How to Fake It in Hollywood by Ava Wilder
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?
I might be in a bit of a slump because I didn’t enjoy this as much as I thought I would. Fake dating, romance/steamy, and LA sold me on getting this. Don’t get me wrong. I liked this quite a bit. But I thought I’d love it and felt a bit disappointed. I think it might have been the seriousness of Ethan’s drinking. Some of those scenes made me feel really uncomfortable and angry that no one was really helping him. I liked Grey. She seemed both mature for her age and immature at the same time. I think the immaturity was the lack of romantic relationships. If I was her, I would not have gone back to Ethan at all. Or at least not until he changed. I did like their romance though. Ethan was great when he was sober. I was a bit more invested with the bff and the ex wife though. I would have liked a little more on acting and directing.
I gave this book 4 stars but it was closer to a 3 1/2 for me.
Have you read this? Is it on your TBR?
