To the outside world, Lauren and Alex together are inexplicable. He's tall, muscular, charming, and gorgeous. She's short (like, really short) and plus-size, with bird-like features (Alex's description which takes on an unexpected meaning later in the story). Fans fawn over him while those in control of his career treat him like he's a misbehaving child. As for Lauren, she's either ignored or worse, treated with cruelty and disdain. How the two of them respond to those situations (both their own and each others) couldn't be more different. It opens a window into their feelings, their self-worth, and how each of them sees themselves and each other.

I cannot begin to tell you how much I liked Lauren...or how much my heart ached for her. She's smart, accomplished, pragmatic, funny, a wonderful friend, and could give a flip what others say about her. But she's also been pushed down so many times, subjected to so much casual cruelty that she believes her worth is actually less than others. Some of her scenes are very uncomfortable and, unfortunately, all too realistic, providing a lens into how too many treat those who are "different." But, oh, what a joy it was to watch her evolve and take control as she finally began to understand and accept her worth.

Alex is like a cross between an adorable but mischievous Golden Retriever puppy with the attention span of --- squirrel! --- and an attention-seeking, occasionally annoying house cat. I could not love him more. He's rich, successful, and appears to have everything yet there are hidden layers that have a significant impact on his daily life. Dade's portrayal of a man in his late thirties, living with ADHD, is vivid, insightful, heart-tugging, and complex,

A few things I loved about this book (just a few because, oh my gosh, there are so many): the text interstitials between Alex and Marcus (his best friend and hero of Spoiler Alert), the group texts among the Gods of the Gates cast members, the road trip up the California coast (Alex's reaction to an innkeeper's "we only have one bed available" is pure gold), the tenderness, the sass, the playfulness, the consent, Alex's mom, the middle of the night walks, that cover (kudos to Avon for an accurately depicted heroine), and the final chapter of the book which has some of my all-time favorite scenes and lines, especially Lauren's. In this case, love is most definitely the best revenge.

I fell hard for Dade's debut, Spoiler Alert. I loved this follow-up novel even more. I laughed. I cried. I swooned. Then I laughed some more and, yes, shed more tears too. This book could not be more aptly titled because, I'm here to tell you, I felt all. the. feels. I can't wait to see what Dade brings readers next.

*ARC received for fair and unbiased review

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. This book was unexpectedly amazing. I say unexpectedly because I was super put off by Alex at the beginning. But as always, you need to get to know someone to see who they truly are and Alex pleasantly surprised me. Once I got past the beginning (where I admit I made judgments about Alex), I just breezed through it. The relationship that builds between Alex and Lauren based on important foundations like trust and respect is just key to such a good romance. And did I mention how awesome Lauren was? She is a badass and hearing about her life as an ER therapist was pretty darn awesome.

After finally reading Spoiler Alert, I could not wait to get into All the Feels. I fell in love with Olivia Dade's witty, insightful, and intelligent writing and was excited to see Alex's story.

All the Feels was a great read. Dade's approach to difference makes the characters so incredibly accessible in their coping mechanisms - first with dyslexia in Spoiler Alert and then with ADHD in All the Feels. Alex's character is charming and honest and utterly vulnerable in all his big feelings and sweeping actions. You cannot help but fall for him and all his whirlwind antics.

Lauren is introduced into his life to help him manage through all the craziness of stardom and his neurodivergent behavior. She's meant to keep him in line but what grows from their forced proximity is a friendship and connection. They're protective of each other at the expense of themselves.

I loved these characters and appreciate the representation of diverse individuals - body representation, disability and mental health representation is so important. Seeing yourself and those you care about in the things you read/watch/love is so important.

Though I didn't always feel convinced of their chemistry, I still enjoyed the ride. Olivia Dade's prose is just incredible.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager publishers for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

TW: mentions of domestic violence off page

This is a companion story that centers around the actors in a game of thrones esque show and their love interests (who are all plus sized). This companion series does a good job of not only addressing fatphobia but also has the lead male characters so far have their own struggles (the main character in this has ADHD for example). The characters in this series are also older than a lot of romances, in their mid to late 30s. These are cute but something keeps me from connecting as much as I’d like to. The male main character in this comes off as a little immature for an almost 40 year old and there is some heavy leaning into fanfiction that becomes a bit heavy handed.

