Such a fantastic story about loving and accepting yourself amongst a world that set against bringing you down! April is feisty and non nonsense about who she is and Marcus is such a cinnamon roll! Fantastic read!

this book was a freaking marvelous gift in the hellscape that is 2020. We get a surface glossy hero with hidden depths (not to mention a couple of demons), a plus-sized heroine who loves both herself and her fandom, a respectful look at fanfic and the writers who create it, and wonderful little snarky gems scattered throughout this incredible romance. I literally tweeted the author in the middle of the night when I screeched in laughter at the cheeky reference to my favorite GOT character. Seriously, you have to read this book RIGHT NOW.

It starts as a publicity stunt for handsome actor Marcus to go on a date with plus-size fan April, but it quickly becomes more, until their long-held secrets threaten to rip them apart.

Actor Marcus Caster-Rupp has played a fictional version of Aeneas in a long-standing TV series, and I think that's what drew me to Spoiler Alert. I prefer Greek mythology, but did enjoy reading The Aeneid by Virgil, so the mere mention of Aeneas in the book description was more than enough for me to hit the Request button. Of course, it also mentioned fan fiction, of which I have exactly zero experience with (I can say little more about Twitter), but I figured I'd be able to figure things out. It proved to be a bit of a crash course in both fan fiction and Twitter, and I'm still not quite sure I understand how either operates, but it was fun, light, and fluffy, and just slightly off from what I expected from a romance.

The Plot: A Layered, But Sweet Romance

Marcus is the golden haired, dimwitted actor playing a fictionalized Aeneas based on a fictional book series inspired by The Aeneid. Off screen, though, he's intelligent; just dyslexic. As the dimwitted actor, he only works out and styles his hair. As the real Marcus, he hates his story line as the series wraps up and has spent the last two years writing fan fiction anonymously, becoming best online friends with Unapologetic Lavinia Stan.

April is a plus-size geologist who has shipped Aeneas and Lavinia and writes fan fiction based around their story. She's kept her hobby under wraps, but, as she starts a new job where three of her new colleagues have formed a truly bad folk band, she decides to start to reveal herself, by posting a full body image of herself in a Lavinia costume to Twitter. Of course, the trolls come out. Surprisingly and unexpectedly, so does Marcus, and he asks her out.

It starts as a publicity stunt, but they're surprised to learn they actually find each other interesting and someone they can slowly open up to. Both of them come with their baggage, but it might be Marcus who keeps the biggest secret, the one that can spell ruin for them if he makes just one tiny slip.

As a romance Spoiler Alert is predictable, but it's still fun. Marcus and April have a ton of chemistry together. Their relationship is easy, but there's a really good reason why. It's known to the reader early on, and had me practically yelling at Marcus to just tell her already, but his reasoning made sense. Much of this book is centered around the insecurities both of them have lived with all their lives, which wasn't helped at all by their parents. It's difficult to erase one's history and start over, and this book proves that. It makes Spoiler Alert character driven despite it's predictability. But it also shines a ray of hope that everything can be overcome and it's possible to move forward.

My favorite parts were the interstitials. These ranged from bits of the fan fiction written by some of the characters, excerpts of scripts, and chat conversations between Marcus and April. Brief as they were, they helped paint a beautiful picture of them and their evolving relationship. It also helped point to their insecurities. Honestly, I felt their insecurities ruled too much both in their relationship and the story and made it drag on a little too much, but I did appreciate that it touched on sensitive topics and helped flesh out the characters. This is a layered romance, adding some complications and offering food for thought.

The Characters: Equally Layered

Spoiler Alert is about Marcus and April, an actor wearing a mask under his character and a geologist with a secret love of writing fan fiction. They come from similar backgrounds in that neither could fully satisfy their parents. It helped bring them together, but also felt a little overboard because there were similarities in how they were treated by their families. It is nice they had a deeper kind of understanding of each other, but the similarities made it a little boring.

