Spoiler Alert

Spoiler Alert #1

by Olivia Dade

'Spoiler Alert' van Olivia Dade is een heerlijke rom-com over April, die haar fan fiction en cosplay-hobby voor iedereen verborgen houdt. Als ze besluit een foto te posten waarop ze verkleed is als een personage uit een populaire tv-serie, gaat ze viral, zowel bij supporters als bij haters die reageren op haar plus-size. Maar als Marcus, de hoofdrolspeler uit de serie en stiekem ook een anonieme fan fiction-schrijver, haar foto en de negatieve reacties ziet, besluit hij haar op date te vragen. De date verloopt rampzalig, maar dan blijkt dat ze elkaar al beter kennen dan gedacht. Olivia Dade schreef met 'Spoiler Alert' een aangrijpende romance over hoe je blij kunt zijn met jezelf.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Fiction, Audiobook, Adult, Chick Lit

447 pages, Paperback

First published October 6, 2020

About the author

Olivia Dade grew up an undeniable nerd, prone to ignoring the world around her as she read any book she could find. Her favorites, though, were always, always romances. As an adult, she earned an M.A. in American history and worked in a variety of jobs that required the donning of actual pants: Colonial Williamsburg interpreter, high school teacher, academic tutor, and (of course) librarian. Now, however, she has finally achieved her lifelong goal of wearing pajamas all day as a hermit-like writer and enthusiastic hag. She currently lives outside Stockholm with her delightful family and their ever-burgeoning collection of books.

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If you want to find me online, here’s where to go!

Website: https://oliviadade.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/OliviaWrites
Newsletter: https://go.oliviadade.com/Newsletter

Reviews

[Allegra · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am genuinely confused by the number of 4/5 star reviews of this book! Guys, it was not good. You can't write real person/self insert/AU fanfiction and call it a novel. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau is a real person! He doesn't deserve this.

Plus size representation in contemporary romance novels is a good thing, but come on-- there is more emotional depth in Taylor Swift songs. These characters simply had no personality. April was ~fat and liked fanfiction, that is it. She is a nearly 40 year old woman who is ~~~hiding the most important part of herself, which is apparently an obsession with a GoT like show. Marcus, also 40 human years old!!, is the most sensitive of sensitive people hiding dyslexia ?? and the secret shame of being a hot smart person ?? and his family hating him because they know _latin_ and his show is an abomination to the canon. And he writes fanfiction too in his spare time about his own show and about his own coworkers which is deeply damned weird. He uses words like "modern AU" in real life. And speaks and thinks like he was written by a woman who was very into tumblr at one point in her life.

The author sort of _tried_ it with the geologist angle with April but it went entirely no where added absolutely nothing to the plot except the one time at the museum she was talking about rocks and Marcus got horny. Strong Fat Woman in STEM! but there was absolutely no substance to it. Purely for the internet woke points. She could have been anything and it would have produced the exact same results.

Guys, the sex scenes. I _like_ sex scenes in my romance books. I am mad when they fade to black. But holy smokes absolutely no. For someone who has such hang ups about her body, April sure was quick to hop into bed with him-- the 3rd """date"""? with a allegedly super hot celebrity? sure jan.
It might have worked if they had an ounce of chemistry but alas. Instead it was just DEEPLY uncomfortable and entirely not-sexy to read. Like, squirm away and throw your tablet away not-sexy. If anyone in human existence described me as tasting ~earthy~ I would happily murder them and hide their body under the floorboards. And lord, the author described every bit of April as "round". Her round thighs, her round belly and her round heavy breasts. Please s t o p. She has to have more physical qualities besides being round with red hair.

I'm truly not convinced a celebrity would be fired and ostracized from the acting world for writing fanfiction. Mostly because I don't believe a celebrity would be actually write fanfiction about their own show in real life. And his friend announcing to the world he writes pegging fanfiction-- there are no words about how dumb and unlikely that is.

Listen guys, Fangirl was twee sometimes but it had great characters and plot and heart behind it. This did not. This should have stayed on AO3 where it belongs and where no one else would have to read it.
This made me want to throw myself and my tablet into the sea and possibly give up literacy for life.

Positives: the book cover was cute.
Negatives: literally everything else.

Thanks @netgalley for the review copy... I guess

[emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am...so fragile.

When I am reading a romance, it is because I am in dire psychological need. A fluffy book serves an emotional purpose to me that rivals therapy and the sheer serotonin of when you bite into a warm cookie. In short, if I have picked up a romcom in any form, it is because I need to have happiness injected straight into my heart like in Pulp Fiction. (That needle was filled with happiness, right?)

The other edge of this sword, then (or the liquid happiness as it were), is the fact that I am so picky about romances.

This just...wasn’t up my alley.

We follow April, a hot plus-size geologist, and Marcus, a hot actor who is pretending to be dumb. April is also a fangirl of the show that Marcus is on, which is for all intents and purposes Game of Thrones.

(Ihave never seen nor read Game of Thrones (and never will) (I love double parentheses) and even I know that this is what that is. The author even says as much in the acknowledgments. It’s bizarro.)

Anyway. April and Marcus spent most of this storyline having sex and being dramatic about their various personas. (They each have, like, 3. That is the source of all the tension in the book.)

Too much smut does not a romantic chemistry / connection make, in my opinion. And I humbly submit to the crowd that smut often makes me uncomfortable and I sometimes skip reading it, so if I skip reading it and then I am at a loss for where the love story came in, there you have it.

