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The Spoiler
Rose Maraczek (21) loves movies. Not just any movies, but sweeping period dramas that take her far away from who she is. Her obsession started in high school when a box of movies appeared on her doorstep and she discovered the relief they could give her from her debilitating OCD. What Rose hates are spoilers—especially those that ruin the escape she seeks.
Tristan Moore, Rose’s former crush and her brother’s best friend, is the bane of her existence. Always at their house, everything he does gets under Rose’s skin, the worst of which is his consistent dropping of movie spoilers. Fed up, Rose sets out to find a new apartment, but it’s while trying to distance herself from Tristan that he reveals one final spoiler—one that makes Rose realize it was Tristan who left all those movies for her years ago.
Now it’s Rose’s turn for revenge as she forms a movie-spoiler plan of her Destroy Tristan Moore.
Tristan Moore, Rose’s former crush and her brother’s best friend, is the bane of her existence. Always at their house, everything he does gets under Rose’s skin, the worst of which is his consistent dropping of movie spoilers. Fed up, Rose sets out to find a new apartment, but it’s while trying to distance herself from Tristan that he reveals one final spoiler—one that makes Rose realize it was Tristan who left all those movies for her years ago.
Now it’s Rose’s turn for revenge as she forms a movie-spoiler plan of her Destroy Tristan Moore.
342 pages, Paperback
First published June 18, 2024
11 people are currently reading
4277 people want to read
About the author
L.E. Todd
1 book66 followersLE Todd lives in a wooded haven in northern Michigan. When not writing, she spends her free time painting character portraits for her books, fantasizing about future stories, and creating floor plans for houses she’ll likely never build. She is a die-hard Detroit Red Wings fan, a Les Mis and Phantom of the Opera fanatic, a hobby archer, and a crocheter. She also enjoys riding ATVs at her family’s property in South Branch, Michigan.
In addition to writing contemporary romance, LE Todd also writes romantasy for adult readers.
In addition to writing contemporary romance, LE Todd also writes romantasy for adult readers.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 217 reviews
August 29, 2024
Heartfelt and entertaining, 'The Spoiler' delivers a fresh and compelling take on the friends-to-lovers trope, capturing the complexities of slow burn romance with authenticity and grace.
The writing is contemporary, gripping, and satisfyingly paced, ensuring a seamless transition from one chapter to the next. The first-person perspective provides an intimate glimpse into the protagonist’s inner world, adding depth to the emotional landscape.
Character development in 'The Spoiler' stands out, featuring leads who are complex, imperfect, and highly relatable. The novel’s commitment to diversity is commendable, with a male lead of Native American descent and a female lead who battles OCD, adding significant richness to the narrative. The sexual tension between the protagonists is expertly crafted, unfolding gradually and keeping readers engaged. Even the secondary characters are well-rounded and nuanced, contributing meaningfully to the story.
The novel’s exploration of the protagonists’ journeys toward better mental health and self-image is both poignant and relevant. The realistic portrayal of these challenges delivers a powerful message about the difficulties and rewards of personal growth. Driven by misunderstandings, the emotional distance between the lovers, creates moments of heartache but ultimately fosters empathy for their struggles. By the conclusion, readers are deeply invested in the outcome and can readily connect with the protagonists’ experiences.
In summary, 'The Spoiler' is a captivating and addictive read that I’d gladly revisit. Fans of new adult romance, particularly those who appreciate a nuanced exploration of love and personal growth, are likely to find this novel especially enjoyable.
Genre : contemporary romance
Spice : 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Tropes: slow burn, friends to lovers, boyfriends best friend, enemies to lovers.
Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The writing is contemporary, gripping, and satisfyingly paced, ensuring a seamless transition from one chapter to the next. The first-person perspective provides an intimate glimpse into the protagonist’s inner world, adding depth to the emotional landscape.
Character development in 'The Spoiler' stands out, featuring leads who are complex, imperfect, and highly relatable. The novel’s commitment to diversity is commendable, with a male lead of Native American descent and a female lead who battles OCD, adding significant richness to the narrative. The sexual tension between the protagonists is expertly crafted, unfolding gradually and keeping readers engaged. Even the secondary characters are well-rounded and nuanced, contributing meaningfully to the story.
The novel’s exploration of the protagonists’ journeys toward better mental health and self-image is both poignant and relevant. The realistic portrayal of these challenges delivers a powerful message about the difficulties and rewards of personal growth. Driven by misunderstandings, the emotional distance between the lovers, creates moments of heartache but ultimately fosters empathy for their struggles. By the conclusion, readers are deeply invested in the outcome and can readily connect with the protagonists’ experiences.
In summary, 'The Spoiler' is a captivating and addictive read that I’d gladly revisit. Fans of new adult romance, particularly those who appreciate a nuanced exploration of love and personal growth, are likely to find this novel especially enjoyable.
Genre : contemporary romance
Spice : 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Tropes: slow burn, friends to lovers, boyfriends best friend, enemies to lovers.
Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
July 9, 2025
BOOK REVIEW: The Spoiler by L.E.Todd
Overall Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spiciness:🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Wow I really loved this book. When I saw LE Todd’s ARC post, I immediately thought I could relate to the protagonist’s love for period pieces and OCD (I have ADHD, not 100% similar but there are struggles to it). Thank you for gifting me your art! Not only was this book a slow burn steamy romance that I absolutely loved, it was a chance to look deeper within and realize that we can’t always jump to conclusions without all of the facts and it is also necessary to take the hint when it is given to you. I really loved Tristan’s character and how thoughtful he was towards Rose. This book had a great ending and made me swoon very hard for this character and also really put me in Rose’s perspective and my heart felt what she felt in both her good and bad sentiments.
Protagonist: Rose 🌹 is a college student studying architecture who struggles with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), self-doubt, and overthinking who copes by watching period pieces.
Summary: Rose has struggled to manage her OCD all her life until a certain hockey player (brother’s best friend) walks into her life and begins to taunt her with the spoilers of all of the movies she rents. She finds it hard being what seems like an outsider to the rest of the world. So she takes to being inside her own world by diving into movies 🍿 and staying there. When Tristan makes it a habit of spoiling every movie she watches, she decides to get revenge. Except one special someone doesn’t see her as an outsider. Will she figure out her issues and be with the one person who sees her for who she is and not her condition? And will he ever stop spoiling the movies?
Vibes: Enemies to Lovers, Brother’s Best Friend, Slowburn, Young Adult Romance, Sexual + Romantic Tension
Overall Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spiciness:🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Wow I really loved this book. When I saw LE Todd’s ARC post, I immediately thought I could relate to the protagonist’s love for period pieces and OCD (I have ADHD, not 100% similar but there are struggles to it). Thank you for gifting me your art! Not only was this book a slow burn steamy romance that I absolutely loved, it was a chance to look deeper within and realize that we can’t always jump to conclusions without all of the facts and it is also necessary to take the hint when it is given to you. I really loved Tristan’s character and how thoughtful he was towards Rose. This book had a great ending and made me swoon very hard for this character and also really put me in Rose’s perspective and my heart felt what she felt in both her good and bad sentiments.
Protagonist: Rose 🌹 is a college student studying architecture who struggles with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), self-doubt, and overthinking who copes by watching period pieces.
Summary: Rose has struggled to manage her OCD all her life until a certain hockey player (brother’s best friend) walks into her life and begins to taunt her with the spoilers of all of the movies she rents. She finds it hard being what seems like an outsider to the rest of the world. So she takes to being inside her own world by diving into movies 🍿 and staying there. When Tristan makes it a habit of spoiling every movie she watches, she decides to get revenge. Except one special someone doesn’t see her as an outsider. Will she figure out her issues and be with the one person who sees her for who she is and not her condition? And will he ever stop spoiling the movies?
Vibes: Enemies to Lovers, Brother’s Best Friend, Slowburn, Young Adult Romance, Sexual + Romantic Tension
June 19, 2024
I can honestly say it's been a long time since a book has kept me up until the early hours because I just had to finish it, so, L.E Todd I'm blaming you when I fall asleep at work in the morning!
A raw insight into OCD and the way it affects not only the sufferer but those around them and the lengths that people will go to to show their love and support.
The characters were witty and well fleshed out and I loved the dynamic between the characters.
'And while they lived happily ever after, the point... is that they lived.'
The Spoiler is this authors first published book, but I guarantee she will be one to watch out for in the future.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book.
A raw insight into OCD and the way it affects not only the sufferer but those around them and the lengths that people will go to to show their love and support.
The characters were witty and well fleshed out and I loved the dynamic between the characters.
'And while they lived happily ever after, the point... is that they lived.'
The Spoiler is this authors first published book, but I guarantee she will be one to watch out for in the future.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book.
June 6, 2024
I loved this book! It had great mental health rep, specific to anxiety, panic, and OCD mostly, but in general mental health as well.
The main female character, Rose, has OCD and is currently attending UVA. She lives with her brother, Rob, who also attends UVA. His best friend, Tristan attends there as well, and may as well live with them since he spends nearly all his time there. And therein lies one of the main issues for our main character, Rose - Tristan is literally always around and has been for many years. He's always around and seems to take great pleasure in spoiling every single movie she tries to watch. Movies are the one "healthy-ish" compulsion she allows herself without too much guilt, more specifically historical dramas.
There were a few places in this book that made me actually laugh out loud, one joke in particular. It also had me tearing up at times, because LE Todd makes you really, truly care for the characters. Her prose is beautiful, it flows well and smoothly. Her dialogue is especially good, feels completely natural.
The plot felt really well paced and was interesting. At no point did it fell rushed or bogged down.