On their own, they're equally compelling, though. While their romance was sweet, albeit a little peppered with some secrets, I loved that they were both older (late thirties and forty), established, but still reeling from past hurts. It did feel like an awful long time to hold onto the injuries of childhood, but watching them grow alone and together was very sweet. Marcus was so much more complicated than most people thought he was. Watching him wrestle with letting it go was a little heartbreaking because it could have gone in so many ways. I loved April's hard won confidence, though she still carried a scared little girl inside her like so many women still do. Her layers were gradually exposed and it just made her into a stronger, more confident character.

The story revolved around Marcus and April, but I would be remiss in not mentioning the characters that made up their world. There are Marcus's co-stars and April's work colleagues. They were all so much fun and had their own ways of encouraging Marcus and April both as people and as a couple. There was nothing but love and support for our couple, though I did find some of them more interesting than Marcus and April now and then. The one thing that annoyed me was that Marcus has a good number of co-stars, but they're mostly only included during the interstitials, so it was difficult to even figure out who they were in relation to Marcus. Except his best friend, Alex, who was an incredibly fun character.

The Setting: So Close, Yet So Far Away From Hollywood

Most of Spoiler Alert takes place in Northern California. As a native of Southern California, I found I got a general feel of California, especially when it came to talk about earthquakes. Other than that, though, I had a harder time remembering it's set in California. There weren't really any landmarks mentioned and the atmosphere lent more of a small town feel. But it was a convenient location, not too far and not too close to Hollywood. It put Marcus and April not too far away nor too close together so there was still a distance hurdle, but it was almost negligible.

Overall: A Complex, but Sweet Story

There's a lot of different pieces in this book, from fan faction to fat shaming to learning disabilities to discussions of Roman mythology. It made the story feel like it blew up a little, but can still be distilled down into a very sweet romance between two people who are a bit older than standard romance characters. It really focuses on their insecurities and how they are able to overcome them together and separately to turn them into a couple truly worthy of each other. It did seem to lag a bit in the middle, especially when their romance seemed so perfect despite secrets hanging over their heads and the shift to the parental disappointments that had been placed on them all their lives. But most of it is a cute, fluffy read about two very sweet people who need and love each other.


Thank you to Netgalley and Avon-HarperCollins Publishers for a free e-copy. All opinions expressed are my own.
Link to post: https://thelilycafe.com/book-review-spoiler-alert-by-olivia-dade/

When I read the premise of Spoiler Alert I expected a cute story, where the ‘plus-size’ heroine would be surprised at her luck in landing a movie star; I expected to read a woman with lower self-esteem who’s body image is improved because of the handsome man that loves her. Thank goodness that was not this book.
Olivia Dade gives readers two well developed, whole characters that have flaws, experience growth , and end still developing, but happy. Some of the best parts of this book are the quiet moments between the hero and heroine where they have to communicate, like adults to make their relationship work.

Spoiler Alert is tropey wish fulfillment, but at its heart, it’s is a quiet contemporary with a #couplegoals relationship where both characters offer comfort, create beautiful art, and help each other overcome insecurities. I never questioned whether the relationship made sense, and these two are adorable even when they’re not being completely honest with themselves (and each other). Spoiler Alert is also a love letter to fandoms, that will make you want to chase your romance novel with a shot of fanfiction.

Full review: https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/reviews/spoiler-alert-by-olivia-dade

Marcus Caster-Rupp is an actor in a Game of Thrones type fantasy show called Gods of the Gates. He is known as gorgeous and portrays himself as dim and shallow. However he is actually intelligent and struggles with dyslexia. What he really enjoys doing in secret is writing Gods of the Gate fanfiction and being a beta-reader for April.

April Whittier is a geologist and huge fan of Gods of the Gates. She is plus sized, into cosplay and fanfiction, and loves herself. This is something I really appreciate in this book. It pushes that plus size women can find love and have happy endings.

Both Marcus and April deal with family issues and image issues, and Marcus is really a good, sweet man. There was a misunderstanding in the beginning but it was quickly dealt with and I definitely appreciated that. That being said as the book went on I personally found April’s reactions to be a bit tiresome and in some cases felt she overreacted. Towards the end of the book we see a bit of her backstory and I feel like if we had known that sooner her reactions would have made more sense.

