This was a slow burn delve into the outrageous lifestyles of the celebs caught up in the world of tv and movies, sadly I wished the ending had a bit "more." Wow, I was absolutely glued to this & read it in about 4 hours. To be honest, Lily's investigation into Adam's death was the least interesting thing in the book, I was far more into their spiralling toxic 'fauxmance'. The man was a grade A a-hole. Throw in a supporting cast of a resentful sister, fake friends & acquaintances, & a stalker - just who can Lily trust? I thought Lily was a good main character, she had her faults, but she was generally one of the more likeable characters. Things went off the boil a little for me after Adam's death, but it was still a really great read about the pressures & fakeness of stardom & just what people are willing to do for their 15 minutes of fame. Lily Thane is a struggling actress so when she meets her old pal from stage school Adam Harker and he suggests she act as his partner in a media fuelled "Faux-Mance" she jumps at the chance for any limelight. Lily Thane's family name brings with it a prestigious theatrical legacy. But although she enjoyed fame as a child, the roles are starting to dwindle now she has reached her thirties

Then one day she bumps into Adam Harker, short, plump, spotty teenager-turned-heart-throb (how did that happen?) from drama school and he seems determined to re-kindle their previously non-existent romance. Because Adam wants something from Lily and it’s not what she imagines. What bothered me was that none of the characters in this book were likeable, not even Lily who we were supposed to root for. Therefore towards the end of the book I didn't really care who was responsible for Adam's death as none of the characters would have been a surprise. This took away a lot of the intrigue from the revelation and the book felt flat at the end. Lily’s old stage-school friend from many moons, Adam Harker is on the brink to huge success, but to keep up appearances needs a ‘trusted’ life companion. Since leaving stage school, Adam has found his place in the limelight. But to grace it as he intends, he needs a pretty girl on his arm to distract the haters. He asks Lily to be his faux romance, to be in his arm at all the best parties and to share the limelight with him. Of course, Lily agrees. They get on really well. It will be no hardship to accompany Adam at all times and what can be the harm in sharing a limelight that she desperately wants for herself?He needs someone to be his plus one at glitzy events, a person to show off via social media, to become part of a power couple. After all the world of celebrity is all about reputation and how things look and Lily's Momager couldn't be more thrilled. Throughout the story, we as the reader get to understand the life of the rich and famous, just the not so glamourous side. Lily Thane and Adam Harker are our main characters, are children of showbusiness who have known each other their whole career. It draws attention to both their modern day careers, with Adam continuing to flourish and Lily being caught in the past, only recognised for her work in her younger day. For someone like me who has never been to a party where anything stronger than weed was smoked, the lines of cocaine on the table where the wine is usually laid out, was a real eye-opener, though I hope I never experience it. I’d like to keep my septum thanks very much. She signs a 6 month contract to be his "partner" but all that glitters is not gold and the reality of living the celebrity high life with a troubled actor soon proves impossible and she is cast aside. Not long afterwards Adam is found floating dead in a pool.

It’s awful to think real people out there, actors, singers, sportsman in the eye who think this is still the only option available to them! Many never do come out for fear. Twists, however, are there. But they are delivered most intelligently and satisfyingly. Act three is an extraordinary display of storytelling and most captivating execution that will leave you literally out of breath. It’s one of those stories that can be devoured in a single reading, making it a perfect holiday read. It doesn’t mean however that it’s a simplistic read. It’s insanely well-plotted and delivered with truly Kingesque verbose panache. I liked how the author focuses on Lily as the central character. I liked how it was written in the first person so you as the reader find out about their secrets and hopes. I also liked their normal interactions with other characters. Let’s Pretend has been a really eye-opening read portraying the dark side ready lurking behind the outward persona of those in the public eye. A chance meeting with an old school friend is possibly the best thing to happen to Lily, or so she thinks but as she settles in the role of Adam’s partner. But this isn’t Kansas, Lily, things are not quite what they seem and as with many relationships, the break up is not pleasant. And post break oh my!!!

