I ADORED this book. The premise was fresh and unique, and the characters were multilayered. Every time I picked up this book, I couldn't put it back down. This book was fun while also dealing with important issues.

I was given a copy of Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade in exchange for an honest review by Netgalley.

I thought this was pretty cute. The setting seemed a bit ridiculous but I was ready to jump on board. It was fast paced and fun. Things I feel like the book did well. The discussion with dyslexia and the pressure families can put onto their children, especially when they're intellectuals. Gatekeeping about consuming audiobooks. It is reading. Stop trying shame others. Body positivity in a realistic way. Parents that don't understand how incredibly damaging they are. Fandom, at times painfully accurate. Also the not so subtle shade towards the last few seasons of Game of Thrones. All great.

Things that didn't work so well. At times the miscommunication drove me nuts. I didn't think we needed a third act break up. Also at times the events of the story were so extra that it took me out of the story. Also some of the messages expressed were too forced for me at times. It didn't need to be repeated over and over.

That being said, I enjoyed reading this. I'm actually really intrigued about the next book. I definitely will be picking it up.

3.5

As someone who felt personally wronged by Game of Thrones in its final season, I really enjoyed this. Marcus Caster-Rupp, our hero, plays Aeneas on a Game of Thrones style show, and in response to the frustrating character arc the show-runners have given him, he writes fan-fiction where he corrects all the wrongs about his character, especially the failed marriage with Aeneas's love interest, Lavinia. Through fan-fiction, he meets April, a fellow author who also cosplays as Lavinia. April has no idea that her online friend is a superstar, and through a chance viral Twitter encounter, the two end up on a date. But Marcus has built up a public persona to deflect away from his dyslexia and any show criticism, and he's afraid that if he comes to clean about who he is, both offline and online, April won't be able to forgive him.
This was a lot of fun! It's a celebration of all things nerd culture, and there are snippets of fake fan-fiction throughout the book that were hilarious. I appreciated Dade's depiction of both characters having troubled relationships with their parents that were beyond saving, which I think is something that is not frequently portrayed in romance novels. Both April and Marcus really found their tribe with their online community and with each other. The reason this wasn't a five star for me was the drama over Marcus lying to April. I hate when characters lie, and I know the book needs a dark moment near the end, but I wanted them to just communicate better.

This was a really enjoyable and distracting romantic comedy. As a person who has enjoyed fan fiction the idea that a show’s star could not only be interested in reading but in writing some was in itself a hook for me to want to read this story. As a lifelong overweight person it was a story I needed to read. I’m not talking about a story where the fat girl gets the attractive guy, although that is very nice, but I needed this story where both main characters have to face and overcome their insecurities both visible and not. I loved that both main characters were finding each other they were much more importantly finding themselves. The writing was fun and I enjoyed the snippets of fan fiction or bad scripts in between the chapters. I laughed, I cried who could ask for anything more? I guess I could because when I got to the end and saw there will be a sequel with two characters we met but didn’t get to get to know nearly enough about next year.

Going into SPOILER ALERT, Olivia Dade’s newest novel, I knew that the potential for me to love the book was high. I mean, as a fan fiction writer who has developed meaningful relationships through shared interests and a love of writing, I couldn’t help but think Marcus and April’s story would make me, at a minimum, smile. Which it absolutely did; it also made my heart ache a little, made me laugh out loud, and made me cheer for Marcus and April as they mastered the obstacle course of falling in love.

In many ways, SPOILER ALERT is a perfect example of romantic fan fiction. Superstar falls in love with overweight fan of his TV show-in one form or another-has been written hundreds of times by writers that want to be the star of their own story. But SPOILER ALERT is so much more. Olivia Dade truly delivers as she maps out an unlikely romance between two people that will delight readers.

Both Marcus and April write fan fiction and, as they embraced the anonymity of writing under a pen name, they form a relationship and come to depend on each other as the other’s beta reader and as trusted friends. Dade really nails this aspect of writing fan fiction. The beauty of fan fiction is how people engage. Writing is very personal, sharing it with strangers a chapter at a time magnifies that, creating a bubble of closeness. Dade portrays this perfectly.

