Will They or Won't They by Ava Wilder

Will They or Won't They

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.

Reviewed by The Romantic Comedy Book Club on

4 of 5 stars

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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.

 

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 27 July, 2023: Finished reading
  • 27 July, 2023: Reviewed