I have enjoyed this series a lot over the past few years. The author does a great job of having fat representation and showing the range and shades of meaning within that label. In this particular saga because both of the MCs are part of Hollywood, we get to see them push back at norms within that industry, and push for representation. This book was enjoyable, but I don't think it was my favorite of the series overall. I loved the Midwest/Wisconsin shout-outs including Culver's. The nods to Game of Thrones through the cleverly similar God of the Gates show that has been woven throughout the series. This book features some heavier topics including family estrangement, adoption, infidelity, & parental loss, but it does also include some of the Olivia Dad humor that you've loved from books 1 and 2.

I received an e-arc in exchange for my honest opinion of this book, and I am woefully late to the party reviewing it, but thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity!

Ship Wrecked kicks off with an intense first encounter as a one-night stand. Yes, Maria had a spectacular time, but it was Peter who hoped their connection might go somewhere and found himself sadly mistaken when he woke up alone. In a classic, rom-com twist, the two find themselves auditioning the very next day to be love interests opposite one another on Gods of the Gates, an epic fantasy series that could see them working together for years to come... at a remote filming location. With limited crew. And an avid fanbase shipping them as both characters and real people at every turn. At least they have considerable emotional fuel for the enemies-to-lovers performance they've been cast to portray.

The way Dade has played with timelines to make the books of the trilogy overlap is unique and divine. Here, we get to see the whole cast of Gods of the Gates introduced via group chat for the first time even though we already know the players and where they're headed. And we all know one of my favorite aspects of the series is the commitment to multimedia humor. A panel transcript where all our favorite actors go fully apeshit is EXACTLY the content I want to consume. Finally, Alex's obsession with fanfiction across all three books is legendary and appreciated.

My only issue with this particular entry in the series was pacing, an aspect of personal preference that can be hard to put into words. There are around 150 pages of on-page pining to start followed by a time jump. We see vignettes of important moments in Maria and Peter's history, but it feels sort of glossed. We do get to enjoy the genesis of their inside jokes. The slew of Sweden-related jokes (since it's Maria's homeland) had me dying. From a jar of herring Maria uses to threaten Peter that's seemingly stored in the aether to an ongoing argument about the best ABBA band members, it's an effing delight. And that's even before we even get into the quibbling over socialism. The banter was my favorite aspect of their relationship. And it's easy to see why grumpy Peter admires sunny Maria with her concerted efforts to help him make friends. I think the problem comes from how disjointed timing can sap the emotions from a perfectly sensible arc. And the emotions are what we really need to be getting from these exchanges rather than a basic understanding of protracted backstory.

But once the relationship's finally moving, what a relief. It's not exactly a slow burn because of a) how they met and b) how there isn't exactly tension for the first half-- it's more like a test of patience. What follows feels like an instalove plot though it's decidedly not that, either, since there are years of friendship and unprofessed love leading up to the actual relationship. It's just speedy given how long they've been waiting to start something. They pack in a lot of emotional reveals and fiery sex to make up for lost time. We do get a thoughtful and meaningful final act breakup rather than drama for drama's sake, and I was relieved not to have it drawn out for angst points.

This series is a favorite of mine, though this was my least favorite entry. All the books celebrate fat characters, pile on quirky and delightful humor, and give us an enjoyable meta fan experience. Readers who love pining, friends-to-lovers, and grumpy/sunshine banter will want to pick up this celebrity romance. Thanks to Avon for my copy to read and review!

This romance will be hard to put down. Alex and Lauren are likable characters with emotional depth. I love when a book includes notes of with body positivity and mental health. The book was steamy and just the perfect read for when you are on vacation.

Olivia Dade never disappoints. As with her previous books I found Ship Wrecked to be absolutely delightful.

This story never feels like a ‘will they won’t they?’ kind of romance.
You know they will.
They know they will.
They just have to get to that perfect time.
It’s a steady and sweet burn of a ride there that’s sets up for a - thankfully short - near break up and slight drama. But it shows the growth they’ve gone through - especially Maria. They’ve grown to be able to face their demons together and separately. It’s not an overly complicated story. It’s simple - like they are. And that aspect is done so well that it never feels like anything is lacking. There’s character growth, a delectable relationship, fantastic side characters and a happy ending. It’s just so good and so cute.

And watching Peter just become a complete fool in love? The cutest lovesick man there ever was was a definite bonus.

I will read anything and everything Olivia writes. Her stories and characters are wonderful and Ship Wrecked was no different. I adored this book and Maria and Peter are two of my favorite characters now. I love how Olivia portrays plus-sized characters and this time featuring a plus-size man made it even better as that is an underrepresented demographic in the romance realm.

I've really enjoyed the world Dade created in this series and all of the GoT subtext throughout. For me, I feel like I've enjoyed each book less and less though. For "Ship Wrecked" it was enjoyable enough, but ultimately felt it was just okay. I never got very invested in our main characters as a couple or as individuals because I feel like we never got to know them very well.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an eARCh in exchange for an honest review.

3 Stars

Ok, I usually love this author and her feel-good romantic stories. This series has been a wild ride for me. It started strong, took a hard left into mostly nope, but then we are ending (right? it felt like the end!) on a mostly better note.. which I'm happy about.

I'll admit, though, this started off rough. But not literally. Chapter one? Hoo boy hot. Chapter two? My reaction to the Peter's behavior was the buzziest of buzzkills. Eventually we get the reasons why but his defrosting was tough. Meanwhile Maria was delightful always. My only real issue was her quick pivot on her feelings for Peter out of nowhere offpage.

Naturally I hated the third act conflict but that's mostly because it felt a miscommunication-adjacent and I hate that trope.