When circumstances lead to Marcus and April meeting in real life--with only Marcus aware of their online relationship--things aren’t as easy. Both April and Marcus carry baggage that defines them in the real world. From Marcus’s struggle with dyslexia to April’s body issues there are mines aplenty for them to trip, sometimes with painful, heart wrenching results.

One of the things I loved about SPOILER ALERT is how Dade doesn’t hesitate to lead her characters into uncomfortable situations. While there’s wonderful banter between Marcus and April and true sexual chemistry, neither are ready to trust anyone. Starting with their parents and following them throughout life, both were constantly told that they weren’t enough. That they were stupid or fat. That they just needed to work harder or eat better. And, so on.

The beauty of SPOILER ALERT is how Dade brings all of these things together in a meaningful way. There’s lots of laughter and personal growth as Marcus and April fall in love, and for me, that’s what makes this book a must read.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for honest feedback.

This book is just lovely. I couldn't put it down. I loved all the characters (except the terrible parents, of course). It was so cute, but also covered some serious issues that were handled appropriately. I will highly recommend this to library patrons. It's got a great cover and I can't wait for Alex's story.

I consider it a personal failing that this is my first book by Olivia Dade. It was sweet, funny, sexy, swoon-worthy, and heartbreaking all at the same time. I love that Marcus wasn't a swaggering alpha male. He was kind and vulnerable and wanted to be a better person. He was also willing to let April be his protector and his love and respect for her was clear. Despite the constant digs April got for her size, she knew her worth and was unwilling to settle for less than she deserved. She was also able to take a step back from her emotions and see things from Marcus's perspective. The fact that she could admit when she was wrong even when he'd hit on a deep insecurity was admirable. The Interstitials were brilliantly, intentionally horrible and I wish the movies were real because they would be hilarious. This will definitely be a book I read again.

This book was such a treat. I really loved chatting with Olivia about the process of writing this book as it involves world building in romance.

Olivia will be on the What to Read Next Podcast on publication day.

Spoiler Alert is a fun and refreshing contemporary romance. I love April’s character! She is sassy, strong-willed, and intelligent with a fantastic sense of humor. Marcus is interesting, as well. Talented, smart, and honorable, he is often misjudged. Marcus and April have a lot in common. Both have difficult family lives and deal with insecurities, yet they both persevere. Marcus is thought of as a shallow, handsome star, but no one takes the time to learn who he really is, not even his family. April is generally confident but is often harshly judged because of her weight. Both characters are judged by their appearance and are hurt by people’s misconceptions, which connects them even more.

The romance between April and Marcus is fantastic! It is both sweet and steamy, which I love. Marcus hates being judged for his appearance or his name, and he identifies with April, who is looked down on because she is overweight. They both put up walls to protect themselves from the harsh judgment of others, especially their awful parents. However, Marcus and April are real with each other. They both let down their guards and accept each other without judgment or reservation.

One other aspect of the book that I like is the use of online conversations and interactions as well as scripts. Being able to read past chats between Marcus and April adds depth to the story and characters and makes you see how connected the couple feels.

The story also highlights the power of social media. Early in the story, April is fat-shamed after posting a cosplay picture of herself. The cyber-bullying she endures is malicious, and, sadly, realistic. Conversely, the story also demonstrates how social media connects people that wouldn’t otherwise know each other. I like that the good and bad elements of social media are equally examined.

Spoiler Alert is a great story for readers who enjoy contemporary romance with well-developed characters, fan fiction humor, and a steamy love story. Though it is a fun read, the book also tackles serious issues like fat-shaming, bullying on social media, body positivity, dyslexia, and more with delicacy and realism. Thanks so much to Netgalley and Harper Collins Publishers for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this book sooo much! It’s fun and funny and touching all at once. I did not want it to end. I loved the witty heroine and all the little extras between chapters to develop the characters. If you love fandoms, you should read this book right now!

Often, I find romance novels with a plus-size heroine make the whole story about the person’s weight and someone loving them despite it. This book handled it all so much better. It presented the very real ways fat shaming hurts people while still showing a woman can be fat and sexy. It’s was so refreshing! And the sex scenes are hot!!

The book goes back and forth between their perspectives perfectly and made me fall in love with both characters. I cannot wait to read this author’s next book!

I received an advanced readers copy of this book from the publisher and Net Galley in return for a fair review.