I feel like LE Todd handled all aspects of mental health really well. It felt nuanced and natural, it felt dimensional. Her main characters were well developed and dimensional. They felt like real people.
Being that it's a contemporary romance, set in Virginia back in the mid to late 1990s to early 2000s, the nostalgia was great. She really sets the scene, taking us just a little way (ok, more than a little lol) back in time. I live fairly close to UVA and have driven through the Blue Ridge Mountains many times, so that may have impacted how well I was able to envision the scenes she set. However, I feel it was more due to Todd's writing that I was able to be fully immersed in the world she created.
One of the characters is American Indian, so there is some POC rep between that character and a few of the minor characters as I recall.
There is some spice, a lot of tension (in a good way), with the spicy scenes being really well done and they were actually realistic. A natural progression vs gratuitous spice. But the tension Todd builds, I can think of no other word for it but delicious.
It's a really good book, I strongly recommend you pick it up. Or at least add it to your TBR.
The main female character, Rose, has OCD and is currently attending UVA. She lives with her brother, Rob, who also attends UVA. His best friend, Tristan attends there as well, and may as well live with them since he spends nearly all his time there. And therein lies one of the main issues for our main character, Rose - Tristan is literally always around and has been for many years. He's always around and seems to take great pleasure in spoiling every single movie she tries to watch. Movies are the one "healthy-ish" compulsion she allows herself without too much guilt, more specifically historical dramas.
There were a few places in this book that made me actually laugh out loud, one joke in particular. It also had me tearing up at times, because LE Todd makes you really, truly care for the characters. Her prose is beautiful, it flows well and smoothly. Her dialogue is especially good, feels completely natural.
The plot felt really well paced and was interesting. At no point did it fell rushed or bogged down.
I feel like LE Todd handled all aspects of mental health really well. It felt nuanced and natural, it felt dimensional. Her main characters were well developed and dimensional. They felt like real people.
Being that it's a contemporary romance, set in Virginia back in the mid to late 1990s to early 2000s, the nostalgia was great. She really sets the scene, taking us just a little way (ok, more than a little lol) back in time. I live fairly close to UVA and have driven through the Blue Ridge Mountains many times, so that may have impacted how well I was able to envision the scenes she set. However, I feel it was more due to Todd's writing that I was able to be fully immersed in the world she created.
One of the characters is American Indian, so there is some POC rep between that character and a few of the minor characters as I recall.
There is some spice, a lot of tension (in a good way), with the spicy scenes being really well done and they were actually realistic. A natural progression vs gratuitous spice. But the tension Todd builds, I can think of no other word for it but delicious.
It's a really good book, I strongly recommend you pick it up. Or at least add it to your TBR.
June 6, 2024
(Honest ARC review)
I sadly had to give this 2 stars for the shallow characterization and Tristan's red flags that made it difficult to keep reading. There were some positives though, so I will outline both:
Pros
Echoing other reviews, I really liked the representation of a main character struggling with OCD. And not the way people tend to casually throw the word around, but the true, paralyzing experience of dealing with severe OCD episodes. I'm not sure if the author has OCD herself or knows individuals who do, but it seemed like an honest depiction of what that can be like.
The 🌶️ tension! These were honestly the best parts that kept me going.
The moments where Tristan was vulnerable and when we got a glimpse into his home life. There were few of these and they weren't entirely fleshed out but when they were present they added depth. I loved his grandma!
Cons
Unfortunately Tristan was a really unlikeable character. By the end of it, Rose was too. For starters, the lack of respect for people's privacy??? Tristan was always in Rose's room or found a way in even when she locked it. There were times when she woke up and he was just standing in her room snooping. I also got frustrated when Tristan --I get that he supposedly liked her and was jealous but it just seemed childish and immature.
The constant spoilers. I know that's the whole premise of the book, but it was extremely infuriating how Tristan did this for years and did not stop even when Rose screamed and screamed at him. There again seemed to be a lack of respect for Rose. The final reveal that his reason was fell flat for me--it just wasn't convincing. Rose would be having a nice, calm movie night enjoying her buttered popcorn (clearly not having an episode), and then Tristan would cause one. It did not seem like a healthy relationship, and it was unconvincing that this would go on for so long without intervention from Rob and without Tristan having the decency to consider that perhaps his plan was ineffective. I think this would have been WAY more effective and convincing if it had been an enemies-to-lovers trope.
The miscommunication was overly drawn out. Jumping to conclusions is typical in this genre, but some of the assumptions Rose made about Tristan were far-fetched.
Tristan's anxiety and background was not developed enough. We knew so much about Rose and her struggles, but barely anything about Tristan in comparison. It was clear he had a lot of anxiety and hesitation when it came to sharing his feelings. I wanted to see more of that, and it would have been nice to see Rose come to realize that she is not the only one that struggles with mental health issues. All of his family issues were told to us rather than shown, which lessoned their gravity.
Summary
Overall, for a debut novel, L.E. Todd certainly understands the essentials of the romance genre. However, it falls short in key areas that prevent it from reaching its full potential. The writing, though sincere, could benefit from more polish and refinement. The characterization lacked some depth, leaving readers craving more nuanced and multi-dimensional portrayals. Additionally, the plot could use more intricate development and surprising twists to keep the reader fully engrossed. With further honing of writing skills and deeper character exploration, I think this author could improve immensely and have a presence in the romance space. I am really grateful to L.E. Todd for gifting me this ARC and hope to see more of her work in the future.
I sadly had to give this 2 stars for the shallow characterization and Tristan's red flags that made it difficult to keep reading. There were some positives though, so I will outline both:
Pros
Echoing other reviews, I really liked the representation of a main character struggling with OCD. And not the way people tend to casually throw the word around, but the true, paralyzing experience of dealing with severe OCD episodes. I'm not sure if the author has OCD herself or knows individuals who do, but it seemed like an honest depiction of what that can be like.
The 🌶️ tension! These were honestly the best parts that kept me going.
The moments where Tristan was vulnerable and when we got a glimpse into his home life. There were few of these and they weren't entirely fleshed out but when they were present they added depth. I loved his grandma!
Cons
Unfortunately Tristan was a really unlikeable character. By the end of it, Rose was too. For starters, the lack of respect for people's privacy??? Tristan was always in Rose's room or found a way in even when she locked it. There were times when she woke up and he was just standing in her room snooping. I also got frustrated when Tristan --I get that he supposedly liked her and was jealous but it just seemed childish and immature.
The constant spoilers. I know that's the whole premise of the book, but it was extremely infuriating how Tristan did this for years and did not stop even when Rose screamed and screamed at him. There again seemed to be a lack of respect for Rose. The final reveal that his reason was fell flat for me--it just wasn't convincing. Rose would be having a nice, calm movie night enjoying her buttered popcorn (clearly not having an episode), and then Tristan would cause one. It did not seem like a healthy relationship, and it was unconvincing that this would go on for so long without intervention from Rob and without Tristan having the decency to consider that perhaps his plan was ineffective. I think this would have been WAY more effective and convincing if it had been an enemies-to-lovers trope.
The miscommunication was overly drawn out. Jumping to conclusions is typical in this genre, but some of the assumptions Rose made about Tristan were far-fetched.
Tristan's anxiety and background was not developed enough. We knew so much about Rose and her struggles, but barely anything about Tristan in comparison. It was clear he had a lot of anxiety and hesitation when it came to sharing his feelings. I wanted to see more of that, and it would have been nice to see Rose come to realize that she is not the only one that struggles with mental health issues. All of his family issues were told to us rather than shown, which lessoned their gravity.
Summary
Overall, for a debut novel, L.E. Todd certainly understands the essentials of the romance genre. However, it falls short in key areas that prevent it from reaching its full potential. The writing, though sincere, could benefit from more polish and refinement. The characterization lacked some depth, leaving readers craving more nuanced and multi-dimensional portrayals. Additionally, the plot could use more intricate development and surprising twists to keep the reader fully engrossed. With further honing of writing skills and deeper character exploration, I think this author could improve immensely and have a presence in the romance space. I am really grateful to L.E. Todd for gifting me this ARC and hope to see more of her work in the future.
June 28, 2024
☆ 4.5 / 5
"I'd never witnessed a man's reaction to a romantic period drama."
{english review}
I finished reading this book a few days ago and didn't want to wait any longer to share my opinion on it.
It's a college romance story that delves into the life of a girl with OCD who daily battles with her disorder and herself. Her escape is through romantic movies, until her brother's best friend starts spoiling each movie she watches.
I didn't know what to expect from this story. I usually don't enjoy romances with lack of communication and assumptions, and this book has many such elements, both positive and negative. However, the author manages to create an environment where the protagonist's condition takes center stage and elevates the story to another level. Tristan, the male lead, also struggles to communicate his feelings, which was frustrating because many things could have been resolved with a simple conversation.
The protagonist is both vulnerable and strong, which touched my heart deeply. The premise of the book is beautiful: the way Rose finds solace in something as pure and simple as a movie seemed noble to me. Initially, I thought her reaction to spoilers was exaggerated, but upon learning the backstory of Tristan's friendship, I understood his reasons and was moved to tears.
This is a story that fully represents mental health. From my perspective, the author successfully demonstrates the impact of OCD on a person's life and how both protagonists navigate personal and family difficulties that affect their relationship.
I still have many fresh emotions about this book. The romance, the slow burn, and the references to romantic movies were exquisite. L.E. Todd's debut leaves me with high expectations for her upcoming works, which I hope to read soon.
