Cover Image: Spoiler Alert

Spoiler Alert

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

This book too cute!!! I smiled too much! I was too happy while reading!

I requested this ARC on a whim. The cover looked cute and I figured, why not? And I am so glad that I did because this book was all kinds of cute. It was also a very quick and easy read which I completely devoured in one sitting.

My favorite thing about this book is how it is both the epitome of a fluffy romance and yet touches on so many deep and realistic topics. Marcus and April are adorable together and I shipped it from the very first time I even saw the cover. But they are also people dealing with emotional abuse from their respective parents and upbringings. They are both dealing with how the world perceives them due to their physical images.

Everyone (even his parents) thinks Marcus is a dim-witted pretty boy with no emotional or intellectual depth, who has nothing to offer the world other than his looks. Everyone (even her parents) sees April as unattractive due to the fact that she is a plus-sized woman. Everyone is then constantly wondering if Marcus is only pretending to like her since they cannot wrap their minds around the fact that they could end up together.

It was great to see these things discussed between them. It was even better watching the characters develop into people that no only loved each other but also loved themselves and believed in their own self-worth.

I especially liked the way that April was portrayed as a confident woman who didn't much care what the world thought. It wasn't the power of love the suddenly turned her into a strong woman, she was always strong, Marcus just makes her happier.

Overall, I had a great time reading this and I look forward to reading more of the author's books. I smiled so much while reading this book. It was the kind of book that just makes you happy to read, you know? Also, this is getting a sequel starting Marcus' best friend, Alex. I knew from the moment he was introduced in the story that he was getting his own story (titled Slow Burn, coming out June 15th, 2021).

In the end, I totally recommend this for a quick, cute, and generally good read.

Was this review helpful?

First off, I love a good geeky love story. So, I was instantly intrigued by this. This story reminds me of Ashley Polston's YA geek romances, but obviously with adults. We follow two anonymous virtual pen pals that chat through their preferred fanfiction site. Both Marcus and April have descriptive point-of-views. Also, I love to see a body-positive lead in general, and also it brings more diversity to the cosplay community. That's always great to see. Within a few chapters, it's already super cute. It's sort of like the old movie/musical "She Loves Me," where he learns they are fanfic pen pals but keeps her in the dark instead of filling her in. It's fun to read the actual fanfic throughout and their DMs, as a nod to the backstory of the characters and how they met. April is so proud of herself and confident, and I love to see that; even though she's not stick-thin, she still knows her value and deserves the world. Love to see it. It's definitely quite cute for a romance and plenty enjoyable.

Was this review helpful?

I absolutely loved this book. The fat representation Olivia weird writes is so important. She has a special talent for writing multi-layered, flawed characters, and delivers the message time and time again that everyone deserves to be loved.

Was this review helpful?

IN FLOVE with this story! The cover! I'm obsessed with it all!
A-dork-ably sexy, fun, nerdy and heartfelt, Spoiler Alert is the ultimate romance every reader of the genre needs to read.
A mistaken case of identity between a fanfic writer and her celebrity crush who turns out to be her fandom's online best friend. Gasp!

Olivia Dade had all my nerdy cells singing with this one:
the fanfiction, the online community, the online friendship, the online chats, the stans, the cosplay.
All of it brillantly layered with humor and astutely addressing themes such as fat shaming, body image, self-acceptance, dyslexia, representation, social media...

The romance between April and Marcus was #GOALS. Sweet, sexy, nerdy and just enough dirty.
Dade made such a bang up job pairing an unapologetic empowered yet sensistive plus-sized heroine with a male character in touch with his feelings, BOTH not afraid or too stubborn to reassess their actions (hero I conveniently decided was a perfect mix of all the "Chrises". Pine, Evans, Hemsworth, Pratt. Myeah.).

Spoilet Alert was SO FREAKING GOOD and satisfying I couldn't put it down! It was my first book by the author and I want—NEED— more!

Was this review helpful?

This was so much fun! I think that a lot of people will identify with the main character and the romance was adorable. Highly entertaining

Was this review helpful?

I really enjoyed the perspective of this book, but I thought sometimes the follow-through wasn't the best.
The characters were lovely, but I was confused while jumping between fanfic and irl

Was this review helpful?

Thanks to Avon and NetGalley for this eARC

Um, I loved this, yes. The FANFICTION, the descriptions of FRECKLES, the JOKES!

This is basically a shop around the corner/You've Got Mail setup between two shippers of the same couple on an epic mythology-themed show...but Marcus is an actor who plays the Aeneas half of the ship. He is HOT and acts like a himbo, but has hidden depths. April is a Geologist by day and a DEDICATED member of the fandom by night. When she's bullied online because she's a fat woman who posts a cosplay picture, Marcus asks her on a date not knowing that she's his best friend in the fandom...

