Reviewed for Shelf Awareness.

Excerpt from review:

"Spoiler Alert is told in alternating point of view chapters plus snippets of fan fiction, past direct messages and short (often terrible) bits of script from Marcus's acting roles. This structure immerses the reader in the romance between April and Marcus and the show they love, a unique reading experience that keeps the pages turning. Spoiler Alert is at turns warm, hot and funny, making it a must-watch for any romance fan."

I received a copy of this book from the publisher for review.

When Fanfic writer April posts a picture of herself cosplaying on Twitter, she doesn't expect it to go viral, let alone catch the eye of the show's main star, Marcus. She definitely doesn't expect it to result in a date. Marcus is floored when he realizes the fan he asked out on Twitter is none other than the online best friend he's been swapping fanfic with for the past two years. But he can't tell April, no matter how much he wants to. If news gets out, it could ruin his career for breaching his contract with the show.

Marcus is basically Jaime Lannister made single, Californian, and dyslexic, with enough show and book details changed to make sure she's not actually sued for bashing Game of Thrones.

This book healed jagged pieces of my soul still traumatized over the awful season 7 Game of Thrones finale that I didn't realize needed healing. This book will make every fangirl's heart sing. I was cackling in multiple scenes throughout this book. It was adorable. I loved Marcus and April's relationship and the inner demons they had to overcome to commit to one another.

A small complaint, but I didn't always love the snippets of the book or fanfic in between the main plot with Marcus and April. Some of them were really funny, but others just detracted from the charm and main tension of the rest of the book for me. That's just my preference; I'm not typically a fan of the story within a story deviations (see: Watchmen, Sandman, Kind of a Big Deal, etc.). It's just not for me.

Spoiler Alert is out on October 6. Fangirls, boys, and nerdom fans everywhere are sure to enjoy it.

Wow!! I loved the Plus Size representation in this book. As a plus sized lady myself, I especially appreciated the sex scenes, as they were beautiful and realistic in my eyes.
The fact that the story centers around fandom and fanfic writing gave it a different kind of charm than most celebrity type romances as well. Both April and Marcus bring a lot to the table in this story.
Yes, there is a bit of a catphishing element, but it wasn't for long, or truly intentional like you will read in some. I know that is not a trope everyone is comfortable with, which is why I mention it in my review.
I read this book in one sitting. The reading experience was amazing, and I truly enjoyed myself as I read it! Please check this one out, and I am crazy excited for it's sequel coming out next year!

Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC!
This was an amazing read! I loved it! Some of the best characters, an excellent sense of humor, and I loved the premise. I can not praise this book enough. I am very excited to see what else Olivia Dade gets up to.

This was extremely cute. I loved the characters and the clear love of fandom that shone through the book. A confident plus sized fangirl falling in love is just what I needed. The story did not feel cringy like some stories based in fandom do for me, possibly because the age of the characters (I believe both were in their late thirties) added a level of maturity. This is a fantastic romance and made me very happy!

“Please tell me people who look like us can be loved. Please tell me people who look like us can be desired. Please tell me people who look like us can have happy endings.”

Fuck, y’all. Olivia Dade has once again gutted me to the core. Ok, let me get my fangirl out right now before we dig deep. Since I’ve started reading romance back in 2018 (going to Goodreads to make it official), I sought out books that didn’t feature 20 year old virgins that were size double zero. There’s nothing wrong with being a 20 year old virgin that is a size double zero– it’s just that I’m a 40 year old woman who has been married twice that is distinctly NOT a double zero. I want to read a book where someone like me finds love. I did find love with my second husband, and I know he loves me for who I am and just how I look, but at the same time, if I had read a book like this (or pretty much any Olivia Dade book I’ve read over the past year), I think I would have had so much more self-confidence. Ok, fangirl moment over.