When a hot, hunk actor sticks up for a fan of his ‘God of the Gates’ series - he offers her a date to show the Twitter world he see no size in a gorgeous woman.
He has no idea until mid-date that his outspoken date, April, is non other than his best friend on his fanfic site where they both write alternative fiction to the God of Gates series. If word got out, Marcus’s career would be doomed.
A steamy affair ensues between the two, shocking the fanfic and Gods of Gates world...
Will their pasts and emotions help or hinder this budding relationship?

Not gonna lie, I requested an ARC of this book from Netgalley purely because the MFC is a plus sized woman, and romances that aren’t cliche and weird for plus sized women are few and far in between. When I finally got around to reading the blurb, I was hooked even more. I mean cmon, I love nerd shit. & Spoiler Alert revolves around the MCs meeting because of fan fiction... Like cmon!

Marcus is a hot movie star that no one takes seriously, not even his parents. Often thought of as just another pretty face and dumb, Marcus is incredibly intelligent and witty. April is a confident plus size woman, who loves herself and her body, but is often looked down on and not considered beautiful due to her size. Even her own parents are shitty towards her because of her weight!

This was my first book by Olivia Dade and it definitely made me a fan of hers! Not only is Spoiler Alert a cute read, it also touches on fat shaming, toxic parenting, self love and acceptance, and basically not to judge a book by its cover. Seriously amazing! The MCs romance was super adorable! & I loved that fanfics brought these two together, and that they were able to bring out more confidence and self love from each other because of each other.

Can I tell you how excited I was when I got the NetGalley approval for this book?? I’ve been hearing about it for a while now, and the premise had me absolutely screaming in glee. Fanfic writer goes out on Twitter date with famous actor! Who is secretly also a fanfic writer! WHAT.

This book reads like fanfiction of fanfiction, and I love it. It’s the ultimate AU. Here’s the part where I out myself as an avid fanfic reader: you can give me all of your Stargate: Atlantis slash fics IMMEDIATELY (I won’t say no to Stucky, either). I spend nearly every night reading fic for a couple of hours before I go to sleep, and I work my way through the communities that build up around fandoms and pairings and tropes. When you love a certain OTP (or, ahem, OT3 or 4, but we won’t get into that here), you find yourself recognizing and following the improbably-named authors whose work you enjoy. A lot of times, they follow each other, too. They beta-read for each other, send out writing prompts, create forums and challenges and communities. And they are hugely supportive. This book captures so much of that, and it gave me the exact same feeling of safety and comfort I get going back to read my favorite fics.

Let’s start with the humor here. This book is funny as hell. The parade of improbably hilarious terrible movies in Marcus’ backstory were a fantastic ongoing gag. His interactions with his castmates after seven years together were delightful; I love an ensemble cast that feels like family, in real life and in fiction, and seeing the ways this group grew together made me want to see more of them (I’m extremely ready for the next book!). This book gives good banter in every way; between the main characters, between their friends, and even in the interstitials, which feature both extremely well-replicated fanfiction story introductions (complete with AO3 tags of absolute perfection, by the way) and hilariously pointed excerpts from fake movies that emphasize that Hollywood’s treatment of women has historically been… not great. Even the chat logs of the fanfiction server that April and Marcus use are fantastic (and you could feel the authentic sense of fanfic community coming through here – sometimes ‘people you met online’ are the people who are most intimately involved in your life. It’s the real deal.).
We talk about representation a lot, and I can’t overstate what it felt like to see myself on the page here. April is a lot like me, in her body shape and in the way she feels about her body; she’s a fat girl who grew up fat and understands what it means to navigate society in a fat body but also appreciates that her body is her own, and that it’s worth appreciating. The sex scenes here are gorgeous and SO HOT; they neither shy away from April’s fatness nor fetishize it. Her body during sex is described narratively with the same frank appreciation that the character has for sex in and of itself; April’s a fic writer who knows eroticism, and she doesn’t shy away from it in her personal life, either.