I'm definitely here (again, always!) for all the positive rep. But the highlight, as always, was the snarky commentary around this not-GoT but definitely GoT show at the centre of the plot. It's incredibly satisfying. It's also a little fanfic-y in of itself for all the people who were real-life shipping two characters who were mostly, sorta, embodied by Peter and Maria. Basically all the homages to everything around the show and actors were (chefs kiss) the best.

Having said that, once again, I'm hear to warn you away from playing drinking games; this time the keywords had to go with goats, herring, and other over-used bits used for increasingly lackluster and tired banter the longer it all went on.

But when the romance was in the transition from pining to confessions and then actually together? Delightful. The pre and post bits? I could leave them. The group chat threads? Hysterical. So, yes, equal parts fun and not fun. All that to say, I will definitely make an effort to dive into Dade's backlist and continue to pick up whatever she does next.

There has not been an Olivia Dade book that I haven't loved and this one is no exception. Every single one of Olivia's books keeps me so engrossed in the story and falling in love with the characters and their story. She is truly a phenomenal writer!
I would highly recommend any of her books, and of course, would recommend this one!!

First, I'd like to thank NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book, in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I give this book 2.5 - 3 stars.

Based off of the cover and the synopsis, I realllyy wanted to like this book, however, once I started reading it I found it difficult to finish. The first scene hits you in the face and then it kind of grinds to a halt. The time jumps were confusing at times, and it took me a little to realize they had taken place.

I also wasn't able to connect to the characters throughout the book and didn't find myself rooting for them as a couple.

The body representation in this book definitely sets it apart from other books, in my opinion and Maria's confidence was a highlight for me.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you NetGalley and Avon Books for this advanced copy.

Ship Wrecked can be read as a standalone novel from the Spoiler Alert series, but I believe I enjoyed it a lot more having read the first and second books in the series, prior to reading this one. There were a lot of characters and a lot of scenes referenced from other storylines that a new reader (to this universe) would not pick up on.

Out of the three books, this one is my favorite. I love that both the lead female and lead male characters were both plus size. I love the confidence the MFC exhibited. I felt like she had a lot of independence already and didn’t require as much growth as the other MFC’s in this universe. And I especially loved how the trope went from lovers to enemies to friends and back to lovers.

The only thing I didn’t love about the main characters’ relationship was how unwilling they were to admit and discuss their feelings for each other. They spent so many years pining for each other that could’ve been spent together, but then they might not have ended up such good friends.

Although I am done with this series, I have plenty more to read by Olivia Dade. I’m looking forward to seeing what’s next.

Fun from start to finish. Lots of spice and had an interesting story line not typical of most romances.

I really loved reading this book. I am yet to read a book by Olivia Dade that I don’t love. The romance between Maria and Peter was hinted at in the previous installments of the series and it did not disappoint. I loved seeing their relationship go from a steamy one night stand, to not quite enemies, to friends and to lovers. I loved that both characters were plus size. The representation was spot on. I can’t wait for the next read from an auto-buy author for me.

Oh this book. This beautiful, wonderful, delightful, fat romance. I loved it. "I waited for you" is one of my favourite tropes ever, and no one does it quite like Peter. Maria and Peter were such a sweet story and made me swoon. Dade truly knocks it out of the park.

I had high hopes for this one but it just didn’t do it for me. I didn’t love the characters and felt it was hard to get through.

I adored this addition to Dade's series. Dade added even more wonderful representation to her cast of loveable characters. I look forward to whatever is next.

Oh how I loved this novel. I hate that I have put off reading this so long. I guess I didn't want to not have an Olivia Dade that I could read.
The adorable joking and nicknames of these two was wonderful. I also love that so much time was there for their friendship. Having a partner who needed time to trust me before sharing their past and truth with me, I related to this one a lot.
The grumpy/sunshine dynamic is perfection. They are truly the perfect balance, and there is more to her sunshine than you would think. Loved the taste of the Swedish culture as well. My heart had a lovely time with this one. I did this as a blended read with the audio and ebook, and I don't regret it. It's a great book and the audio narration was great.

Lovers to friends to lovers, unapologetically fat lead characters, continuation of a series, celebrities, found family, and I love how this book continues the thinly veiled skewering of the GoT TV series

Another delightful romp of a novel by Olivia Dade. This one is sure to please readers of her previous novels (although might not capture as many new readers as her other novels). All and all we love to see the representation in the rom-com space! A solid read.

No man is an island, but Peter Reedton wishes he were. He’s put most of his energy into his acting career, honing his considerable talent on small background parts. Now he’s landed a meaty romantic role in “Gods of the Gates,” and filming will send him to a tiny piece of rock off the Irish coast for several years.

Unfortunately, he won’t be alone. His co-star is a Swedish bombshell — and Peter’s most memorable one-night stand.

Maria Ivarsson is built like a Valkyrie and has the same take-no-prisoners approach to life. She’s determined to make their chilly Irish island into a home for as long as they’re there. Although close-up angles and close quarters only stoke the heat between Peter and Maria, they know falling back into bed would be career suicide.

We all love a found family and this book has that — but it also has a tight focus on our two leads’ inner journeys that the current wave of trope-forward contemporaries don’t always deliver. Part of that is the long time span: “Ship Wrecked” is concurrent with both the prior ones in the series, and Dade takes full advantage of having literal years of time to play with. It’s not as epic as, say, Aster Glenn Gray’s spy romance “Honeytrap,” but it’s pleasing to see a final series book that spans the whole “Gods of the Gates” production schedule. A banger of a finish, and an absolute joy.

This was fun and light and the characters were lovable. The premise was exciting but the overall book was about 200 pages too long. Edited up a bit and I think it could be much better!