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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
This is a fucking masterpiece. This has probably the best first 20 pages I’ve ever read in a book, and it went uphill from there. The LONGING! The CHEMISTRY! The ANGER! This makes every other enemies to lovers book look like a joke. We should all be taking notes from Ava Wilder. I will be thinking about this book for the rest of my life. I will be on my deathbed and still thinking about Shane and Lilah. Ava I love you and if anyone reading this review doubts me, let it be known that I preordered a signed copy of this book and it came with a fake tattoo of a ghost (if you read it you’ll see) and I wore the fake tattoo to an author event she did in DC on Friday and she said I was the first person she’d seen actually wearing the tattoo. And I refuse to be embarrassed about that
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I just didn’t really care
Have you ever been at a bar ordering a simple cocktail and thought "they'll never mess this up. It's a Vodka Cran" and then somehow...they did?
This book lost me in the will they or won't they and made me wonder multiple times why would they? The pairing felt like they had nothing in common and zero chemistry.
This book lost me in the will they or won't they and made me wonder multiple times why would they? The pairing felt like they had nothing in common and zero chemistry.
I was very kindly given an e-ARC of this book via Netgalley and Headline.
I'm kind of teetering towards four stars for this one, though I feel I'm giving it rather reluctantly. And that's largely due to the final 10% of the book and a heavy-handed use of the miscommunication trope being dragged on for a smidge too long for my liking. Following the two leads of a CW-style show who hate each other (supposedly), "Will They or Won't They" is an angsty back-and-forth romance between two people who can't communicate - even when they're in therapy.
There was a lot to like about this. Ava Wilder's writing style is great and I'm now more eager to pick up her first book (yes, I'm reading out of order). The pacing was good and the banter between the leads really helped develop the chemistry in their relationship. I also thought it was just hot. There are only two or three major sex scenes, but Wilder doesn't shy away from them - she gives us anatomy, she gives us emotion, she gives us actual description. No fades to black here, my friends. But even the flirting scenes, the suggestive scenes, the 'oh my god are we going to kiss scenes' were so full of energy that I felt myself getting a bit hot under the collar while reading them.
I knock off points because of the final 10% of the book. It was totally unnecessary - particularly, as the conclusion we were getting to had essentially been solved at the 90% mark. It just seemed like a ploy to make the book longer, rather than actually adding anything new to these characters or their relationship. It could've even been an epilogue, rather than 30 or so pages. If I'd had a red editor pen, I would've restructured the third act and brought it all together in a more concise fashion - it felt clumsier than the rest of the book.
Liliah was also an unpleasant lead. She didn't need to be. The majority of the problems in the relationship were caused by her unable to work through her own issues and then projecting them onto Shane, or immediately interpreting anything Shane does negatively. And that doesn't really change as the book goes on - it improves slightly, but she doesn't have as much of a journey as Shane does. Shane had a lot of patience for her and I wanted that to be reciprocated SOMEWHERE.
I appreciated the anxiety rep but didn't appreciate Shane and Lilah abandoning any situation that got difficult rather than actually talking to each other. One of the core conflicts is about something Shane thought happened, but actually didn't, and that irked me. So, it's a mixed bag. But, it's also a fun summer read that'll be great for the beach.
"Will They or Won't They" will be available from June 27th.
I'm kind of teetering towards four stars for this one, though I feel I'm giving it rather reluctantly. And that's largely due to the final 10% of the book and a heavy-handed use of the miscommunication trope being dragged on for a smidge too long for my liking. Following the two leads of a CW-style show who hate each other (supposedly), "Will They or Won't They" is an angsty back-and-forth romance between two people who can't communicate - even when they're in therapy.