As much as I loved Spoiler Alert, I ADORED All the Feels.

This was such a fun read!

I loved the relationship between Alex and Lauren. There’s definitely a grumpy/sunshine where he’s the sunshine and opposite attract vibe, but they balance each other so well. There’s great banter and he gets a rise out of antagonizing her, but you can tell he does it because he likes her; as a person, then as a friend, and then as a lover. He’s such a sweet cinnamon roll.

In addition to the plus-sized rep, which Olivia Dade does SO well, there’s a mental health aspect. Alex’s ADHD comes into play and I think it just makes him more lovable.

They balance each other out very nicely and there’s great chemistry. This one is also very steamy, which I love.

Thank you to NetGalley for gifting me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I recently read SPOILER ALERT by Olivia Dade so I was over the moon when I was given the opportunity to read an e-ARC of ALL THE FEELS. Alex was one of my fave characters in the first book so I was excited to dive further into who he was and learn about his love interest.

As much as I wanted to love the fat representation in this one. It just continuously kept getting shoved down my throat. Like fat women can be sexy without having to point out their soft chin, soft stomach, or their oversized shirts and leggings every other page.

But aside from that - I thoroughly enjoyed the story! The fact that Alex wasn’t afraid to be emotional and vulnerable and ugh, it was beautiful!! And Lauren, I just respected her character so much. The fact that she was a therapist made me her biggest fan (therapists have to stick together ✌🏼).

The book was just funny. The humor and vulnerability made the romance top-notch. If you enjoyed SPOILER ALERT or any of Olivia Dade’s other works, definitely get your hands on ALL THE FEELS. You won’t regret it because I promise you, it will definitely be having you feeling all the feels 🥺

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<p>I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.</p>
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<p>Alex Woodroe is a movie star but when he gets drunk one night and caught in a bar fight, the studio assigns him a handler/babysitter Lauren. Lauren has to shadow Alex on location of Gods of the Gates, and make sure he doesn't do anything that paints a negative light on the show or the studio.</p>
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<p>I thought the banter in this was amazing and I also just loved Alex and Lauren. I think the best part is the fan fiction part of the equation.</p>
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<p>Overall, the only thing that I wanted a bit more of was the spice/smut part. So 4.5 out of 5 stars.</p>
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All The Feels is the second book by Olivia Dade, who wrote Spoiler Alert about a famous actor and the fan fiction writer he fell in love with. This book is out on Nov. 16, so mark your calendars if you loved Spoiler Alert.

This time, we’re following along with Alex, a misbehaving actor (so we’re told), and his “handler” Lauren. Needless to say, they fall in love.

This was a four-star read for me, and I’ll be honest: It’s almost entirely because I love Alex and Lauren as separate characters… but not so much together.

Read this book for…
⚔️ Lots of nerdiness
⚔️ A plus-sized main character
⚔️ Lots of digs at how shitty Game of Thrones’ final season was
⚔️ Only one bed — and the MMC is in on the trope
⚔️ Road trip!!!

Thank you to my pals at Avon for the advanced reader copy!

I adored Spoiler Alert and have recommended it to so many people.

All the Feels just didn't quite do it for me. The romance between Lauren and Alex was just not there, no chemistry.

I truly loved Spoiler Alert, one of my favorite romances last year, and so I was very much excited for All the Feels, especially after all the glimpses of Lauren and Alex we got in Spoiler Alert. And for the most part, I absolutely loved this book. Lauren and Alex have a great repartee; his chatty, filter-free nature paired with her sardonic, dry humor is a match made in romance novel heaven. The way their relationship starts off begrudgingly before blossoming into friendship and then romance was so well done. I also love the idea of a fat, not conventionally pretty female character finding love with a conventionally hot actor, especially when most fat characters in romances are described as otherwise conventionally beautiful. Lauren's inner feelings about her appearance were sometimes hard to read but I felt like how her and Alex relationship's unfolded in that regard was really well done and definitely tugged at my heart strings.

However, I'm giving this book only 4 stars because the ending didn't really work for me, especially from Lauren's perspective. I don't really think my thoughts on this are a spoiler per se, but turn back now if you want to go into the book fresh.

