Ava Wilder- Will They or Won't They

Ava Wilder- Will They or Won't They 

4 ⭐

Genre:  Romance, Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Fake Dating 

Pages: 384

Format: Kindle/ Netgalley 

Publisher: Headline Eternal 

Date Published: 27th June 2023

Book Blurb: 

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.

Lilah Hunter and Shane McCarthy are madly in love— at least, their characters are. As the stars of the hit paranormal TV show Intangible, they spent years pining for each other on-screen… until Lilah ditched the show at the end of season five in hopes of becoming a film star. With no such luck, she’s back to film the much-hyped ninth and final season, in which their 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 the first season, the two of them have despised each other.

Now back on set together 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 just might get blindsided by one final twist: a real-life happy ending of their own.

My Review: 

I loved How To Fake It In Hollywood so much, so when I saw that Ava Wilder was releasing another book, I just knew I needed to read it. I really really enjoyed this book, although it was quite hard to get into it, at first, in comparison to HTFIIH. I think the first half of the book I did struggle to get invested in the characters, but the second half was really good and redeemed the rest of the book for me. Also, this book had great mental health rep and was quite easy to read with short chapters. Ava Wilder’s writing is also very good so makes reading this book so easy and interesting.

The story follows Lilah and Shane, who met at the audition of a paranormal TV show. From the very beginning, they clicked, and their chemistry was amazing. Fast forward 5+ years and they hate each other offscreen, yet onscreen everyone thinks that they are together based on their chemistry. Now Lilah is back on the hit TV show for one more season and must face her biggest enemy, Shane…

I usually love enemies-to-lovers, but it was hard to connect with Lilah and Shane until about halfway through the story. In the beginning, I found both of them insufferable and moany about everything. Also, the reason why they hate each other was quite silly, at least in my opinion but the way they address and resolve their issues was quite entertaining to read. I think both Shane and Lilah read more like young adults and not someone in their early to mid-thirties. They both did lack maturity but also, I felt that they grew up a lot during the book too. So, in the end I did end up growing to love them.

What I really liked about this book was the writing and the premise of the book. It was quite different from the usual Hollywood romances, which was a breath of fresh air to read.

Overall: It is a very solid enemies-to-lovers romance, with quite insufferable characters that I grew to love. Great writing and premise. If you love Hollywood romances and enemies-to-lovers trope, then this book is definitely for you. For me, Ava Wilder is definitely becoming one of the autobuy authors, so I can’t wait to see what she writes next.

 This review was first published on Netgalley: 

https://www.netgalley.co.uk/book/290459/review/959200 

About the Author: 

Ava Wilder is a professional video editor with a degree in media studies and cultural criticism. She currently lives in Oklahoma City with her fiancé and their toothless cat.

https://www.ava-wilder.com/