The One About A Relationship Faker Than The Movies: How To Fake It In Hollywood by Ava Wilder

Happy Tuesday, friends!

When you are sick, there is nothing better than staying in bed, snuggled with a book and spending the rest of the day reading. A close second would be scrolling through book recommendation lists, and these days, I’ve been discovering new books on Instagram!

and this book was one of them. I had read the title, briefly skimmed the synopsis on Goodreads and immediately bought the ebook. This book is something right up my alley.

(Some spoilers ahead!)

How to Fake It in Hollywood by Ava Wilder

Edition: Paperback, 368 pages

Publication Date: June 14th 2022 by Dell

ISBN: 0593358953 (ISBN13: 9780593358955)

Goodreads synopsis:

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 Readand The Unhoneymooners.

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.

Ethan Atkins just wants to be left alone. Between his high-profile divorce, his struggles with drinking, and his grief over the death of his longtime creative partner and best friend, he’s slowly let himself fade into the background. But if he ever wants to produce the last movie he and his partner wrote together, Ethan needs to clean up his reputation and step back into the spotlight. A gossip-inducing affair with a gorgeous actress might be just the ticket, even if it’s the last thing he wants to do.

Though their juicy public relationship is less than perfect behind the scenes, it doesn’t take long before Grey and Ethan’s sizzling chemistry starts to feel like more than just an act. But after decades in a ruthless industry that requires bulletproof emotional armor to survive, are they too used to faking it to open themselves up to the real thing? 35

Her theory that their attraction would be defused by consumption was wrong, to put to middle. The more he had her, the more he wanted her.

How To Fake It In Hollywood follows a pretty simple premise– a Hollywood starlet and a beloved A-list actor with the simple job of faking a relationship. They should be pretty good at pretending at being in love– after all, they are both actors. However, genuine chemistry cannot be faked and soon lines are starting to blur between “reel” and real.

The synopsis of this book is what appealled to me. I knew it might be cheesy and predictable, but that was exactly what I was looking for as I was lounging in bed, sick with a fever and a stubborn cold. I didn’t need immaculate world building or shocking twists. I need a swoon-worthy romance to take my mind off of feeling ill.

And this is exactly what the book gave me. The romance was quite good. I liked how it wasn’t insta-love, and instead readers are treated to a slow-burn romance where the focus is how well the main characters fit together as people, and not how good they are in bed. Although, there is a few spicy scenes that aren’t too descriptive, but this sprinkled throughout the book. I really liked the banter between Grey and Ethan, and the back and forth/push-and-pull trope(?) during the beginning of their relationship. Their chemistry is great– the tension, the banter, the vulnerability between them…it’s all good.

I did also like that both of the main characters are actors. Usually, the books that I have read previously which are set in Hollywood only feature one character as being the celebrity (usually the man!), so it was nice to see something different here. Because both of the characters are at different “levels” of fame, it was interesting to see how the fake relationship impacts their reputations and public perceptions. There is definitely an element of truth when the book shows how the public can put male celebrities on a pedestal for doing the bare minimum, but will slam down a female celebrity for the smallest things.

I appreciate the fact that the book explores tougher issues such as grief and addiction. These topics were quite vital to the character’s development, and I liked how the story dealt with this issues, instead of dropping them in there just to add a layer of complexity. My only pickle with this book is how much content was packed in the second half of the book. The first half of the book is quite close to perfect– I was completely immersed with the story and loving everything that was going on. However, once we’ve crossed the 60% mark, there is just so much going on. Not to mention, the miscommunication trope was used (one of my most despised trope). However, that is better than having a slow and dry second half, so there is not much to complain about.

If you are a fan of the fake dating trope, set in the backdrop of Hollywood and all of it’s blinding lights, then this book is for you.

3 stars.

Have you read How To Fake It In Hollywood by Ava Wilder or any of her other books?

Let me know in the comments below!

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