We meet April after she’s done the work to overcome her a lot issues, which is deeply satisfying for me. The book starts out with her taking the action she needs to set herself up in a life that is better for her own mental health – she’s making the move to a new job, and her reasons for doing so are clearly laid out. Not that I don’t love to see people going to therapy in romance novels – trust me, I do – but I really love to see a plot featuring someone who has already GONE to therapy, built up her own self awareness, and created the life she wants to live for herself. That stuff takes work – we all know it – but it’s so nice to see that kind of work paying off in the present instead of battling through it all with the characters. There are reminders that there’s no such thing as a cure-all, especially when your life or your body isn’t the one that mainstream society expects. Being comfortable with yourself doesn’t mean that others will be comfortable with you, but April has done the work to help herself move past worrying about others’ expectations, something Marcus is still working on.

And Marcus himself! First of all, the idea of having one of the actors on a beloved show be an eager writer of fanfiction for the same show because he’s unsatisfied with the scripts he gets is absolute genius, and every single author who has seen this book is bowing down to Olivia Dade for having it and writing it. It’s utterly brilliant. Anyone who’s followed popular culture at all can read the references to Game of Thrones in the fictional Gods of the Gates show – I have never seen GoT (don’t try to convince me to, it’s a choice, not an oversight), but even I recognized the digs about the showrunners and the final season and snickered wildly. For engaged fans, this is a deeply satisfying read on a lot of layers, is all I’m saying. But back to Marcus – whose backstory is painful, and who’s dug himself a hole of his own making, in more ways than one. Normally, I really hate plots where the conflict revolves around mistaken identities that are really just people not identifying themselves to each other – this is probably the first book I’ve ever read where a reasonable explanation was provided for the secrecy. And once that reasonable explanation wears off, Marcus is in too deep – we understand why he doesn’t tell April his last remaining secret, and we suffer the agonies of guilt and terror along with him. There were moments where I wasn’t sure that I was going to believe in a reconciliation after everything fell apart; April’s clarity in defining what Marcus has done to her is so good – ably assisted by all that therapy! – that I was nodding along with her even as I wondered how the author would turn it around believably. (Obviously, it worked, or we wouldn’t be here – I only review the stuff I love, remember?) Marcus has a lot to overcome himself; he’s done an incredible job of finding the ways to accommodate his dyslexia that he needs (and, like April, I’m still mad at his parents, by the way). But he’s struggling to overcome what are essentially his own coping mechanisms; as a character, he’s a vivid picture of the way that we can trap ourselves without meaning to, by doing what should be the right thing, or seems like the right thing at the time. The solutions that served young Marcus to cope with the trauma he received at home were an easy way to cope with the expectations of his professional career; it worked for him, but it’s not RIGHT for him. Dade’s ability to make somebody who is practically too handsome to live as well as being rich and successful a believably sympathetic character in 2020 is beyond impressive.

The ending here was cathartic and satisfying – so many things were resolved (and one thing was resolved in a way that aided the happy ending AND set up the sequel, WELL DONE) and we got to see both April and Marcus succeeding at what they needed to both individually and together. I think by now everyone who reads my reviews knows that I really love a character arc that’s moved forward by the characters themselves, not the magical power of love. Love’s a bonus; April and Marcus get to have each other because they’ve worked hard on their own to become the sort of people who deserve each other. The con experience was utterly familiar and extremely delightful. Frankly, I’m ready to read real fanfiction about these fake fanfiction people. I kind of hope it happens.

The upshot of everything is exactly what I said on Twitter when I finished the book: I finished reading, and now I’m mad, because I wanted to keep reading.

What a delightful romance this turned out to be! Really appreciate such a thoughtful approach to both of the characters’ insecurities and especially a female romantic lead that isn’t teeny tiny. Both characters are so well developed and complex, and it was a joy to see them fall in love.

Cuteness! Sometimes I put books down and can't finish them BUT THIS ONE RIGHT HERE! Oh gosh it's one of my favorites now. It's so good.

This wasn't what I expected. Which, is kinda on me, because I saw a fat girl and an illustrated cover and I forgot all my senses.

There was just so much in this book that didn't work for me that I still think make a good book objectively. The main characters are nearly 40 - I don't feel like either the cover or description portray that. Which, it's also not required to share and I suppose none of my business, but I still feel like I was either misled or I misled myself. That being said, these characters do not behave like middle-aged folks at all, other than the way they talk to each other like they're in a formal essay. A lot of their problems are truly those of teenagers - the main relationship conflict stems from secret fanfic-writing identity issues. I don't want to discount anyone who is middle-aged and part of a fandom, but I do feel like problems like that would have generally ironed themselves out by the time you're that age.

