An actress and an actor who both have had their moments but they seem to be on the acting scrap heap. When I’me dies the other starts to try to find out why and then they are in danger. Great backdrop with fabulous characters. 4/5.

This is the first novel I've read by Laura Vaughan and it started off well. I was intrigued by the character of Lily Thane, a former child star and her acting dynasty family and it's a well written novel with good characterisation. I would have liked to read more about Lily's family, her relationship with her mother and her own career rather than the relationship with Adam.
The ending of the novel came out of nowhere and felt like it was from a different novel. The issues raised by the ending could have been explored in more depth throughout the novel
A promising novel and I'd definitely read more by the author.
3.5 stars
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

A story about Lily and Adam and the fake world they live in. I’m afraid I knew from the first few lines that I wouldn’t like this book and that’s exactly how it turned out. Couldn’t get past the stilted writing style nor the awful pretentious characters. So much so that it was a real struggle to continue. No doubt this book will have its fans but sorry I can’t be one of them!

Set in a world of actors and performers, glitz and glamour that often hide insecurities and desperation, the novel follows a former child star Lily Thane in a faje relationship with Adam Harker, another actor on a cusp of success. When he suddenly dies, only Lily seems interested in discovering why he overdosed. This slow burning psychological thriller is an exploration of fame and toxic relationships. The characters are morally ambiguous and unpleasant but this was a fascinating read, despite its slowness.

Brilliant twisty little thriller had me hooked from page one and the ending was not to be missed, will look out for more from the author!

This is such a good read! Really twisty and unpredictable. Yes, there are difficult, dare I say, unlikeable characters in it, but Vaughan is too good a writer to not make them utterly compelling. This is a delicious beach read for the summer.

‘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.
The story carries so much dark humour and wit so I was instantly hooked. The perceived glamour of the characters is perfectly balanced with the hedonistic vanity that will always lead to a downfall. I loved the modern noir take on the toxic obsession people have with fame, especially with the intensity of social media added into the mix. For me none of the characters are very likeable at all but I didn’t mind that whatsoever because it added to the morbid intrigue of the story. Really enjoyed this one and cannot wait to see what Vaughan brings out next!

This takes us deep into the dark side of fame, and shows all the hidden things we don’t generally see on the outside looking in, and what people are prepared to do for fame. The characters were very well written, intentionally toxic and unlikeable and I was invested in the plot. The title perfectly fits with the storyline here and we see that everything in the spotlight is not always as it seems, very far from it in fact. I loved the previous book by this author, which I felt had a bit more intrigue than this one, but I did enjoy it enough to keep going and to see how the end wrapped things up. I wasn’t blown away by the end but there were some good unexpected twists along the way.

Lily Thane was a child star, whose star has since waned; unlike her 'friend' Adam, who she bumps into in a pub after many years.
I couldn't really get into it as there appeared to be little of a story until well into the book. Not one for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to preview, but, I won't advertise any review as I can't find much to say about it.

When you fake it for a living, the truth is hard to find...
Former child star Lily Thane is now a struggling thirty-something actress. Her old stage-school buddy, Adam Harker, is on the brink of making it big, but he needs an appropriate red-carpet companion to seal the deal, and Lily fits the bill.
Soon after signing on the dotted line, Adam's dark side starts to surface and their perfect fauxmance turns toxic.
But when Adam winds up dead in a swimming pool, Lily is the only person who cares enough to find out why. She's convinced someone was out to get Adam - and now they're after her...

This is a good mystery to read.
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable.
Great suspense and found myself second guessing every thought I had continuously.
Can't wait to read what the author brings out next.
Recommend reading.

I was provided an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher. This is my own hone\st voluntary review.

Slightly interesting, but with unlovable characters - after a while I wasn't sure whether I wanted the end to be good or not. A lot of the trouble that our 'heroine' got herself into had predictable outcomes, and the twists were also predictable. The end 'reveal' was a bit obvious. I nearly gave three stars, but it wasn't that bad - some may enjoy it. I do find that books with long explaining tags after the titles are normally a let down...
Perhaps this should be required reading for teenage girls who want to get into acting?