I also feel weird and gross about the invasiveness of an actor in a show being involved in the fanfiction-writing community about him. Reminds me of an author interacting with reviews, which is a wake-up-in-the-middle-of-the-night-in-a-cold-sweat-level fear for me. (Obviously. Since I’m not nice.)

This was cute at some points and I wanted to feel swoony and dramatic about it and I LOVED the body positivity but ultimately. BLEH. It just didn’t work for me.

Bottom line: SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME WHERE I CAN FIND A PURE HAPPINESS INJECTION. I NEED ONE.

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pre-review

i am feeling: all over the place.

review to come / 2.5 stars?

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currently-reading updates

spoiler alert: if i don't like this book i'm going to cry

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tbr review

i can never and will never be able to see a cover like this without wanting to read it.

[Nilufer Ozmekik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an amazing book which can perfectly address your geeky cells with cosplay, fan fiction premise, raise awareness about sensitive and crucial issues including fat-shaming, dyslexia, self-respect and acceptance, emotional parental abusing and finally melt your hearts with adorable protagonists and their pant melting, heart warming love story.

I was so sure after reading the blurb and seeing the incredible cover, I would truly love this book. Thankfully i wasn’t wrong this time!

Marcus Caster Rupp is a charming celebrity , a famous TV star stole too many fans’ hearts with his Aeneas character but everybody including his parents think he is just a pretty face: he is not smart, intelligent, he seems like just dim witted good looking guy.

They couldn’t be so wrong. He has a secret fan fiction persona helps him to come clean his frustrations about tv character. And April Whittier also keeps her secret cosplay hobby and her secret fan fiction persona as unapologetic Lavinia Stan, too. When people think Marcus is only a pretty face with no brain, they also see April with judgmental and biased eyes, criticize her with body-shaming and condescending insults.

But both of them are more than the narrow minded people can see. As they start to date, nobody believed they could last. Because a charming, gorgeous tv star cannot like an overweighted, ordinary geek girl. They are not compatible! Right?

Well, as a powerful answer to those vicious, pretentious and ignorant internet trolls: April and Marcus were so sweet together from the beginning. They had amazing chemistry. Their witty banters made me smile so many times. I adored them as a couple and the best thing about their relationship, they were so good for each other. They both learn to fight against their insecurities and their self acceptance improved. They encourage each other to be happier and better persons even though they keep their cosplay personas as a secret.

So this is not only a lovely romance story, but also a great, motivational, thought provoking feel-good book encourages us to learn to love our selves and discover our inner powers against the people who try to destroy our insecurities with judgmental opinions.

I enjoyed every second of it and I’m giving bright, full, shiny, self confidant 5 stars!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins Publishers/ Avon for sharing this lovely ARC with me in exchange my honest opinions.

[Chelsea (chelseadolling reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not typically one for fandom stories, but because this one had a fat main character I had to give it a shot and I am SO GLAD that I did! There was just so much to love in this book. From the obvious parallels to the last season of Game of Thrones to the amazing (seriously amazing!!!!) body positivity and fat rep, this story had me smiling from beginning to end and I highly recommend checking it out if you're looking for a great new romance to dive into.

TW: fatphobia, fat shaming, emotional manipulation/abuse (from parental figures)

[Meg · Rating 2 out of 5]

Let me paint a picture for you, an expanded summary if you will. This is long, but I think it’s important to lay out these extra details together, because there is a good chance your reaction to them will tell you if this book is For You or not (especially those of you who may be on the fence about the fandom content).

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau Marcus Caster-Rupp is an actor on one of the most popular television series in the world, Gods of the Gates. It’s a big-budget, long-running epic and quasi-mythological fantasy show based on a series of novels by E. Wade. Though the series initially started out strong, once the show ran out of source material from the books it started to go downhill dramatically. Cast and fans alike are disgruntled, especially regarding the misogyny and love of misery exhibited by the showrunners, R.J. and Ron. They’ve just wrapped the final season, and Marcus knows the fans are going to be pissed about how his character’s arc has been flushed down the toilet! Someone on set is leaking the scripts for the final season online, and the scripts seem too dumb to be real! Fans are so pissed that R.J. and Ron back out of a con to avoid confrontation! They seem more interested in working on their Star Fighters project anyway.

Marcus’ character, Aeneas, is blond and pretty and his character’s arc is about “finding his own moral code. Falling in love and learning to value both himself and that love more than his past and the duties imposed on him by others.” He finds love with Lavinia, his wife via arranged marriage who is described multiple times as “homely”, “unattractive in terms of conventional beauty”, or just plain “ugly”. But! She’s smart and brave and kind, and fans embrace their relationship as championing “character over appearance, and kindness and honor above all.” The fandom really, really hopes they will transcend their platonic relationship and bone down.

April is a prominent member of the Lavineas fandom. And so, secretly, is Marcus! He's her long-term fandom friend and beta! And he writes his own fan fiction! About his co-stars (though of course not the explicit kind, that would be crossing a line)! The rest of the set-up you can glean from the official book summary, but I will also add that on their first date, April mentions to Marcus—at this point she knows him only as an actor, not her fandom friend—that she writes explicit fan fic about his character (including a prostitute/client modern AU).

If none of the preceding paragraphs bother you, then bless you my friend. Go with God, or the spiritual being of your choice, and enjoy! No judgement (I mean that sincerely).