This book was sweet and funny and basically the ONLY THING I would like to read in a pandemic, which is a problem because I already read it. Both of the main characters are deeply kind and just reallllll nerdy and I want to be friends with them. Also I just want them to be happy.

Also, I WOULD like to watch this Mythology show made with an HBO-sized budget. Please, all we have is the movie Troy and it is not good. Animated Hercules IS good, but no one bangs. Maybe I should watch Xena?

Finally, this book has inspired some ill-advised ideas about dyeing my hair. Someone stop me. I would look cute as a redhead though, I mean, right?

Was this review helpful?

I knew I'd love this book, but I had no idea just how fun it would be to read. The characters are fun and engaging, and Dade knows chemistry so, so well. This romance is a love letter to fandom and fan fiction specifically - the author is fluent and affectionate with the language of fandom, making deft use of the shorthand to expand the relationship and history. I hope there's more in this series, and there's a hint of who it might be. I look forward to seeing what Dade decides to do next.

Was this review helpful?

Oh. My. Goodness. I was in such a reading slump and I picked this up on a whim and I am so glad I did! This was so smart and sweet and incredibly squee! Everything about this book was so wonderful. I absolutely cannot wait for Alex and Lauren's story.

Was this review helpful?

Spoiler Alert is a swoon-worthy romance that every romance reader will keep talking about! It's definitely a page-turner with Olivia Dade's amazing characters and talented writing.

The story follows April Whittier, a fan of the show 'Gods of the Gates', as one of her posts of herself in cosplay goes viral and gets the attention of the star of the show, Marcus. April is such a fan that she writes fan-fic dedicated to the show. So when Marcus publicly asks her out on a date, she is excited and intimidated.

Marcus is the star of the show 'God of the Gates.' He is attractive, smart, and charming. When he sees a post from April, he is intrigued and wants to meet her. Their date doesn't go as planned but they have amazing chemistry. Things get interesting when she admits that she writes fanfiction because she is the woman that he has been beta reading for. Marcus decides to keep the secret to himself so hopefully, it won't backfire.

I loved that Olivia Dade gave us a female character that is real and has curves. April is comfortable in her body but still has her days where she lacks confidence and has doubts like so many of us. She gives readers an equally amazing hero in Marcus as he helps April see that she is perfect the way she is and deserves to be shown love no matter her size.

I also enjoyed the incorporation of fan-fiction. I loved that April and Marcus without knowing started their bond/relationship in a way that allowed them to be open and honest with one another. This only added to their chemistry when they were together.

If you love some steamy scenes in your romance, Olivia Dade doesn't disappoint!! Be prepared to fan yourself because things do get HOT!

I give Spoiler Alert 5 stars. It is a captivating romance that you won't be able to put down. It was so good that I already want to read it again. I can definitely see this book being turned into a Netflix movie or even a show!! This was my first time reading Olivia Dade and she has become my new favorite author!!

She has an amazing friendship with a fellow fan-fic writer that goes by the username Book!AenasWouldNever and he has really helped her writing improve.

As she

Was this review helpful?

This was a super cute book. It was a fast read, with great characters. I will add this author to my must reads. Author has a great voice and character development.

Was this review helpful?

Spoiler Alert is the first book I have read by Olivia Dade. Her books weren't on my radar until I saw my blogger friend Nick recommending her last release, 40-Love. She made that book sound magical, so when I saw Spoiler Alert I decided to read it. I am so, so glad I did.

I'm going to be completely honest here. I didn't read the blurb before starting the book. I didn't realize it had a fan fiction aspect to it. I'm happy I didn't because that might have put me off. Fan fiction within a romance doesn't always go well for me. It did in this book, though. Rather than take away from the story, it enhanced it. I love how it supported the characters and the romance.

That romance... SIGH. What an adorable romance. Marcus and April were utterly perfect for each other. I loved how Marcus could let his guard down with April. I loved how she didn't have to always worry about her insecurities and weight with him. They got each other and accepted each other for who they were deep down. It was such a pleasant experience reading their love for each other. I didn't even mind when they had some drama to deal with.

Individually, Marcus and April had things in their background that they struggled with. Much of it had to do with their parents. Having been someone's child and now someone's parent, I liked seeing how their childhood and adult experiences with their parents shaped them. How it all went down was great.

We don't get a ton of time with other side characters in this book, but there were a couple notable ones. Alex was hilarious. I am so curious about his working relationship with Lauren. I was pleased to find out they are getting a book. I also enjoyed April's co-workers.

There wasn't anything I didn't love about Spoiler Alert. I guess if I had to nitpick something I could say that there needed to be more between Marcus and April about the resolution of their problems. Still, that wouldn't make me give this book less than 5 stars. It was a fantastic read that I would highly recommend.

Was this review helpful?

