User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
This book is gonna be about Alex?? It better have pegging in it 😌😌
Rating: really liked it
You know whats better than the "only 1 bed" trope? "Only 1 bed but the main character reads fanfiction and is well aware of the trope"
This book is pure
fun. The characters are so loveable, their relationship and dynamic is entertaining and adorable. I didn't want to say goodbye to them at the end.
I can't wait for this to be out so more people will read it and we can all scream about it together because this was such a fantastic book.
(thank you to Netgalley for giving me an eARC in exchange for an honest review!)
Rating: really liked it
11/26/2021: I've been waiting so anxiously for this book that I was nervous to actually read it. Would it be as good as the first? Would I even like Alex as a main character? I finally got my hands on a copy of the book and sat down to read it.
Reading about a character who is of a different size then you normally find in this kind of book, was nice but I'm still not overly fond of how Alex would describe her throughout the book. Even as he started to fall for her. He still continued to use words like "round" even at the end. Maybe Lauren is fine with it, IDK. But if my husband called me round - we might have a problem.
Overall the book was beautiful. I loved how their romance took time. I felt like I better understood Alex and why he seemed so scrambled and impulsive. Lauren was such a good balance for him. She understood and didn't try to fix anything, because there was nothing to fix. She just let him be and he really needed that. And Lauren really needed Alex to help her realize she had actual worth.
...and without giving away too much, I can say that the the pegging is(view spoiler)
[, unfortunately, only found in the fanfic Alex writes. Although Lauren does mention something about a sexy-time gender swap. So it could have been possible. (hide spoiler)]__________________________
5/31/2021: Holy shit, I got an early copy from Edelweiss. I cannot wait to read this!!!
__________________________
I wonder how much pegging will be in this book?
Rating: really liked it
I absolutely hate to say it because I adored the first book in this series, but this one did not work for me. I was so excited for this because the snippets we got of Alex and Lauren in
Spoiler Alert were EVERYTHING, but they almost felt like an entirely different couple in this one??? All of their interactions felt really forced and heavy handed and I didn't believe their chemistry at all. I also feel like (in a complete contrast to the first book), the sex scenes in this one were awkward as heck. I didn't believe that Alex and Lauren really liked each other, so reading about them being intimate didn't work for me and I am just SO SAD ABOUT IT. I will definitely read more from Olivia Dade in the future because I am all about romance where fat girls get theirs, but
All The Feels unfortunately was a pretty big miss for me. Womp x9874923462734
CW: fatphobia, domestic abuse
Rating: really liked it
Hooray! When I read Spoiler Alert I felt so much love for geeky couple Marcus and April and I thought I couldn’t enjoy second book more! But I was definitely, truly, extremely wrong! I gave Spoiler Alert five stars so I should give All the feels six stars to be fair!
Those incredibly witty, funny banters, hilarious text messages gave me stomach cramps because of laughing too hard. I knew Alex from the first book but when I learn from his traumatic , his guilt feelings, his sweet and vulnerable sides, his illness, I just wanted to give him longest and tightest hugs!
And what about Nanny Clegg, harpy, Wren, Alex’s Wren...don’t get fooled of her cool, tough, blank vibes she gives: that’s just the facade. Of course she’s kind hearted, trustworthy, reasonable, a real friend you can lean on and share all your secrets: those amazing traits make her the greatest trauma therapist. She lets people criticize her looks, her choices. She get used to be insulted for years. Even her loved ones don’t truly understand what she’s been getting through.
When the popular TV shoe Gods of the Gates’ Cupid a.k.a. charming, charismatic, ultra witty actor Alexander Woodroe involved in a bar fight, finding himself at jail, the show runners hired someone to control and watch him 24/7 not to harm his character and public image. And this babysitter is showrunner’s cousin Lauren Clegg, an ER therapist who needs a current break from her job, but she cannot say no to her family and her holiday plans in Spain are canceled when she makes mistake to stop by at show set to say hi to her cousin she truly hates.
Now she’s been hired to accompany him at everywhere including LA house till the show airs its last episode. If Alex doesn’t do what Lauren says, they will replace her with more vicious babysitter and he will suffer from the legal and professional consequences outlined in his contract.
Lauren is trapped in her job because she cannot say no to her family and the money they offered will give her enough time to think what she’s gonna do with her life without worrying about her bills.
And Alex is trapped with her because he has commitments, sending regularly exact amount of fund to charities and his mom and he doesn’t want to ruin his entire career he’s built!
At the beginning he acts like a spoiled child who wants to get full attention of their parents around her, talking nonstop, making jokes, doing everything to crack the facade she’s built around to make a connection.
At first Lauren thinks she’s gonna blast because of babysitting a whiny, selfish, narcissistic Hollywood brat! But as soon as she learns more about him and spend more time with Alex, she finds out he’s kind hearted, being loved by his entire crew and generous man who helps the people suffer from traumatic experiences.