I loved that this story took place between fanfiction writers. This is a cool concept and in between chapters there are some fanfiction excerpts that are short and fun to read. I think their relationship works because even though it might seem fast paced they have really known each other for 2 years prior as each other's beta readers. It’s just that one of them doesn’t know the identity of the other.

Overall this was an interesting story and unique in some aspects. I loved that it celebrated body positivity and courage. If you are into fanfiction and celebrity crushes and just the fandom life in general you will like this book.

An absolute treat to read! For lovers of fan fiction and action adventure tv shows, for those who have had to deal with fatphobia, for proof that everyone deserves a happy ending - Olivia Dade has written a thoughtful, sexy, delightful romance for Marcus, a Hollywood action star with dyslexia and April, a geologist who is fat and no longer afraid to show it.

It takes some serious issues and explores them from the perspective of those who've dealt with them all their lives, and shows that it's okay to put yourself first, especially in unhealthy family relationships. But it also has lots of laughs. I especially enjoyed the way each chapter begins with fan fiction relating to Marcus's TV show that is finishing its final season (with fans of the show unhappy with how it's veered from the original books). April's job is also quite interesting and I love having a scientist heroine who is multi-faceted, who writes smutty fanfic and cosplays her favorite character. In realizing how special April is, Marcus makes some mistakes and doesn't correct them soon enough to prevent some heartache, but it leads to a believable and very satisfying happy ending. With some delightful secondary characters, the stage is set for another fun story and I can't wait to read it! Definitely a winner on all fronts.

Review has been submitted to Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

I want more books that have a full/plus sized woman as the main character. Add in some pop culture and trendy references and I am fully hooked. I liked that the character in this book was strong and unlike many other titles with “plus sized” woman in them April was not going to change. If the character of April was not enough to hook me than the humor, the romance, and the adorable story itself was very enjoyable.

Marcus Caster-Rupp is a hot shot movie star. He's currently shooting the final season of his hit show Gods of the Gates. Fans love his easy going laid back charm. He's easy on the eyes and the ladies love him! But what the world doesn't know is that he's also a writer - specifically a fanfic writer where he's known as Book!AeneasWouldNever (BAWN).

April Whittier is a geologist and absolutely loves her job. What her friends and family don't know is that she is also a fanfic writer known as Unapologetic Lavinia Stan(ULSIE) and loves cosplay! When she decides to go "live" on Twitter and show the the world who she really is in full cosplay - she's nervous and afraid. April never imagined that her tweets would go viral though and wonders why. Turns out Marcus Caster-Rupp commented on her tweet by asking her out when trolls started commenting on her plus-size figure. Should she go out with Marcus? Would they even have anything in common?

As soon as I started reading Spoiler Alert, I had a huge grin on my face. I am/was (depending on the season) a huge fan of Game of Thrones and I loved the way Olivia Dade mirrored some parts of the show in Spoiler Alert. I always find it amazing how when you're a celebrity, sometimes it's hard to show the world who you really are - because you're constantly scrutinized. I really felt for Marcus in this regard and how he was hiding this huge secret because he didn't want to get hurt.

Marcus and Apil are both such complex characters and I feel like Olivia Dade did a wonderful job showing us their vulnerabilities. Their conversations both while chatting under their fanfic names and when they actually meet were so heartfelt. Olivia Dade did an absolutely amazing job merging the two worlds together in this book and I loved so many little details about it.

I could go on and on about how much I loved this wonderfully written romance! Grab yourself a copy of Spoiler Alert - you won't be disappointed.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher.

I loved everything about this book! It's a fun love story built on respect and friendship, which is something I really appreciate. I think a lot of us can connect with both MC because they have people in their lives that don't truly care or want to see them as the people they are and this only helps them both grow more confident once they realize they are worthy of love. I laughed, cried, AND swooned. 10/10 would recommend! :)

This book had a few moments were I had to put it down and seek a more action driven book or Netflix show. It had some “dull” moments but the beginning and ending were strong.

Sometimes I forgot that April was Ulsie by how many times Marcus was thinking more about Ulsie than April.