April is a plus-sized geologist who is an ultimate fangirl of Gates of the Gods, a Game of Thrones-esque show that is very very very much GoT. Marcus Caster-Rupp is the vapid actor who plays Aeneas in GotG. Marcus, however, has been writing fanfic in an effort to “rewrite” where the show has gone off the rails due to its showrunners decisions (ahem, GoT’s final season). Marcus and April are actual virtual besties: Marcus as BAWN and April as Ulsie have gotten to know each other on their fanfic server. BUT when April posts a picture of herself on Twitter in her cosplay and gets trolled, Marcus (not knowing she is Ulsie, his fanfic bestie) asks her out on a date. The sparks fly, but Marcus never reveals that he already knew her. And thus, we get our story.

I know absolutely nothing about fanfic, so the flashes to the Lavineas server was confusing. I had to google a ton to get the various acronyms (alternative universe– AU, AO3, etc) as well as what a server even was! It would have been helpful if there was a little acronym glossary at the front of the book like in academic books. I loved loved loved the story of April and Marcus. I’m not sure if I really had to see their relationship as Ulsie and BAWN in these little flashbacks that weren’t flashbacks.

However, as a huge GoT fan, I snickered SO MUCH at the parallels. Clearly, Marcus Caster-Rupp is a younger version of Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (I mean, right down to the hyphen and the gorgeous blonde hair). The showrunners being problematic were so Benioff and Weiss, who everyone in the fandom hated how they went off the rails once George RR Martin’s series stopped. And, let’s not talk about that last season… When I read the acknowledgments and Olivia admitted that she spent time on the Braime boards…. Y’ALL. This was incredibly obvious. Jaime Lannister clearly belonged with Brienne of Tarth. Sigh. I felt like Olivia Dade was winking at us GoT’ers the whole time.

If you’re as clueless about fanfic as I am, you’ll still love this book. I won’t like in that I scanned most of the flashes to the Lavineas server just to get back to the story itself. But, it was still that amazing Olivia Dade story, hot hot hot sex (all the pegging talk made me snicker), as well as a fat heroine that loves herself as herself. In other words, I can’t wait for the next story in the series, even if I have to wait for 2021! Also, Spoiler Alert is Olivia’s first trade published book. All her others were self-published, so this is a BIG DEAL. Congrats, Olivia!

ARC provided by NetGalley
Really cute romance! Closeted fan fiction writer April gets the chance to go on a date with a lead character on her favorite show. The relationship dynamic of the story is what makes it a stand out, while April's potential love interest is famous, cool (seeming) and fit, she's a "nerd" that happens to be heavy. I loved all the body positive messaging found throughout the book as April navigates how to be at peace with herself and her world. April is more than her size. There were a couple of instances where the author seemed to forget this overarching theme and made mention to April's size as a hindrance where it didn't seem necessary (one scene where she couldn't be supported on a yard fence-- do yard fences support skinny people's weight regularly?). The couple of instances of this type of weight blaming seemed to undermine the underlying message of the story. Despite this, I enjoyed the story and recommend it for a light romance read. I do hope, for the sake of readers unfamiliar with fan fiction lingo, the print copy has a glossary to keep track of the terms.

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.

To be accepted, wanted, and loved for who you are. Period. That's some heady stuff. And exactly what Olivia Dade delivers in Spoiler Alert.

April is a plus-sized geologist who writes fan-fiction based on her favorite books and hit TV show, Gods of the Gates. She has been criticized and rejected by so many people in her life based on her appearance...her co=workers, ex-boyfriends, even her parents. Her safe space is writing as Unapologetic Lavinia Stan. A change of job with an open and accepting staff leads April to become more open about her fan-fic persona. A tweet by her brings her to the attention of Marcus.

Marcus stars in Gods of the Gates. Despite being a movie star named one of the world's most beautiful people, he knows what it is to be rejected. His parents disapprove of his career and never accepted the challenges he had growing up. He tends to put up walls to the outside world to protect himself, but when he sees a response to April's tweet bashing her based on her weight, he impulsively asks her out.