A true and genuine friendship blossoms around them which eventually turns into an intimate relationship. They have feelings for each other but the people can be so mean, hostile and criticizing with their biased thoughts when they talk about a Hollywood star’s love life.
Alex can be so impulsive, acts violently without pondering and his volatile manners can ruin his entire career when he sees someone he cares hurts! And Lauren never stands for herself, letting people hurt her not to get involved in fights !
Can they change them and meet in the middle for a second chance of happiness? Or are they doomed to fail from the beginning?
Oh boy! I can repeat millions time: I love this book so much! I love this book so much! I love this book so much! I love this book so much! I love this book so much!... it goes on and on!
I highly advise you to take this freaking amazing novel at your reading list. This is one of best five romance reads of the year! I laughed! I smiled! I cried so hard! But when you finished the last page: I felt extremely good! This is the magic of great book which always heals your soul and fills your heart with happiness!
So many thanks to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.
Rating: really liked it
DNF at 47%I LOVED Spoiler Alert, and it was one of my favorite books of 2020, but All the Feels is not even in the same league.
I usually don't rate a book unless I've read most of it, but I couldn't push myself to finish this one, and I think that deserves consideration.
It is very hard to get past the first 25% of this book. The male MC constantly negs the female MC... like constantly. It isn't charming, and it wasn't funny to me. Yes, I know he is a "good guy," but I found it extremely hard to see any sparks happening between them when he constantly calls her bird-like, short, and round... like, barely concealed disgust for her looks. This is supposed to be an enemies-to-lovers story, but I think the author didn't quite go about it the right way.
The chemistry felt so forced that I couldn't finish it. Maybe I'll return to it one day, but today is not that day.
*Copy provided in exchange for an honest review*
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Rating: really liked it
All the Feels by Olivia Dade is a 2021 Avon publication.
Alex, who plays 'Cupid' on the wildly popular show, "Gods of the Gates", is having a hard time with his image. His repeated and very public scuffles have landed him in hot water with the powers that be. To keep him from blowing up his career, he has been given one last chance… and a minder….
Enter Lauren Clegg. Lauren desperately needs a break from her job as an ER therapist. She’s offered a handsome sum of money by her cousin to keep Alex in line. The position is challenging because of Alex’s impulsivity, but once Lauren gets to know him, the lines between professional and personal begin to blur…
While I enjoyed ‘Spoiler Alert’ well enough, I’m not really the demographic the author is writing for, and it made me feel old. LOL! I had already queued up this follow-up, so I felt obligated to at least give it a chance.
As it turns out, I enjoyed this one more than the last. I found Alex’s guilt complex issues compelling, and Lauren’s serious high stress job burnout was heartrending and eye-opening, as well.
The way the romance developed was absolutely adorable! Alex is funny and sweet, despite his reputation, and Lauren was the perfect match for him. The couple complimented one another perfectly. Their banter is so entertaining!!
The fanfic is still a part of the book, but it was toned down just a bit, and because I had a little more familiarity with it this time around, it wasn’t as much of a distraction.
Overall, I went into this one with a little bit of trepidation, but ended up getting swept up in the charm, humor, and warmth of this story. I loved it all the way from beginning to end!
4+ stars
*Steamy, lots of colorful metaphors
Rating: really liked it
3 stars After reading 'Spoiler Alert' last year, I was looking forward to reading
All the Feels. I just knew this book about Marcus's best friend Alex would be so much fun. And parts of it were. I truly enjoyed a lot about this book and I liked both Alex and Lauren, Alex specifically was fantastic. But, and this is a huge BUT I never felt the connection between them. As a romance, I need that spark, that chemistry, and it was lacking for me. Sigh. I wanted to love this, but the romance wasn't what I wanted it to be. I enjoy Dade's writing and I loved that she talks about important topics, but Lauren and Alex together. I didn't feel it.
Rating: really liked it
Olivia Dade is officially joining the ranks as one of my favorite romance authors because this is the third book from her that I have adored! All the Feels is laugh out loud funny (okay, humor is subjective, but I certainly laughed out loud!), but also has a lot of heart and gets into bigger issues like toxic family dynamics and being the child of a domestic violence survivor.