I just didn't really feel like Lauren grew much at all during the book and would continue to suffer in silence long after the epilogue. As someone who came to care a lot about her through the book, this was disappointing. I think this was especially jarring because she'd say things in the book like "I can take care of myself" when Alex would try to defend her, but then we never really saw her do it. This is my biggest issue with the book, but I do also want to say that while the steam in this book was great, it was a bit disappointing compared to what the fics interspersed throughout the book promised.

Thank you so much for to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Well- written book - with well developed characters. I felt that Dade did a good job of creating characters that you care about. She knows how to create a good rom-com. Both characters have their flaws that creates issues between them. I believe that your regular fans of the rom-com genre will enjoy this book.

Ok this story was a little harder to get into than Spoiler Alert, but it did suck me in. I came into this story with skeptism from a negative review I'd read and this story proved that review wrong for me. I grew just as attached to Alex and Lauren as Marcus and April. This story touched my heart just as much as Spoiler Alert. In fact, the pain that Alex goes through made me cry for him. I truly loved this story and these two together!

I enjoyed the characters quite a bit, they had interesting personalities and complemented each other well. It felt distinctly different from the first book in the series. The romance took a while to get going, but once it did, phew! The pacing did feel a bit off and it could have used more of a certain adult behavior that’s frequently but unsatisfyingly referenced, iykwim, but overall, I enjoyed it.

All the Feels is everything you could want in a book: steamy romance, witty banter, and a romantic pairing that is made in Ao3 HEAVEN! Readers of Abby Jiminez will enjoy this fast-paced, but heartwarming book that features a plus-sized protagonist and her ADHD embraced boss/costar/something more?

I loved Spoiler Alert and was so excited to hear that Alex and Lauren would be getting their own story. The first half of the book follows a similar timeline as Spoiler Alert and it was nice to see familiar events from a different POV. This is book 2 in the series and would be most enjoyed in order since it gives more backstory to the characters, but it can definitely be read as a standalone as well.

All the Feels features quite a few of my favorite tropes like forced proximity, enemies to friends to lovers, slow burn, there’s only 1 bed, and even a bit of taboo (boss/employee). The periodic fanfics and scenes from Alex’s previous roles were a fun addition again between chapters and I thought they complemented the story well. Also, how perfect is the cover illustration? I love the Saroyan Stairs in the background. <3

I liked Alex and Lauren, but I didn’t find the majority of Alex’s comments and teasing towards Lauren playful or fun. Lauren’s bird-like features and roundness/physical stature are mentioned throughout the book and it just felt like too much. I wanted to root for them as a couple, but there was just something missing. I didn’t truly feel their chemistry and most of their interactions felt forced and awkward, except at the end. I’m generally not a fan of the push away due to the "this is what’s best for you" reasoning, but in this case it made sense for the characters and their growth. The final chapter and epilogue were my favorite and it was beautiful to see both Lauren and Alex finally confident and comfortable in their own skin.

Even though All the Feels is a romance, I think it’s important to point out that the story is not just about romantic love. The message of loving yourself and knowing your worth is also so important. Both Alex and Lauren’s character arcs involve reconciling their feelings of self-worth and value. It’s a painful and heartbreaking journey, but ultimately an uplifting one. I both read and listened to this book and I thought Kelsey Navarro did an incredible job conveying all of the emotions and feelings during these scenes. I was very impressed by her clear vocalization of all the different characters and really enjoyed her narration. Overall, this was an entertaining novel, but sadly I didn’t love it as much as I hoped.

Audiobook Review
Overall 4 stars
Performance 5 stars
Story 3.5 stars

CW: Discussion and mentions of domestic abuse (past, secondary character), fat phobia, fat shaming, physical assault, verbal abuse, ADHD

*I voluntarily read and listened to an advance review copy of this book *

This was a quick, cute romantic read that I did find myself enjoying, despite having a few minor flaws and a bit of an unbelievable story. I did not find the characters of Alex or Lauren to be particularly funny, and I did not enjoy the way Alex spoke to Lauren in the first half of the book. Some of the story did feel a bit rushed - but despite all of these things the ending was a satisfying conclusion and it was nice to see these characters grow both separately and together. I enjoyed the look into Hollywood life and particularly liked the side characters of Alex's mom, Linda, and Lauren's best friend Sonnia. All in all, a love story that will truly give you "all the feels."