There is also a lot of excerpts from different scripts, fanfics, and stuff like that in this story. I think they work with the story well, they are usually somewhat related to what's going on in the main story, and some are pretty funny. But I didn't like having them there and I think they distracted me from the main story. I do still believe they enhance the story overall, but it just wasn't enjoyable for me personally.

I'm happy to see so much representation in this book of things that aren't always the first shown in stories. The big things like April being fat and Marcus having dyslexia, but also the things like parental problems and online trolls. I think there's some funny moments, and some good sex, and our characters grow as people both together and apart. So I acknowledge that most of my issues with this book come from within and that I just wasn't in the right point in my life to enjoy this the way I should have - I think chances are you'll enjoy it, and I still recommend giving it a try.

This book has so much body positivity and I love it. As a bigger woman myself, I know all about how the world around me has judged my body and I hate it. I used to hate my body but as the years have gone by I have learned to love my body just as April does and just like her I don't care what people think. Body shaming continues to be an issue because society has taught us that we all most look a certain way and it's stupid. I love how Marcus looks past society's outlook on what women should look like and see the beautiful person April is inside and outside.

I loved how this book deals heavily with fandom and how some people write to fix a story's problems or just for the general fun of it. I myself am into reading fanfiction for several fandoms although I don't have the talent to write any. I give major kudos to the author for mentioning Ao3 but where is the love for fanfiction.net? I really enjoyed all the story blurbs at the beginning of chapter or conversations between April and Marcus' online identities. I want to read all the stories that were mentioned throughout this book.

This was a book that I needed to read especially after the long novel I finished. I can't wait to read more of Olivia Dade's books in the future.

Rating: 4½ stars

Spoiler Alert was a delightful read. I throughly enjoyed and laughed at all the Game of Throne shading through out the story, I have a feeling Olivia Dade was just as annoyed as the rest of us with the last season of GoT. Lol I also loved April and Marcus’s relationship, even though Marcus character did seem a little far fetched, gorgeous actor and he loves to right fan-fiction....

But I got over it because I loved the relationship. The only reason I couldn’t give it 5 stars it because around the 60% mark it seemed like it was all about the sex. Don’t get me wrong I love a good sex scene but I found myself skimming through most of it. I could just be me though but I thought it was a bit much. Still didn’t take that much away from what is a good romance novel.

April is a nerd. She loves writing fix-it fanfics for her favorite character from her favorite book (who the TV show managed to ruin, she love cosplaying as her favorite character, and she doesn't care who knows it. Marcus is a star on the most popular TV show in the world and also, secretly, write fix-it fanfic for the show after the show runner ruin it once they run out of course material. When April posts a picture of a cosplay online and receives hateful, fat shaming comments he responds by asking April out on a date. Turns out though, April and Marcus have beeb BFFs on their fan fiction community for 2 years now, which Marcus now knows and does not share with April. With this secret about their online relationship derail their new, in person relationship?

I thought this was fine, if not a bit boring and predictable. And the romance happens fast, their isn't as much build up as I was hoping or expecting. Also, the obvious references to GoT's last season were a bit much for me.

Really enjoyed this rom-com and how fully fleshed out the main characters are--even though Marcus (the main male protagonist) seemed a wee bit unrealistic. I mean, an attractive actor who writes/reads fanfiction about the character he plays and the show he acts on? I'm sure it's happened but I doubt that the actor would then also go on a date with a random fan from Twitter who just so happens to be the woman he's corresponded via the fanfiction site for years.

Setting that all aside, I loved Olivia Dade's sly poking at the Game of Thrones showrunners as well as the tragedy of the last season (don't know if we can be friends if you loved season 8), and April and Marcus truly have chemistry on the page. April was also a fascinating character. So many characters in the books I read these days have creative jobs--you know what I'm talking about: photographer, graphic designer, chef, etc. It's rare to read about a character who's a scientist, and a geologist, no less!! I clearly know nothing about geology but it seemed like Ms. Dade did her research because the book had plenty of geology literary allusions that were appropriate and well-written.

Would definitely recommend if you've been on a rom-com kick the way I have this year! Everything is a garbage fire so why not escape into a happy ending amirite...