{reseña en español}
"You know, as it turns out, hating you was never really a help to my OCD... but loving you was"
Hace unos días terminé de leer este libro y no quería esperar más para compartir mi opinión. Se trata de una historia de romance universitario que nos sumerge en la vida de una chica con TOC, quien enfrenta diariamente una lucha interna consigo misma y su trastorno. Como método de escape, encuentra consuelo en películas románticas, hasta que el mejor amigo de su hermano comienza a arruinar cada una de ellas al revelar sus tramas.
No sabía qué esperar de esta historia. Normalmente, no suelo disfrutar de los romances donde predominan la falta de comunicación y las suposiciones, y este libro contiene muchos de esos elementos, tanto positivos como negativos. Sin embargo, la autora logra crear un ambiente donde la condición de la protagonista se convierte en el centro de la trama, elevándola a otro nivel. Tristan, el protagonista masculino, también lucha por expresar sus sentimientos, lo cual resulta frustrante porque muchas situaciones podrían resolverse con una simple conversación.
La protagonista es a la vez vulnerable y fuerte, lo cual me conmovió profundamente, y la premisa del libro es preciosa: la forma en que Rose encuentra consuelo en las películas me pareció noble y conmovedor. Inicialmente me pareció exagerado su enojo por los spoilers, pero al descubrir la historia detrás de la amistad de Tristan, entendí sus motivos y no pude evitar emocionarme.
Este libro aborda de manera completa la representación de la salud mental. Desde mi perspectiva, la autora logra mostrar el impacto que tiene el TOC en la vida de una persona y cómo ambos protagonistas enfrentan dificultades personales y familiares que influyen en su relación.
Aún siento muchas emociones frescas sobre este libro. El romance, el desarrollo lento y las referencias a películas románticas fueron excelentes. El debut de L.E. Todd deja mis expectativas muy altas para sus próximas publicaciones, que espero leer pronto.
"Always looking at my lips, Rose. Why is that?"
"I'd never witnessed a man's reaction to a romantic period drama."
{english review}
I finished reading this book a few days ago and didn't want to wait any longer to share my opinion on it.
It's a college romance story that delves into the life of a girl with OCD who daily battles with her disorder and herself. Her escape is through romantic movies, until her brother's best friend starts spoiling each movie she watches.
I didn't know what to expect from this story. I usually don't enjoy romances with lack of communication and assumptions, and this book has many such elements, both positive and negative. However, the author manages to create an environment where the protagonist's condition takes center stage and elevates the story to another level. Tristan, the male lead, also struggles to communicate his feelings, which was frustrating because many things could have been resolved with a simple conversation.
The protagonist is both vulnerable and strong, which touched my heart deeply. The premise of the book is beautiful: the way Rose finds solace in something as pure and simple as a movie seemed noble to me. Initially, I thought her reaction to spoilers was exaggerated, but upon learning the backstory of Tristan's friendship, I understood his reasons and was moved to tears.
This is a story that fully represents mental health. From my perspective, the author successfully demonstrates the impact of OCD on a person's life and how both protagonists navigate personal and family difficulties that affect their relationship.
I still have many fresh emotions about this book. The romance, the slow burn, and the references to romantic movies were exquisite. L.E. Todd's debut leaves me with high expectations for her upcoming works, which I hope to read soon.
{reseña en español}
"You know, as it turns out, hating you was never really a help to my OCD... but loving you was"
Hace unos días terminé de leer este libro y no quería esperar más para compartir mi opinión. Se trata de una historia de romance universitario que nos sumerge en la vida de una chica con TOC, quien enfrenta diariamente una lucha interna consigo misma y su trastorno. Como método de escape, encuentra consuelo en películas románticas, hasta que el mejor amigo de su hermano comienza a arruinar cada una de ellas al revelar sus tramas.
No sabía qué esperar de esta historia. Normalmente, no suelo disfrutar de los romances donde predominan la falta de comunicación y las suposiciones, y este libro contiene muchos de esos elementos, tanto positivos como negativos. Sin embargo, la autora logra crear un ambiente donde la condición de la protagonista se convierte en el centro de la trama, elevándola a otro nivel. Tristan, el protagonista masculino, también lucha por expresar sus sentimientos, lo cual resulta frustrante porque muchas situaciones podrían resolverse con una simple conversación.
La protagonista es a la vez vulnerable y fuerte, lo cual me conmovió profundamente, y la premisa del libro es preciosa: la forma en que Rose encuentra consuelo en las películas me pareció noble y conmovedor. Inicialmente me pareció exagerado su enojo por los spoilers, pero al descubrir la historia detrás de la amistad de Tristan, entendí sus motivos y no pude evitar emocionarme.
Este libro aborda de manera completa la representación de la salud mental. Desde mi perspectiva, la autora logra mostrar el impacto que tiene el TOC en la vida de una persona y cómo ambos protagonistas enfrentan dificultades personales y familiares que influyen en su relación.
Aún siento muchas emociones frescas sobre este libro. El romance, el desarrollo lento y las referencias a películas románticas fueron excelentes. El debut de L.E. Todd deja mis expectativas muy altas para sus próximas publicaciones, que espero leer pronto.
"Always looking at my lips, Rose. Why is that?"
June 24, 2024
I loved the premise of the Spoiler. It got me so excited and definitely could’ve been a book I really loved. Unfortunately the execution was not that good in my opinion.
First of all I got this as an arc. So my version might not have been the final version but if it is, the formatting is incredibly messy. Sentences are cut in half and spaced. It looks a bit
like this.
The sentence just continues below making it seem like it’s the end but no. Often there is a blank space in the middle of a sentence making it a whole new alinea. I got often confused and this was a big part of why I lost interest.
The other reasons were the fact that the writing was not my thing. We immediately got dropped into the story without much back ground story. It all went so fast and I couldn’t keep track anymore. I would’ve liked more build up.
Next are the characters. Because the writing was so fast I didn’t connect with the characters and all their reasonings. I kind of understood why Tristan spoiled every movie but I didn’t care or did I think it was realistic. I’m sorry. (Also I’m sorry but Tristan is a red flag.)
I didn’t love this book as much as I hoped but I feel like the more books this author writes the more they’ll improve and I’m excited to try their future stories later.
Thank you to the publisher and to netgalley for giving me this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.
First of all I got this as an arc. So my version might not have been the final version but if it is, the formatting is incredibly messy. Sentences are cut in half and spaced. It looks a bit
like this.
The sentence just continues below making it seem like it’s the end but no. Often there is a blank space in the middle of a sentence making it a whole new alinea. I got often confused and this was a big part of why I lost interest.
The other reasons were the fact that the writing was not my thing. We immediately got dropped into the story without much back ground story. It all went so fast and I couldn’t keep track anymore. I would’ve liked more build up.
Next are the characters. Because the writing was so fast I didn’t connect with the characters and all their reasonings. I kind of understood why Tristan spoiled every movie but I didn’t care or did I think it was realistic. I’m sorry. (Also I’m sorry but Tristan is a red flag.)
I didn’t love this book as much as I hoped but I feel like the more books this author writes the more they’ll improve and I’m excited to try their future stories later.
Thank you to the publisher and to netgalley for giving me this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.
June 6, 2024
Thank you to LE Todd for sharing “The Spoiler” with me as an ARC reader! I was very excited to get my hands on this book: movies, romance, mental health representation. And overall, the book didn’t disappoint. I really came to love Rosie and Tristan - and their many years long story.
I gave this a 4 star because occasionally I found the text jumping between scenes without warning and it was a touch jarring. I think this book could have benefitted from dual POV, but I also think that about most romances, ha! Rosie and Tristan were great, though I occasionally found her desire to get back at him to be so overwhelming (although I understand it became part of fighting back against her OCD). Some of the more dramatic family scenes felt a bit forced but I understand that including them helped showcase Rosie’s compulsions. I also think that their feud got a little ridiculous by the end; but again - I know why it has to be drawn out that way! It's worth it in the end!
Overall, it was a sweet read featuring the brothers best friend trope, enemies to lovers, and again: some great mental health awareness! I’m always a huge fan of that! Also, if you love period drama movies, then you’ll definitely enjoy the banter and move quoting in this book. So much fun!!!
I gave this a 4 star because occasionally I found the text jumping between scenes without warning and it was a touch jarring. I think this book could have benefitted from dual POV, but I also think that about most romances, ha! Rosie and Tristan were great, though I occasionally found her desire to get back at him to be so overwhelming (although I understand it became part of fighting back against her OCD). Some of the more dramatic family scenes felt a bit forced but I understand that including them helped showcase Rosie’s compulsions. I also think that their feud got a little ridiculous by the end; but again - I know why it has to be drawn out that way! It's worth it in the end!
Overall, it was a sweet read featuring the brothers best friend trope, enemies to lovers, and again: some great mental health awareness! I’m always a huge fan of that! Also, if you love period drama movies, then you’ll definitely enjoy the banter and move quoting in this book. So much fun!!!
July 2, 2024
Rose loves watching period dramas, thanks to a box of them she found in her room one day in high school. She constantly rents and watches them as it helps her escape from her reality of having OCD. Tristan, her former crush, and brothers best friend, makes it his mission to constantly spoil them for her even though she hates it. Once she realizes it is him who left the box in her room, she plans to destroy him by using his own game. Will her plan work or will she fall for him again once she figures out more of who he is and why he started spoiling movies for her in the first place?
Unfortunately the slow burn in this book was too much for me. I felt like just when I thought the romance would happen, it kept slipping away and then when it did happen it was only for a second until it was gone again. Good thing there was an epilogue. I know that the spoilers were the theme of this book but the main male character kept spoiling movies constantly even though he knew she hated them even though it riled her up to the point where she would scream, it was exhausting. I see the vision of the book but I don’t think it was executed very well. I think getting more information into Tristan’s background and family, would’ve given a better understanding of what he was going through and why he did what he did.