If, however, some of what I’ve described here makes your skeleton want to exit your body and flee down the street, come sit by me.

I spent 15+ years in fandom, from Geocities websites and Yahoo message boards to Livejournal and Tumblr, from FF.net to AO3. And let me tell you, the idea of an actor or creator secretly participating in fandom, including reading and writing fic, gives me a visceral, primal reaction. Like humankind's evolutionary fear of spiders and heights. THE FOURTH WALL IS SACRED. But I was morbidly curious, and I thought I’d give the book a try despite my reservations.

This book would have been exponentially more palatable if:

a) It had been about a fan/fan relationship, instead of actor/fan. Like Shop Around the Corner slash You’ve Got Mail-style.

b) If it was going to be actor/fan, at least make it a made-up fandom, instead of a thinly-veiled analog (not even thinly-veiled; Dade thanks the “Braime fandom” in her acknowledgements). The reason I gave so much extra detail earlier on, is because (for me at least), this being basically Game of Thrones actor RPF makes it so much more cringe than just the basic plot summary indicated. And even if you don’t find it cringe, it’s… lazy? This book is about the fandom experience, and you just hit find and replace on an existing fandom. ‘Kay. I guess it’s supposed to be clever and wink-wink, but… nah.

Even beyond the concept, the miscommunications in this were a bug (note: there is a difference between “miscommunication because you are slow-burn dummies” and “miscommunication because you are keeping secrets and/or jumping to conclusions and punishing your love interest for your assumptions”). These people are pushing forty and they do not act like it. TALK. TO. EACH. OTHER. Also, maybe don’t take cues from GRRM when it comes to describing vaginas (Earthy??? See it's appropriate. Because April's a geologist).

On a positive note, this book includes people getting horny in a museum.

[Bibi · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Spoiler*

Spoiler Alert is easily a 5-star read that I thought was refreshing and well written and which I read in one sitting, but as you can see, I've rated it 2.5 stars rounded to 3. Why?

Firstly, most books featuring plus-size characters rarely use the human equivalent on their book covers
, , .

If you're writing a plus-sized figure then damnit use a real woman instead of this nonsensical artsy stuff. Find a full-figured woman and have her make out with a yummy male model, thank you very much. Is that really so difficult?

Secondly, the main story is interspersed with fanfic specifically alluding to the last two seasons of Game of Thrones that were butchered by Benioff and Weiss. Personally, I'm not inclined to reading FanFic nor do I want a philosophical feminist insight on what is essentially a fictionalised world within a similarly imaginary setting. Sadly, a large swathe of this book was devoted to just that.

Lastly, the wish fulfilment was too overt. I could have possibly overlooked a good-looking hero but to have him as this sexy famous actor who also loved to write fanfic who also happened to be a feminist was laughable.
I mean him being an actor would have sufficed, everything else was pure wish-fulfilment. Likewise, Marcus was there to validate April and he wasn't allowed to be anything but perfect even though she, IMO, needed therapy more than a dicking. For that matter, he as well could have used a session, or 5.

But hey, alls well that ends well.

[Casey · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 stars.
First half is 3 stars, then the last is 1 so I was generous with 1.5
Feels like an authorxNikolaj Coster Waldau self-insert.
April is NEVER wrong, is often emotionally abusive while deriding others for the same, loads onto her mother, who is equally a victim of decades of extreme mental and emotional abuse, expects others to read her mind and gets pissed when they don't. Nothing is ever, ever her fault.
Marcus is written the way I suspect the author wishes men thought and acted, and sounds like a 16 year old girl that spend a little too much time on Tumblr. He does EVERYTHING for April, cooks, cleans, supports her, changes himself and she does little to nothing for him. Anytime she's angry, because he failed to read her mind because she didn't say anything, he sinks into a pit of self-loathing because nothing can be April's fault.
April is fat. Okay, fantastic. Does every part of her have to constantly be described as round? her round shoulder, her round breasts, one round thigh, her round arms...there are OTHER decriptors. Beyond being a nerd and fat she has no personality. and neither does Marcus who acts like being dyslexic is a big 'secret' that will ruin his career if people know...
I WANTED to like this book, God did I want to. A fat protag?? who is actually plus sized on the cover?? Fandom and fic? GIVE TO ME. Just not this book. because it's awful

[Heather K (dentist in my spare time) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had no expectations going into Spoiler Alert as I'd never read anything by Olivia Dade, but I was Blown. Away. Truly. The story really resonated with me on a few levels, and I couldn't put it down. It was just excellent, emotional, funny, well-written romance with a smart, geeky fan-fiction plotline and a sex-positive, plus-sized female MC. swoon

I adored both MCs, but the male MC, Marcus, really spoke to me. Right away, I noticed some clues about Marcus that touched me. The fact that he was dictating all of his texts, how he listened to audiobooks all of the time... my mind sniffs out these details like a hound. I don't think it's a big spoiler, but right away I knew that Marcus was dyslexic (and he reveals these details very early on in the story).

I don't like to share too many personal details online, but both of my young children are dyslexic. It's a long, hard road to diagnose and get the proper educational help for kids with learning disabilities, and it's something that many kids are suffering with, all over the world. The emotions I felt when reading about Marcus's childhood and his struggles with reading tore me apart. I loved, loved, loved that the author created neurodivergent characters and fully fleshed them out. I thought of my children growing up and reading romance books with people like them in them. I thought of how we view people who make grammatical errors or who read slowly and with mistakes. This book showcased all of that beautifully, and made it just a facet of Marcus. Marcus who was externally and internally beautiful and complex and shy and learning. I obviously stan, so hard.