I read fan-fiction more than 10 years ago, so I’m guessing it’s a bit bigger now, lol. Interesting plot and a feel good story.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ebook copy in exchange for an honest review.

Spoiler Alert is Olivia Dade’s premier with Avon Books and what an awesome first outing it is. I’m an unabashed fanatic for anything Olivia writes. I’ve reviewed three of Dade’s recent self-published items and have begun reading her backlist, every time someone asks for cinnamon roll heroes, good fat rep, smart romance, low angst, or lead characters over thirty-five she is my automatic recommendation. So excuse me while I fangirl all over this review.

Spoiler Alert is literally the fan service type of story that every marginalized person dreams about. The story is about April Whittier a geologist who loves to watch fantasy tv shows, cosplay, and write fanfic in her spare time. She has a thriving hidden alter ego that writes fanfic for a popular fantasy show. April struggles with confidence and acceptance, not just because of her size but because of her interests. I had to stop reading the book several times because I was crying at how close to home Dade hits with April’s internal struggles. April decides that it’s time to step out of the shadows and posts a picture to Twitter of her full body in a cosplay she created. The attention is both good and bad, but it becomes surreal when the star of the show Marcus Caster-Rupp sees it and invites April to dinner.

What April doesn’t know is that Marcus is also a fic writer. He’s spent years in Hollywood hiding a learning disability behind a golden boy smile. He finds solace online writing fanfics for the show using storylines he wishes would have happened. Their first date isn’t the greatest but April decides to give him another chance, and soon April and Marcus are spending a lot of time together both in the bedroom and out. There’s a lot of secrets that Marcus is holding back from April, and I’ll admit it frustrated me enough to want to knock this book down a half a star. But Dade manages to write such an elegant solution to the issue that I can be that mad at her and I put this back up to a five-star review.

This book was everything my nerdy little heart dreamed about alone in my room staring at pictures of Orlando Bloom in his Lord of the Rings costume. In a less talented author’s hands, this could have been trite and full of overused tropes. But Dade gives us a multi-layered story between two imperfect protagonists who need to face both internal and external hurdles to get to their final HEA. This isn’t some simple girl’s wishful thinking, this is a story written by that girl now a smart and insightful woman who knows that the reality can be better than the dream. This is the kind of inclusive, thoughtful, sexy, and romantic type of story we deserve in 2020 and I beg you to pick it up this October 6th.

~ Lindsey

I had the opportunity to download this book as a digital ARC from Avon and NetGalley.

I'm a nerd girl at heart. So I love to reading about people who are nerds and have nerdly interests. One thing a lot of nerdly people do is write fanfiction. Funnily enough I've never read or written fan fiction, even though I know the lingo, but I adore reading books about people who do. And that was the case here.

Almost everything about this book was completely adorable. The meet cute that was done both online and the real world. The fact that both April and Marcus were huge fanfic writers. The way they genuinely cared each other before even knowing what the other looked like and then how it grew when they met each other. The body positivity that April had throughout the book was inspiring as well Marcus's acceptance that his learning disability didn't make him any less intelligent than anyone out there. It wasn't as apparent when I was reading it but now, thinking back, one thing that set this book apart is that the journey of self-love was as important as the romantic one. Both Marcus and April still had work to do in that regard a lot of which came down to having to set boundaries with their family members. It is a hard thing to have to do.

Here's your warning that slight spoilers are ahead:
The one thing that did strike me is that a lot of their snags and pitfalls came from a complete lack of communication or not setting the proper expectations. They also let their past hurts have a lot to do with how they interpreted something that said by the other person. This happened more with April than Marcus with her understandable sensitivity to talk about food and not requesting to not be left alone when they visited her parents. And yes Marcus should have been honest about how they met but honestly, the thought of violating an NDA is terrifying, no matter how much money you make.. And someone as smart as April was should have known that. Yes in the moment she was hurt, and it was a rightful anger; but still....as pragmatic as she was, the Logic part of her brain should have chimed in harder. I will admit that this may have knocked off a star if that lightbulb hadn't turned on in her head at some point.

