Thank you to Netgalley & HarperCollins publishers for the ARC of Shipwrecked by Olivia Dade. Disclaimer: I was given the opportunity to read this in exchange of my honest review.
The book follows Maria and Peter, they meet in a sauna and after a few exchanges they end up having a one-night stand. Peter is ready to never let maria go but she has other plans. She leaves without saying goodbye leaving peter in a sour mood. He has to move on since he has an audition, the most important one of his careers so far. Peter wants to get his first big role, he is ready, he has earned it, only when he gets there, he sees a familiar face.
Maria was not expecting to see peter again. Now after an audition that lands them the chance of a life time she will have to commit to spend a long time in a tiny island with peter while they film their parts. She is willing to make the best of it only to be verbally abused by peter.
Not up to a great start, but too bad since they are stuck. They need to work together for 6 years…
Now after my badly explained recap, the story is great. An attention grabber. I have been waiting on this book since I first saw that Olivia Dade was writing another book for this universe. It doesn’t hurt that it features my favorite tropes, forced proximity, kind of enemies to lovers but to be honest is more like strangers to lovers, lovers to enemies, enemies to colleagues and then it just so much longing. There is so much tension between peter and maria that when its finally released I did say out loud “finally!!”
the spice level I will say surprised me. I felt before that while we did get some blush worthy spice, there was not enough of it but for me it felt like It needed a bit more. This book had just the right amount. Both peter and maria are very vocal on what they want and how they want it. Ill just leave it at that.
In short if you like Spoiler alert and loved All the feels, THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU.
I enjoyed the read. I will keep an eye out for any future works of her.
Peter got on my nerves more than one time.
The conflict comes about 75 or 80 percent of the book. A bit late to my taste to be honest. The whole reason why they conflict happened felt like it could have been avoided. I get their points, but I felt like peter was not really thinking straight.

I was SO excited about Maria and Peter's book! The building of their relationship and the growing understanding of their pasts make this story beautiful. Olivia Dade typically has a character-driven plot and this one is the same.

I really enjoyed that they are plus-sized main characters, but it is just a character description. It never got in the way of the plot, it was just a trait. It was like they were tall or short.

As must as I loved this book, I did not think it was as much a home run as her others!

Overall, I laughed out loud, blushed, and cried when it was over. I am going to this set of characters.

Spice: 2/5
Overall: 4/5

Ship Wrecked starts with orgasms and then becomes a slow burn. Olivia Dade’s Spoiler Alert series has centered around a Game of Thrones-esque tv series called Gods of the Gates. In Spoiler Alert and All the Feels, we’ve seen Maria and Peter, two of the actors, flirt and banter in cast interviews and group chats. I try not to develop expectations about how a book is going to go, but even so, I was not expecting Peter and Maria’s journey to relationship.

There’s one particular moment in Ship Wrecked that has stuck with me since I first read it 5 months ago (I’ve reread it a few times since June). When Peter is talking with Maria about his father, he says “empathy requires imagination.” It’s not a new idea, but given the barriers between Peter and Maria, it’s important that Peter is the one who says it.

Peter is going to be a challenge for some readers, because when they meet after the initial one night stand, he is a complete skitstövel to Maria. He is a skitstövel more than once. The two are the only cast members in one plot line and film their scenes on a remote Irish island with a small crew over 6 years. Maria makes a choice to make the location a happy family unit and consciously includes Peter in that warmth even though he has been a complete jackass to her. One of the commitments of the Ethical Humanist movement is “act so as to bring out the best in others and thereby in yourself.” Maria decides to do the emotional labor necessary to bring Peter into the community she wants to build because she wants her work place to be warm and emotionally fulfilling. Her emotional well being is more important to her than professional achievement.

The book covers more than 6 years and in that time, Dade builds the friendship and trust between Maria and Peter. I love that she chose to show the slow build of their relationship. Maria believes in herself in a way that Peter does not. But as he watches her navigate the politics of the show, he becomes braver about advocating for her and on behalf of the crew. Where his imagination fails is in seeing that he deserves the same consideration from himself. I feel protective of this book’s heart. It is sweet and tender, with delicate scars from grief..

As tender as the book is, it is also riotously funny. Dade has also continued the thread of fanfiction. Peter and Maria, themselves and their characters, are the subjects of many works of horny fic, which Alex helpfully sends them.

CW: death of parents in the past, emotional abandonment by parent/caregiver, adoption, fatphobia, threats of starvation, battery by dolphin.

I received this as an advance reader copy from Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley. My opinions are my own, freely and honestly given.