The female MC, April, was also just lovely, smart, beautiful character. I really liked how the author made her not just curvy, but a big girl, who wanted and fought to be loved just as she was. She was desirable and sexual and I ate up every work. I loved reading about her complex relationship with her parents, coworkers, and the fan-fiction community. I related to her in many ways as well, that feeling like you have a double life for pursuing what is considered a niche passion and not wanting it to affect you professionally. Her pains hurt me, and I was exhilarated by her triumphs. I adored her.

The romance was also just insanely swoon-worthy. Sure, there is deception there (hence, the major tension in the story), but these two just fit together. I rooted for them from the start, and I liked how they were both flawed in their relationship but worked through it all and came out stronger.

I loved everything from the spotlight on fat-phobia to learning disabilities to geeky passions to family issues. It was all of that, plus make it FUN. Spoiler Alert was so fun that I read it in one sitting, all 400+ pages. It was my first experience with Olivia Dade and now I can't wait for more.

Clearly, Spoiler Alert really resonated with me on a personal and emotional level. After weeks of being unable to focus on reading, it had my undivided attention, which is saying a lot. I think it was a powerhouse of a story, and one of my favorite contemporary romances of the year. Total winner.

*Copy provided in exchange for an honest review*

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[Angelica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hey, go read this book! It was so cute!!! I smiled so much! I was so happy while reading!

I requested this ARC on a whim. The cover looked cute and I figured, why not? And I am so glad that I did because this book was all kinds of cute. It was also a very quick and easy read which I completely devoured in one sitting.

My favorite thing about this book is how it is both the epitome of a fluffy romance and yet touches on so many deep and realistic topic. Marcus and April are adorable together and I shipped it from the very first time I even saw the cover. But they are also people dealing with emotional abuse from their respective parents and upbringings. They are both dealing with how the world perceives them due to their physical images.

Everyone (even his parents) thinks Marcus is a dim-witted pretty boy with no emotional or intellectual depth, who has nothing to offer the world other than his looks. Everyone (even her parents) sees April as unattractive due to the fact that she is a plus-sized woman. Everyone is then constantly wondering if Marcus is only pretending to like her since they cannot wrap their minds around the fact that they could end up together.

It was great to see these things discussed between them. It was even better watching the characters develop into people that no only loved each other but also loved themselves and believed in their own self-worth. 

I especially liked the way that April was portrayed as a confident woman who didn't much care what the world thought. It wasn't the power of love the suddenly turned her into a strong woman, she was always strong, Marcus just makes her happier. 

Overall, I had a great time reading this and I look forward to reading more of the author's books. I smiled so much while reading this book. It was the kind of book that just makes you happy to read, you know? Also, this is getting a sequel starting Marcus' best friend, Alex. I knew from the moment he was introduced in the story that he was getting his own story (titled Slow Burn , coming out  June 15th, 2021).

In the end, I totally recommend this for a quick, cute, and generally good read.

**I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.**

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[Gabby · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was super cute! Here’s the reading vlog where I read it: https://youtu.be/TCI_Zl2YDxA

[mimi (depression slump) · Rating 1 out of 5]

I beg you to believe that I tried.
I tried when the story got boring, I tried when it got senseless, I tried when I got so confused I didn't even understand who was talking. I tried even harder after had realized you guys loved this book.
But I tried, and I don't feel guilty at all about saying that this book is just bad.

“It’s basically a fanfiction” shouldn't be considered an offence because there are plenty of amazingly written fanfics out there. But do you remember Wattpad during the early 2010s? There were lots of very bad stuff too, things that shouldn't have ever left the platform.
And this is why, for the first time in my life, I'm using this expression with a bad connotation. Because this story - and its development - is worse than some stories written by 14-year-old horny girls.

Where to start? We need more plus-size representation in novels of all kinds, but April is such a flat character that I wonder if the author decided to underline her weight just to get more attention from people who know shit about being fat in this society.
For example, she’s trying to accept herself despite everyone around her would love her to be thinner - and from experience, I know that in this scenario your mom is always your first enemy -, but she has no problem having sex with a celebrity who’s entire personality is to be hot.

And what about Marcus? I get he has to play dumb and hot for the sake of his career, but that has nothing to do with dyslexia; there’s no shame in having learning problems. And from someone who knows the issue very well, I can guarantee you that most kids with undiagnosed learning disabilities become grown-ups with no will to leaning or reading.
It's unlikely he would willingly spend most of his free time writing and reading fanfics, and it's even more unlikely he would do that with people he knows in real life as characters.

My opinion is that - born as fanfic or not - this story came up as a great idea, but then the author didn't really know how to develop it. While reading it, I kept thinking about changing this and removing that, and what came out was pretty good. In fact, I believe I could rewrite the entire story with the same plot and make it a bestseller.

↠ 1.5 stars

[Brittni Kristine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Frankly this is closer to a 3.5 star book, but I don’t finish a book in 24 hours without enjoying it so I’m rounding up.

This story is about a plus sized woman who gets bullied for posting a photo in her a cosplay based on a character from her favorite show, and an actor from the show sees the harassment and invites her to dinner. What starts as a PR stunt becomes more, but they both have some secrets that could threaten the relationship.