What begins as a kind gesture turns into so much more. I loved these characters. I loved the support they gave each other and the insecurities and challenges they faced only because they were so real. I felt so deeply for both of them, especially April. Dade's body positive message was gorgeous. We need so many more books like this. Ones that show how we are more than what's on the surface...no matter how that looks. She shows that we can and should stand up for ourselves and demand to be seen, heard and loved for who we are and to accept no less. Olivia Dade has written a fun, sexy, powerful book here and is now solidly on my must-read list.

Part rom-com part fanfic within fanfic, this is an excellent, excellent read. The conflict was realistic and didn't feel forced or blamey on just one party. It was realistic even in the improbable situations our gorgeous leading lady finds herself in. I was so fricken happy reading this book. I am happy to think about this book and reread this book. This is the first book I've read with a dyslexic man, which made this dyslexic excited to see her disability from a masculine perspective, plus all the accessibility tools included? Talk about good representation of a learning disability. I can't wait to read other titles by Dade!

*I received an eARC copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to Avon for the opportunity to read and review in advance of publication.

I requested this ARC on a whim. The cover looked cute and I figured, why not? Everyone assumes Marcus is a not-so-smart pretty boy with no depth, emotional or intellectual, who only has his looks to fall back on. Everyone sees April as unattractive due to her weight. Therefore, the only plausible conclusion is that Marcus must be only pretending to like her since they could not possible be a good match for each other. Right? I loved how the characters were portrayed and how they developed throughout the story. This was a plus size representation win! I was so sure after reading the blurb and seeing the incredible cover, I would truly love this book. Thankfully i wasn’t wrong!

"Olivia Dade bursts onto the scene in this delightfully fun romantic comedy set in the world of fanfiction, in which a devoted fan goes on an unexpected date with her celebrity crush, who’s secretly posting fanfiction of his own.

Marcus Caster-Rupp has a secret. The world may know him as Aeneas, star of the biggest show on television, but fanfiction readers call him something else: Book!AeneasWouldNever. Marcus gets out his frustrations with the show through anonymous stories about the internet’s favorite couple, Aeneas and Lavinia. But if anyone discovered his online persona, he’d be finished in Hollywood.

April Whittier has secrets of her own. A hardcore Lavinia fan, she’s long hidden her fanfic and cosplay hobbies from her “real life” - but not anymore. When she dares to post her latest costume creation on Twitter, her plus-size take goes viral. And when Marcus asks her out to spite her internet critics, truth officially becomes stranger than fanfiction.

On their date, Marcus quickly realizes he wants more from April than a one-time publicity stunt. But when he discovers she’s Unapologetic Lavinia Stan, his closest fandom friend, he has one more huge secret to keep from her.

With love and Marcus’s career on the line, can the two of them stop hiding once and for all, or will a match made in fandom end up prematurely cancelled?"

This ticks so many boxes for those hardcore fans who love fanfiction!

Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade is an absolute delight for all fellow geeks out there! Filled with fanfic nerd love - the kind that overcomes parental neglect, learning disabilities, identity and self-love, and body image shaming. The topics it covered are so entrenched in our society, yet modern fiction still doesn't tackle these issues often, or in such a tender and funny manner as Olivia Dade does in this book. I've found that catfishing tropes are hard for me to read, so if you are sensitive to those, be forewarned. Other than that, I will definitely be searching out Dade's backlist and recommending Spoiler Alert to everyone!

I loved this book! It was incredibility sweet and fun while also having some real emotional depth. The sex scenes were also really well done and very hot. It is obvious the author has a real love for fanfic, cosplay, and the nerdy community. I can't wait to read the next one.

I was immediately taken in by the cover of this book! The plus-size representation is so important and so needed. I just hoped it was done well and I was not disappointed.

April is a red-haired beauty that happens to be, as she says outright, fat. She is intelligent and the talented writer of fanfiction for television show, God of the Gates, starring Marcus Caster-Rupp - beautiful, built like a statue, and, by all accounts, a complete idiot. What she doesn't know is that her editor (beta reader, in the fanfiction world), the amazing, "BAWN" as he is nicknamed, is actually Marcus! When she lands a date with Marcus, both unaware that they've been editing and reading one another's fanfiction for years, April must deal with all of her complicated feels plus paparazzi.