There was a lot to like about this. Ava Wilder's writing style is great and I'm now more eager to pick up her first book (yes, I'm reading out of order). The pacing was good and the banter between the leads really helped develop the chemistry in their relationship. I also thought it was just hot. There are only two or three major sex scenes, but Wilder doesn't shy away from them - she gives us anatomy, she gives us emotion, she gives us actual description. No fades to black here, my friends. But even the flirting scenes, the suggestive scenes, the 'oh my god are we going to kiss scenes' were so full of energy that I felt myself getting a bit hot under the collar while reading them.
I knock off points because of the final 10% of the book. It was totally unnecessary - particularly, as the conclusion we were getting to had essentially been solved at the 90% mark. It just seemed like a ploy to make the book longer, rather than actually adding anything new to these characters or their relationship. It could've even been an epilogue, rather than 30 or so pages. If I'd had a red editor pen, I would've restructured the third act and brought it all together in a more concise fashion - it felt clumsier than the rest of the book.
Liliah was also an unpleasant lead. She didn't need to be. The majority of the problems in the relationship were caused by her unable to work through her own issues and then projecting them onto Shane, or immediately interpreting anything Shane does negatively. And that doesn't really change as the book goes on - it improves slightly, but she doesn't have as much of a journey as Shane does. Shane had a lot of patience for her and I wanted that to be reciprocated SOMEWHERE.
I appreciated the anxiety rep but didn't appreciate Shane and Lilah abandoning any situation that got difficult rather than actually talking to each other. One of the core conflicts is about something Shane thought happened, but actually didn't, and that irked me. So, it's a mixed bag. But, it's also a fun summer read that'll be great for the beach.
"Will They or Won't They" will be available from June 27th.
If you're a fan of romance novels featuring famous characters, then you will undoubtedly adore this book! It tells the captivating tale of Lilah and Shane, two strangers who auditioned for a television show nine years ago and were both cast in the lead roles. On the show, their characters are involved in an epic love story that has garnered a massive following among fans. However, Lilah and Shane can't stand each other in real life. They can't even be in the same room without arguing. But wait, there's more to their story! The excellent writing takes you on a journey with a dual timeline, revealing the backstory of their love/hate relationship. You'll be hooked entirely by Lilah and Shane's off-screen romance and the events that led to their break up. The reasons behind their fall-out are so true to life and understandable. I loved how there was no quick fix and that it took the characters a lot of time, effort, and personal growth to realize they wanted to test the waters of a relationship again. They didn't rush or brush off their experience in between. I loved that they got to know themselves and each other through individual and couples therapy. This is a slow-burn, lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers, second-chance romance and requires some patience as they take their sweet time finding their way back to each other. But trust me, when they do, it will be worth it. The author has indeed captured the essence of their story, and I absolutely adored this book.
Might be biased because the male lead is named Shane but I thought he was very dreamy.
I'm honestly not sure how to feel about this book. I feel like the characters were both too immature and too dramatic about everything happening to a point where it stopped being reasonable for a love story (until we hit the 70% mark I wasn't exactly rooting for them). To add to that, I wasn't really satisfied with the ending: I wasn't convinced they should be together or that they WOULD really stay together in the long run. There was too much stuff to be solved for it to drag for more than 50% of the book and end so abruptly.
Will They or Won’t They is a second chance celebrity romance featuring enemies to lovers (well, lovers to enemies to lovers if we are being totally accurate). It was also one of my most anticipated books of 2023 and it definitely did not disappoint.
Eight years ago, Lilah Hunter and Shane McCarthy meet during a screen test for a paranormal tv show pilot. Their chemistry is palpable from the jump and they end up being cast as the leads. They could not be more different. Lilah is Julliard trained and has dreamed of being a professional actress since childhood; Shane was discovered by a casting director while waiting tables shortly after arriving in LA. Lilah has major anxiety issues and is wary of fame/celebrity, fiercely guarding her privacy. Shane is open and easy going and has little problem with all the attention. After a secret relationship during season 1, they break up (MESSILY—immaturity breads miscommunication during and after the break up and hearts are broken) and then spend the next 4 seasons loathing each other off-screen while feigning love on it. Lilah leaves after season 5 to shoot a movie (which bombs) and the series struggles a bit without her. Now, a few years later, Lilah is returning for the final season in the hopes of getting her career back on track and she and Shane have to find a way to co-exist once again as neither has been able to fully let go of the past (or their mutual attraction).
