MINI-REVIEW: How to Fake It in Hollywood by Ava Wilder

Posted on by michelle

**I received an ARC from the publisher through Netgalley. These are my honest opinions, and in no way was I compensated for this review.**

How to Fake It in Hollywood cover

Book: How to Fake It in Hollywood by Ava Wilder

Release Date: June 14

My Rating: 3 stars

Rep: wlw Black side character, biracial (Thai, white) side character

CW: alcoholism, mentions of death of a loved one

Summary: 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.

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?

Naturally, the fake dating in this book caught my interest. I’m always a sucker for that trope, especially in Hollywood. How to Fake It in Hollywood was a steamy read about faking a relationship and dealing with the consequences of falling in love in the public eye.

Ever since her popular teen drama ended a year ago, Grey Brooks has been out of work and hunting for her next role. She’s desperate enough to consider her publicist’s suggestion of fake dating Ethan Atkins, an A-list actor who’s been out of the public eye for the past five years after his best friend died and a messy divorce and is now trying to clean up his reputation. When they meet, they reluctantly agree because neither of them can deny their attraction to each other. Soon that attraction leads to something real, but how good can a relationship be when your every move is followed by the public eye?

The characterizations were very strong. Of course, Grey wants to continue acting and needs something to be her big break, especially after being in the industry since she was eight years old. However, she also wants more public recognition so she and her best friend can get the project they wrote together off the ground. Meanwhile, Ethan struggles with his feelings of grief and alcoholism; he wants to finish the film he was working on with his best friend before he died, but every moment reminds him of his loss.

Both get something out of this relationship, although Ethan crudely assumes that Grey is doing it as an easy means of getting ahead at first. Over time, they grow to know each other better and give into their intense attraction.

Some aspects of the book just weren’t for me, such as the first half entirely consisting of them being insanely horny for each other. And that’s not a bad thing or a deal breaker! I just wish we had gotten to see more non-sexual development between the two of them because I didn’t really feel like there was that much. This is just my personal opinion though.

How to Fake It in Hollywood was a steamy, quick read. It had a melodramatic tone to it that made it easy to flip through, almost like a drama you can’t stop watching. If you’re looking for a hot romance with fake dating, you may like this book!

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About the Author: Ava Wilder is a contemporary romance writer. Her debut novel, HOW TO FAKE IT IN HOLLYWOOD, will be out Summer 2022 from Bantam Dell. No one is more surprised than she is that her lifelong obsession with pop culture actually led to something useful. 

She currently lives in Oklahoma City, with her fiancé and their toothless cat. 

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