This book is so good! I loved every second of it. April is a strong, confident, beautiful woman despite or, perhaps, because of her size and the way people have always treated her. While you might think she'd be happy to stay with Marcus - the hot celebrity - no matter what, she makes it completely clear on their first date that she's not all that interested in his vapid, superficial personality and does not agree to a second date until he opens up and shows her his real self, something that he's hidden from the cameras since his early days as an actor. That first date was such a powerful scene - April, this fat fangirl, that gets to tell the hot celebrity that his personality just isn't for her! Fans, especially fat ones, are almost never portrayed like this and it is so important that this changes! And Marcus understands her fully, respects her feelings! Hot male celebrities are rarely portrayed that way. This book is just very important, and shows two stereotypical types of people in such a different, wonderful way.

I also loved that it showed so much respect for adult fanfiction writers! Fanfiction is seen as a hobby for teen girls, and this portrayed several adult men and women engaging in this as a form of relaxation, as something that brought them out of their shells, as a way that Marcus deals with dyslexia. It really showed that fanfiction is more than "just fanfiction." It is important to a lot of people and can be a crucial part of one's life, more than just a silly little hobby.

This book is amazing and important, and I would recommend it to literally anyone (any adult person! There are very graphic sex scenes) that wants to read a wonderful love story that actually has a lot of depth and meaning!

Dammmmmmnnnnnnn! Olivia Dade keeps getting better and better. She doesn’t need to, she was already pretty close to perfect, but she keeps doing it anyway. I received and advance reader copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

April Whittier is a geologist who in her down time writes fanfic under the name UltimateLaviniaStan. Her fandom of choice is an incomplete book series retelling of the Aeneid, which has been adapted into a tv show (like Game of Thrones). April has kept her real life and her online life separate, but now she wants to stop compartmentalizing her life and let the people in different areas of her life know all of her. In her fanfic community, she has become particularly close with Book!AeneasWouldNever.

Marcus Caster-Rupp has just finished filming his last scene as Aeneas in the final season of Gods of the Gates and he is ready to shed his public persona as good looking but not too bright. Marcus started writing fix-it fanfic as a way of expressing his frustration with the tv show scripts. He is Book!AeneasWouldNever and he has to keep it a secret or risk losing his career and a lot of money. He considers UltimateLavineaStan one of his best friends.

Both are at transition points and wanting to be more open and honest about who they are. In that spirit, April posts a picture of herself in cosplay on Twitter and some trolls predictably start fat shaming her. They tag Marcus into their nastiness. Marcus asks her on a date. April accepts. This story isn’t about how a ridiculously handsome actor can date a fat woman and fall in love. April’s weight is a part of who she is and it informs the way she interacts with the world. It is never a real issue between them. Marcus thinks April is gorgeous. He is already half in love with his anonymous writing partner and when she inadvertently reveals that she is UltimateLaviniaStan, it doesn’t take much to tip him all the way over. Of course, he doesn’t tell her about his alter ego and, of course, his secret online identity is a looming problem.

Olivia Dade does two things in this book that I normally hate – secret identity and grand public gesture – but she does them so well and so organically I don’t hate them. Marcus is so used to conforming himself to other people’s expectations and being rejected when he does not meet them, that keeping the secret when he knew it would hurt April feels like exactly the kind of thing Marcus would do. Everyone agrees it was a bad choice. The way Dade shows them resolve the hurt gets into spoiler territory, so I will leave it at she makes it work. There are a couple of grand public gestures and neither are intended by the person making the gesture to be a grand public statement that they’ve changed and are worthy of love now. Again, going too much into why they work gets spoilery.

Self-inflicted angst aside, the world of Marcus and April is so comfortable. It has taken me a long time to write this review. Partly it’s because I loved the book so much it took a while to focus my thoughts. Partly it’s because every time I return to this review I end up rereading Spoiler Alert. It’s not an angst free book, but it is soft and comfortable.