No more spoilers (heh sorry not sorry for that):
Ultimately though they realized they both messed up, they made their apologies and were able to move on. Marcus loved April just the way she was and vice versa. They bonded over mutual interests but also let each other have their own and encouraged them in that. They were also fiercely protective of each other to the point of acting as buffers between their respective parents which sometimes is more of a testament to love than one would think. This read had it all; a sweet and steamy love affair as well as self-love and realization that we do not have to change for anyone even our parents. . Five out of five....would recommend.

Spoiler alert (I am terrible I know), I'm pals with the author on Twitter and she was a panelist at the library virtual program I hosted this year, so I am a bit biased in this review. Others have also written better, more thorough reviews so please check them out!

But, for real, Spoiler Alert is a truly magnificent romance. You'll get weepy from the author's dedication and throughout, at times laughing through some misty tears and then swooning too. Dade writes such wonderfully sincere and sensitive characters, and April and Marcus are some of her best.

I'm charmed and delighted every time I imagine Marcus writing his fanfic, and mooning over his internet best friend. I'm but a casual observer of the fic communities, but this book both rewards the deeply invested fans and those like me who may be ready to jump in after reading this romance.

Plus, the secondary characters! I am so ready to hear more stories (ALEX) from these background baes.

Funny, tender, and wonderfully romantic, I loved this book so much.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced reading copy!

Omg, this book is so good. Five huge stars. Not only a emotional love story but a soothing, snarky balm for aggrieved Game of Thrones fans everywhere. Zero pulled punches and I was delighted to the depths of my soul.

There’s so much going on his this book, in the best way, but basically here’s the gist: April, a fanfic writing geologist, shares a cosplay pic on Twitter and it goes viral. When trolls are trolly about her weight, the tweet catches the attention of Marcus, one of Gods of the Gates’ star actors. And he asks her out on a date. Little did the two of them realize, but they’ve been friends/falling for each other in their fanfic community for years.

Soooooooooo. Good.

It took me way too long to finish this book because my reading brain is sludge right now and it just won’t cooperate. Very frustrating. But please read this one! Thank you Netgalley and Avon for the opportunity to read an advanced copy. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

April Whittier is starting a new job, and with it, she's turning over a new leaf. She is going to establish better relationships with her new coworkers, she refuses to be ashamed about her interests in cosplay, and she won't let anyone body shame her for being fat. Her first act is to post a picture of herself in cosplay of her favorite show on Twitter, which is immediately attacked by fat-shaming trolls. But it is seen by Marcus Caster-Rupp, star of the show, who asks April out on a date. It isn't until they're actually out on that date that he realizes he already knows her - because Marcus secretly also writes fanfiction and has been chatting anonymously with her for years.

While their attraction is a little too immediate for my taste, the way their relationship develops is really entertaining. Marcus and April have similar difficulties in their family histories, and it's sweet to see how they support each other in dealing with those things. It was also fun to watch the author's approach to fandom through Marcus and April's writing and interactions with other fans and actors. The lighthearted nature of the fandom contrasted a bit with the serious issues of body-shaming and ableism, but I appreciated both sides of the story just the same.

Spoiler Alert is a book about fandoms and fanfic, friendships, and self-image.

Marcus lives a double life. Primarily as one of the actors on a Game of Thrones-esque television series, but also as a corrective fanfic writer using an anonymous pen name.

April is a hard core fanfic writer, who has kept her love under wraps. But with some life changes going on, she has decided to make her fandom public. Which catches Marcus’s eye.

The main issues covered in this story are self-image (for both of them!), fat shaming (online and in person), online friendships (YAY Romancelandia!), and acceptance.

I loved the descriptions and outtakes of Marcus’s precious roles...they are hilarious! I would 1000% read them as stories! But I would’ve liked a little more closure on one side character’s situation…

This was my first book by Olivia Dade’s, and I will be reading more! This gets 4 stars.

Kudos to the cover! Too many book covers do not look like the description of the characters inside the book. Spoiler Alert is a contemporary romance whose main characters meet in the world of fan-fiction. It also has a true plus size heroine.

