Reviews with content warning for Alcoholism - How to Fake it in Hollywood

Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

How to Fake it in Hollywood by Ava Wilder

205 reviews

thebooseller's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I read this book after I'd read Wilder's second, Will They or Won't They, so I had an idea of her style and pacing.

Wilder is great at developing clever characters with problems, personalities, and quirks. She's a good character-driven storyteller. Both books were spicy, but quite light on that front, and the romance and tension were good.

I just really struggle with Wilder's pacing and plot arcs. It seems to be a pattern, as this was an issue (for my husband and me, at least, when we buddy read it) in WTOWY. She has these fun, layered characters and spends literally 90% of the book putting them in relatively low-stakes situations. And them bam, the last 10% of the book focuses on the meat of their conflict, diluting the impact and, frankly, doing a disservice to the issue.

In this case,

alcoholism and recovery </spoiler were significant impediments in Gray and Ethan's relationship. Yet the

alcoholism

was addressed so passively for the bulk of the story that, when it was finally addressed, it felt rushed and underwhelming.

Content Warnings

kdscolley's review

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3.0

This was just your run of the mill fake dating between celebrities. I didn't feel strongly one way or the other. It's a basic easy summer read.

TW for grief and alcoholism

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beanith's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I may be an outlier, but I loved this book! The writing was good but I really fell for the characters and the journey of their relationship. Ethan and Grey feel like real people - flawed but trying, balancing the hardships of life with the strange chaos of fame. The arcs their relationship goes through in 350-ish pages is impressive. I was gripped.

The main critique I saw from others is that the story was much heavier than they anticipated (

mainly Ethan’s substance abuse

). This is all a matter of personal taste - for me, having a serious issue, trauma, or emotional undercurrent can make a romance feel much more substantial and unifying. I like a little angst, drama, hurt-comfort, pining, yearning, etc. A little bitter for my sweet.

While a bit dramatic (although, it is Hollywood) I appreciated the exploration of the darker, sadder topics.

Grey: I pictured Vanessa Kirby (because of the cover). Grey is smart, funny and easy to empathize with. A hard worker who evolves from a nervous cw soap actress into a self-assured starlet.

Ethan: Pedro Pascal or Michiel Huisman (also because of the cover). He’s such a mess! And I love a mess! At one point I wrote in my notes "Ethan is down bad like no man has ever been down bad before". He’s like a more palatable Ben Affleck (also part of a Ben and Matt-esque duo).

Nora: Christy Turlington, but then learned that Nora is at least half Thai. I’m surprised how much I loved her! She’s a source of wisdom and stability for Grey. It is a little co-dependent perhaps, but it’s nice to have an older woman who has literally been there before.

I also really liked Grey’s relationship with her best friend Kamilah. Many romance authors have tried in recent years to include more female friendships in their works, to some mixed results. This felt more on par with Emily Henry (compliment) because they showed up for each other and didn’t have petty drama!

How to Fake it in Hollywood (Taylor’s Version)
1. Blank Space
2. Down Bad
3. "Slut!"
4. I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)
5. Anti-Hero
6. Do It With A Broken Heart
7. Style

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anniemlx's review against another edition

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emotional reflective tense

4.0

I thought it would be a basic and trashy romance book, but it had surprising depth.

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elizabeth_archery's review against another edition

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emotional funny inspiring

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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luckyonesoph's review

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emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

This turned out a lot different than I expected it to - and I liked it a lot more than I expected to!

Definitely reads more like fiction with a heavy romance subplot than the romcom its advertised as, but I appreciate the care with which the author addressed such difficult themes (check the trigger warnings!).

But, I didn’t really like the mmc even though he had significantly more growth and development than the fmc, who seemed kind of flat to me. And, their chemistry wasn’t really there - seemed more like infatuation and lust to me. But still, I had a fun time reading this, and finished it one day.

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rachbreads's review against another edition

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3.0

She didn’t need him anymore. And tonight, there was no familiar edge of wild-eyed desperation to his plea. He didn’t need her anymore, either. But they still wanted each other. They would still choose each other over anyone else on earth. And in a way, that was even better.

This was a fun take on a celebrity fake-dating story. It gets pretty serious - it looks deeply at the price of fame, the impact of partying like a celebrity, the dangers of no privacy, etc.

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h_pep_nev's review

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emotional inspiring lighthearted tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

First 200 pages were absolutely riveting. Then it turns to a boring story about recovery and second chances - why do women always get back together with their embarrassing man? Redemption rushed and not convincing.

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girlreading's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

I was a little hesitant going into this, having previously read a mixed batch of reviews but I'm so happy I decided to give it a shot because I ended up loving it. It was messy, romantic, painful, fun and a fantastic (somewhat more realistic) take on the fake dating trope. This isn't your typical light and fluffy rom-com, it's definitely got some heavier themes (grief and addiction being at the forefront) but I thought Wilder did a great job exploring them. This is my first book from Ava but I'm already looking forward to reading more of her work.

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taliabasma's review

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emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Phew it was a good start but lulled for me. I get Ethan’s character but I really couldn’t stand him at many parts.

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