She has written fanfics about this series for years, and wouldn’t you know it, the actor himself actually happens to be her best online friend in their fanfic community.

This book is fun. It’s sweet. It appeals to my nerdy personality that wrote Harry Potter fan fiction up until just a few years ago. It’s also simple and half erotica, which unfortunately cheapens the story as a whole. If you’re into sex scenes, this book is great. But even I who is into sex scenes found them a bit gratuitous at a point for a book that wasn’t explicitly erotica.

That said, this book does as much right as it arguably does wrong. I loved the insight to fat shaming from a fat main character. It made me look inwards to how I’ve treated people in my life, and how I can improve. And isn’t that what we want from books? A perspective we couldn’t get on our own? In that way, it succeeds completely.

[Riley · Rating 3 out of 5]

sadly i struggled to like this. i really enjoyed the main characters and their romance but the whole plot and fandom aspect just didn't work for me and was kinda cringey

[mina reads™️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was absolutely what I needed in my life. A perfect dip into fandom culture, and a celebrity romance that truly hit all the right notes. I loved the discussion of fandom and how it's a fun way to build a community, it felt very organic and fun rather than a total cringefest like some other fandom-centric books I've encountered. Marcus and April may very well be one of my favorite couples of the year. Olivia Dade did an amazing job of crafting these characters and making them real people with depth and distinctively wonderful personalities.

Marcus,oh my sweet cinnamon roll Marcus, he was just so great. So shy and reserved and I just loved how April's confidence made him feel brave enough to be his true self, a person beyond his public celeb persona. I loved that despite April's confidence and self assuredness, she still had her own trials and weak spots. I loved how she and Marcus communicated their issues with one another and supported each other. Some of the best romance communication I've seen in ages. This couple was so fun together, their banter was fun and never forced. The sexy scenes were🔥 and the emotional intimacy between them made me want to tear up. Loved this book on all levels, 4.5 stars

(.5 less because i hate public love declarations they make me cringeee and i wish they would've avoided that cliche)

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars



Lovers of fan-fiction/nerdy things and those of us who love a good plus size rep rejoice! You’ve found your next read. This is my first time reading an Olivia Dade book and I enjoyed the heck out of it.

April is successful at her day job, but her favorite thing is writing fanfic for ‘Gods of the Gates’. She’s always kept this part of herself hidden, but now she’s being her true self and letting people know. When she posts a photo of herself in her Lavinia cosplay, she gets a lot of support, but also some jerks commenting on her size. What she never expects is for the star of the ‘Gods of the Gates’ show to comment on her picture. Or to go on a date with him.

Marcus Caster- Rupp plays Aeneas on the show, but he’s known to be daft in real life. Only he’s not. He only shows a certain side of him to the cameras. When he gets tagged on twitter in a thread featuring April’s picture he does something out of character and asks her out. Marcus has more in common with April then he ever dreamed of, and the more April gets to know the real Marcus, the more she likes him. Only he’s hiding something rather important from her…

My gosh I loved April. Talk about a positively wonderful plus-size character. So many times I read plus size leading ladies that want to change, but seeing April love herself for her, it made my heart so happy. And I loved that she knew that was the kind of love she deserved and wouldn’t settle for less.

I’m not looking to be fixed. I want to be loved and liked and desired not because of my size, not despite my size, but because I’m ME. My character, my choices, my words.

Marcus was a fantastic hero. I understood why he kept certain things from April and his past, it just gutted me. I loved these two together so much! And then the little side story with Marcus friend, Alex… I need that book asap!

This book made the nerd in me so happy. I loved all the little fanfic parts and the cons and that whole aspect, but more than anything else I loved the romance between Marcus and April. It was beautiful, fun, sweet, steamy, and swoony! This was a win for me and I can’t wait to read more by this author.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

TW: emotionally abusive family

rep: fat main character; dyslexic main character

This was a romance obviously written in the aftermath of the disaster that was the final season of Game of Thrones, and it was cathartic to read.

This features a romance between two fanfiction writers: one happens to be the lead character on a Game of Thrones-esque show (based on a fictional book series; writers didn’t know what they were doing after they ran out of books; book series isn’t finished) and the other is a popular creator on a forum for one of the ships in the fandom who doesn’t feel she has the freedom to wave her fandom flag high in real life. They end up meeting outside of the fandom, and he quickly realizes who she is but she doesn’t realize who he is.

This tackled unsupportive families, fandom, fatphobia and body confidence, and trauma while still being a lighthearted romance. The ship they both enjoy has a lot of depth that’s explored (think Brianne and Jamie from GoT) and that also allows discussions in their relationship. Although there is some deception with him not fully revealing who he was, the external reasons he is doing that are justified.

The sex scenes are little more steamy than some romances I’ve read, but not too over the top. There were a few things going on with side characters I didn’t care much about, but the author could be trying to build a series in this world.

If you love fandom, friends to lovers, and supportive couples, you’ll probably enjoy this.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was everything I asked for AND SO MUCH MORE. Oh my gosh. I loved this book so much!

When this started, I really loved April's character. She's so body positive, but she does have her moments with doubt, which I found so realistic and relatable. No matter how confident you are in yourself, the comments and doubts from society are bound to still get to you. But I loved how she would still put herself out there.

Let's get to the real reason I loved this book. MARCUS. First of all, he's dyslexic and his journey with his dyslexia hurt my heart so much. As a teacher, his parents were infuriating and I just wanted to give him a big hug. I loved that representation in here and how he was able to still be such a talented writer and figured out forms of reading that worked for him. He was also so sweet when it came to April and I loved how he was just so into April. He would call his friend for advice about what to do with their relationship and it was just adorable.