A dark, slow burning story - not what I expected at all. I’m not sure I liked the characters(is that the sign of a good author?), causing me a range of feelings towards them.. I was determined to finish it, although at times I wasn’t sure I would. Just a little disappointed, as the blurb gave me high hopes.

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!!!

I found Let’s Pretend a real eye opener into the world of celebrity dating. How true Vaughan’s got the shenanigans that are orchestrated by agents and PR, who knows but I felt the apple she wrote didn’t fall too far from the tree.

Having read The Favour, I thought I knew the author’s thought process and where this story was heading but I was way off the mark. This was a lot darker than it’s predecessor. Despite being the woman scorned, I really liked Lily and I was rooting for her to be right about Adam’s demise but was she? Was it murder or just a tragic accident?!

Let’s Pretend is a rather unassuming, but tense read. It’s a slow burner, I felt I got under the skin of the characters of this dark read. I didn’t realise quite how on edge I was particularly as the story climaxed. I thoroughly enjoyed the ride!

Laura Vaughan writes a compelling and immersive dark, contemporary tale. Glamorous façades conceal abundant sins in this thought-provoking, entertaining mystery. The plot plays host to quite a few egocentric, secretive characters but they are all credible and well depicted. Toxicity is rife and there is a vibe of impending doom giving rise to feelings of uneasiness. For me, a great, well-delivered story. Highly recommended.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Atlantic Books, Corvus via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

A clever, darkly entertaining and suspenseful mystery, yielding an intriguing and immersive, fly-on-the-wall peep behind the showbiz scenes. Intelligent, fun and twisty, with echoes of Taylor Jenkins Reid and Robinne Lee.

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

Conversely, Adam Harker's career is on the ascendancy. Having attended the same stage school as Lily, they had acted together when they were young, but he's like a different person now, having grown into his film-star looks and effortlessly exuding charm.

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?

This was a great escapist read which I absolutely raced through

The story follows Lily Thane, a child prodigy, and now 32 year old whose acting career has pretty much flunked and has never revived since her very early shot at stardom. Desperate to become the next big thing , and after unsuccessful auditions and the call backs for roles she couldn't care less for, Lily considers how to kick-start it back up, what or whom can bring her that opportunity at finding a golden ticket?! Enter Adam Harker, Lily's theatre partner from school, on the brink of making it big but in need of a red-carpet companion. The stars couldn't be more aligned! Right? Yet as soon as Lily signs on the dotted line, the truth of Adam's dark side rises to the surface and their perfect circumstances soon turn toxic. When Adam is found dead in a swimming pool a few months later, Lily is the only one who wants to get to the bottom of it. Can she solve the mystery before she's silenced?

I have mixed-feelings about this book. When it comes to celebrities, there is always this divide and curiosity on how genuine and real they and their relationships are, and I think Sarah Vaughan makes a commendable effort in painting that picture, almost like an insider's view on what happens at A-list parties, behind the scenes at award shows, red-carpet events and how much you can actually take at face value. I found myself immersed in this world, looking at it from Lily's point of view, your average human trying to make it in a sphere of adulation, exploring even one reason to demand that status, a world in which what you bring to the table means everything. In hindsight, the book I finished and the book I started (with only the blurb for guidance) feel completely separate from each other. It started off well, but I think as we got tangled within the crime and mystery, and Lily's exploration and investigation of the truth, the story didn't flow, new evidence was brought in to dish the dirt on the suspects, some new suspects altogether to throw off the reader's scent....it was an anticlimax of sorts and the ending felt particularly weak. The writing style was lost within the last few chapters which was a shame. The story itself was interesting and is worth reading, the characters are not likeable, even lovable, or relatable but I guess it adds to the enigma and keeps a degree of separation. Some questionable statements are dotted about the book, which I read with my eyebrows raised. Overall though, I would give it 3.5 stars. It definitely had me gripped! Thank you @netgalley and @Atlanticbooks for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sadly not for me, I liked the premise of the book and was looking forward to reading it, but I started it twice and just couldn't get into it. I didn't like the writing style and, maybe it's a generational thing, but I found the characters really vacuous and uninteresting and didn't care about what happened to them
thank you to netgalley and Atlantic books for an advance copy of this book

