Olivia Dade is hands-down my favorite contemporary romance author. Her books are consistently filled with interesting characters who get to really know each other and dig into what's driving them apart in order to figure out how to be together. Her sense of humor is generally tuned to mine. And she always adding great details like LA's charming storybook houses and the Saroyan stairs, that add so much appeal for a reader like me who loves setting and atmosphere.

This particular romance has all sort of things to love: celebrity romance, road trip, just one bed. I only marked it four stars because I honestly found Alex's character to be juvenile and annoying in a way that would drive me bonkers if I knew him in real life. That said, Dade writes so compellingly that I still read this eagerly and was wishing for his HEA. And I think she takes great pains to do justice to her characters in her representation of fatness and ADHD, in this book's case.

When Alex Woodroe, an actor from the epic Gods of the Gates series gets arrested for a bar brawl, his showrunner is furious and desperate to prevent more bad press.
Enter Lauren Clegg AKA: “Nanny Clegg”. A former ER therapist, Lauren needs a break. Her parents convince her to fly out to Spain to relax and visit her twatwaffle of a cousin, Ron, who happens to be Alex’s showrunner.
Said twatwaffle then decides that Lauren is the perfect babysitter/shadow for Alex. Forget her much needed vacation! She is to watch Alex 24/7 and ensure he does no further damage to his or the show’s public image. No small feat considering Lauren’s unflappable serious demeanor and Alex’s larger than life personality and ADHD.
Thus ensues a 9-month whirlwind of chaos involving, fanfiction, ALL CAPS texts, delightful assholery, and a road trip. At some point during all of this, Alex finds himself attracted to his Avian-like Guardian and Lauren finds herself realizing that Alex is more than just a pretty face.

I wasn’t sure about this going in. I had read Spoiler Alert and wasn’t a huge fan, it just seemed too busy and dragged in parts (See my Podcast, Turgid Tomes, for my full review on that).
Imagine my surprise when I found myself reading this at 3am, because I just could NOT put it down. It was as if Olivia Dade had heard what I didn’t like about the first in the series and got rid of or corrected almost all of it (obviously I am not important enough for this to happen)!
I loved Alex and Lauren! The banter was top notch, the reversal of the Grump/Sunshine Trope was refreshing.
The only critiques I could give are that it seemed a tad too long and dragged slightly at a few parts. Also, WHERE WAS THE PEGGING!?

To conclude: All The Feels in/around/about this book are pretty great!

A big thanks to the Publisher & NetGalley for gifting me a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

When charming, famous Alexander Woodroe gets into a bar fight while on location shooting, it's decided he needs someone to keep him in line and out of trouble. After leaving her job as a therapist in an ER, Lauren Clegg gets roped into the role as a family favor.

This was a lot of fun! It's the second book in Dade's Spoiler Alert universe, but having read Spoiler Alert is not necessary to enjoy this one. That said, I immediately ordered it after finishing All the Feels.

In a lot of ways, Lauren is the stereotypical, too-serious protagonist, but I really enjoyed learning where that came from and seeing her learn to value herself in new ways. It was also really nice to see a romance protagonist who isn't a tiny, blonde 22 year old. Of course Alex is also more than just the overly attractive and privileged famous actor; his relationships with his mom and best friend added some good depth to his character.

Overall, tis was a lot of fun! This is definitely a pretty steamy, open-door romance, and I can't wait to see Dade (hopefully?) buildout more of this universe!

Olivia Dade has another win on her hands with All The Feels! The body positivity is, like always with Mrs Dade, Amazing. The store is fun, cute and engaging. I love the steamy factor! I also loved seeing some old faves. Ill never not pick up and Olivia Dade book!

