I LOVED THIS!! A second chance romance with plenty of mutual pining, where the guy falls first and hardest is like my kryptonite. I really loved getting both Lilah and Shane's POV and the flashbacks made everything feel more intense. I felt the deep connection between the characters and went along on this nine year journey with them. They both clearly had things they needed to work on and it was holding them back from having a relationship that could thrive. The writing style was very enjoyable and the pacing felt right. Also if Intangible were a real show, I would be watching the heck out of it!

I received an advance review copy through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. A big thank you to Random House Publishing!

4.5 round up
I looooved How to Fake it in Hollywood, and I was so excited to be approved for an ARC of Ava Wilder's next novel. This book is a true enemies to lovers, second chance romance that was so realistic. I wasn't ready for this book to be over!
This wasn't quite a 5 star for me, only because it ended up feeling a little repetitive and dragged on throughout the middle.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who loved How to Fake it in Hollywood, any romance reader, and anyone who's fave trope is enemies to lovers.
Will They or Won't They? Is out June 27th 2023.
Thank you to Ava Wilder, NetGalley, and Random House for this advanced e-copy in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for allowing me to read this book. You could feel the tension between Shane and Lilah from the start. I was entranced when they had to do the photo shoot just waiting to see what would happen! I really liked the camaraderie within the cast. It was interesting to read what it’s like behind the scenes and the kinds of struggles celebrities face. The sexual tension was crazy! It felt like the perfect mix of enemies-lovers/ second chance and it’s always been you. I also really liked all the side characters. I really enjoyed the twist at the end! I’m so happy the characters got the happy ending they deserved and got to be together in peace.

3.5 ⭐️

I had an overall fun time with this book. It's a second chance, enemies to lovers romance.

This follows Lilah and Shane, two main characters of a hit drama sitcom. Fans love their characters and ship them big time. Lilah left a few seasons in to pursue a career in movies, but had returned 3 years later to film the last season. Although fans love them, Shane and Lilah absolutely loathe and hate eachother.

It was steamy and angsty thru out the story. I really enjoyed the opening scene between the two characters. They had great chemistry and I was really looking forward to what was in store for them. Unfortunately from there things started to loose steam for me and couldn't keep that chemistry between them strong other than physical attraction.

I didn't mind Shane as a character although flawed he was like able, I did not at all like Lilah and found her to be unkind with no likeable qualities. Other than their incredible sex I couldn't figure out why these two wanted to be together. They were both toxic to eachother,

This is my second book of Ava Wilder, I did enjoy this one more. I see Wilders writing and story building growing stronger, I'll be keeping an eye on other books of hers in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for this advanced reader copy. My review is voluntarily my own.

Lilah is an actress returning for the final season of her hit show. The problem is that her former love, Shane, is her co-star, and the two are not on good terms anymore. Lilah and Shane initially struggle to find chemistry, but after some “couples” therapy ordered by the show, they begin to realize that maybe they don’t hate each other after all. Will the two stars be able to resolve misunderstandings and balance being in the public eye?

I loved Ava Wilder’s second novel even more than her first! Lilah’s character is relatable in how she’s unapologetically herself and knows that she won’t be everyone’s cup of tea. The behind the scenes of a tv show was a fun setting for the book and gave glimpses of what life in Hollywood is like. Shane is sweet and caring and charismatic and made an excellent love interest while still being flawed. I felt that the enemies to lovers trope was well done- it was angsty, tension building, but also more realistic in the way the characters went from love to hate to love. I’d recommend this to rom com lovers, especially those who enjoy enemies to lovers banter, Hollywood settings, and a bit of spice in your romance reading!

Thank you to Ava Wilder, Random House- Ballantine, and Netgalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

The lovers to enemies trope of Lilah and Shane was done extremely well. Lilah and Shane are co stars of a hit show and and we see their romance go from lovers to enemies to….

I absolutely loved Will They or Won’t They. The relationship between Lilah and Shane was perfectly written and the flashbacks were executed beautifully. I couldn’t put the book down.

This is a 5 star read for me. I recommend reading it when it publishes on June 27, 2023. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

As someone that read Ava Wilders's book How to Fake It In Hollywood last year and loved that I was so excited to read this and was happy that I got an arc!