My only issue with this fabulous book is why everyone is so in love with Adam. Alcohol-fuelled and drug-addled, he’s really not very nice. A taker, he gives nothing in return. The day he bites Lily on the face would have been my swift exit. But Lily is desperate for fame and she will do almost everything and anything to attain it. After a couple of ‘unexpected’ encounters, Adam asks Lily to partake in a fauxmance with him. But not long after signing his NDA and a six month contract, Adam’s dark side starts to surface and things turn toxic! Within the first few chapters (and as detailed in the synopsis) we learn that Lily finds Adam’s lifeless body in a swimming pool, it’s not clear how this came to be.

This is a contemporary fiction that centres around a young film-star couple, Lily Thane and Adam Harker. I noticed the font varies. Italics when Lily is thinking and reading. Then a different font when the information is from the internet. I think this book is one of great importance, especially with the amount of younger people going through their rise to fame as we watch others fall from their place in the limelight. This is a story about what life can be like for celebrities, focusing heavily on the bad side and the crap that they go through. How you look the choices you make in life can direct your future, people who seem to have it all really happy, on top of the world behind closed doors living in sin. Let’s Pretend’ is full of vapid, vain people and a perfect cast for this dark contemporary story. Vaughan's writing really had me hooked from the beginning and I was instantly drawn to the main character, Lily Thane, an ex child star whose acting character has been waning ever since. Her inner circle is full of eccentric characters who love to remind her of her limited success. Then she reunites with Adam Harker, a fellow ex-child star, but with questions over his sexuality about to spoil his next big break he asks Lily to pretend to date him. The benefits to them and their careers outweigh any doubts that Lily has about their arrangement; until Adam is found dead in a swimming pool.

Let's Pretend is a novel about the world of acting and fame, and the kinds of performances it causes people to undertake. When former child star Lily Thane is approached by her old stage school acquaintance Adam Harker for a fake romance to stun the red carpet with, it seems like a great opportunity. It seems like maybe her struggling acting career could be on the rise, but she'll have to content with their toxic dynamic. When Adam is found dead in a swimming pool, Lily knows something was up, and gets drawn into finding out who supplied the drugs that killed him, and if they're still dangerous. This story is told from the perspective of former childstar Lily Thane, now a somewhat struggling actress in her early thirties. But Adam is a slippery fish with a temper. He is horrid to be around when in a bad mood and it’s not all red carpets and show stopping events. One evening when returning from a solitary walk, she finds Adam’s body, face down in a swimming pool. As no one else seems to care, it’s down to Lily to find out who did this to Adam as she doesn’t believe he will have taken his own life.

Pretending is what Lily Thane has been doing all her life - after all, it is another word for acting, which she has been trying to do since being the famous four year old in a cult Christmas film. Now, despite being part of a theatrical family and her determined mother - the “Momanger”, she is struggling. She is good at what she does, being a perfected attractive blonde who is always auditioning for parts, but real success in being cast is eluding her. So when she meets an old friend from theatre school, the sort of famous Adam Harker, and a proposal is made of a sort of acting job with sweeteners is made, it seems reasonable to take it. Adam has secrets and a darkness that attract and repel her at the same time, but pretending to be in a celebrity romance at least raises her profile. If only she knew how deep she must plunge - and how it will feature death…I really liked the latter part of the book as Lily is convinced all is not quite as it seems in terms of Adam’s death. I was intrigued to learn more, just like Lily, and particularly loved the final chapters in this section of the book as there were lots of things that took me by surprise! I would have liked a little more detail as the ending felt a little bit rushed, but I really liked the unexpected turns and thought it was very clever! I also liked how character driven this book was; there were definitely some shady characters along the way! Lily and Adam’s fauxmance is not the only thing in this book that is toxic. Adam himself, Talia, cousin Dido, the Momager, best friend Nina, even Lily herself, are all toxic in their own way. I quite liked Rafael, because he seems to be the only one who knows who and what he is. And most of all I disliked Dan, who thinks he is so nice, but is actually a hypocrite of the worst kind. Even Lily’s stalker Zalandra is more honest. e/ ea /ee/ ea /u/ o /igh/ i-e, i /i/ y /oo/ oul /oo/ u-e /oi/ oy /ar/ a /ow/ ou /ear/ eer /air/ are, ere /or/ al /u/ o-e /o/ a Following a chance meeting there is an undeniable spark, and although Lily is wary of Adam's dark side, they soon decide that a public faux-mantic relationship between them could be good for both of their careers. But when you're surrounded by actors, how do you know what is real?