Not everyone is going to like the interstitials, and not all of the interstitials work for me. But I did enjoy the way they deepened understanding of the online relationship between April and Marcus before they meet in person.

I know I'm reading a, by my standards, average books when I know for a fact I do not want to DNF the book, but I also find myself skimming through chapters to get the main plot beats of the story until the end. That was the kind of reading experience I had with Spoiler Alert.

I found April and Marcus like-able enough but even now, three days after finishing the book, I can't think much about either of them that stands out to me except both MCs had awful relationships with their parents, Marcus hides behind multiple personas and has dyslexia, April has trust issues and likes "digging" deeper than what's on the surface which attracted her to her geologic career choice and makes her an insightful partner for the closed-up Marcus, oh, and both write fanfiction for a television show that Marcus stars in, of course. Which while these are interesting characteristics or plot points at face-value, they didn't really culminate into the fun, charming adventure of a story I was hoping for. There was definitely more pain and hurt in this book than I expected which doesn't it automatically make it an average read for me, it's just that this time it was not a compelling read.

I agree with other reviewers that (maybe with the exception of Alex) besides our MCs all the other characters were one dimensional. I think I may have enjoyed this book more if there was more to the story then fanfiction and fandom used mainly as a device to comment on social issues like fatphobia and misogyny, miscommunication between the main couple, and flat supporting characters/awful parents.

That's just me though. This book has clearly spoken to a lot of reviewers in a positive, meaningful way, so this is just one of those "not my cup of coffee" type of books.

This is my first Olivia Dade book, and I think there is a quality of her writing that I do enjoy, so I will try other books that she has written - I'm especially interested in upcoming book that will feature Alex, a side character from Spoiler Alert.

Olivia Dade's Spoiler Alert is fantastic! The main characters are vulnerable but make a great pair. I can't wait for her next book!

Spoiler Alert is an enchanting romance set in the world of fanfiction and fandom. April Whittier is a geologist who likes to write fanfiction in her free time about her favorite pairing in the Gods of the Gates universe. She writes under the pen name of Unapologetic Lavinia Stan and is close with another fan who posts and betas her stories that goes under the pen name of Book!AeneasWouldNever. Little does April know that the person she has been communicating with is Marcus Caster-Rupp, the star of the television version Gods of the Gates. He is frustrated by the direction the television show has taken, and works through this by writing fanfiction.

Things take a turn when April posts a picture of herself in Lavinia cosplay, and she gets hate on the internet because of her size. She is asked out on a date by Marcus to stick it to the internet haters, but as they meet, they form a close connection quickly. She reveals her online persona, but he does not reveal his, for fear that if it gets out, his career can be ruined.

This is a lovely mix of romance and fandom, and will bring joy to readers who are a part of those worlds. Readers familiar with fanfiction will especially enjoy the fic snippets and shorthand used throughout. Both Marcus and April are well-fleshed out characters, and it is appreciate that they each have their own baggage to work through in order for their relationship to work. While this could be seen as a relatively light-hearted romance, the book does touch on issues such as emotional abuse, fat-phobia, ableism, and anxiety, Minor quibbles were that the story dragged a bit in the middle after the couple first get together and before the climax, and a continued issue is that communication would solve so many of their issues (which is the case with so many romances. If there is a secret involved, it will come out), and the reader knows what's coming. Secondary characters were also entertaining. I also greatly appreciate the thinly veiled analogy to the Game of Thrones fandom and television show.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers for providing me with this advance reader copy for review.

How I loved this story of April and Marcus. I loved the fact where he looked past the Hollywood “size 0. April was comfortable with herself and didn’t care what others thought, including her parents. I also loved the way Dade portrayed Marcus in this book too. He had his own struggles to overcome as well.

The book seemed to have a Game of Thrones theme to it with “fan-fiction” thrown in the mix in alternating chapters. I was not a fan of TV series, but the theme flowed nicely with the book.

Overall, I thought it was a enjoyable read with an excellent plot line.

Thank you to HarperCollins and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Overall rating, 4.5 ⭐️