I absolutely adored this book, somewhat unexpectedly. Great premise, well executed, I learned a bit about fan fiction (oh my! ha ha ha) and already have read the next book in the series because I'm so late to reviewing this.

This was a nice change of pace for cis het romcoms. The very pointed, barely veiled commentary on the end of Game of Thrones is hilarious, and the romance feels natural despite the incredibly unnatural circumstances that introduce the two main characters. Fandom and fanfic are imbedded in this story A LOT, so if that's not your jam, this book might not work for you. Clips of chats on a fan server and sections of fanfic separate chapter breaks, which was a fun addition.

There are a lot of emotional issues involved in this story, including body image acceptance, fatphobia, and battling with low-self esteem and self-worth. I thought all the issues were handled relatively well, though I would have preferred a little more lightness to the story as a whole.

The only real complaint about the writing is that there were many times that it felt like the POV changed from one main character to another from one paragraph to the next, which confused me a little. Mostly I wondered in the back of my mind if Marvel actors have been lurking on Ao3 and writing fix-it fics for Endgame.

Unfortunately, Spoiler Alert didn't live up to the hype for me. Parts of it were really fun, but overall it just didn't work for me.

This is such a fun rom com, perfect for fans of the genre and also fans of Game of Thrones and other fantasy shows--the author has a ton of fun with fantasy genre conventions. The book is sprinkled with these fun little excerpts of TV and movie scripts that really made me laugh. I would recommend this book to romance fans who like their books with a little humor.

I'm a huge fan of Olivia Dade, so I was looking forward to reading the first in her new series. While fans of Game of Thrones may enjoy this one a little bit more due to the connections to the popular tv/book series, I found the two main characters absolutely charming. I can't wait to read the next in the series!

April lives as a geologist, but she loves her fandom. She is sort of a well-known writer and explores relationships with a character that’s not conventionally beautiful in print (but pretty on the show). She’s picked to go on a date with one of those show’s stars, who she’s written about naked before, and she ends up falling for him. And the fact that he doesn’t hold her weight against her. But when she realizes she’s cheating (sort of) on her beta reader, she’s conflicted. Can April choose the best guy for her?

I had a really hard time getting into this one. It just wasn’t for me. I’m not sure why I just couldnt get into it.

An absolute must read.

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

Olivia Dade’s body positive romance was steamy, funny, geeky, and totally relatable. If you loved ONE TO WATCH, you will adore April Whittier and this absolutely amazing story of self love and learning to trust.

I don't know why this was the first Olivia Dade book for so many readers! I've been singing her praises for a few years now, mainly because she does so much good for positive plus size representation.

As someone who hosts a podcast called Boobies & Noobies, whose sole purpose is to share romance novels with "noobie" romance readers, I'm not sure there's a better book for first-time romance readers. So many romance readers and writers begin in the world of fanfiction, so to incorporate fanfiction into a romance novel? Brilliant. This is the fantasy I WISH was a reality.

April and Marcus are some of Olivia's best characters. Not only did I fall for them as a couple, but I also fell for them each individually! The secondary characters are just as charming and I'm counting down the days until the release of the next book in the series.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 1/2

I think 2016 emily would have loved this a lot more than 2021 emily. I think fanfiction type stories are not my style anymore

I knew I was going to love this one- I mean fandom and fat positivity? It was as if it was written for me. Olivia Dade has done it again and I'm anxiously awaiting the next book!

This was my first Olivia Dade book, but it is not going to be the last. I’m pretty sure I read this book in just one day. It sucked me in and I couldn’t stop until I finished it. I love books like that.

Also, this is another one of those books that utilizes the online friends but real-world strangers trope. So both Marcus and April have been online fanfiction friends for a while, but that isn’t something that is immediately shared when they meet in person. In fact, when Marcus finds out that April is his online friend, he worries about how she would react to him being her online friend, especially considering his celebrity status, so he keeps his identity a secret.

And both characters also have their struggles. April is “overweight,” which was also a cool fact for me as I am not a super skinny person myself. And…I read this one a year ago…so I had to check other reviews to confirm that I remembered it right…Marcus is dyslexic. So in this story we see the issues that come up with that, which includes stuff like parental emotional abuse (Marcus’s parents don’t seem to recognize his dyslexia and berate and put him down frequently for not being smart or whatever), as well as all of the fat-shaming and struggling with self-respect and self-acceptance.