This story touched on mental health and the depths of it. It’s not usual that a book has mental health representation so kuddos to the author for that. I also liked how the author emphasized family and friendship in this story. Overall it was a decent read, I would recommend to anyone who enjoys reading YA books, and enemies to lovers, as well as slow burn tropes.
Unfortunately the slow burn in this book was too much for me. I felt like just when I thought the romance would happen, it kept slipping away and then when it did happen it was only for a second until it was gone again. Good thing there was an epilogue. I know that the spoilers were the theme of this book but the main male character kept spoiling movies constantly even though he knew she hated them even though it riled her up to the point where she would scream, it was exhausting. I see the vision of the book but I don’t think it was executed very well. I think getting more information into Tristan’s background and family, would’ve given a better understanding of what he was going through and why he did what he did.
This story touched on mental health and the depths of it. It’s not usual that a book has mental health representation so kuddos to the author for that. I also liked how the author emphasized family and friendship in this story. Overall it was a decent read, I would recommend to anyone who enjoys reading YA books, and enemies to lovers, as well as slow burn tropes.
September 24, 2024
"These were not the ruins I wanted him in... and now we've destroyed each other."
For the first time ALL YEAR, l've found my love of reading again and L.E Todd’s debut novel is to thank. I finished The Spoiler in just a day, engrossed in the friends-to-enemies-to-lovers dynamic between Rose and Tristan.
This witty, movie quote-filled romance also dives into the reality of living with OCD and the impact it can take on mental health and relationships. It reads as a relatable window into 20-something life: discovering who you are beyond the walls of high school and learning to admit your mistakes.
It's that time of year we’re all cozying up with blankets and pumpkin spice lattes, and I hope to see The Spoiler in everyone's October TBR!
For the first time ALL YEAR, l've found my love of reading again and L.E Todd’s debut novel is to thank. I finished The Spoiler in just a day, engrossed in the friends-to-enemies-to-lovers dynamic between Rose and Tristan.
This witty, movie quote-filled romance also dives into the reality of living with OCD and the impact it can take on mental health and relationships. It reads as a relatable window into 20-something life: discovering who you are beyond the walls of high school and learning to admit your mistakes.
It's that time of year we’re all cozying up with blankets and pumpkin spice lattes, and I hope to see The Spoiler in everyone's October TBR!
May 25, 2024
First and foremost, I want to thank L.E. Todd for the opportunity to do an ARC review on The Spoiler! It has been a while since I had a book keep me up late because it was so good, but this one did. I cannot say enough about how much I enjoyed this book. This book is a slow burn/enemies to lovers and let me tell you, the burn is slow but oh so wonderful.
Rose is in her third year of college, has OCD, loves old movies and has some old feelings (good and bad) for her brother’s best friend. Cue the brother’s best friend, Tristan. Tristan came around in high school and never left. He has a pesky habit of ruining all of Rose’s movies which she cannot stand. I am not saying much more about the plot in fear of spoiling the book. See what I did there? I enjoyed every second of the teasing and banter between Rose and Tristan. The spice, once you get to it, is fantastic. It is not so much spice that you feel like it’s all you’re reading, but it flows and adds to the story which is my personal favorite spice. Some of Rose and Tristan’s miscommunications did start to get a little frustrating. However, it allows the reader to fully understand that both main characters are constantly stuck in their own head overthinking every little thing.
I also have to mention how much I adored Rose and her brother’s relationship. Rob is an awesome big brother who always tries to include his sister in his lifer versus being embarrassed by her.
I loved how OCD and mental health were discussed and portrayed in the novel. This book depicted how quickly a mental illness can take over someone’s life and how it tricks people into thinking they aren’t good enough or worthy. It also shows how therapy can help anyone and normalizes it. Overall, this book is a must read in my opinion!
Rose is in her third year of college, has OCD, loves old movies and has some old feelings (good and bad) for her brother’s best friend. Cue the brother’s best friend, Tristan. Tristan came around in high school and never left. He has a pesky habit of ruining all of Rose’s movies which she cannot stand. I am not saying much more about the plot in fear of spoiling the book. See what I did there? I enjoyed every second of the teasing and banter between Rose and Tristan. The spice, once you get to it, is fantastic. It is not so much spice that you feel like it’s all you’re reading, but it flows and adds to the story which is my personal favorite spice. Some of Rose and Tristan’s miscommunications did start to get a little frustrating. However, it allows the reader to fully understand that both main characters are constantly stuck in their own head overthinking every little thing.
I also have to mention how much I adored Rose and her brother’s relationship. Rob is an awesome big brother who always tries to include his sister in his lifer versus being embarrassed by her.
I loved how OCD and mental health were discussed and portrayed in the novel. This book depicted how quickly a mental illness can take over someone’s life and how it tricks people into thinking they aren’t good enough or worthy. It also shows how therapy can help anyone and normalizes it. Overall, this book is a must read in my opinion!
June 8, 2024
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC
There was so much more going on in this book, but what it kept coming back to for me was this:
Rose has crippling OCD and spoilers are a trigger.
Tristan is an asshole who likes to spoil things on purpose for her and send her into screaming fits when she begs him not to.
I am so sick of "pulling pigtails" style romances. "Oh, he's annoying you? hurting your feelings? crossing your boundaries? showing up uninvited in your spaces? OH!!! that means he LIKES YOU!"
If that's how you love me, love me less... Good god. Use your fucking words. If she has so much mental stress on her plate from her OCD then why add more by playing little games, ruining her dates, and putting your insecurities and jealousies on her? THEN the big thing is like "OH, I did that so you would put all your anger on me instead of yourself.." Awwww.... WHAT? no... no AWW... why not give her some space? why not see if she needs resources? why not respect her boundaries in a healthy way?
I would LOVE it if the most romantic thing a man could do for a woman in a book was respect her. I would absolutely ADORE IT if that were the hot and sexy thing and that women would rate that 5 stars.
And yes I read the book and no, I don't want to debate it in the comments with you.
There was so much more going on in this book, but what it kept coming back to for me was this:
Rose has crippling OCD and spoilers are a trigger.
Tristan is an asshole who likes to spoil things on purpose for her and send her into screaming fits when she begs him not to.
I am so sick of "pulling pigtails" style romances. "Oh, he's annoying you? hurting your feelings? crossing your boundaries? showing up uninvited in your spaces? OH!!! that means he LIKES YOU!"
If that's how you love me, love me less... Good god. Use your fucking words. If she has so much mental stress on her plate from her OCD then why add more by playing little games, ruining her dates, and putting your insecurities and jealousies on her? THEN the big thing is like "OH, I did that so you would put all your anger on me instead of yourself.." Awwww.... WHAT? no... no AWW... why not give her some space? why not see if she needs resources? why not respect her boundaries in a healthy way?
I would LOVE it if the most romantic thing a man could do for a woman in a book was respect her. I would absolutely ADORE IT if that were the hot and sexy thing and that women would rate that 5 stars.
And yes I read the book and no, I don't want to debate it in the comments with you.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 3, 2024
I like to thank the author for allowing me to read this ARC.
The Spoiler is an interesting read. The author excels at writing good build up and chemistry. A plus would be the fact that the mental health / OCD aspect was out in full view. I felt it was handled really well.
I guess my issue would lie more or less with the male protagonist. He always had a crush on her, and he uses spoilers to distract her from her OCD spikes. However, his whole reason of why he wouldn't ask her out and why he couldn't express his feelings to her I wasn't buying. The author spent the book really building up the female, but when it comes to the reason(s) of why he couldn't tell her... it was just not really making sense.
In no way is it a bad book! We need more books with mental health awareness. It just fell a bit short when it comes to the male.
The Spoiler is an interesting read. The author excels at writing good build up and chemistry. A plus would be the fact that the mental health / OCD aspect was out in full view. I felt it was handled really well.
I guess my issue would lie more or less with the male protagonist. He always had a crush on her, and he uses spoilers to distract her from her OCD spikes. However, his whole reason of why he wouldn't ask her out and why he couldn't express his feelings to her I wasn't buying. The author spent the book really building up the female, but when it comes to the reason(s) of why he couldn't tell her... it was just not really making sense.
In no way is it a bad book! We need more books with mental health awareness. It just fell a bit short when it comes to the male.
May 20, 2024
4.5🌟
This was my first ever ARC read and I just want to say how destined it was for me to read being from Virginia and the book takes place in Virginia!
The chapters were fairly long and I felt like they could’ve been broken up more/better. There were parts where it was a flash back but Rose’s dialogue interrupted the flash back talking in current times. Other than that I have no complaints about the writing style. I found it easy to read and comprehend.
The tension between Rose & Tristan was amazing. There were times I was so frustrated with both of them for not communicating. Their chemistry together was *chefs kiss* 😙🤌🏻 I also really enjoyed Rose & Rob’s relationship and I appreciate not having the “protective older brother” trope in this story.
Overall I thought this was a unique story and I had a fun time reading it.
This was my first ever ARC read and I just want to say how destined it was for me to read being from Virginia and the book takes place in Virginia!
The chapters were fairly long and I felt like they could’ve been broken up more/better. There were parts where it was a flash back but Rose’s dialogue interrupted the flash back talking in current times. Other than that I have no complaints about the writing style. I found it easy to read and comprehend.