It's an opposites attract story- Alex is charming and chaotic, trying to manage his ADHD alongside a Hollywood career. Lauren is reserved, organized, and self-assured. When Alex gets bad press after a barroom brawl, Lauren is brought on as his minder to keep him out of trouble. It's a slow burn relationship- they become good friends but keep their mutual attraction under wraps until she is no longer tied to him through her employment. (yay for healthy power dynamics!) But things do head up eventually and I was here for all of it! Plus we get fantastic fat rep, and not just with an hourglass figure! Dade does a fabulous job of being body positive and letting Lauren be sexy without it becoming a weird fetish thing. And the BANTER! I love the banter so very much. This is so my thing and one of my favorite romances from 2021. I received an advance copy of this book for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Quick update after reading some other reviews: I find it interesting that so many people seem not to get the chemistry between the characters because Lauren isn't described as pretty and Alex affectionately teases her about being short and birdlike. I love the fact that Lauren doesn't have to be traditionally pretty for Alex to be into her. And I love the fact that we aren't allowed to FORGET that she's not traditionally pretty. She's a plain, imperfect heroine with beautiful eyes and features that are compelling and appealing to Alex, which is all that really matters. I think if the same characterization was done with a male character, no one would bat an eye because men don't have to be "pretty" or conventionally attractive to be desirable. Well that shouldn't apply to women either! All that to say, I was super into the slow-burn chemistry. The heat in a touch or a look...I loved it. And I loved them together. He had a good sense for what would actually be hurtful to her and never did that. Okay, getting off my soapbox now.
Rating: really liked it
Sometime in the last month or so, I was listening to a romance podcast where the cohosts applauded an author for the clear love they have for their characters. They're nuanced, they make mistakes, they're imperfect, they want to be better, and they're treated with respect by the author.
This book isn't that book.
It's a very interesting choice to spend the first 25% of your book negging a heroine. Lauren is not ""traditionally attractive,"" and you cannot forget it. Alex acknowledges she isn't pretty, Lauren acknowledges she isn't pretty, her cousin acknowledges she's pretty, all the background narration acknowledges she isn't pretty. (As an aside, Lauren on the cover of this book? GORGEOUS.) Alex never calls her fat, but he sure does spend a lot of time reminding her that she's irritatingly short and making digs at her intelligence, as well as mentally remarking about things like her crooked nose, her wrinkles, and her undereye bags.
Lauren is less of a character and more of a way to prove that Alex is a Good Man. And the thing is, I don't think we need to have that proven. I think it's really clear that Alex is a good man, who cares about treating people with decency, who wants to support the people he loves, who understands so much of his privilege. But then he's just so rude to Lauren under the guise of a sharp wit, when she has done literally nothing to earn his ire besides being paid to sit and read a book while he works out. He's so quick to jump in and defend her to other people, but refuses to defend her from himself.
Marcus even points out this hypocrisy at one point, reminding him that he's constantly calling her a harpy and a shrew -- but Alex thinks it's okay because he does it because he thinks he's funny, not because he thinks it's true.
I like Alex. I think he's intelligent, thoughtful, and vulnerable (his reaction in the black moment especially so). And I think there's literally no need for him to be so mean to Lauren over and over, even if it's masked by this "just joshin'!" aura. To be clear, Lauren really never takes any of these comments to heart. But I think you can write a minder/enemies-to-lovers story without spending a truly irrational amount of time reminding the reader that the world thinks the heroine is ugly. The rudeness eases up, but it lasted long enough to make me seriously consider DNFing the book and to make the story nearly irredeemable for me.
I don't think that Alex and Lauren were treated with respect by Dade. I think Lauren wasn't given room to shine as her own human being self, and I think she did Alex dirty by making him act like a petulant and rude child to Lauren for as long as he did when he could have been straight golden retriever and get essentially the same story out of it. It's disappointing, particularly given the level of trust a lot of communities have put into this author.
The best thing about this book was also the best thing about the previous book! The delightful text exchanges, snippets of past movies, and best of all, the fanfic excerpts are back. I would absolutely love to read more fanfics about either the show they're on or the characters in this universe -- it's truly shocking to me that nothing exists on AO3.
I'm not going to NOT mention this book to people asking for recs. But I'll certainly be mindful of who I recommend it to, and it won't be coming out of my mouth without some heavy caveats. And after all of this, we did't even get (view spoiler)
[pegging on the page!!!!!!! Flames. Flames on the side of my face. (hide spoiler)]TWs: (view spoiler)
[fatphobia, unsupportive families, non-narrative character has been the victim of intimate partner violence. (hide spoiler)]Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for the ARC!
Rating: really liked it
TW: mentions of domestic violence off page
This is a companion story that centers around the actors in a game of thrones esque show and their love interests (who are all plus sized). This companion series does a good job of not only addressing fatphobia but also has the lead male characters so far have their own struggles (the main character in this has ADHD for example). The characters in this series are also older than a lot of romances, in their mid to late 30s. These are cute but something keeps me from connecting as much as I’d like to. The male main character in this comes off as a little immature for an almost 40 year old and there is some heavy leaning into fanfiction that becomes a bit heavy handed.
