How to Fake it in Hollywood: A sensational fake-dating romance

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there was some lag in the pacing which became more palpable towards the end but overall it was a well-oiled machine. also the plot twist?!? despite seeing it coming it was mwah, chef’s kiss. i loved how the characters were written. dual pov is one of my favorite things ever, i love knowing that the characters that supposedly “hate” each other are instead YEARNING for each other. this author did amazing writing the characters. like i said before, i don’t really like time jump books because i usually favor one time more but that was not the case with this book! i loved every second of it. when i tell you i highlighted over 200 quotes I MEAN IT. Side Characters– Look I just wanted more from them. I was really hoping we’d get a better interaction with Ethan and his children. Also some more from Grey’s family. It’s there but just isn’t fleshed out the way the rest of the story was. I get why it was probably done, but if I could change one thing it’d be that. Long Story Short

Grey walked around the side of the building toward the parking lot and found a secluded tree to stand under. She lifted the phone to her ear again. Shane was more likable than Lilah in my opinion. I did not like the way she would constantly invalidate his feelings for her. Thankfully, the therapy sessions helped. I absolutely loved their meet cute at the audition! I fell for Shane in that moment too.Two talented chess players challenge each other on and off the board in bestselling author Hazelwood’s YA debut. Overall it was a really good book in the first half that just started to drag and frustrate a bit towards the end. She shifted in her clogs and didn’t react. They probably weren’t talking to her. Lucy was a fairly common name. She’d finally broken the embarrassing habit of whirling around expectantly every time she heard it, and she wasn’t about to relapse now. Ethan Atkins was an A-lister, mega-star who recently became somewhat of a recluse since the death of his friend, followed by his very public divorce. The first half of the book is lovely! I enjoyed everything about it. From the fake dating to their forced proximity and attraction! I really liked the insta-attraction between both mc’s. I mean, just IMAGINE meeting your celebrity crush, and they’re attracted to you too. I would cry.

Initially, I was very excited about this digital advanced reader's copy (DRC) because I've heard fantastic things about Ava Wilder's debut novel, How to Fake it in Hollywood which I've heard is for those who love Emily Henry books. So, when I could get my hands on this DRC I was so hyped because I've seen so many fantastic things about this book already! Unfortunately, I can't give her a zero, so I'll give her a one... Enemies to loves is not my favorite trope because inevitably there's going to be some miscommunication and boy do we have it. Neither character is really likable. I did not like how rude Lilah was when she ended their secret relationship years ago or how Shane handled it. He could have been so much more mature. Actually, I didn't find either of them mature really for being in their 30's. Her throwing a fit about the donuts annoyed me. I usually like banter, but it was too much for me in this one. There's some jealously thrown in, too, with an assumption and you know what happens when you assume.... But please don't go into this book and expect a rom-com, because it is not, for sure. It's horny, romantic, and sad. It has a happily ever after, don't you worry about that, but Wilder makes the characters go through pain and ups and downs before you get to it. Ethan is messy AF, he's a train ready to crash and you see it all in slow motion. Grey is the perfect person for him. But even though he wants to be better for her, he knows he has to work on him first, and I love seeing that in the book. This empathetic, sexy, utterly radiant book has my whole heart . . . How to Fake it in Hollywood is the real deal' RACHEL LYNN SOLOMONEighteen-year-old Mallory Greenleaf is no longer interested in chess, not since her hypercompetitive dad left—the game calls up painful memories. But she grudgingly agrees to play in a charity tournament as a favor to best friend Easton Peña. After she unexpectedly beats current world champion Nolan Sawyer, she’s offered a fellowship that will prepare her to play professionally. Even though Mallory doesn’t want to play anymore, she needs the money that winning would provide; she’s delayed college to support her family, since her mother is chronically ill with rheumatoid arthritis and is unable to work regularly. The more time she spends with Nolan, the more Mallory comes to like and respect him—and the more time she spends playing chess, the more she remembers how much she loved it. But when she learns that Nolan has been keeping a big secret from her, she isn’t sure if she’ll be able to move past it to build a relationship with him. Filled with the author’s signature humor, well-developed characters, and realistic conflicts, plus the fully realized setting of competitive chess, this captivating romance will delight teen readers as well as Hazelwood’s adult fans. Mallory and Nolan are both cued white; there is some racial diversity among the supporting cast. Mallory and Easton are queer. The entire point of romance novels is that there is a guaranteed HEA, so, when you come across one that actually makes you doubt that, it’s worth noting, lol.

That said, the book's second half (40ish%) was HARD to read. We got a closer look at the ugly side of Hollywood. Expectations, grief, and addiction. There were valid reasons for the break up in the first place and it took the characters a lot of growth and change and TIME, for them to try a relationship again. There was no rushing through, no brushing off of their experience in between (they were apart for 9 years). Grey has some family issues and some confidence issues when it comes to Ethan and his feelings perhaps because of his fame, their age gap or her relationship history with her ex. On screen, they're in love. Off screen, they can't stand each other. Two co-stars with a complex history reunite to film the final season of a beloved paranormal drama in this tension-filled will they won't they romance from the author of How to Fake It in Hollywood. This was SO GOOD! ₊˚ෆ Ava Wilder has written one of the best slow-burn romances I've ever read. Set in Hollywood, with two characters who are actors, Will They or Won't They has to be on your TBR.

A talented Hollywood starlet and a reclusive A-lister enter into a fake relationship...and discover that their feelings might be more than a PR stunt in this sexy debut for fans of Beach Read and The Unhoneymooners .

Overall: A stunning debut, with a writing style I fancy, a skillfully crafted plot, impressive character growth and a diverse selection of secondary characters. Thanks to the author, Random House and NetGalley for the ARC. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*

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I really liked these two flawed and realistic characters. You know it’s only a matter of time until they give in to their attraction, but there’s more meat to this story than just that. There are themes of grief, betrayal, addiction, paparazzi, and friendship all thrown in the mix too. It’s just, like, I feel like I grew up with Lucy, you know? Like, I started watching the show when I was in, like, elementary school. You were, like... my big sister.” Kelly turned her face up at Grey with a look of such naked vulnerability that Grey’s heart ached a little. She felt guilty for being annoyed at the interruption. Grey Brooks is on a mission to keep her career afloat now that the end of her long-running teen soap has her (unsuccessfully) pounding the pavement again. With a life-changing role on the line, she's finally desperate enough to agree to her publicist's scheme... faking a love affair with a disgraced Hollywood heartthrob who needs the publicity, but for very different reasons.