The tension between Rose & Tristan was amazing. There were times I was so frustrated with both of them for not communicating. Their chemistry together was *chefs kiss* 😙🤌🏻 I also really enjoyed Rose & Rob’s relationship and I appreciate not having the “protective older brother” trope in this story.
Overall I thought this was a unique story and I had a fun time reading it.
August 30, 2024
I can’t speak highly enough about this book. The characters are fantastic and deep and beautiful and 😍😍😍😍. Todd has such a fun writing style. I can’t wait for y’all to read it!!!!!!!!
November 4, 2024
The Spoiler by L.E. Todd was such a treat! This romance had everything I love in a good book: engaging characters, an exciting plot, and a swoon-worthy male lead that left me completely hooked. Todd has an incredibly creative way of crafting her characters, giving them depth and uniqueness that brings them to life on the page.
The male main character, in particular, was a dream. Todd managed to make him both charming and intense, giving me the kind of butterflies I haven’t felt since I was a young girl swooning over my first book crush! Every scene with him had me completely captivated. I loved the romance in this story and the beautiful way it unfolded. This book is a must-read for romance fans who love a bit of magic in their characters. Highly recommend!
The male main character, in particular, was a dream. Todd managed to make him both charming and intense, giving me the kind of butterflies I haven’t felt since I was a young girl swooning over my first book crush! Every scene with him had me completely captivated. I loved the romance in this story and the beautiful way it unfolded. This book is a must-read for romance fans who love a bit of magic in their characters. Highly recommend!
June 11, 2024
Thank you to NetGalley for an electronic advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This is a college romance. College romances entail poor life decisions, questionable characters, and sex placed high on the priority list, and this book didn’t stray from the criteria. The premise of The Spoiler is so cute and different, but the execution was not my favorite. Tristan is spoiling movies knowing she hates when he does it. Does he have a reason? Yeah sure. Does it make sense? Yeah sure…but it was also connived by a college boy, so the reasoning is flawed at best. Tristan is also problematics because he is not a great communicator. Like he literally cannot string a full sentence together to bring his point across to Rose. I would be 100% more understanding if we got a back story for why this is, but I can recall receiving no such explanation. It was all very confusing. Now Rose. As someone with a very lax case of OCD, I do not fully grasp the severity of Rose’s situation. However, it does seem like she should have gotten help ages ago. Her parents are relatively decent people, so why had no one driven her to get help if it was blatantly affecting her daily life? And it did. With all of the isolation she experienced, her ability to communicate effectively and coherently with others really took a hit.
What I did like was that Rose and Rob (her brother) were friends and lived together through college. I thought that was cute.
Anyway. All that to say, I probably would have DNFed this if I didn’t have an ARC. The premise was cringely executed and the characters were awful to each other more than half of the time. I probably wouldn’t recommend.
Also, saying that you would have done the same thing in Romeo and Juliet’s situation? That’s a red flag.
This is a college romance. College romances entail poor life decisions, questionable characters, and sex placed high on the priority list, and this book didn’t stray from the criteria. The premise of The Spoiler is so cute and different, but the execution was not my favorite. Tristan is spoiling movies knowing she hates when he does it. Does he have a reason? Yeah sure. Does it make sense? Yeah sure…but it was also connived by a college boy, so the reasoning is flawed at best. Tristan is also problematics because he is not a great communicator. Like he literally cannot string a full sentence together to bring his point across to Rose. I would be 100% more understanding if we got a back story for why this is, but I can recall receiving no such explanation. It was all very confusing. Now Rose. As someone with a very lax case of OCD, I do not fully grasp the severity of Rose’s situation. However, it does seem like she should have gotten help ages ago. Her parents are relatively decent people, so why had no one driven her to get help if it was blatantly affecting her daily life? And it did. With all of the isolation she experienced, her ability to communicate effectively and coherently with others really took a hit.
What I did like was that Rose and Rob (her brother) were friends and lived together through college. I thought that was cute.
Anyway. All that to say, I probably would have DNFed this if I didn’t have an ARC. The premise was cringely executed and the characters were awful to each other more than half of the time. I probably wouldn’t recommend.
Also, saying that you would have done the same thing in Romeo and Juliet’s situation? That’s a red flag.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 4, 2024
I want to start with thanking L.E Todd for allowing me to read an advanced copy and giving a small book account a chance! This book is one of my new favorite romances. I have fallen in love with Tristan and Rose and will now be lost without them. The plot was something I have never experienced before, but it brought to light mental health and bullying in a way I have never seen that I throughly enjoyed. I’m sure someone will read this and feel seen. The idea of someone spoiling movies would send me into an absolute rage at times I was mad at Tristan!! 🤣This was such a fun read and I can’t wait to read anything else she has written.
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.75
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.75
May 14, 2024
Thank you so much to L.E. Todd for an ARC of this book—being published June 18th!
I have to admit, romance isn’t to go-to genre, though I do enjoy it every so often. With that being said, this is actually my first ever read in the “brother’s best friend” trope.
I do think that regular romance readers will love this book, but because I’m not a romance-heavy reader, my rating is a 3.5⭐️ which gets rounded up to 4. Romance reading enthusiasts will rate this higher for sure.
There were aspects that I really did enjoy, like the fact that the main character, Roslyn, has OCD—this is something that I have never seen displayed in a book, but also something that I can relate to. I also really enjoyed that the main character has a strong relationship with her brother, Rob, who is a genuinely good character. I assumed that in books of this trope, there would be silly arguing between the brother + the main character, but Rob is a level-headed character. Also, the main characters being emotionally supportive of Roslyn is a nice attribute, especially given that there is already a good share of drama throughout the book—it’s a good balance. In addition to these things, the main character’s name, Roslyn, is one of my absolute favorite names so that wins some brownie points.😌
There are a few things I didn’t love too…
Heavy spice warnings for chapters 19 & 25‼️ Roslyn is a little bit too self-centered which limits how she perceives other’s emotions (but this is something that the character eventually recognizes in herself). Also, Tristian + Roslyn’s relationship progresses prettyyyyyy fast for them having a pretty callous relationship to start off with (even though yes, they have been friends since they were younger… but there was still a decent gap in time from them being friendly and growing as adults, so I think I was expecting more personal/emotional connection prior to the romance). The cheesiness of the “destroy Tristian” checklist definitely gives me cliche romance book vibes, BUT there will be readers that love that. Lastly, I don’t love the way that her OCD is portrayed, but I know that OCD can take many forms. My personal experience with OCD is significantly different, but for many of Roslyn’s compulsions being more subtle, the “Routine Rose” identity was blown out of proportion—it depicts her OCD as moreso fidgeting, picking, or needing to clean up crumbs, and those things in itself aren’t normally perceived as “crazy” or “weird” by those who don’t have OCD (in my experience), so I feel as though the bullying aspect that Roslyn experiences is more extreme than the “oddness” of her compulsions.
I have to admit, romance isn’t to go-to genre, though I do enjoy it every so often. With that being said, this is actually my first ever read in the “brother’s best friend” trope.
I do think that regular romance readers will love this book, but because I’m not a romance-heavy reader, my rating is a 3.5⭐️ which gets rounded up to 4. Romance reading enthusiasts will rate this higher for sure.
There were aspects that I really did enjoy, like the fact that the main character, Roslyn, has OCD—this is something that I have never seen displayed in a book, but also something that I can relate to. I also really enjoyed that the main character has a strong relationship with her brother, Rob, who is a genuinely good character. I assumed that in books of this trope, there would be silly arguing between the brother + the main character, but Rob is a level-headed character. Also, the main characters being emotionally supportive of Roslyn is a nice attribute, especially given that there is already a good share of drama throughout the book—it’s a good balance. In addition to these things, the main character’s name, Roslyn, is one of my absolute favorite names so that wins some brownie points.😌
There are a few things I didn’t love too…
Heavy spice warnings for chapters 19 & 25‼️ Roslyn is a little bit too self-centered which limits how she perceives other’s emotions (but this is something that the character eventually recognizes in herself). Also, Tristian + Roslyn’s relationship progresses prettyyyyyy fast for them having a pretty callous relationship to start off with (even though yes, they have been friends since they were younger… but there was still a decent gap in time from them being friendly and growing as adults, so I think I was expecting more personal/emotional connection prior to the romance). The cheesiness of the “destroy Tristian” checklist definitely gives me cliche romance book vibes, BUT there will be readers that love that. Lastly, I don’t love the way that her OCD is portrayed, but I know that OCD can take many forms. My personal experience with OCD is significantly different, but for many of Roslyn’s compulsions being more subtle, the “Routine Rose” identity was blown out of proportion—it depicts her OCD as moreso fidgeting, picking, or needing to clean up crumbs, and those things in itself aren’t normally perceived as “crazy” or “weird” by those who don’t have OCD (in my experience), so I feel as though the bullying aspect that Roslyn experiences is more extreme than the “oddness” of her compulsions.
October 28, 2024
This kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I loved seeing the tension between the characters and the frustration he caused her!
June 6, 2024
I received an ARC of this beautiful book. Thank you so much to L.E. Todd for gifting me with your words!
I am sobbing…I loved this book so much. Such wonderful writing and characters (including an indigenous MMC). I tried to slowly read this because I knew it’d be one of those books I wish I could read again for the first time. Loved getting to read about Rose and Tristan 🥰
I am sobbing…I loved this book so much. Such wonderful writing and characters (including an indigenous MMC). I tried to slowly read this because I knew it’d be one of those books I wish I could read again for the first time. Loved getting to read about Rose and Tristan 🥰
March 24, 2025
I very much enjoyed this book! I was able to relate to quite a few aspects of the narrative from living in the dorms during my university days to the "OCD" anxiety rituals performed to calm myself. The romance between Rose and Tristan was believable and escalated nicely throughout the novel. His concern for her was super touching, even if he may have gone about it the wrong way with sharing spoilers for the historical period drama movies.
