical pain as I read about the small moments that fostered newfound love between them. Ava is just such a stunning writer and this book shows exponential growth in her craft. Her debut was already a show stopper so this is just above and beyond. I LOVED IT!!