I think I’m definitely going to want to re-read this book, because I remember really enjoying it. I loved getting the glimpses at some of the fics they were writing, and to see their online banter, and then to see their real-world interactions when they had their awkward publicity stunt first date, and then how the relationship progressed from there. I was rooting for them and enjoying seeing the various parts of their lives, from the fanfiction, to the actual show the fics were based on, to just the fandom celebrating and criticizing a show they have connected to.

Fandom can be complex and complicated, and yes sometimes it is toxic and draining, but I feel like we need to show off and celebrate the good parts of fandom, but it is not helpful to ignore the drawbacks to fandom. So I really love reading fandom-centric stories and watching fandom-focused shows and movies, because overall I still enjoy being a part of the fandom community.

This was a sweet story of romance between two unlikely people, April, a geologist who spends her off hours working on fan fiction for a popular tv series, and Marcus, the lead on said tv series. Can a tweet that leads to a date lead to a real connection? Both of them have a secret that neither wants the other to know, if these come out will their shaky beginnings stand the test of time? Can two such different people find common ground and build a life together? Guess you’ll just have to read and find out. No spoilers here.

#SpoilerAlert #NetGalley

This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2020 and unfortunately it fell short for me. I tried three different times to get into the plot and I struggled to feel attached to April. I really enjoyed Marcus' character and I thought his dyslexia was accurately done. I think I struggled with the fan fiction aspect of the plot, DNF for now, I may try again eventually.

I wanted to like this one. As a fanfiction reader and writer I was hoping for something fun and heart warming. Instead it was cringy and full of eye rolls. Not to mention triggering. As much as I’m for body positivity and people of every size are deserving of love, April came off more as a straight up fat activist who suffers from major health issues, both physical and mental. She is set up to be a strong and confident character but it turns out she is not confident at all. The idea that she is so triggered by an invitation to the gym with a friend or partner is a red flag. April shows signs of a classic emotional binge eater, but somehow, she’s not accountable for any of her problems. I don’t think she is ever elevated to be anything beyond a fat girl and that doesn’t make her remotely interesting. At times I found her plain unlikable. I honestly related to Marcus a lot more. But even he was a little too good to be true. I really truly wanted to like this book. But as someone who has struggled for years with her weight and fighting for a healthy body and lifestyle….the fact that April dismisses that type of effort into some sort of “hobby” that she couldn’t remotely benefit from….yeah I’m not okay with this.

I wished I had DNF this at 50% like I wanted to do. But I didn't that is my fault.
There is nothing wrong with this book or the writing, it just was not for me. I guess part of my problem going into this was I read about all the hype for this book. Unfortunately for me it did not live up to the hype. I also had problems with April. She was suppose to be all happy and secured with what her body looked like, to me it did not seem that way if anything it seemed as if she was really insecure when it came to others and their opinions.
I was also expecting this to be somewhat funny....it wasn't. And this book could have been at least 100 pages less.
This is just my opinion.

Marcus and April’s love story is sensational. The rest of this story is even better. An important story with characters you can’t help but root for!

***Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***
A delightful romance with two damaged, yet loveable characters. The world Olivia Dade has created is fun and full of memorable characters.

I was really pleasantly surprised and enjoyed <i>Spoiler Alert</i>! I'm not really into fandom stuff and I've never gotten into fanfiction; while I support enthusiasm, I think it can sometimes be alienating to witness or engage with a different community's passion for a show or topic that doesn't engage me directly. Olivia Dade did a great job of making both Marcus and April interesting beyond their surface level careers/hobbies. There was a lot of depth! I also love that Dade has characters who have flawed, but good communication skills and that they strive to be better for themselves and for each other. Fatness was also handled in a great way, in my view! One criticism - a lot Marcus' conflict is very internally generated and Dade doesn't establish the heft and external pressures that reinforce his sense of conflict. Sounds confusing if you haven't read it yet. Basically - Marcus will make you shake your fist and say "c'mon already!!!!"

Overall definitely recommend and am looking forward to reading more from Dade!

Loved this one! I'm sure everyone has fantasized about dating their celebrity crush at one point so it was satisfying getting to watch the scenario play out for Olivia. I need more of these geeky/fandom plotlines in my life. The story managed to tackle issues such as toxic families and fat shaming while still remaining a sweet, believable romance (if this sort of situation ever happened in the real world). Definitely worth a (re)read!