July 18, 2024
Wow! I am so impressed by L.E. Todd’s debut novel!
When I saw her post asking for ARC readers I was immediately drawn to this story. Rose and Tristan’s story is a beautiful and a little spicy friends to lovers treat. They both have to come to terms with their own demons in order to really be together. This HEA is well earned and worth the read. Can’t wait to see what she writes next.
Thank you to the author for the ARC, this review is my unbiased opinion.
When I saw her post asking for ARC readers I was immediately drawn to this story. Rose and Tristan’s story is a beautiful and a little spicy friends to lovers treat. They both have to come to terms with their own demons in order to really be together. This HEA is well earned and worth the read. Can’t wait to see what she writes next.
Thank you to the author for the ARC, this review is my unbiased opinion.
June 19, 2024
I’m always weary when it comes to books that try to mix mental health issues and romance (call me a victim of Colleen Hoover) but I will say that I was pleasantly surprised to find that I really enjoyed L.E. Todd’s “The Spoiler.”
Set in what I assume to be the early 2000’s based on the existence of rental video stores, we follow the story of Rose Maraczek as she tries to escape the ever lingering pressure of “Routine Rose,” a persona given to her by high school classmates because of her Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Now in college, Rose wants to leave that all behind to live a peaceful life with her best friend of a brother and her favorite period piece films. But with her brother’s best friend (and previous crush) spoiling every one of her precious movies before she can finish them, she begins to question if that peace is really possible if she doesn’t leave the safe haven of a house she has so comfortably set herself in. In this contemporary story filled with some of today’s favorite tropes, Rose finds out why Tristain has spent all these years spoiling movies and what Rose needs to do to find that internal peace she has been looking for all these years.
Going into this novel I was told that there were a plethora of different tropes that have become really popular lately such as a hockey romance, period piece references, brother’s best friend, and more. With so many popular tropes (some of which don’t seem to work well together,) I was worried that this was going to be a jumble of cliches that may not turn out into a cohesive story. I am happy to say that I was SO WRONG. Todd does a wonderful job of creating a story centered around character journey and development. I love the relationships between characters, especially Rose and Rob as siblings who are also best friends. With the brother’s best friend trope, there is often a scene of betrayal where the brother is upset that the best friend is messing with his sister or vice versa, but because of the established relationships between all three characters from the beginning, the trope plays very naturally and acts as the reuniting factor needed during the typical “break-off” period of classic contemporary romance novels. Each character is uniquely built to each have their own issues and problems without overshadowing the others, so that while we follow Rose’s perspective through this whole story, the reader is still given ample information revealed very naturally about other characters leaving us invested in everyone to the very end.
Approaching mental health in any fictional novel can be a challenging feat since as an author you need to ensure that the particular audience of those who struggle with it feel represented and not tokenized, victimized, or minimized in their experiences. Todd does an excellent job of properly representing OCD in her novel, showcasing the authentic experience of what it’s like to live with OCD without making it her whole personality or keeping her from taking accountability for her decisions. Todd does a great job of showcasing the anxiety and self doubt that comes with the severity of OCD and the implications it can have on a person’s life without making it the “reason” why Rose is doing all these things to Tristan. I think my favorite aspect of the book is the fact that both romantic characters are faulted in the end for how they acted and reacted to the events that happened, making this a very realistic story to be both frustrated with and enthralled in.
Overall, “The Spoiler” was a great read that I would recommend to anyone who is looking for something that is both enthralling but not all consuming, I was able to read this in between studying for my finals as a nice break (even though when I went back to studying, all I wanted to do was keep finding out what would happen between Tristan and Rose.)
I’d like to conclude by giving a big thank you to L.E. Todd for allowing me to have an ARC of “The Spoiler”! It was a great read and I can’t wait to see how much everyone else loves it!
Set in what I assume to be the early 2000’s based on the existence of rental video stores, we follow the story of Rose Maraczek as she tries to escape the ever lingering pressure of “Routine Rose,” a persona given to her by high school classmates because of her Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Now in college, Rose wants to leave that all behind to live a peaceful life with her best friend of a brother and her favorite period piece films. But with her brother’s best friend (and previous crush) spoiling every one of her precious movies before she can finish them, she begins to question if that peace is really possible if she doesn’t leave the safe haven of a house she has so comfortably set herself in. In this contemporary story filled with some of today’s favorite tropes, Rose finds out why Tristain has spent all these years spoiling movies and what Rose needs to do to find that internal peace she has been looking for all these years.
Going into this novel I was told that there were a plethora of different tropes that have become really popular lately such as a hockey romance, period piece references, brother’s best friend, and more. With so many popular tropes (some of which don’t seem to work well together,) I was worried that this was going to be a jumble of cliches that may not turn out into a cohesive story. I am happy to say that I was SO WRONG. Todd does a wonderful job of creating a story centered around character journey and development. I love the relationships between characters, especially Rose and Rob as siblings who are also best friends. With the brother’s best friend trope, there is often a scene of betrayal where the brother is upset that the best friend is messing with his sister or vice versa, but because of the established relationships between all three characters from the beginning, the trope plays very naturally and acts as the reuniting factor needed during the typical “break-off” period of classic contemporary romance novels. Each character is uniquely built to each have their own issues and problems without overshadowing the others, so that while we follow Rose’s perspective through this whole story, the reader is still given ample information revealed very naturally about other characters leaving us invested in everyone to the very end.
Approaching mental health in any fictional novel can be a challenging feat since as an author you need to ensure that the particular audience of those who struggle with it feel represented and not tokenized, victimized, or minimized in their experiences. Todd does an excellent job of properly representing OCD in her novel, showcasing the authentic experience of what it’s like to live with OCD without making it her whole personality or keeping her from taking accountability for her decisions. Todd does a great job of showcasing the anxiety and self doubt that comes with the severity of OCD and the implications it can have on a person’s life without making it the “reason” why Rose is doing all these things to Tristan. I think my favorite aspect of the book is the fact that both romantic characters are faulted in the end for how they acted and reacted to the events that happened, making this a very realistic story to be both frustrated with and enthralled in.
Overall, “The Spoiler” was a great read that I would recommend to anyone who is looking for something that is both enthralling but not all consuming, I was able to read this in between studying for my finals as a nice break (even though when I went back to studying, all I wanted to do was keep finding out what would happen between Tristan and Rose.)
I’d like to conclude by giving a big thank you to L.E. Todd for allowing me to have an ARC of “The Spoiler”! It was a great read and I can’t wait to see how much everyone else loves it!
May 7, 2024
* I received this as an ARC read and wanted to first say a GIANT THANK YOU to the author for trusting them to read their newest work!
I don’t want to talk about any major spoilers before the book has been released, but I will mention the things that I did like about it! I really enjoyed the mental health rep! As someone that does not have OCD but knows people who do, it was a nice way for me to see a glimpse of how they must feel on a daily basis. The breadcrumb incident hit so hard for me because you could ‘hear’ those who do not understand her mind being hurtful and she had to acknowledge it, but had to continue doing her task because her mind was telling her that it was wrong and needed to be fixed. I think it’s hard for “normal” people to understand mental illnesses at times and this was a way to show that’s it’s not something that you can just “turn off”. Something that I would have loved to see is Rose being in a public place and hearing someone being like “oh yeah I am OCD and just LOVE cleaning” and Tristan, or her brother, or heck even herself correcting the behavior and educating the person on what OCD actually IS.I also appreciated that the MMC was indigenous- I don’t see that often in books and I liked the representation there! Also, the fall season vibes made me miss ‘spooky season’ and I am already daydreaming about October rolling around.
Now, unfortunately, there are a couple of critiques that I do have. For starters, in the beginning, it felt almost creepy that he was so obsessed with her and he seemed to be completely blind to the emotional torment that he was giving her. In all honesty, if Tristan was a real person, I’d run the other direction because of the red flags coming off of him. Like, could we have not seen him leave his ‘friends’ to go sit with her at lunch when he knew she was alone everyday (in the flashbacks)? And he couldn’t have been vulnerable when he left her radio silent for a few days? All he could say was “I’m tired” when he could see he was losing her? I wished we could have seen him be more vulnerable with Rose versus being closed off with all of his emotions besides list for her.
I also think that the last 10% of the book left me a little annoyed. We had the third act ‘breakup’, and a her spiral of her mental health followed, but I really wish that we could have seen her pick herself up and realize that she could learn to live with just herself. I would have loved to see the psychologist give her some sort of coping mechanism that she could use when she started spiraling that could help her pick up her own pieces.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book to the point that I stayed up until 5 am to finish the whole thing 😅. I unfortunately cannot give it that 5 stars though, just because I felt there were inconsistencies within the plot (“I’m protective of her but also I’m not going to tell her how I feel and I’m going to spoil movies for her when I see it visibly frustrates her”). All in all, I did enjoy this read and would love to read one of the author’s works again!
I don’t want to talk about any major spoilers before the book has been released, but I will mention the things that I did like about it! I really enjoyed the mental health rep! As someone that does not have OCD but knows people who do, it was a nice way for me to see a glimpse of how they must feel on a daily basis. The breadcrumb incident hit so hard for me because you could ‘hear’ those who do not understand her mind being hurtful and she had to acknowledge it, but had to continue doing her task because her mind was telling her that it was wrong and needed to be fixed. I think it’s hard for “normal” people to understand mental illnesses at times and this was a way to show that’s it’s not something that you can just “turn off”. Something that I would have loved to see is Rose being in a public place and hearing someone being like “oh yeah I am OCD and just LOVE cleaning” and Tristan, or her brother, or heck even herself correcting the behavior and educating the person on what OCD actually IS.I also appreciated that the MMC was indigenous- I don’t see that often in books and I liked the representation there! Also, the fall season vibes made me miss ‘spooky season’ and I am already daydreaming about October rolling around.