April is 36, successful in her field of geology and writes for and helps run a group of fan-fiction writers involved with a tv show similar to Game of Thrones. She is comfortable with her body, sexuality and abilities. April isn't looking to be changed but wants someone to love her for her.

Marcus is 39, gorgeous and plays Aeneas on the popular tv show. He has perfected his handsome but not bright persona that he shows the world. In real life he struggles with dyslexia and loves to write fan fiction for his own series. When April posts a photo on twitter and is mocked for her size Marcus asks her on a date. She isn't sure if it is for real or a publicity stunt.

Olivia Dade makes the fantastic setup believable. I think it helps that the author made her leads more mature. They are more resilient and ready to resist others that would put them down. For me the book slows down with the between chapters fan fiction. But only because the format and acronyms were new to me. To a fan-fiction fan it would enhance the authenticity of the book. I can read the fan-fiction and follow how it relates to the story. I also for the first time had to look up a definition of a word that was used repeatably in the fan fiction. (It set my grown daughter into gales of laughter.) It is great to never stop learning.

I will look forward to other books by the author. Special thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers for an ARC ebook in exchange for a honest review.

In the awfulness that was the first week of October, Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade managed to provide an extremely fun and relatable escape. It's a contemporary romance that's well-written, authentic, and delightful. We're following geologist April, a superfan of the book and TV series Gods of the Gates (a Game of Thrones-esque series) who spends her free time immersed in fanfiction, cosplay, and fandom culture as a whole. A Twitter encounter with Marcus, the lead actor on the TV series and a closet superfan/fanfiction author himself, leads them to a real-life date--but it turns out that they're already close friends online, which Marcus soon realizes but April doesn't.

First of all, I loved that both protagonists are in their 30s; as a 31-year-old, it's sometimes hard to relate to contemporary romances featuring 22-year-olds, and I liked that both main characters are career-focused and looking to take themselves to the next level. I also related so much to April's struggles with reconciling her professional life and her personal life when it comes to fandom. There's discussion about how some hobbies are more socially acceptable than others, and how it's become normalized to talk about football with your coworkers but not things like fan conventions; even though Gods of the Gates is an extremely popular show, April worries her coworkers won't see her as serious or professional if they find out the depth of her interest. (Kind of like how, even though books are an integral part of pop culture, I didn't talk to my coworkers about going to BookCon; it's as though there is a perceived threshold of how much interest is socially acceptable to have about a particular topic). There's a lot to think about there with regard to feeling comfortable in your own skin.

Spoiler Alert is a great mix of relatable life and relationship issues with larger-than-life celebrity and fandom drama, and I think there are so many people who will be able to relate to one or both protagonists. I know that some readers don't love the romance trope of "one character knows something about the other but won't say that they know it," so it may bother some people that Marcus realizes that he and April have been internet friends for years but doesn't tell her, because he's worried about his fandom involvement affecting his acting career (especially because his commentary on the show he stars in has not been entirely positive). 

Definitely recommend to readers with ties to fandom, and to career-focused thirtysomethings looking to see themselves in a fictional character and enjoy a good romance at the same time.

I received an eARC of Spoiler Alert from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Avon for an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review

Trigger Warnings: parental abuse (emotional and verbal), mention of a co-worker being racist and misogynistic, parent being fatphobic, use of b*rber, parent being ableist, cyber-bulling.

This book is the perfect contemporary for those of us that don’t normally read contemporary. I apologize for wanting some magic in my life.

This book has the best fat rep. Let me remind people of something. Just because an author is plus size does not always mean the representation is going to be ethical and considerate. A lot of us struggle with internalized fatphobia and that’s very apparent in some books by plus size authors. This is not one of those books.

Dade does not shy away from describing the curves of April’s body. She shines the spotlight on April’s body like she’s very keenly aware that we shouldn’t be afraid looking at ourselves with love. To have a heroine so adamant that she be treated with love, not in spite of her body, is beautiful. April does not struggle with internalized fatphobia unlike what many ownvoices reviewers have stated for the heroines in previous publications, such as One To Watch.