Having never read Spoiler Alert, I was unsure of what to expect when I decided to pick up All The Feels. I knew it was a book I could easily immerse myself in, I’ve been reading romances a lot more recently.
Alex and Laura’s chemistry is one that I haven’t seen in any of the romances I’ve read recently. Despite their complete opposite personalities they bounce off of each other in beautiful ways that work great. I can’t tell you the amount of times I squealed at their unknowing flirtations and got frustrated with their complete obliviance to each others feelings. Can we talk about the BANTER too?? They’re both so actively hilarious, with Lauren and her snarky comebacks that make Alex swoon and Alex with his fanfiction.
My favorite part wasn’t the romance, however, it was the incredible character building that both Alex and Lauren go through as they progress their relationship. With Alex’s ADHD causing over-empathetic problems that Lauren isn’t completely used to, the use of boundaries and the crossing or non-crossing of those boundaries is both realistic and a breath of fresh air to see in a romance novel. Lauren’s passive nature to a fault and Alex’s empathy and protectiveness clashed in a way that made me fall absolutely in LOVE with them. These characters feel like they interact with the world as well as each other, especially with Alex’s contributions to abused women and children and that connection to the writers of Gods of the Gates. Although it’s a subplot to their romance it still feels so eloquently tied into it, not just something to make sure the romance isn’t overwhelming. Lauren’s own connection to being abused by her cousin, and her defiant way of handling it is a beautiful way to make it feel more personal to her character.
Also spice. That’s it. That’s the comment.
Overall, this is my favorite romance novel of the entire year and I cannot wait for more people to give it a read!

4.5 ⭐️

Exactly what I wanted from the second book in this series. While the first book follows a golden boy, this second book follows a character that seems like his life is in literal flames by comparison.

I really enjoyed getting to know Alex, and seeing his backstory. I love characters like this- where you think you know everything about them, and then when they get their own book you can see that a lot of them is just misunderstood. It's alllll about perspective.

Alex is a sweet guy who just wants to be loved! I also really loved the ADHD rep in this one, as it shed some light on what it's like to live day-to-day with it. I also know that Lauren is supposed to be this so not cute, bird-faced woman, but I LOVED her!! She has such a great view on life, and the way she chooses to ignore the haters, YET defend herself when necessary is such BOSS B ENERGY.

Overall their love story is so sweet, and really fun. Love the characters, the setting in LA, and execution of the writing. With my second Olivia Dade sucessfully read, I'm planning on going through her backlist and reading all her romances. Can't wait!!

xx
-Christine

I really really enjoyed Spoiler Alert a lot, and I was so excited to see more of Alex and Lauren’s relationship but idk it just felt short to me. Don’t get me wrong, Alex is seriously so fun to read and I loved his energy. But idk the chemistry between Alex and Lauren felt constipated and not quite there. I know they were both emotionally constipated so I think that could have had some of the problems I had with their relationship.
While I didn’t really believe the chemistry between Alex and Lauren, I will say this was such a great story overall. It talked alot about the effects of domestic violence, giving too much of one’s self with nothing in return, and healthy coping mechanisms. It was really interesting to watch their individual character development.
NOW for my favorite part….. The hotel scene was the funniest thing I’ve ever read. One Bed trope and the MC knows about the trope and loves it too. *Chef’s Kiss*
Overall, this was another great read from Olivia Dade, I still think I enjoyed Spoiler Alert a little more, but this was still a solid read. Be sure to read this come October!

I accidentally read "All the Feels" out of order in the Spoiler Alert series. I didn't realize the books were interconnected, so I got to fall in love with Alex and Lauren without knowing Marcus and April yet. And I did fall in love. Alex's loving insults and neediness. Lauren's wry humor. Their strong (and self-destructive) protective instincts. I loved these characters. I loved their love.

CW: mentions of past spouse abuse of a secondary character, physical assault, panic attacks, bullying based on appearance and weight, explicit sexual content.

I'll be honest, I didn't love Spoiler Alert, but it was cute enough and the hints in it of Alex and Lauren were enough for me to pick this one up. And I enjoyed it so much more than its predecessor! The back and forth and give and take between Alex and Lauren, both in terms of verbal sparring and emotional depth, was fabulous and engaging. And even though Spoiler Alert also featured a fat heroine, the storyline here did a lot more work as far as making me confront internalized fatphobia and narrow beauty standards (which is not necessary work for a fat heroine to do, they deserve to just have a romance divorced from their relationship to oppression, but this one DID do that work and did it well). Overall, charming and fun AND thought-provoking.

Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I knew that Olivia Dade was writing romance for me, but DAMN, is she writing romance for me. There is a lot in this book that I cannot speak to in terms of its sensitivity or accuracy (cw for this book: discussion of past domestic violence), but I cannot dispute that I felt like Dade really balanced this love story with the elements I love to see in a love story: learning to live with the person you are, past and all, and learning to accept love and forgiveness from others but also yourself.

I loved Spoiler Alert for lots of reasons, and I love All the Feels for pretty much the same ones. Lauren, a woman swept up in the expectations of the world and her family despite insisting that she is not bothered by them, and Alex, a man who is weighed down by guilt he has no business carrying around. My kind of people! Lauren is unflappable but also has some unlearning to do, and Alex is the kind of flippant asshole I often fancy myself to be, and he has LOTS of learning to do. But they're good people and they care about each other and the world around them. Dade really gets their plot going in a way that doesn't feel repetitive, even though the first half of the book covers the events of Spoiler Alert, albeit abridged. I do think that maybe the communication issues between these two are a bit out of hand for thirtysomething adults, but what can you do. We're all fools in love blah blah blah.

Anyway, I loved this. It had what I wanted: the romance, the friendships, the real-life conflicts, and obviously the sexy times. Dade does a [redacted} [redacted} extremely well and we are all better for it. 5 stars.

I liked the first book in this series but I loved this one. I was concerned because Alex is not the type of hero
I typically connect with. I often find the type of "I am so charming and over the top" energy that he gives off grating. However everything else about this personality balanced him out so beautifully that even I was ready to follow him anywhere he wanted to go. I, at least, would love to have a friend like him in my corner. I loved Lauren right from the start. As an aspiring hag myself I found much to relate to in her character even if I am maybe an inch or two taller. Their banter was joyous- I would watch any reality TV show they were on, This was a fun read. I chuckled at the text exchanges although I will admit all of fanfic was skimmed over. All I need is to hear that Ian has been convinced to dig a moat.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

All the Feels by Olivia Dade release date is 10/26/21! Thanks to NetGalley & Avon for the arc! My 198th read for 2021! I’m almost to 200!!
I just finished reading this. It was pretty good! All the Feels is about Alex, Marcus from Spoiler Alert’s best friend and costar. After a bar fight, Alex gets assigned a minder by his show runners. Lauren is an ER therapist taking a break from her draining career to see where she wants to go next in life. Forced proximity leads Alex and Lauren to get to know each other quite well and they fall for each other.
This book also deals with body image and self worth. It’s a little spicy but not too much. Content warning that a history of domestic abuse is discussed.
It was a good quick read. If you liked Spoiler Alert, you will like All the Feels as well. Check it out 😁

Bummer. I really enjoyed Spoiler Alert, and wish that I didn't remember the details of that one so well when going into All The Feels. The plot in the two books happens at the SAME time, which means there's so much overlap in these books - even some of the dialogue is repeated. I didn't want to reread Spoiler Alert from Alex's perspective, I wanted a fresh story!

As for the actual connection between Alex and Lauren...
Both are healing from trauma and toxic relationships, but it didn't seem like their healing journeys are done together. I didn't feel them growing together as a couple in those areas.

I did not feel the chemistry with the two main characters at all. Somehow is was a given that Alex and Lauren love each other, and I felt like I missed the journey to get there. I don't even really understand how they like each other, let alone fall in love. Probably Alex's dialogue didn't help - his constant nagging of Lauren and picking apart her appearance irritated me and wasn't a convincing flirting technique.

Unfortunately I just did not love this one as much as I did the first one. Perhaps it will be a fit for others!

Thank you to Avon for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Lauren Clegg is taking a break from her stressful career as a counselor in a busy emergency department. Her vile, fatphobic and verbally abusive cousin happens to be a show runner for the most popular show on television. Alex Woodroe is a famous actor on said show whose reputation as an impulsive bad boy has caught up with him. When Lauren is hired to be Alex’s minder, a genuine friendship blossoms and something magic happens.