Now, unfortunately, there are a couple of critiques that I do have. For starters, in the beginning, it felt almost creepy that he was so obsessed with her and he seemed to be completely blind to the emotional torment that he was giving her. In all honesty, if Tristan was a real person, I’d run the other direction because of the red flags coming off of him. Like, could we have not seen him leave his ‘friends’ to go sit with her at lunch when he knew she was alone everyday (in the flashbacks)? And he couldn’t have been vulnerable when he left her radio silent for a few days? All he could say was “I’m tired” when he could see he was losing her? I wished we could have seen him be more vulnerable with Rose versus being closed off with all of his emotions besides list for her.
I also think that the last 10% of the book left me a little annoyed. We had the third act ‘breakup’, and a her spiral of her mental health followed, but I really wish that we could have seen her pick herself up and realize that she could learn to live with just herself. I would have loved to see the psychologist give her some sort of coping mechanism that she could use when she started spiraling that could help her pick up her own pieces.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book to the point that I stayed up until 5 am to finish the whole thing 😅. I unfortunately cannot give it that 5 stars though, just because I felt there were inconsistencies within the plot (“I’m protective of her but also I’m not going to tell her how I feel and I’m going to spoil movies for her when I see it visibly frustrates her”). All in all, I did enjoy this read and would love to read one of the author’s works again!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 23, 2024
In the midst of a year that has blessed me with amazing reads, I was lucky enough to add another to the list with The Spoiler by L.E. Todd. I truly feel so lucky that the author was kind enough to reach out to me for an arc read, because this has become a book that I will think about for a long, long time to come.
This story follows Roslyn, a movie-obsessed woman in college trying to find her place in the world amidst life, longing, and her OCD diagnosis. Living with her brother, she goes through life unnoticed, except by her biggest annoyance- her brother's best friend, Tristan. Through witty banter and quick wit, they prod each other until the attraction between them becomes too much to ignore.
There are many things that I loved about this story, but I wanted to start with the most impactful part for me- the mental health representation. Throughout the book, you see Roslyn battle with herself and her OCD. You watch her struggle with being her own worst enemy, with the overwhelming power of a soul that needs space to heal... She is so raw and vulnerable in this book, and the intimate look that you get into her mind was so authentic and heartbreaking and I really, really appreciated the representation the author gave to this community. I may not be able to speak on the experience of having OCD, but as someone who does battle with their own mental health struggles, I really loved the journey of healing and learning to love yourself.
Next on the list of things I loved was the banter! Oh my gods, Rose and Tristan had some of the best back and forth I have ever read and I ate up every single one of their interactions. The tension between them was done so well and I was so anxious to see how their happy ending would come to fruition.
AND THE ENDING. Oh my gods, it was perfect. The way it tied the whole story together had me in tears and I think the author really outdid herself with how thoughtful and intentional it was.
If you are looking for a super emotional, heartfelt, spicy read full of mental health representation, healing, and ALL of the movie references, you need this book. It has quickly become a favorite of mine and I will be thinking of it for a LONG time.
This story follows Roslyn, a movie-obsessed woman in college trying to find her place in the world amidst life, longing, and her OCD diagnosis. Living with her brother, she goes through life unnoticed, except by her biggest annoyance- her brother's best friend, Tristan. Through witty banter and quick wit, they prod each other until the attraction between them becomes too much to ignore.
There are many things that I loved about this story, but I wanted to start with the most impactful part for me- the mental health representation. Throughout the book, you see Roslyn battle with herself and her OCD. You watch her struggle with being her own worst enemy, with the overwhelming power of a soul that needs space to heal... She is so raw and vulnerable in this book, and the intimate look that you get into her mind was so authentic and heartbreaking and I really, really appreciated the representation the author gave to this community. I may not be able to speak on the experience of having OCD, but as someone who does battle with their own mental health struggles, I really loved the journey of healing and learning to love yourself.
Next on the list of things I loved was the banter! Oh my gods, Rose and Tristan had some of the best back and forth I have ever read and I ate up every single one of their interactions. The tension between them was done so well and I was so anxious to see how their happy ending would come to fruition.
AND THE ENDING. Oh my gods, it was perfect. The way it tied the whole story together had me in tears and I think the author really outdid herself with how thoughtful and intentional it was.
If you are looking for a super emotional, heartfelt, spicy read full of mental health representation, healing, and ALL of the movie references, you need this book. It has quickly become a favorite of mine and I will be thinking of it for a LONG time.
May 17, 2024
I am so grateful I had the opportunity to receive an ARC from the author and I’m leaving my honest review.
L.E. Todd's, The Spoiler gave me all the feels. Rose loves movies and uses them as a form of escape. While in high school, Rose develops a crush on Tristan, her brother’s best friend and hockey teammate, who loves to spoil movies for her. Her crush quickly turns to annoyance as she isn’t as happy about the spoilers as Tristan appears to be. Throughout the book the banter, sexual tension, and protectiveness others have for Rose has you invested from the start. Tristan’s inability to communicate his feelings makes me want to scream at times, but you want to see him win too!
There are a few things I enjoyed about this book. The biggest one for me was the mental health representation as Rose struggles with anxiety and OCD. LE Todd does a beautiful job with depicting the most obvious, but the subtle struggles a neurodiverse person experiences. The doubts, jumping to conclusions, the intrusive thoughts, isolation, the escapism, and the desire to just feel “normal” when you struggle with the simplest things. The normalization of therapy and the process and struggles of talking to someone of the hard uncomfortable things made me smile. So, thank you!
The strength, protectiveness, and the acceptance Rose’s family shows to her neurodiversity is encouraging and empowering. I think it can help others who have a loved one who experiences OCD and anxiety symptoms, better understand the need behind the behavior. At times, it was heartbreaking to read, but needed to show others a glimpse into those struggles.
I do wish we would have gotten more in depth about Tristan’s background and how his childhood trauma lead to his choices of “spoiling” movies for her a little bit more.
Overall, I am just so grateful to have read this book and want more!
L.E. Todd's, The Spoiler gave me all the feels. Rose loves movies and uses them as a form of escape. While in high school, Rose develops a crush on Tristan, her brother’s best friend and hockey teammate, who loves to spoil movies for her. Her crush quickly turns to annoyance as she isn’t as happy about the spoilers as Tristan appears to be. Throughout the book the banter, sexual tension, and protectiveness others have for Rose has you invested from the start. Tristan’s inability to communicate his feelings makes me want to scream at times, but you want to see him win too!
There are a few things I enjoyed about this book. The biggest one for me was the mental health representation as Rose struggles with anxiety and OCD. LE Todd does a beautiful job with depicting the most obvious, but the subtle struggles a neurodiverse person experiences. The doubts, jumping to conclusions, the intrusive thoughts, isolation, the escapism, and the desire to just feel “normal” when you struggle with the simplest things. The normalization of therapy and the process and struggles of talking to someone of the hard uncomfortable things made me smile. So, thank you!
The strength, protectiveness, and the acceptance Rose’s family shows to her neurodiversity is encouraging and empowering. I think it can help others who have a loved one who experiences OCD and anxiety symptoms, better understand the need behind the behavior. At times, it was heartbreaking to read, but needed to show others a glimpse into those struggles.
I do wish we would have gotten more in depth about Tristan’s background and how his childhood trauma lead to his choices of “spoiling” movies for her a little bit more.
Overall, I am just so grateful to have read this book and want more!
May 27, 2024
"For all the disbelief you have in yourself, I match it in disbelief that you don’t see what I do."
Thank you to LE Todd for my complimentary ARC of The Spoiler in exchange for an honest review.
This book—which seemed like it would be a straightforward romance but isn’t—made me feel seen and heard. Like there’s a community of movie-loving, period drama fawning, socially anxious, hopeless romantics out there with whom I might belong.
Although brother’s best friend and hockey romance aren’t my typical go-tos, I thoroughly enjoyed this story. The hockey aspects were easy to follow for a non-sportsing person (yes, that’s a technical term) like me. Todd presents the sport as if it’s a character of its own, in a way that’s clear without being overdone or necessitates researching terms just to follow along.
Honestly, her writing is incredible! Her words are eloquent but humanistic, and the way she wove the movie quotes into the narrative without being too cheesy was refreshing. I would LOVE to read a fantasy story by her as I think she would do it so well—major worldbuilding, heartmate, angsty fae/elf/creature vibes. I kept thinking how interesting it would be if Rose, Tristan, Rob, and Drew were set in some sort of historically-adjacent realm with epic battles instead of the early 2000s.
Speaking of fantasy . . .
“Maybe if they were more Lord of the Rings themed, I’d appreciate them.” This time, he let out a deep laugh and nestled closer to me. “You know, you’d be buried out by those trash cans if you’d have spoiled LotR for me."
Is this a hint to readers that maybe LE Todd is considering fantasy?!! Ahh . . .
Anyway . . .
Rose, the FMC of The Spoiler, is relatable and easy to root for. Without giving too much away as her character traits are the building blocks of the story, she suffers from extreme OCD and doesn’t think as highly of herself as she should. Her relationship with Tristan starts off borderline concerning—for a while, I was worried he wouldn’t get a redemption arc (he does) and that Rose would never hear the truth about the movie spoilers he was always throwing at her (she does). I found myself wanting to shake them both by the shoulders several times.