Our main characters are Lilah and Shane who first met years ago while auditing for a part on a tv show. They both got the part, played costars, and had a fling for a while that ended horribly and led to them hating each other. Lilah ended up leaving the show but in the book we see her come back to the show and have to work with Shane again to end the show well for their fans.

This book was done well especially when it came to the lovers to enemies to lovers again plot, the whole book I felt the range of emotions the characters were going through especially with the tension and chemistry with the characters. I loved the use of the past and present timelines throughout the book, It made me even more engaged because I wanted to know what happened with these characters in the past and why they couldn't stand each other. I will say that something close to the ending confused me and I wanted to shake the characters but thankfully it didn't go the way I thought it would.

Overall this is a good read with lots of drama and realistic characters that makes decisions that are sometimes annoying but understandable which is something that Ava Wilder is great at writing. It didn't have heavy themes like in the author's first book and there are also good spicy moments that complemented the book well.

Thank you Random House and Netgalley for this arc for an honest review!

I was a big fan of HOW TO FAKE IT IN HOLLYWOOD, Wilder's debut. This book once again gives us a Hollywood romance, but of a different sort. I loved the second-chance romance and the TV show setting. Loved how Wilder explored the ups and downs of success on a longtime television show, the perils of fame, etc. I really liked the way the directing was handled in the actual shoot of their big episode, and I also liked how she handled the photo shoot and the intimacy coordinating.

I loved How to fake it in Hollywood last summer and I was looking forward to read this new story by the same author.

Lilah and Shane had great chemistry when they met auditioning for the show they will later work on together. Their on the screen relationship was great but behind the scenes things were so different. After a try out to something else, Lilah is returning to the same show where she’s giving a second chance to play her character in the last season.

Their reunion is nothing special because now they are more likely to still “hate “ each other and there are still a few loose ends to be tied up between them.

I love a second chance romance and these two have the best one. Trying to remain true to themselves while playing a fake story it can be hard and overwhelming but I loved how the author has interwoven perfect their flows and thoughts with the big picture that will always bring a happily ever after.

Slow burn romance with great characters that grow on you throughout their experiences and a must read romance.

Will They or Won’t They by Ava Wilder

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.
————————————————
Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of WTOWT. I love the universe Ava Wilder has created. Enemies to lovers? Sign me up. While I’m partial to How To Fake It In Hollywood, this was an amazing sophomore book.

4⭐️

Thanks to @netgalley and Ballantine for my gifted copy of Will They or Won't They, by Ava Wilder. This book comes out on June 27th. In Will They or Won't They, we meet a pair of Hollywood actors who strongly dislike each other, yet have amazing chemistry together on the screen. And, they're reuniting for one more season of their hit show.

I enjoyed this book, but it wasn't a home run for me. "The tension building took way too long for my satisfaction, and the last ten percent felt so rushed (I knocked off a star because of it). I did enjoy Lilah's personality, relateableness, and overall character, and wished we could've delved more into her anxiety. Some of the side characters weren't all the way developed either.

Despite my feelings about this book, I still plan to read Wilder's future books! It's always fun to dive headfirst into a world that you aren't very familiar with.

I wanted to like this book but I only finished it to see how it ended and that was a pleasant surprise.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the ebook ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Pub date: 6/27/23
Genre: romance (enemies to lovers, second chance romance, celebrity)
Quick summary: Lilah and Shane fell in love as TV costars, but their relationship quickly turned sour and they haven't spoken since Lilah left the show. But when Lilah returns for a final season, they'll have one more chance to get it right.

Celebrity romance may be my new favorite romance sub-genre - I love reading about lives so different from my own. I liked the Ava Wilder leaned into the second chance romance trope, giving the reader flashbacks to show how Lilah and Shane's relationship first developed and then fell apart. Enemies to lovers fans - this relationship had some serious sparks - the banter was explosive! And there was also plenty of steam. Bonus: I did not see the ending coming (so rare in the romance world!)

If enjoyed Wilder's debut HOW TO FAKE IT IN HOLLYWOOD, I bet you'll love this one too!