While there was some conflict near the end that I usually don't enjoy, I loved the open communication April and Marcus had and how they had serious reasons for why they were disappointed in each other or hesitant to trust each other. There was just so much I loved about this book and I am already dying for Alex and Lauren's story! Is it Spring 2021 yet!?

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gah my fandom heart is so happy! I adored this book and how it focused on fandoms. fanfic and had amazing body positivity. As a plus sized women myself I enjoyed April so much. She was strong, smart amazing and knew she deserved love. This was so positive and fun and steamy and I enjoyed it so much.

[thrisha · Rating 1 out of 5]

why was marcus cool with reading and writing fanfiction about his and his costars’ characters?? his pov was just self-deprecation and worshipping the ground april walked on after meeting her once, he was a cardboard cutout of a Perfect Guy, and his struggles as a celebrity were laughable like he just had to play the dumb blond role boo fucking hoo

don't even have much to say about april because she literally had no personality except that she was fat and that she was embarrassed about being a fangirl and that, too, was totally inconsistent. she makes such a huge deal about being embarrassed about her role in fandom but tells an actor she just met that she writes explicit fanfiction about his character

the romance didn't work for me at all because the relationship became too profound too quickly, they both got deeply hurt by the other after meeting, like, twice, and over really dumb things. there just wasn’t really any buildup for me to get invested

to top it all off, when I got bored and started reading 1-star reviews, I found out that marcus caster-rupp is based off of nikolaj coster-waldau and that this whole book is basically a self-insert with a real-life person so that's just :) fucking wonderful :)

[Sheyla ✎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super cute! That's all Folks.

I read Spoiler Alert in one sitting. Marcus and April were awesome together.

Marcus Caster-Rupp is an actor who has been playing the famous Aeneas in the Gods of Gates series. Over the last few years, Marcus has become increasingly disappointed with the current writers of the show. He writes fanfic under the name Book!AeneasWouldNever as an outlet for his frustration with the scripts. No one can know he is doing this or he can lose it all. He keeps this a secret from everyone including from her beta reader, Unapologetic Lavinia Stan, someone he has come to believe as a friend. The other secret Marcus is keeping is that he is not just a pretty face and body. Beyond his toned muscles and exercise routine, he is a smart man. In addition. even though his acting career has had it's up and downs, he loves his craft and he takes pride in immersing in any character he is filming.

April Whittier is a plus-sized woman who has accepted her body the way it is. Also, she has come to the decision of stopping any fat-shaming thrown her way. April, who works as a geologist, is also a huge Lavinia/Gods of Gates fan. She enjoys cosplay and she's popular as a fanfic writer using her pen name Unapologetic Lavinia Stan for all things Aeneas and Lavinia's OTP.

One night on Twitter, she decides to post a picture of herself wearing her latest Lavinia's costume. Immediately responses are coming in. Some are nice and some are nasty. She was sort of expecting those. What she was definitely not expecting was for Marcus to defend her from the Troll and invite her out. Accepting the invitation is almost a no-brainer.

But what is going to happen when she realizes Marcus and Book!AeneasWouldNever is the same person? And, can she handle the paparazzi?

__

Truly enjoyable! I like how the author developed their romance. I was happy with both characters. Love their interaction as their fanfic handles. I also like the short notes before each chapter. I wish Lavinia and Aeneas were part of a real book. No doubt I would have read it if it was.

Spoiler Alert deals with a lot of different topics including fat-shaming, learning disability, books vs TV, fanfic fandom, and more.

One more thing before I finish my review. Does anyone want more Alex and Lauren?

I know I do. Say there is a book 2 on the horizon, please!

Cliffhanger: No

4/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by Avon via EW in exchange for an honest review.

MrsLeif's Two Fangs About It | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

[Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was just here for the plus size woman! About damn time!! More plus size women books in all categories, especially my favorite epic fantasy books and horror! I want to read a plus size woman putting a beat down in the horror genre as well! 😘

There are a few I remember reading in passing in the ya fantasy genre but I want high/epic fantasy. YA fantasy is not the same. Anyway, sweet little romance. 😉

Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾

[Lacey (laceybooklovers) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5-4 stars!

*****

Legit gasped at this cover. I love it!

[Aoife - Bookish_Babbling · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm somewhat torn by this read, but think it's a me vs the book issue as I liked so much about this read but one of my least favourite tropes pops up 🙈
I enjoyed the way topics were tackled and the representation showcased by both characters, but I hated how long one character lied to the other even if they did so for reasons that could be understandable - I guess...at a push, but it just makes for uncomfortable reading waiting for the other shoe to drop 🤷‍♀️

In saying that this was a super steamy, adorkable romcom read bringing fanfiction centre stage and shining a light on the wonderful fandoms and writers therein while seemingly poking fun at GoT tv show & how it somewhat lost the plot once it ran out of books to adapt as well as the somewhat cringey roles actors find themselves in to keep the paychecks coming and how they still give each character their all.

The snippets of the scripts shared are so bad I know many who would prob call them good lolz but yikes I am not one of those people who subscribe to that school of movie watching. It's just so cringey...especially that Merman one - oh boy 😂🙄
The fan fiction excerpts alongside other multimedia between chapter inclusions were fun - I know I mentioned this above but it bears repeating again this is a little like deserved love letter to fanfic writers and the wonderful stories they weave.