But don’t worry . . . this is a happily-ever-after story (with an amazing ending, by the way!) and it didn’t take long for that frustration to turn into audible “awww”s and fist pumping moments. Their banter is excellent, even when they’re frustrated with one another. His obvious respect and support for her is lovely, as is the tension between them. The spice was a nice surprise!
My one teeny tiny critique is that we didn’t get more of the revenge plot. It’s easy to forget it’s there, although perhaps that was intentional—a way to show that Rose was clearly head-over-heels in love with Tristan instead of truly wishing to get back at him for giving her a . . . well, you’ll have to read to find out more!
"We had tied ourselves together on the most idyllic night I could imagine. You don’t have to live forever, you just have to live. This was the living I needed to do.
One of my favorite aspects of this book was the normalization of mental health and therapy. Not only did Todd do so with Rose’s character when it came to her OCD, but she also subtly called out other characters who would have benefitted from therapy too (including Tristan). Their relationship was reminiscent of The Tearsmith, with neither of them feeling like they deserve the other (which initially comes across as annoyance or even hate).
Definitely give The Spoiler a read if you’re looking for a story that’s easy to get pulled into (I finished it in a day!) with perfectly paced slow-burn, heartfelt moments, and a beautiful love story. It would also serve as a great palette cleanser between lengthier reads or as a good vacation read, without being fluff content. I’ll definitely recommend it to others and read it again soon!
Thank you to LE Todd for my complimentary ARC of The Spoiler in exchange for an honest review.
This book—which seemed like it would be a straightforward romance but isn’t—made me feel seen and heard. Like there’s a community of movie-loving, period drama fawning, socially anxious, hopeless romantics out there with whom I might belong.
Although brother’s best friend and hockey romance aren’t my typical go-tos, I thoroughly enjoyed this story. The hockey aspects were easy to follow for a non-sportsing person (yes, that’s a technical term) like me. Todd presents the sport as if it’s a character of its own, in a way that’s clear without being overdone or necessitates researching terms just to follow along.
Honestly, her writing is incredible! Her words are eloquent but humanistic, and the way she wove the movie quotes into the narrative without being too cheesy was refreshing. I would LOVE to read a fantasy story by her as I think she would do it so well—major worldbuilding, heartmate, angsty fae/elf/creature vibes. I kept thinking how interesting it would be if Rose, Tristan, Rob, and Drew were set in some sort of historically-adjacent realm with epic battles instead of the early 2000s.
Speaking of fantasy . . .
“Maybe if they were more Lord of the Rings themed, I’d appreciate them.” This time, he let out a deep laugh and nestled closer to me. “You know, you’d be buried out by those trash cans if you’d have spoiled LotR for me."
Is this a hint to readers that maybe LE Todd is considering fantasy?!! Ahh . . .
Anyway . . .
Rose, the FMC of The Spoiler, is relatable and easy to root for. Without giving too much away as her character traits are the building blocks of the story, she suffers from extreme OCD and doesn’t think as highly of herself as she should. Her relationship with Tristan starts off borderline concerning—for a while, I was worried he wouldn’t get a redemption arc (he does) and that Rose would never hear the truth about the movie spoilers he was always throwing at her (she does). I found myself wanting to shake them both by the shoulders several times.
But don’t worry . . . this is a happily-ever-after story (with an amazing ending, by the way!) and it didn’t take long for that frustration to turn into audible “awww”s and fist pumping moments. Their banter is excellent, even when they’re frustrated with one another. His obvious respect and support for her is lovely, as is the tension between them. The spice was a nice surprise!
My one teeny tiny critique is that we didn’t get more of the revenge plot. It’s easy to forget it’s there, although perhaps that was intentional—a way to show that Rose was clearly head-over-heels in love with Tristan instead of truly wishing to get back at him for giving her a . . . well, you’ll have to read to find out more!
"We had tied ourselves together on the most idyllic night I could imagine. You don’t have to live forever, you just have to live. This was the living I needed to do.
One of my favorite aspects of this book was the normalization of mental health and therapy. Not only did Todd do so with Rose’s character when it came to her OCD, but she also subtly called out other characters who would have benefitted from therapy too (including Tristan). Their relationship was reminiscent of The Tearsmith, with neither of them feeling like they deserve the other (which initially comes across as annoyance or even hate).
Definitely give The Spoiler a read if you’re looking for a story that’s easy to get pulled into (I finished it in a day!) with perfectly paced slow-burn, heartfelt moments, and a beautiful love story. It would also serve as a great palette cleanser between lengthier reads or as a good vacation read, without being fluff content. I’ll definitely recommend it to others and read it again soon!
June 3, 2024
I loved this book! Hot diggity!
With that being said, I did get an ARC from the author (L.E. Todd) and want to give a very honest review.
Main review: 5 stars and in love with this book.
This book will be a favorite for contemporary romance readers. It is fun, witty, and reminds me so much of my younger days.
Quick Synopsis: Rose is a college student studying architecture at UVA. She lives with her brother and has frequent run-ins with his best friend Tristan who also attends UVA. Tristan has been pretty much a member of the family since he moved to their town in high school. Rose also has OCD.
I will not "spoil" the book for you, but the tagline on the book says it all.
Things I loved:
-Going back to the early 2000's with the movies and renting them from a video store.
-Tristan
-OCD - the good and bad of it. I really felt like I was in her OCD flare with her.
- Just the reminder of young love, first crushes, and how we see ourselves when we are young.
-The hockey! Yes!!!
Didn't Like
-Rose doesn't let Tristan finish his thoughts. But she redeems herself on this at the end so that made it better.
Hopes
-It would be cool to read a novella on Rob and Nicole's relationship.
Overall, this was one of my favorite reads so far in 2024. I like that it wasn't just a hot girl/hot guy mash-up. The OCD component was awesome because it showed that we all have something going on in our lives. No one is picture-perfect. This is a great, quick, fun, and loving read that I am sure many readers will enjoy.
With that being said, I did get an ARC from the author (L.E. Todd) and want to give a very honest review.
Main review: 5 stars and in love with this book.
This book will be a favorite for contemporary romance readers. It is fun, witty, and reminds me so much of my younger days.
Quick Synopsis: Rose is a college student studying architecture at UVA. She lives with her brother and has frequent run-ins with his best friend Tristan who also attends UVA. Tristan has been pretty much a member of the family since he moved to their town in high school. Rose also has OCD.
I will not "spoil" the book for you, but the tagline on the book says it all.
Things I loved:
-Going back to the early 2000's with the movies and renting them from a video store.
-Tristan
-OCD - the good and bad of it. I really felt like I was in her OCD flare with her.
- Just the reminder of young love, first crushes, and how we see ourselves when we are young.
-The hockey! Yes!!!
Didn't Like
-Rose doesn't let Tristan finish his thoughts. But she redeems herself on this at the end so that made it better.
Hopes
-It would be cool to read a novella on Rob and Nicole's relationship.
Overall, this was one of my favorite reads so far in 2024. I like that it wasn't just a hot girl/hot guy mash-up. The OCD component was awesome because it showed that we all have something going on in our lives. No one is picture-perfect. This is a great, quick, fun, and loving read that I am sure many readers will enjoy.
June 16, 2024
L.E. Todd's debut novel The Spoiler was truly unputdownable..... that's a word, right..... point is this book made L.E. Todd an automatic buy author for me!
I read this as an ARC read, and oh man, do I need release day (6/18/24) to get here now so everyone else can catch up and we can discuss!!!!
The tropes
• mental health representation -
• brothers best friend
• revenge plot
• enemies ish to lovers
• slow burn
• early 2000s VA
The rating
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶🌶
My thoughts
I loved this story. It was well written, and I truly cared about the characters. I also felt transported back to the place and time. That could be my familiarity with college in VA in the early 2000s, but I think it had a lot to do with the writing. The arch of the story was wonderful and left me feeling happy and fulfilled. I have to take a moment to discuss the mental health representation. Our FMC has OCD and struggles with it throughout the story. As someone who loves and lives with an OCD spouse, I can say it was very accurate. The author didn't do that thing some books do where they romanticize the issue and make it cute. No, it's rough and hard and, at times, owns your life, but it is also surmountable, and seeing that in a story was beautiful.
My last note here is that I would like to thank L.E. Todd, thank you for sharing her amazing story with us. It takes a lot not only to write something like this but then to share it with all of us. Congratulations on your first novel.
I read this as an ARC read, and oh man, do I need release day (6/18/24) to get here now so everyone else can catch up and we can discuss!!!!
The tropes
• mental health representation -
• brothers best friend
• revenge plot
• enemies ish to lovers
• slow burn
• early 2000s VA
The rating
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶🌶
My thoughts
I loved this story. It was well written, and I truly cared about the characters. I also felt transported back to the place and time. That could be my familiarity with college in VA in the early 2000s, but I think it had a lot to do with the writing. The arch of the story was wonderful and left me feeling happy and fulfilled. I have to take a moment to discuss the mental health representation. Our FMC has OCD and struggles with it throughout the story. As someone who loves and lives with an OCD spouse, I can say it was very accurate. The author didn't do that thing some books do where they romanticize the issue and make it cute. No, it's rough and hard and, at times, owns your life, but it is also surmountable, and seeing that in a story was beautiful.
My last note here is that I would like to thank L.E. Todd, thank you for sharing her amazing story with us. It takes a lot not only to write something like this but then to share it with all of us. Congratulations on your first novel.
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