Rating: really liked it
I had a really hard time with this book. For the first half of the book, I wanted to DNF it. I really didn't like Alex's character or how he treated/talked to Lauren. He was so obsessed with her body and describing her as a bird TO HER FACE? Like she wants to hear you constantly obsess over the shape of her body?? This went on for so long and I was so over it. But, the book did really pick up in plot halfway through the book and Lauren and Alex really did share some tender moments together. But overall this book dragged on too long and it was hard for me to see what they really saw in each other. I didn't buy their romance or their HEA, and I really didn't care for the story overall when I finished.
Rating: really liked it
Hi, everyone! In case you haven't already heard, here are more details about my changed release date and how to get my bonus pegging scene for ALL THE FEELS:
1. ALL THE FEELS is now coming out three weeks later than originally intended because of supply chain issues. The new pub date is 11/16/2021. I'm so sorry!
2. The story was originally called SLOW BURN...for good reason. So those of you eagerly awaiting The Peg That Was Promised won't find it inside the actual book, since Lauren wouldn't go from zero to pegging that quickly. (Alex totally would.) But: I always intended to write the pegging scene, so I did. It's the length of a chapter, it's canon, and it's yours if you preorder ALL THE FEELS at any vendor, in any format (ebook, paperback, or audio), or request that your library buy the book. #ChekhovsStrapOn
U.S. READERS: To receive the scene after preordering, go to https://m.lndg.page/BSq6Zd and fill out the appropriate info through 10/31/2021 at 11:59 p.m. ET. For legal reasons, Avon couldn't change the end date, so starting 11/1/2021 at 12 a.m. EST, there's a NEW landing page to register U.S. preorders until 11/21/2021 at 11:59 p.m. EST: https://m.lndg.page/rH8cHW. If you have questions, reach out to morrowmarketing@harpercollins.com with “All the Feels preorder campaign” in the subject line.
INTERNATIONAL READERS AND LIBRARY REQUESTERS: I didn't want to leave you out, so I set up my own form: https://forms.gle/5o6F26MfoQtFuDXW8! After you preorder and/or request that your library buy ALL THE FEELS, go to the form and enter the necessary info through 11/21/2021 at 11:59 p.m. EST.
EVERYONE: Please make sure you keep track of your receipt or screenshot when you preorder or make your library request, because you'll need to upload the image! Also, if you've already registered once, you **do not** need to register again. I promise!
3. And finally: Readers in the UK are getting a bit of a treat, since my publisher there didn't have the same supply chain issues! You'll be receiving the book on 10/26/2021, as originally planned. :-)
That's it for now, as far as I know! If something else comes up, I'll keep you informed. Thank you again for all your kindness and patience. I can't tell you how grateful I am. ♥♥♥
Hugs,
Olivia
Rating: really liked it
I read an ARC of this last year and forgot to review it. So, here we go.
I didn't like this one as much as the first book, Spoiler Alert. Mainly because this one felt like a repetition of the previous book's themes and general plotline. But, also partly because I simply did not buy into the character's supposed chemistry.
I didn't like the way that Alex talked, or even thought, about Lauren. He was lowkey disrespectful. He kept going on about how she was unattractive and 'bird like', only to act surprised when Lauren took offense to this.
Honestly, I was so excited to read this one. I loved Spoiler Alert and the relationship between those two main characters. I also really liked the subtle hits in that novel about what Alex and Lauren's relationship would be, and I couldn't wait to get to it. Unfortunately, it just wasn't what I expected it to be. I am very disappointed, but I simply couldn't get into it like I would have liked.
Overall, this one just wasn't for me. That being said, I still really look forward to more of the author's work in the future.
**I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.**
Rating: really liked it
Let's just get the joke out of the way now. ALL THE FEELS only gave me
some feels.
Okay, moving on.
But seriously. I don't know if maybe SPOILER ALERT just caught me at the right time or what but this one only had a few moments that actually worked for me. Mostly the discussion around Alex and his mum. I got a little misty about all that so, yes, those scenes had all the feels but the rest? Eh.
While I absolutely appreciated the role and presence of all the body positivity overall I just didn't love this one or the characters. Both had their lovely moments but in general I didn't like either one and so together it was hard to root for them.
Also don't play a drinking game with the words "rubbed her forehead" or "rubbed her temples" or "Nanny Clegg". You will regret it.
Oddly enough, where I found the fanfiction elements in book one to be fun (at least from what I remember) I found them very out of place with this storyline. I didn't mind the jokes and delight about tropes but the actual writing of fic? It just seemed out of character.
I will definitely read on in this world but maybe I'll scale down my expectations for book three. I'm definitely here for all the positive rep and love that Dade will likely give us more of that. Also, I just love the snarky commentary around this not-
GoT but definitely
GoT show at the centre of the plot. It's incredibly satisfying.
2.5 stars
---
This review can also be found at A Take From Two Cities.