Thank you to @netgalley and @avonbooks for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Maria and Peter have a sizzling night of sex, only to have Maria disappear the next morning…until Peter shows up at a call back for God of the Gates and auditions opposite Maria. The electric connection between these two is felt from the very beginning of the book all the way through six years of filming and the final season press junket. They remained just friends until the direct says the final “Cut!”, then all bets are off.

I loved the currents felt in this book. The pining. The protection. I have a lot of appreciation for author Olivia Dade’s incorporation of plus-sized main characters in this series, especially when both of the main characters for this book fall in that category. As much as I loved this book, there was irritation in phrases used within this book. I also feel that while Peter was called plus-sized, he was characterized as more of a football or hockey player with massive strength while I feel Maria was fat shamed. It made me angry for her and rubbed me the wrong way.

4 stars

Omg this was such a cute read I’m loving these plus size representation books keep them coming for us!!!

I adored this book!! I have not read the first two in this series so I was a little nervous to read this one, but while I am sure it would give some more context and back story to have read the other two first, this can absolutely be read as a stand alone too. The fat representation was empowering and didn't feel forced. The only issue I had was the third act conflict. I felt that the miscommunications and issues the couple had with eachother felt unreasonable, but I loved the fact that they worked it out and had a happy ending! Give me all the Peter and Maria stories! I just adored these characters. Would definitely recommend to a friend and am now going to go back and read the first two!

As with all of the books in this series, Ship Wrecked is just a really fun time. I love the mix of fandom, famous actors, fat romance heroes/heroines, and realistic relationship struggles. It was interesting in this book to start off with Maria and Peter having a one night stand, not knowing that they’re about to have to film a TV show together for years. It was fun to see how their working relationship and friendship developed before becoming romantic/sexual again.

I thought that the tension between Peter and Maria and the different ways they thought about their careers added a lot to the story. For Maria her family and friends are the most important thing and she’s willing to take risks with her career while Peter is super worried about having employment and money and doesn’t want to do anything to jeopardize that.

The interstitials of group chats with the other cast members, excerpts of fanfiction, and commentary from fans adds a lot to the story. However, I was hoping to see a bit more fan response after the relationship was revealed. And while I do enjoy the other cast members as characters, sometimes there are so many of them that it feels like the story is a bit overloaded. Especially in the epilogue, it just felt like too much.

Overall this was a great time, I’m definitely looking forward to reading more from Olivia Dade in the future.

this book was very fun and very very cute!!! i love me a good plus size rep book and we need more books like this in the world please

I quickly found this book wasn't for me. I wasn't rooting for the MCs, which in a romance is an absolute must.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the ARC.

Ship Wrecked is a hookup as strangers, to coworkers, to friends, to lovers. It’s SIX YEARS between their first hookup and when they finally get together. That period goes by fairly quickly so the slow burn isn’t too intense.

The romance is definitely open door and fairly detailed. There are maybe four or five explicit scenes, I didn’t keep count.

The third act breakup made sense with what we knew about the characters and I appreciated that they both made some mistakes. It wasn’t conflict for the sake of conflict. Definitely no miscommunication trope thank god.

If I had to rank the God of the Gates books I think I might like this one best of the three. I liked them all though.

Olivia Dade continues to impress. A very fun follow up with a second chance romance to adore. The characters were relatable even as they were actors, and the story was compelling. Definitely recommend.

I did not finish this book.

It is outside of my typical genre. I was interested to pick it up due to plus size main character representation and good reviews of her previous books. However, I felt the plus size issue was really being bashed over our heads to an unnecessary degree. I'm sure a lot of people will love this book, but it just wasn't for me.

I honestly really like Dade's books. I've read all three of the Spoiler Alert series, and enjoyed my time with them. She has great banter and great chemistry with a lot of her characters. I think Peter and Maria were my favorite couple so far. I like the slow burn energy of their romance, that we know they spent a lot of time together, and that they really seemed to care for one another. The sexual tension is fun, and I love how forward thinking Maria is when it comes to her body (something I think I've said didn't always fit with the two other women). Maria is someone who loves everything about herself, and it was so great to see her be a strong character.

That said, at certain times I still had some underlying issues with the book. It felt like, for a long time at least, none of Maria's needs and wants were questioned enough when stacked up against Peter. I almost thought we wouldn't see any growth from her at the end and it really made me upset. Some of her feelings felt a bit naive, and it felt like they needed a more drawn out conversation, especially considering how long they knew each other. That, plus a few harmful things I felt about Peter (he stays celibate in order to date her - why?, he seems a bit too weak in some moves when the last two characters seemed to be stronger in personality, etc.) left me from loving it. That, plus I still think the romance felt rushed and we don't know anything about these two outside a few things were are told and not shown. They are so caring, but never talk to friends. Maria loves family but never interacts with them on the page really. I don't know what type of hobbies they have or what they like outside one another. And after 440 pages, I feel like I should have some indication.