Unlikeable, shallow characters in an unattractive, shallow world of film and influencers. Strangely gripping! Lily Thane is a child star from a famous family who never quite transitioned into a successful acting career as an adult. Taking an acting contract as a beard for her old friend leads her into a life of drugs, notoriety, excess and quite possibly murder?

Lily Thane is a thirty-two-year-old actress best known for her twenty minute appearance in a low-budget British romcom as winsome orphan ‘Little Lucie’ at the age of four, and it’s clear that her star is waning, not that her mother and manager, “the momager”, is willing to give up on a dream that easily. When Lily bumps into an old stage school contemporary in Adam Harker who needs a red-carpet companion to whip up the media ahead of making a push for the big time, it seems like a win-win situation. Despite never particularly having liked Adam, there is something magnetic and dangerously alluring about him and so Lily agrees to the fauxmance and also signs a non-disclosure agreement. But troubled Adam has a penchant for drugs, a predilection for using people and a need to be in control, and things inevitably turn toxic. But as both their lives and careers move on, Lily and Adam are never too far apart and with a ringside seat to Adam’s death and growing suspicions about who wanted him out of the way, Lily turns detective.

Lily is a complex character who is far more vulnerable than she appears with more emotional depth than many of her contemporaries and her dry first-person narrative keeps the superficiality of the non-stop party lifestyle, and hedonistic antics that surround her, in perspective. With the bombshell revelation of Adam’s death so early on in the novel before then seeing it all play out, it makes for a gripping slow-burn of a mystery and I was surprised at how much I vied for Lily, all the while wanting to scream at her to get as far away as possible from the odious people around her! Cocksure Adam is a flawed character, an addict and a game playing master of manipulation with a goodie bag of drugs as big as his ego. The colourful supporting cast are all so well-drawn that I never had a problem keeping them distinct and include Lily’s cousin and serious actress, Dido, her snarky best-friend, Nina, and vacuous wealthy socialite, Talia.

Nothing about the tawdry world or largely shallow characters that occupy Adam and Lily’s world appealed to me in the slightest, yet despite this I found myself unable to set the book aside without knowing if Adam’s death was an accident or foul play. I was hugely impressed that Laura Vaughan managed to flesh her characters out, and conjure such a vivid picture of Adam’s fast-living circle and shady machinations, that it made for an unexpectedly complicated investigation, with numerous suspects and motives that blindsided me completely. A well-observed and well-written novel with a uneasy atmosphere throughout and an ultimately admirable protagonist in Lily, whom I found very sympathetic. My main criticism is that the ending of the novel felt rushed and would have benefitted from both being made clearer and also explored in a little more depth.

Lily Thane, former child star, now a struggling actress in her thirties, bumps into a friend from stage school. Adam Harker. Once billed as the 'next big thing' , Adam has had a chequered career but hopes his next film will finally propel him into A-list stardom. Blinded by the chemistry between them, Lily is surprised when Adam tells her he is gay but wants to 'fly under the radar until his career is secure, & he wants Lily to pose as his girlfriend. Lily agrees as in return Adam says he will help her career, & she likes Adam so thinks it will be an easy gig. What follows gradually becomes a nightmare as Adam pushes all Lily's buttons making her insecure & doubtful about herself & her career. Adam is just as sneeringly dismissive of everyone else, so when he is found dead in the swimming pool after a party, there are no shortage of suspects. The police rule it accidental but Lily is not so sure, so she decides to investigate his death herself.

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.

My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Atlantic Books/Corvus, for the opportunity to read an ARC.