The book is dual timeline and dual POV so we get to see how their relationship started, how it fell apart so disastrously, and how much they grow together. This is one of my favorite romance novel structures and it works so well here. There is a fair amount of angst here. Both Lilah and Shane behaved badly toward one another but it worked for me because they were both young/immature and had a fair amount of growing up/learning to communicate to do. It really felt like a prime example of right person, wrong time which is one of my favorite tropes (and the way that second chance romance works for me). As in her debut (How to Fake It in Hollywood which I also cannot recommend enough), Wilder knows how to write flawed, complex characters that feel so real. I CANNOT wait to see what she writes next.
Eight years ago, Lilah Hunter and Shane McCarthy meet during a screen test for a paranormal tv show pilot. Their chemistry is palpable from the jump and they end up being cast as the leads. They could not be more different. Lilah is Julliard trained and has dreamed of being a professional actress since childhood; Shane was discovered by a casting director while waiting tables shortly after arriving in LA. Lilah has major anxiety issues and is wary of fame/celebrity, fiercely guarding her privacy. Shane is open and easy going and has little problem with all the attention. After a secret relationship during season 1, they break up (MESSILY—immaturity breads miscommunication during and after the break up and hearts are broken) and then spend the next 4 seasons loathing each other off-screen while feigning love on it. Lilah leaves after season 5 to shoot a movie (which bombs) and the series struggles a bit without her. Now, a few years later, Lilah is returning for the final season in the hopes of getting her career back on track and she and Shane have to find a way to co-exist once again as neither has been able to fully let go of the past (or their mutual attraction).
The book is dual timeline and dual POV so we get to see how their relationship started, how it fell apart so disastrously, and how much they grow together. This is one of my favorite romance novel structures and it works so well here. There is a fair amount of angst here. Both Lilah and Shane behaved badly toward one another but it worked for me because they were both young/immature and had a fair amount of growing up/learning to communicate to do. It really felt like a prime example of right person, wrong time which is one of my favorite tropes (and the way that second chance romance works for me). As in her debut (How to Fake It in Hollywood which I also cannot recommend enough), Wilder knows how to write flawed, complex characters that feel so real. I CANNOT wait to see what she writes next.
4.5 Stars. Lilah and Shane have been co-stars of a hit CW-esque show for the past nine years. The only problem is they hate each other. They used to love each other but after their brief affair in season one ended they have been phoning it in on the show and avoiding each other. Now in the final season they are forced to come to terms with the past and their continued attraction to one another.
I loved Ava’s last book so I was really looking forward to this one and it did not disappoint. As someone who watched way too much CW in my teens and loves celebrity relationship drama this book really spoke to me. I really liked both Lilah and Shane. Both were complex and had very clear needs and motivations. I liked that the story was told out of order as it kept the pace moving. It was a book that i read slowly and savored. I will say that while I happy about the ending, it wasn’t as satisfying as I hoped it would be, but it’s hard to make a celebrity romance fully satisfying because there are so many external factors. I really hope we get more books from Ava.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I loved Ava’s last book so I was really looking forward to this one and it did not disappoint. As someone who watched way too much CW in my teens and loves celebrity relationship drama this book really spoke to me. I really liked both Lilah and Shane. Both were complex and had very clear needs and motivations. I liked that the story was told out of order as it kept the pace moving. It was a book that i read slowly and savored. I will say that while I happy about the ending, it wasn’t as satisfying as I hoped it would be, but it’s hard to make a celebrity romance fully satisfying because there are so many external factors. I really hope we get more books from Ava.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.