This book exploded a lot of my preconceptions and rules about representation. I tend to dislike stories that make the main character, most often female, an object of ridicule because of their size. Olivia Dade is one of very few authors I trust to handle that sort of situation with care. As a result, Spoiler Alert is a very unusual case of a romance that has a fat heroine who deals with fat shaming but does it in a thoughtful way that makes the difficult journey worth it. This is a smart, funny, lovely book that centers a scientist who writes fan fiction of her favorite show in her free time and ends up dating the star of that show. The story is also masterful in how it depicts the dynamics of both fandom and social media, which are integral part of their social worlds.

Full review to come.

Was this review helpful?

As a fat woman myself, I’m always happy to see fat protagonists, and Dade created a wonderful heroine. The characters in this novel were thoughtfully and thoroughly created, and their developments throughout the novel were believable and relatable. Unrelatedly - but of no less interest to my fellow romance fans - the sex scenes were steamy!

Overall, I can’t wait to read Dade’s next work.

Was this review helpful?

I’m obsessed with this book. OBSESSED. It was so good.

Dade is a new-to-me author. As a librarian and a prolific romance reader, it's odd that I encounter an established author that I haven't previously interacted with. This was everything that I love about contemporary romance. Literally, everything.

Our heroine is living. She's smart and career fulfilled. She's involved in a creative community that supports her intellectual property, that challenges her to grow, and allows her to make connections with others interested in the same things. She is fat and no where in this book is she treated like a victim. When faced with her own personal trauma, she rises instead of runs and faces it head on. Throughout the book, she is consistently stepping out in faith knowing that realistically there will be some who do not agree with her or whom hold differing opinions but she does it anyway knowing that she's living - loudly and boldly.

Our hero, in theory, should be living the same way. But he's trapped. Trapped by shyness, trapped by image, trapped by contracts and his chosen profession. Where April is living, Marcus is simply existing while trying to figure out how he's going to free himself from the different chains that bind him. Meeting April sets everything in motion for him ... and holy emotionally vulnerable hero batman! I have been loving the way some authors have been moving away from pure-alphas towards heroes who have challenges, who are seeking growth by attacking struggles head on, and are emotionally intelligent.

With both the characters, we get to see personal and romantic growth. Offset by a hilarious group of secondary characters (and some pretty awful tertiary characters), this is a well rounded contemporary that is simply fun and joyfilled to read. I look forward to any potential future book set in this universe!

Was this review helpful?

SPOILER ALERT!!!!! This book is amazzzzzzing. It's great to read a book about a beautiful, funny, smart woman who isn't your typical cookie-cutter perfect body lead. April and Marcus are an adorable couple and I flew through this one in 2 days. This was the first book I read by Olivia Dade and it will definitely not be my last. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE give me an Alex and Lauren story I need to know their story.

Was this review helpful?

2 stars
I am a fan girl. I have been to the conventions. Done it all. This book I thought would have been right up my alley. Turns out I am either not as smart as I though or this book was really really confusing. I was so looking forward to this one. I thought I was going to love it so hard! I barely finished it.

Was this review helpful?

This was such a great book!!! You will have a crush on both the main characters and be full involved in their story. I loved it so hard!!

Was this review helpful?

Here’s all the reasons why you should read this:
1. Body positivity!
2. The absolute smack down of the last season of GoT and its writers. Iconic.
3. A male actually in touch with his emotions and is non-toxic!
4. I pictured Chris Evans as Marcus, so. You know.
5. Alex. ‘Nuff said.

Only stuff keeping me from 5 stars is that I felt like the parents were exaggerated, extreme versions of those personalities. Not saying it’s not plausible - it is - it just felt a bit over the top on that front. Otherwise, go forth readers! It’s super fun but balances the emotion well. It reminded me of Get a Life, Chloe Brown

Was this review helpful?

Thank you very, very much to Olivia Dade, HarperCollins, and Netgalley from an ARC of "Spoiler Alert" in exchange for an honest review.*

I wanted to love this. I kept trying to love this. It has all the little bits of a fabulous best seller - body positivity, hot male star, fan fiction, romance, humor. But I felt stuck. As a fat girl myself, I love to read about other fat girls who are comfortable with who they are. But I didn't find this with April. She was consistently insecure while screaming body positivity. I also felt like she was a bit bitchy. I couldn't connect with her because she seemed to do things all the time which were the complete opposite of who she said she was. I found Marcus sort of milquetoast. Despite being a movie star, he was sort of a bland character.

The Fan Fiction element throughout the chapters was a little confusing. I kept having to look back to see who the characters were. Between the characters of the show, their real names, the fan fiction and the characters of the book, I was constantly confused as to who was who.

Why three stars? The writing was solid. Even the story line was solid. I just struggled with my inability to connect with the characters.

Was this review helpful?