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sdoner23's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
spatterson12's review against another edition
5.0
I loved it. The characters were layered, perceptive, and human. This is one I would love see turned into a short five-episode series to watch in the summer.
Grey has just ended her run on a popular teen TV show, spending a bulk of her career in one role. Ethan has been processing grief in a reclusive, unhealthy way after an accident during the pinnacle of his career. Both have the same publicist who is ready to surge their careers by bringing them together. A fake Hollywood romance. A tale as old as time.
This one did run a little long, but ultimately, how the characters were forced to handle conflict, communicate, and grow, it was a worthwhile journey. I appreciated that even though it was a fake dating trope, they didn’t just ride off into the sunset at the end.
These characters were self actualized and messy. I loved them both.
TW: Addiction
Grey has just ended her run on a popular teen TV show, spending a bulk of her career in one role. Ethan has been processing grief in a reclusive, unhealthy way after an accident during the pinnacle of his career. Both have the same publicist who is ready to surge their careers by bringing them together. A fake Hollywood romance. A tale as old as time.
This one did run a little long, but ultimately, how the characters were forced to handle conflict, communicate, and grow, it was a worthwhile journey. I appreciated that even though it was a fake dating trope, they didn’t just ride off into the sunset at the end.
These characters were self actualized and messy. I loved them both.
TW: Addiction
kingsnail's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Sexual content, Addiction, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Car accident, Death, Drug abuse, and Panic attacks/disorders
xorrav's review against another edition
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Triggerssss the second half dragged and the first half was wild
michellechien930's review against another edition
4.0
Definitely another one of my favorite celeb romance novels! The age gap is sort of icky to me, but I appreciate the book tackling a lot of difficult issues such as alcoholism, addiction, child molestation, etc. It's not the kind of fluffy rom-com book you would expect from the cover, and yet I think it is an accurately written novel about the price of being famous in Hollywood. I would probably not date the main character though^^
roniphillips's review against another edition
3.0
While there were parts of their relationship I didn’t love… I appreciated how raw it was. It added depth and definitely tugged on my heart strings
3 ⭐️ because I’m not sure if I loved it enough to reread it or if I’ll remember it in a year but I enjoyed my time with their story
3 ⭐️ because I’m not sure if I loved it enough to reread it or if I’ll remember it in a year but I enjoyed my time with their story
jhayter_xo's review against another edition
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
vungvarsky's review against another edition
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
rnshack's review against another edition
4.0
4 solid stars
This was a really solid 4 star book. I read it quickly and I really liked all of the characters. My only complaint and the reason for 4 and not 5 stars is it dragged quite a bit the last 150 pages or so.
It just got really slow and drawn out and I found myself skimming and skipping ahead. They broke up a lot and the pacing got really slow and a bit repetitive. And I was just really for the drama to happen so the make up could happen.
But I loved the ending and I would 100% pick up another book by this author. It was super cute and wonderfully written. I really enjoyed this one.
This was a really solid 4 star book. I read it quickly and I really liked all of the characters. My only complaint and the reason for 4 and not 5 stars is it dragged quite a bit the last 150 pages or so.
It just got really slow and drawn out and I found myself skimming and skipping ahead. They broke up a lot and the pacing got really slow and a bit repetitive. And I was just really for the drama to happen so the make up could happen.
But I loved the ending and I would 100% pick up another book by this author. It was super cute and wonderfully written. I really enjoyed this one.
cameesreads's review against another edition
2.0
I keep running into instances with recent romance reads where the trope or scenario a synopsis promises doesn't deliver. How to Fake It in Hollywood is unfortunately another one of those instances. This started out so strong! The fake dating scenario Wider cooked up wasn't actually that far fetched and the setup of the backstory and potential for our two MCs was perfectly done. However there wasn't much dating real or fake featured for long before this book become an extremely heavy, dark, and drawn out story. I almost DNF'ed so many times but I really wanted the magic from the first chapters to return and the excellent audiobook narration helped me keep pushing forward too. I firmly believe that if Wilder would have really zeroed in on the fake dating piece and made this a bit lighter it could of been a perfect romance.