Maybe it was the banter, maybe it’s how they find common uncommon ground, or how they are both fiercely loyal and protective — but whatever it was, it worked for me. This story reinforced my love for connection between characters. In fact, the friendship between Alex and Lauren put stars in my eyes more than their romantic spark.

If you loved “Spoiler Alert,” you’ll delight in the glimpses of Marcus, April, and text chains with rest of the cast from the show. Be prepared for instances of fatphobia, cruelty, and references to domestic violence.

Thanks to @netgalley for the arc!

I read Olivia Dade's book, Spoiler Alert, last year, and I knew that I wanted to read this one as soon as I saw the cover. The synopsis also sounded good, so I am glad that I got a chance to read this one. in All the Feels, we are introduced to Lauren and Alex. Alex is an actor who has recently gotten into trouble at a bar, and Lauren is a former ER therapist who is taking a break from her job. Lauren gets hired by her cousin to essentially babysit Alex and make sure he stays out of trouble. One of the things that I love about Olivia's writing is that she brings to light the reality of being overweight in a very real and sensitive way. She doesn't shy away from certain topics or subjects, instead confronting them head on. I like that although her characters struggle, you can't help but root for them, and find yourself hoping the best for them. I also like that she doesn't shy away from the steam and sexual relationship between characters. Alex and Lauren's banter is funny and charming, and I found myself laughing out loud several times as I was reading this book. I thought Alex and Lauren complimented each other perfectly, and I really enjoyed this book. Thank you to the publisher for giving me a chance to read and review a digital ARC of All the Feels.

Before I get into the substantive portion of this review, let me just state that the author and I are friends and I dearly love her. However, my opinions on this book are not impacted by our friendship.

I don’t actually know how to write this review. Tbh, I’m a little nervous. This book is, in a word, sheer perfection. Well, I guess that’s two words.

Alex Woodroe, star of the hit tv show Gods of the Gates, needs a minder, according to the asshole executive producer of his hit show. Enter Lauren Clegg, cousin to the aforementioned asshole EP. Lauren, taking a much needed break after a highly stressful job as an emergency services clinician caused her to burn out emotionally, gets roped into basically becoming Alex’s shadow. And thus begins one of the best romances I’ve read all year.

I’m typically the kind of reader who always immediately falls for the FMC and then the MMC needs time to grow on me. But with Olivia’s books, my love for the MMC is as instant as my love for the FMC. To say that Alex, with his big, bold, generous heart, his unrelenting, fearless capacity for love, and his ridiculous inability to stay quiet for long, stole my heart, would be a bit of an understatement. To put it bluntly, I adore him. And much like his beloved Wren, she of the big harpy energy, shrew extraordinaire and eventual Crone Arts master, <I>I know who you are.</I> Alexander Bernard Woodroe, is a good, good man. Lest we forget, Lauren is, in the grand tradition of Olivia Dade heroines, brilliant and biting, acerbic and exuding the best kind of big harpy energy, all of which hides the tenderest heart.

While watching these two fall for each other is beautiful to witness, the real triumph comes in witnessing these two realize they are worthy of that love and deserving of all the good that life has to offer.

All the Feels is the most appropriately titled book - it made me sob and laugh, swoon and sigh with deeply felt joy.

CN; off page domestic violence in the past; verbal abuse and belittling of FMC by side characters; MMC has ADHD; off page violence (bar fight);

ARC courtesy of author;
Opinions are all mine;

•ALL the Stars!•

This was, by far, one of the most well written books I’ve EVER read!! It’s engaging, humorous, emotional, charming and an overall exceptional read. I fell instantly in love with the characters and was completely immersed in the writing, Alex and Lauren’s love story as well as their individual lives as I read more and more.

For the first time, I actually found it difficult to read an ending of a book. Not in any way because I disliked it, in fact I loved it, but because I was SO immensely attached to these characters that I didn’t want it to be over.