April decides she’s had it with fatphobic people. She no longer wants to hide herself or her body. She enters a contest for her favorite fandom, Gods of the Gates (think GOT but a fantasy interpretation of the Aeneid). She dresses up as Lavinia and experiences an overwhelming amount of love but also cyberbullying. In response, the actor that plays Aeneas asks her out on a date. They actually have a really amazing time. But, he finds out she’s his beta reader for the a03 lavinias server.

Marcus is dyslexic. It takes him more time to think about things, particularly when reading. When he was young, his parents emotionally and verbally abused him. They actively still treat him like his career is worthless, insinuating that he is not worth unconditional love. They make him feel he’s something less for his disability. In a lot of ways his parents reminded me of my own teachers as well as my own father. It does a lot of damage to a person to be constantly told you’re stupid. When you grow up like that, you don’t have any self confidence. It’s an uphill battle trying to convince yourself that you’re worthy of love. It is hard to convince yourself you are intelligent when all you’ve known is abuse.

Marcus thinks April will not want to be with him. He’s not a very trusting person. Both April and Marcus have a lot of trust issues that they help each other through. They cry on each other’s shoulders, tell each other about their parents, and what they’ve endured in life because of their parents.

I love it when two people that have experienced something traumatic lean on each other and teach each other about relationships. It reminds me that those of us that have been through trauma mess up a lot but we’re still worthy of love.

I love that Marcus loves April’s body but doesn’t fetishize her as something exotic because of her largeness. He’s considerate to check his privilege and emotions in considering April’s feelings. He’s ethical about his online relationships by making sure everyone knows his age, gender, and sexual orientation. When he does mess up he doesn’t push her to try to change her mind but still makes sure to go through his mistakes by owning up to them.

Marcus is afraid of telling her. He likes April. He really likes her and doesn’t want to lose her. The more time that passes, the more afraid he becomes of losing her. Marcus is very soft and bashful. He’s relatable to me. They both are but Marcus’ experiences with ableism are very in line with a lot of what I have experienced. I don’t have dyslexia but I am neurodivergent. I relate the way he’s hiding himself from love.

This book is very cathartic to those of us that hated the way Game of Thrones treated women. It is very meta in that way. This is a book that is fanfiction about fanfiction writers falling in love only to realize one of them is the actor to their favorite fandom. It’s very four walls but cute about it.

I would like to speak about a problem that made up a lot of the novel. April doesn’t connect the dots until about 80 percent into the book. Despite this, April notes how similar Marcus is to her online friend. It is almost like a deliberate finger pointing over and over. We even get snippets of his stories echoing the very things that occured in their relationships. It feels a little like shoving the reader through the door. The author wants us to realize that April is thinking about it but isn’t assuming. Instead this makes her seem like she’s blatantly ignoring something even though it’s placed right in front of her.

Another issue I had has to due with a word that I did not expect to be in here. There’s a reference to North African Amazigh kings but the author uses B*erber, meaning barbarian and therefore a slur against Amazigh. It may not be well known but it is both an author’s and their editor’s responsibility to check ethics. It is my responsibility to check this to warn reviewers, particularly those that have been harmed by this word.

I also found it odd how BIPOC don’t really seem to have a place in this book but are brought up for what seems to be detail in the world building of Dade’s world without really considering making BIPOC more than just as a conversation piece. We barely get to know April’s former co-worker Bashir. The one time we do see him is through a conversation about a racist and misogynistic co-worker.

Another point that concerns BIPOC is the Gods of the Gates community conversation that SFF readers and Romance readers have over and over again. The historical inaccuracy conversation. I love that this is brought up but I would have loved it not to have been controlled by 2 white people in a book that is for the most only bringing up this conversation when BIPOC are mostly absent from the book.

I want to make it clear that even though I did have a lot of issues with some things that doesn’t mean I don’t still recommend reading this book. I absolutely recommend reading Spoiler Alert, especially for plus size readers. There’s also some problems as well and I want to be honest about that, especially for readers that may be harmed by these problems. This is a great romance but even great romances have some problems. I think Olivia Dade has an amazing talent. Once I picked this up, I could not put it down. Her voice is addictive and feminist. I needed to read a heroine like April more than I ever knew.