I liked the characters, bar the super annoying-to-me lie. Both are in their mid-to late thirties in careers they enjoy and are passionate about with fab groups of friends around them - it is no secret what a sucker I am for side characters 😎
Nothing against divorcées & single parents as I want everyone to find love, but it was super nice to read about people not in those categories and/or their 20s finding love...more of these stories plz! 🤗

I cannot really speak to the rep in this read but as an outsider I hope it was sensitively handled and can speak to it definitely opening my eyes as to how we have been conditioned by society & how we can negatively impact so many around us by not being more careful in what we say...I am hoping to take these lessons forward and not make the same mistakes.

What follows are prob random & jumbled thoughts that I jotted down as I read because apparently I have lost what I used to try to pass off as review "writing" mojo 🙈

• Adored April and how true to herself she is - we need more characters like her in interesting workplaces. Her new colleagues were so awesome and I loved all their interactions!
Last thing I'm going to say on this is #MyChemicalFolkmance is something I'd love to see come to life 😆

✔✔✔ all the positives for consent - really loved how often "May I?" Popped up, I hadn't really realised how often those 2 words are missing in other books and indeed reality!

• Loved the group chats & as always bffs and side characters added so much to this 🤩
Super excited to see Alex is getting a spin off as really curious to see what happens next for him.

• Sometimes formatting was tricky to follow for text message exchanges as no differentiation from main body text, minor editing grievance.

• Complicated family relationships, scratch that super toxicity 🤢

• Lowkey wish the book series and tv show were a thing, both seem like a fun time and the fandom sounds like a amazing place to hang on the Lavineas server 🙃

For all the things I really enjoyed about this read, that lie hung around so long it just really made me uncomfortable till it was revealed...So I think this is a 3.5-3.75*
I still recommend it highly as it is a me not the book problem & I am very much looking forward to picking up Olivia Dades other books; past and future to see what others stories she has to share with us.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade is a 2020 Avon publication.

April Whittier lives a secret life away from her 'normal' life- she’s a huge fan of the television show ‘God’s of the Gates’. It goes much deeper than that, though. She writes her own fan fiction, is into Cosplay- her favorite character is Lavenia- one half of a wildly popular internet couple.

With a new job and a new location, it seems like a good time to finally reveal her secret internet identity. So, she posts a picture of herself on Twitter, dressed in her Lavenia costume. In about a nanosecond her post goes viral with both positive and negative comments, many of them remarking upon her weight.

As fate would have it, the star of ‘God’s of the Gates”, Marcus Castor-Rupp, sees April’s tweet- and long story short- he asks her out on a date.

What neither of them realized at the time is that they already kind of know each other. Turns out Marcus is also into fanfic- which was a way for him to create the kind of stories the tv scripts fail to realize.

Naturally, if anyone ever found out- he would lose his job….


Imagine his surprise when April turns out to be “Unapologetic Lavenia”- his closest ‘fandom friend’...


This is my first attempt at reading a modern contemporary romance, (not contemporary fiction/ Women’s Fiction, Chick-lit, etc.), in quite some time- although these days CF often falls in the Rom-Com category.

I did enjoy the story. I thought the premise was unique and fresh- at least for me- but I'm pretty far out the loop on that kind of thing.

The difficulties April and Marcus face with their families is compelling and I enjoyed watching both characters develop, individually, and as a couple.

That said, while I thought the fandom/cosplay/ fanfic was a great approach, I struggled with that part of the dialogue and ended up skipping over most of it after a while. I am not the targeted audience for this one- obviously, since I have children older than the characters in this book- which is why I think I struggled some- but I can see the appeal to the targeted age group.

Overall, though, I enjoyed the book, and was invested in the drama, and the characters enough to give the second book in a series a try, hopefully, sometime soon!

4 stars

[Romie · Rating 4 out of 5]

both April and Marcus made me feel seen and gave me hope. it wasn't just a cute romance with a bit of angst as I had expected, it explored some important topics such as fatphobia and ableism, and it was a punch to my heart. also, I don't see many people saying this, but April is 36 and Marcus is 39! just felt like mentioning it! (4.22)

[chan ☆ · Rating 5 out of 5]

taste test: reading Mina Reads faves

[Katy Basile · Rating 1 out of 5]

The first chapter of this book felt promising and I hovered at about 4 stars through the first few chapters, but it took an immediate, sustained nose dive into a fiery, 1-star crash.
Based on the art of the cover and the synopsis, I was expecting a cute, funny, body-positive romance with winks about fan culture (I, also, have an AO3 account and know what OTP means), and a story with genuine heart. Don't judge a book by its cover, right?
Instead, this was barely concealed modern AU fanfiction of a REAL PERSON! NC-W is so transparently the object of this self-insert fic that it made me cringe--the author even posts about him on Twitter and the parallels between Marcus and NC-W/Jaime are overly obvious. There's nothing wrong with writing fanfiction about a real person (in theory, I suppose), but it needs some transformation to become a novel about fanfiction. Where does the fanfiction end and the story begin? This feels like a book for Braime/NC-W fans, and not a book for "fans"--I was someone who was growing up as the LotR movies were coming out, and I was a hardcore Legolas/Orlando Bloom fan (yes, I had the cardboard cutout, yes I had a Mrs. Bloom tshirt, YES I refreshed the lotr.net homepage until Orlando Bloom said "hello this is Orlando Bloom, welcome to Lord of the Rings dot net") and it didn't resonate with me the way other books about fanfiction/fandoms do.
The characters are essentially the same person--holding onto childhood and adolescent trauma inflicted by their parents, unable to communicate their feelings and needs, parroting self-deprecating Internet politics about saying the right things. Neither of these adults are ready to date. The amount of sobby "betrayal" is juvenile and honestly borderlines on emotional abuse. Pause on some of the scenes with tension (the gym/buffet catastrophe, the birthday lunch with April's parents), and think about how they'd come across if the genders were reversed.
Yes, the emotions and the experiences are real. This had a honest portrayal of what it's like to be fat, in real life, in fandoms. And what I assume is an honest portrayal of having a learning disability in a literature-obsessed family. Those aren't bad things, and definitely have a place in our writings about fandom. But this is just wish-fulfillment, without the self-awareness that could have elevated it to a novel that invokes empathy.