TW: Violence/domestic abuse, fat shaming

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

All the Feels is the second installment in Olivia Dade's Spoiler Alert series. It follows TV-star Alex as his latest escapade and bad publicity lead his showrunner to assign him a minder, ER therapist Lauren, as his minder to ensure he doesn't get into any more trouble before the premier of the show's final season. As is natural in these situations, romance ensues.

I do think there was a lot to like about All the Feels. It was often funny and charming, it felt authentic to the world we live in today, I often found myself laughing, rolling my eyes, and otherwise joyfully reacting to what was on the page.

That said, in retrospect, I didn't enjoy this book nearly as much as I hoped I would. Structure-wise, a lot of Alex and Lauren's early relationship was told in summary, so we didn't have a lot of opportunity to thoroughly invest in their relationship before the conflicts cropped up. And boy, were there a lot of conflicts. While I appreciated the effort to tackle real issues, some moments -- such as Lauren leaving the wedding reception -- felt fabricated just for the sake of elongating the already overlong conflict.

Additionally, what a startlingly incompatible pair of people. I felt like I hardly knew how Lauren was actually feeling, and instead was just sitting there while Alex hurled insult after insult after insult at her and then acted like it was all a joke. And while Lauren did respond like his insults were jokes (good for her, I guess), it got to a point where I felt weighed down as a reader by how awful everything Alex said was. I mean, he ruins an entire convention because she gets called ugly, yet does he ever once tell her she's beautiful to her face? Am I really supposed to just be satisfied with how he treats her simply because he never calls her fat? I just feel that at a certain point, witty banter becomes too much, and I felt that way before the halfway mark in this book.

Overall this book just lacked a lot of the charm that the series' first installment had, particularly in regards to the relationship between the two main characters. While I will still definitely be picking up further installments in the Spoiler Alert series, because honestly there is still a lot to love about Olivia Dade's writing and authenticity on the page, I am not sure I'd recommend All the Feels without immediately following up with a slew of caveats.

TW: Domestic Violence
I was super excited for this going in because I loved the extended cast of characters in the first book, “Spoiler Alert.”
As always, Dade delivers scathing remarks and side-comments in spades. But the plot felt like it was rushed in service of resolving the romantic story-line, in a way that was even more unrealistic than I (usually) accept from romance novels.
Both of the main characters, Alex and Lauren, ultimately suffer from years of believing that they have to have “performative sacrifice” listed as their #1 personality trait in order to prove that they are good people worthy of love – a not-uncommon theme in romances, but one that is perhaps better suited to a series or just a longer book. There was a bit of the “insta-love” trope thing going on for me here as well, which is something I’m decidedly against.
However, this book still gets a recommendation from me, just because Dade is so committedly brash about refusing to conflate “romance novel” with a lack of real-world substance. Alex in particular deals with the trauma left behind from experience with domestic violence, and though the way he deals with it leaves a Grand Canyon-sized amount of room for improvement, it’s worth reading for the exploration of how that can impact relationships throughout your life.
(Also, the sex here is bold and brash and why wasn’t there more of it? LEAN INTO YOUR STRENGTHS)

Pros: plus sized, body acceptance romance, medium paced plot, full fleshed out and non-characters, steamy scenes, supportive characters.

Cons: Alex is a wordy soul and it can be tricky to read. Not sure why I didn't love this one as much as the first one, but still a fun read!

This was really cute. Some of the plot was rehashed a bit from the first novel, so it didn't feel quite as strong as a stand-alone, but I loved Alex and Lauren's dynamic.

Alex is A LOT and he knows it. He has ADHD, is charming and goofy, and constantly, constantly teases Lauren and tries to get her to open up. Lauren knows how to be professional and close herself off so that she's perfectly blank because she's taken a lot of abuse in her life. And I loved seeing her let go and let herself be seen.

My favorite moments were when the two of them were alone together, because they could just *be* together and it was so sweet.

The sex wasn't my thing but I skipped over it and didn't feel like I missed anything. Aside from some teasing references to it, it was contained in one section so it didn't overwhelm the plot which I appreciated.

Also my favorite was Alex's unabashed love of fanfiction tropes. The joy he got when there was only one room at the hotel and it had *only one bed!* His love of the soulmate trope, and the tooth-achingly sweet gesture towards the end, which I won't spoil but oh, you have to read it.

Overall, sweet and fluffy and charming.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Avon for providing an e-arc for review.