Thank you to Dell for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book certainly lives up to its title especially at the end! Even though stars are well aware of the public eye and the scrutiny that comes along with it, I can only imagine how hard it was for Lilah and Shane to separate their own personal identities from the characters they played. Like at the convention, fans thought of them as Kate and Harrison. Both were lucky to have such strong support systems in friends and family. I appreciated how verbal Shane was in terms of his affection and love for her and in gurn , Lilah let her guard down. This book is captivating.

thank you to Random House and Netgally for the ARC to this amazing book.
i adore Hollywood set books and an enemies to lovers/second chance romance? sign me up!
I enjoyed so much about this book, from the behind the scenes of Hollywood to the depths of the characters. I felt so connected to the story and the characters I couldn’t put it down. I had to find out where the story was going next. Going through past and present to learn about Lilah and Shane’s relationship allowed it to have so much more depth and tension throughout the story. I really enjoyed this one. If you love Hollywood romances, second chance romance or enemies to lovers, look no further than “Will They or Won’t They”
Again, thank you to Random House and Netgally for the ARC!

I have mixed views on this one. I felt like I was reading a book by a different author. One that didn't wrote How to Fake It In Hollywood. I loved the plot and storyline, but I couldn't connect with the main characters. And I could have cared less if they got together.

Admittedly I wasn’t the biggest fan of Ava wilder’s debut, but this one is fantastic. This has solidified me as a fan of Wilder and I cannot wait to see what she has in store next.

I’m gonna be honest, I loved this book a lot. I loved the idea of seeing behind the scenes of two super famous celebs. But I have to say, these two were SO toxic. For me, it didn’t detract from the story. I actually really enjoyed watching them both grow and become better versions of themselves. I also really loved seeing them fall so hard for each other once they stopped being so toxic to each other. I think the story worked well and plus, I really liked Shane’s character. Lilah took me some time to get used to. I also really enjoyed that it switched back and forth between their views. Also, the book has some spice. I wouldn’t say it’s as spicy as a Tessa Bailey book but there’s definitely some spicy scenes. Definitely recommend this book.

Thank you to Ballantine for allowing me to read an early copy of this book!

I already really enjoyed Ava Wilder's first book, but this one was SO incredibly good. To be entirely honest, second chance romance is almost never a trope that works for me (is it the fact that I've never once had the urge to so much as hang out with an ex again? perhaps, but that's between me and my therapist!) but she managed to pull it off in a way that I really truly believed in.

Every character in this story, even adjacent characters, felt so incredibly real that I kind of missed them after finishing. In particular, the lead, Lilah, was a character I really felt connected to. but I suspect there's going to be a lot of people who find her difficult to enjoy—her decision making is often tough to read, and she lashes out frequently, but Ava Wilder managed to pull off the feat of still managing to make you understand her all the way through it. As someone with a LONG history of severe anxiety, I found this to be one of the most accurate displays of how anxiety can manifest in ugly ways that I've ever seen in a book, something that I've seen so many writers get wrong.

It was most definitely a slow burn, but hey, we covered almost a decade here, so I'll cut it some slack. I'm SO curious to see the general reaction to this one when it officially releases! Either way, very very excited to incessantly recommend this to passerby at my local bookstore.

Intense chemistry. Lots of angst. Will They or Won’t They has a fantastic premise (and title) and is an engaging and enjoyable read.

We follow Lilah and Shane, two beautiful celebrities, as they attract and repel one another (and repeat). Readers get both Lilah’s and Shane’s respective points of view which helps deepen our understanding of why and how they act in certain ways. I wish there had been a little less animosity between the characters at times but appreciated the way everything was worked out in the end. Lilah and Shane are clearly meant for each other and easy to root for (even if I didn’t love all of their decisions). It was great to see them interact and grow over the course of a decade.

The Hollywood/TV show setting adds a fun element and we even get a few of How to Fake It in Hollywood references! While second chance romance and miscommunication tropes are not my preferred genre, I love Ava Wilder’s writing style (her debut novel was one of my favorite reads of 2022).

I’m looking forward to reading whatever Ava Wilder writes next and recommend Will They or Won’t They to anyone looking for a push-pull celebrity romance with complex characters facing anxiety, insecurity, professional dilemmas, etc., even as things may appear to be perfect from the outside. 4.5 stars.

Thank you very much to Random House Ballantine and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy.