REVIEW: Will They or Won’t They by Ava Wilder

In Will They or Won’t They by Ava Wilder, The attraction was immediate and intense when actors Liliah Hunter and Shane McCarthy first met at their auditions for a new TV show, Intangible. Little did they know that their chemistry would be what got them the job–and what would also later threaten to pull the plug on the popular series when their romantic entanglement blew up. Lilah stuck with the show for a few more years post-Shane before moving on. Sadly, her foray into movies didn’t pan out (at all) as she’d hoped. That’s why, when she’s asked to join the cast for the final season, reprising her role as Kate, Lilah agrees. Even if it means spending time with her now nemesis, Shane.

‘The fact that Lilah Hunter was once again trapped alone in a room with Shane McCarthy was confirmation that her life had gone completely off the rails.’

Nine seasons. Shane can’t believe he’s been part of a Hollywood juggernaut like Intangible for so many years, considering he had no experience acting when he was hired. Something that makes him a tad nervous, if he’s being honest, wondering what the heck he’s going to do once the show’s done. But first, Shane has to get through day after day of being in Lilah’s orbit once again, playing Harrison to her Kate. What starts off with the antagonizing and bickering he expected, soon turns more into moments of reminiscing about what they once had. At least on his part. Shane knows better than to go and fall for Lilah all over again. But how can he help it when everything he’s ever wanted is all wrapped up in one absolutely gorgeous–inside and out–wickedly talented woman?

‘She’d been his other half since the day they’d been cast, their bond as unique as a fingerprint and just as much a part of him.’

What happens when a pair of former co-stars with a romantic history are thrown together for a TV show’s farewell season? Sparks fly, tempers flare, and the past comes back to haunt them–as does their passionate connection.

‘She suddenly understood, with a nauseating surge of regret, what a precious thing she’d been so careless with all those years ago, too blinded by distrust and self-loathing to see it standing right in front of her, if she’d only been brave enough to reach for it.’

Content Warning: View Spoiler »anxiety disorder and panic attacks (detailed), child neglect, drug use (mentioned). « Hide Spoiler

Ava Wilder’s debut novel, How to Fake It in Hollywood, was a lovely surprise. I went into it thinking it was going to be a glitzy, possibly antagonistic type of romance and it ended up being a bit on the heavier side due to its emotional subject matter. But Will They or Won’t They, Wilder’s newest book, turned on the charm while ramping up the angst and drama–without diving into anything too overly dark. And after getting through the first few chapters, I was hooked.

I think the level of resentment between Lilah and Shane right at the start was something I had to ease my way into. I wanted to see what made them fall for each other in the first place and how it all went wrong, leading them to basically being adversaries at present. The flashback scenes definitely helped. And as Wilder pieced the parts of their relationship back together, one teeny tiny bit at a time, I loved getting a look at who Shane and Lilah were underneath the roles of the characters they’d played on TV for so many years.

It was really interesting to see, though, how similar Lilah and Shane’s real life love story was to their famous counterparts. (Although the roles were reversed) And it came up over and over again that where they were both actors who were good at their jobs, could they really trust what emotions the other was presenting to them? How tricky would that be in a relationship, right? Wilder certainly put them through their paces to get that HEA. And I loved the sneaky twist at the end, one that made me smile and sigh at the same time.

QOTD: Lilah & Shane’s fans wanted nothing more than to see them finally become a couple, on & off screen. Do you have any favorite on-screen couples who dated or were married in real life?

Book Info:

Publication: Expected Publication: June 27th, 2023 | Dell |

On screen, they’re in love. Off screen, they can’t stand each other. Two co-stars with a complex history reunite to film the final season of a beloved paranormal drama in this tension-filled will they won’t they romance from the author of How to Fake It in Hollywood.

Lilah Hunter and Shane McCarthy are madly in love— at least, their characters are. As the stars of the hit paranormal TV show Intangible, they spent years pining for each other on-screen… until Lilah ditched the show at the end of season five in hopes of becoming a film star. With no such luck, she’s back to film the much-hyped ninth and final season, in which their 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 the first season, the two of them have despised each other.

Now back on set together 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 just might get blindsided by one final twist: a real-life happy ending of their own.