[Katie B · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I liked the premise for this romance as it centers around the world of fanfiction. I don't really read fanfiction myself, but I do think it is a neat creative outlet for writers. While this romance wasn't among my favorites this year, there were many things I enjoyed about the characters and story.

Marcus Caster-Rupp is the star of a hit tv show and he secretly posts online fanfiction he has come up with featuring his character on the show. April Whittier is a fan of the show and identifies most with the character named Lavinia. April also likes to write fanfiction and she and Marcus have frequently communicated online with each other. Only they don't know the real identity of the other person because they go by their usernames. After online trolls mercilessly mock April's plus-size appearance, Marcus asks her out on a date. And Marcus does make the connection between April and his best buddy online being the same person. He has the hots for her but he is afraid to tell her he is actually the fanfiction writer she has been chatting with for awhile.

So first of all, this is a very steamy romance. Lots of descriptive bedroom scenes if you know what I mean. Marcus and April do have good chemistry in that department.

There's always going to be an obstacle or two in any romance but the whole not telling a person you have been chatting it up with them online for years is pretty flimsy. I read a similar romance plot earlier this year and it worked better because the characters were teenagers. Marcus is almost 40 years old and so you do have to just roll with it even if you think his reasoning is pretty lame.

I didn't like all of the fanfiction writing excerpts or movie script parts that were inserted into the story but some of them were good. I did like how both characters had interesting backgrounds and how their childhoods really did shape them as individuals. It gave the story some heart which is always nice.

Might not have been a perfect read, but it was a cute romance and I would definitely read another book by this author.

Thank you to William Morrow for sending me an advance copy! All thoughts expressed are my honest opinion.

[Bookishrealm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shout out to Bethany for choosing this awesome book for me to read for our TBR swamp! I absolutely loved it. 4.5 Stars

Spoiler Alert has definitely been make it's rounds withint the reading community. I've heard so many people talk about it, but I was nervous to read it because a lot of people were claiming that the fat representation was amazing. As a plus sized individual I've always had a tough time finding good fat/plus-size representation. A lot of times the hero/heroine is responsible for teaching their partner how to love them or they go on this soul seeking journey of trying to find acceptance. I wanted a novel that had a balance of discussion about being plus sized/fat without all the depressing self deprecation. YA'LL THIS BOOK WAS IT!

When I first saw the cover I thought it was going to be about some renaissance fair (don't ask me where I got that from), but it definitely was a story that focused on fanfiction which is not always my thing but it worked well in this story. April works in geology, but loves to cosplay and write fanfiction. Marcus is a star in the TV show based on the books that April writes fanfic for (Marcus is a fanfic writer as well!). These two....they worked so well together. And Dade did a hell of a job developing them as characters. There are conversations about abelism (Marcus is dyslexic) and how to value the different ways in which people choose to accept and care for their bodies. What I loved most about this book is that Marcus liked, loved, and enjoyed April for who she was. There was no need to adjust her or change her body or force her into "being healthy" in any way. There was some slight miscommunication because of the way in which Marcus presented some date options; however, there was no question that he liked April in the body that she was in. The way this made me feel is indescribable.

Speaking of April, I finally got another character that was already accepting of her body. There is some addressing of familial issues related to April's weight; however, I loved that she fought to protect her space. I've had a lot of trouble doing that in my personal life. I want to be like her in the sense that regardless of how anyone may feel about my body, it's not my job to give them the power to sway me away from my confidence or continue to allow their negative energy to invade my safe space. And what's even more powerful is that April didn't even allow Marcus' fame to deter her from demanding respect. It may not seem like a big deal for many but it definitely was a big deal for me. The only hang up I had was with the big "issue" on Marcus' end. I know that it was needed for the story itself, but I just wanted to shake the man and tell him that he made the situation much more difficult than it needed to be.

Spoiler Alert was just a great novel and I really enjoyed everything that Dade presented in terms of the romance and the plot. I'm actually really excited to check out her black list and I'm super excited for the second book in this series!

[Whitney Atkinson]

DNF at ~250 pages.

I thought I could handle a book about fandom/fanfic when it's a fat MC romance, but I just couldn't do it, especially when the love interest/famous celebrity is one of the people in the fandom?? it's so unrealistic and cringy. No actor in a TV show would ever go home and log onto a fandom forum and write fanfiction about himself.... it just was so weird and invasive feeling. This book in general had so many tropes I don't like and it made me dread picking it up, so I just decided to pass on it.