User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
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
Rating: really liked it
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.
--------------
pre-reviewi am feeling: all over the place.
review to come / 2.5 stars?
--------------
currently-reading updatesspoiler alert: if i don't like this book i'm going to cry
--------------
tbr reviewi can never and will never be able to see a cover like this without wanting to read it.
Rating: really liked it
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.
Rating: really liked it
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)
Rating: really liked it
*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.
Rating: really liked it
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.
Rating: really liked it
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. swoonI 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*
goodreads|instagram|twitter|blog
Rating: really liked it
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.**Follow Me Here Too:
My Blog || Twitter || Bloglovin' || Instagram || Tumblr || Pinterest
Rating: really liked it
This book was super cute! Here’s the reading vlog where I read it: https://youtu.be/TCI_Zl2YDxA
Rating: really liked it
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
Rating: really liked it
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.
Rating: really liked it
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.
Rating: really liked it
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
Rating: really liked it
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)
Rating: really liked it
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.