This was my first read by Olivia Dade and from what I’ve read here between her strong, bold and brilliant heroine and the ever-charming, quit witted and valiant hero, I am all in on to read more from her. I absolutely cannot recommend this book enough, I’m over the moon about it, definitely go read it!!

TW: Domestic abuse (mentioned), fatphobia

After reading 2020's Spoiler Alert and thinking how sweet it was I was so excited to be approved to read an early copy of it's sequel, All the Feels. Unfortunately I just did not love this one as much as I did the first one.

Alex verbally insults Lauren's appearance upon their first meeting and continues to think she's "not pretty" in his head through out the first 40% or so of the book. It really irked me that we are supposed to be thinking of this as enemies to lovers but with the way he thought of her and not to mention the way he kept being so annoying and rude to her I couldn't see a way out of the enemies zone. I think the author doomed this couple from the start. With how ugly and rude Alex was to her I just didn't find ANY of the chemistry believable towards the second half of the book. It was just like "oh my god Lauren you're such a boring ugly round bird person" to "damn look at that luscious ass" (paraphrasing here) and I didn't believe it.

Also, I found Alex to be really immature for 40 year old man. And I'm not sure if his ADHD had anything to do with it (I'm familiar with the general symptoms but I'm not an expert) but he just projected being a much younger person with some of his antics and how he had a tendency to cry A LOT (I'm all for a sensitive man but I believe the author just went way overboard here). I just didn't find him attractive beyond any physical description due to his lack of maturity and the way he behaved towards Lauren.

[The last thing that irked me was when Lauren is apologizing to Alex about leaving him and her reasons why, she leaves out a glaring and most needed apology. She basically used his propensity to feel guilty and acting selfish to leave him. He has HUGE hang ups about being selfish and not being there for his mother who was abused and Lauren basically uses this guilt about being selfish when confronting him about not thinking of her wishes about traveling with him. AND she later realizes what she did but then when making all her sorries SHE DOESN'T MENTION IT! What the actual fuck?? This was so eww. (hide spoiler)]

Anyway, I don't want to totally rag all over this book (which I kind of already have...I'm sorry!) but I did like seeing Marcus again (he's the best!), and the cast chats were pretty funny. Oliva Dade's writing is still good and I'll definitely give her another shot because let's be honest there's never enough big girl love stories out there.

Thank you so much to Avon and Harper Voyager for providing me with an arc via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved it. Alex is a super fun hero with great energy. The first half covers time that was in Spoiler Alert but it doesn't feel like a rehash at all. I really enjoyed that there a were a few scenes that many other authors might have turned into a "make-over scene" and it just didn't happen in this book because the heroine didn't need it. I also really loved the tattoo moment at the end.

All The Feels

This is such a cute and funny about a Hollywood star and a former emergency room therapist. He’s super handsome and every woman’s dream fantasy. Lauren is plus sized, and she has her own beauty, but she can’t see it in herself. These two have absolutely nothing in common.

She’s paid to keep him out of trouble after his latest antics lead to a drunken bar fight and arrest. Alex pushes hard against her and is very resentful of needing a
“Nanny”. She’s very polite and professional to him despite the way antagonizes her daily. Never in a cruel way, and never about her size. She’s very stoic and he absolutely cannot stand her not reacting. Slowly, she wears down and begins to enjoy him. He begins to see her beauty and truly enjoys her companionship.

She doesn’t see herself being worthy of nice things or nice treatment. She’s used to taunts and cruelty because of her size. Alex can’t fathom this, and is deeply protective of her.

Lauren begins to learn that she is worthy of being treated well, with respect, to stop giving away so much of herself for others, and to get her power back, to stand up for herself, be her own advocate.

Alex learns how to be a better person and to stop taking on everyone’s burdens. He learns not to make rash decisions and to forgive himself for past mistakes.

Big thanks to Olivia Dade, Avon Books. and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Publish date: October 26, 2021

#AllTheFeels #NetGalley