Will They or Won't They: A Novel

by Ava Wilder

Onscreen, they’re in love. Offscreen, they can’t stand each other. From the author of How to Fake It in Hollywood comes “a sexy lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers romance that smolders then bursts into flames” (Abby Jimenez, New York Times bestselling author of Part of Your World).

“Wilder takes readers behind the scenes of a television shoot in this fun contemporary romance. . . . Fans of Emily Henry and Christina Lauren should check this out.”—Publishers Weekly

A POPSUGAR BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

Lilah Hunter and Shane McCarthy are madly in love—at least, their characters are. As the stars of the hit paranormal TV show Intangible, Lilah and Shane spent years pining for each other onscreen . . . until Lilah ditched the show at the end of season five in hopes of becoming a movie star. With no such luck, she’s back to film the much-hyped ninth and final season, in which Lilah and Shane’s characters will get together at last.

But coming back means facing one of the biggest reasons she left: Shane. Ever since their secret behind-the-scenes fling imploded at the end of season one, the two of them have despised each other.

Now reunited on set for the first time in years—with the world’s eyes on them and their post-show careers on the line—they’ll have to grit their teeth and play nice. But under pressure to give Intangible’s fans the happy ending they’ve been waiting for, Lilah and Shane are forced to get closer than ever. And if they’re not careful, they might just get blindsided by one final twist: a real-life happy ending of their own.

• ISBN10: 059335897X
• ISBN13: 9780593358979
• Publish Date: 27 June 2023
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Random House USA Inc
• Imprint: Dell Publishing Co Inc.,U.S.
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 384
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780593358979

Reviews

[The Romantic Comedy Book Club]

While I wouldn't label this a romantic comedy, as a contemporary romance with a friends to lovers to enemies to lovers vibe, Will They or Won't They takes you behind the scenes of what makes and breaks a Hollywood couple, the ups and downs of making it big, and how getting everything you wish for may be more of a curse than a blessing.

 

You never know where life will take you. At least that is what Lilah contemplates as she returns to the set of the show she left behind in a blaze of glory. Never in a million years did she expect to find herself back on the set of "Intangible". When she left at the end of season five, her future was in front of her and the mistakes of the past were on the other side of the bridge burned in retaliation to a heated goodbye with her former flame Shane. Now returning, humbled by her lack of options, humiliated by career failures, she has no idea how to find her place amongst the people she thought she could do without, including a costar that can’t stand the sight of her. It wasn’t always this way, once upon a time Lilah and Shane were a team, partners, as well as lovers. Passionate and all in with everything they do, an overreaction lead to a series of petty paybacks that ripped them further apart. That was then, this is now and the probability of making amends is looking less and less possible. As the last season of the show moves forward, tempers are high, hostility is front and center, and the only way to get this last project over with is to resolve the issues of the past, putting the ghost to rest once and for all.

 

Will They or Won't They is thought provoking, insightful, detailed, and evolving. Jumping from past to present, you get the full picture of what happened. As each incident is rehashed, you find yourself shifting from taking one person's side to the other until you realize both were equal to blame.

 

While the book itself felt extremely drawn out, the main characters kept you intrigued as you didn’t know which moment was going to be THE moment. It was like watching a game of chicken, waiting to see who caved first.

 

There was a lot of passion and heat in this book. From the flashback, to the almost moments in the present, pushing buttons to get to one another, there was so much sexual tension but when the Ava actually allowed the characters to connect, to come together - there was an explosion of emotion, so much unsaid that the intensity of those pages were some of the best parts of the books - not because of the steam but because of the rawness and vulnerability of the characters.

 

Will They or Won't They will capture your attention and keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end. If you thought Ross and Rachel were complicated, Lilah and Shane will blow your mind.

 

[chymerra]

Lilah and Shane play a madly in love, but kept apart, couple on the hit paranormal show, Intangilble. In real life, though, they loathe each other. So, it was a good thing when Lilah left the show to make a movie and see what else was out there. But the film was a flop, and Lilah wasn’t getting any work because of it. So, when the producers approached Lilah with an offer to return to the show, she wouldn’t turn it down, even if that meant working with Shane again. But Lilah and Shane realize that maybe their hatred towards each other was more than that (thanks to a risque photo shoot). What will they do? Will they give in to their feelings? Or won’t they?

When I wished for Will They or Won’t They, I was on a huge contemporary romance kick. I hoped I liked the book because the blurb seemed rather bland. Unfortunately, I feel the same way now that I have read the book. This book didn’t create any strong feelings for it either way.

The medium pacing of Will They or Won’t They did suit the book. This pacing allowed Lilah and Shane to recount their past relationship (working and personal) on their own and with the therapist. There was some lag toward the end of the book, but since it was the end, it didn’t affect anything for me.

Will They or Won’t They takes place mainly in Hollywood, with a brief scene in New York City and a chapter in Canada. I was disappointed that the author mostly kept to where the show was filmed, convention centers and hotel rooms. I would have loved to see more of those cities and where they filmed in Canada.

The main storyline in Will They or Won’t They are Lilah and Shane’s love/hate/love relationship. The author did a great job of giving Lilah and Shane’s backstories in a way that didn’t seem forced. I could see a behind-the-scenes romance blowing up and causing issues. I could also see a producer wanting his main stars to get along and send them to couples therapy. But, once the book started focusing on the present day, I began to feel “meh” about it. The storyline seemed to be Lilah and Shane rehashing stuff from their past. Also, I wasn’t a massive fan of how their romance ping-ponged back and forth.

I didn’t care for Lilah. She came across as a neurotic pain in the butt who was also a bit of a diva. She self-sabotages almost every relationship she has had (and she admits this at one point in the book). But, at the same time, I felt terrible for her. Growing up, she had a horrible home life that caused her severe anxiety. Her mother got her into acting to overcome it, and things took off. I also felt how she treated Shane was pretty crappy, both past and present. Now, he was no angle, but she took it to another level.

I had no real concrete feelings for Shane. For most of the book, he came across as bland. He went out of his way to needle Lilah (the whole donut scene at the beginning of the book stands out the most to me). I did guess what his real feelings were reasonably early in the book and guessed what he would do with those feelings.

The romance angle of Will They or Won’t They bored me. While I like secret romances, I wasn’t a huge fan of theirs. How can a relationship flourish if they never go out together and always have sex? It can’t, and in the long run, if this were real, I would say they didn’t have a chance long term.

The end of Will They or Won’t They was pretty standard. The author surprised me with a twist towards the end of the book. The author explained the twist in the epilogue, and I was back to feeling “meh” about the characters.

I would recommend Will They or Won’t They to anyone over 21. There is language, mild violence, and sexual situations.

Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Dell, NetGalley, and Ava Wilder for allowing me to read and review Will They or Won’t They. All opinions stated in this review are mine.