Overall, I really enjoyed this. It was fun, but I definitely had some caveats.

First I'd like to thank Netgalley, and
Avon and Harper Voyager for this ARC copy.

Peter a big lumberjack of a man, meets Maria a thick woman from Sweden. They hook up after meeting in a suana, by the time the morning comes Maria has taken off without a word. Peter shakes it off and goes to a casting call in hopes off his next big break playing Cyprian , and looks forward to meeting his hopefully soon to be costar Cassia, when in walks Maria. They both get the part, and soon after we follow them to an Island in Ireland. Peter holds a grudge for Maria's swift exit after there brief hookup. And doesn't hold back in letting her know how untalented he thinks she is.

Things I liked. Envisioning a plus size woman and a burly man. That's about it.

I hoped for more from this book knowing how popular her other books are. Unfortunately I found it to be scattered all over the place. I also personally don't care for third person representation.

I'm not saying this book is awful, it just wasn't for me.

This was a lovely continuation of the Gods of the Gates world, following Spoiler Alert and All the Feels. I loved the characters and their storyline, depiction of the mental health struggles and the body inclusive rep. As with all of previous Olivia Dade books that I have read, I laughed hysterically especially the interstitial text message conversations and references to fanfiction. I did find the conclusion to the conflict to be a little bit cheesy, but as far as many contemporary romance authors go, Olivia Dade is at the top of the game.

I fell in LOVE with All the Feels and was thrilled to find out it was a series even if I read it out of order. I couldn't wait for this one to complete the series. I enjoyed Ship Wrecked as in Dade's true fashion it was a steamy, body positive, charming read. However, something just felt different about this one. I couldn't put my finger on it. There's plenty to love and I'm sure my expectations were a bit too high so while it's not my fav in the series it's still worth the read.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

“She’d keep him safe, and that realization was like sinking into a hot bath after a lifetime spent wasn’t thought rocky, icy shallows.”

So, one day I was mindless scrolling through NetGalley when I saw this cover. I stopped and stared but how could I not?! Have you seen how gorgeous it is 😱 And then I read the blurb and decided, “this is a me book.” Took me two seconds to request an ARC. But it was only when I opened it that I realized this was an interconnected standalone and the third in the series. So, to purchase the other two I went.

Two things you should know:
⚓️ First, you don’t actually need to read the other two before reading this one.
⚓️Second, I’m so very happy I got to experience the whole journey that took me to the safe port that was Ship Wrecked.

Olivia Dade’s books someway, somehow became a safe place for me. One that gives me nothing but steady waves and warm breeze. That steadies me and makes things better. And if Spoiler Alert was… Gates. If Alls the Feels was… Alex. Then Ship Wrecked was all of that and so much more. It was the story I needed to read right now. And that, my dear fellow book readers, is everything. 🖤

If you don’t want to read the whole series, it’s OK. I think you are making a mistake but I’ll accept it. However, I won’t accept you skipping this one. Ship Wrecked is the warm, fluffy blanket you need this winter. So please, go preorder this oversized sweater + leggings of a book.

This book is perfect for those who love:
🖤forced proximity
🖤second(ish) chance romance
🖤his forehead met hers, and he closed his eyes
🖤lovers to friends to lovers
🖤plus size rep done f right!

Adult. 5 stars ⭐️

This book fit perfectly into the Spoiler Alert universe! I absolutely adore this series and am so glad that it only gets better with each book. The chemistry between our two leads could’ve lit the pages of my book on fire!

When Peter and Maria hook-up and she leaves him alone without a word, they never envisioned being co-workers on the same hit tv show, but they’ll make it work… right? What follows is a deliciously slow burn as our characters transition from friends to eventual lovers. The eventual payoff of these two getting “back” together was so worth it. This was an absolutely stellar book with angst, humor, and a whole lotta heart.

As always, I love the group texts with the rest of the Gods of the Gates cast. I love seeing what’s happening between our couples from the previous two books, as well. I’m going to miss this series so much, but this book was the perfect finale. Did I cry? During the epilogue, you betcha. I can’t thank Olivia enough for showing that love comes in all shapes and sizes and we’re all worthy of it.

i love the premise of this story! we are following maria and peter, two actors who have to film a series on a remote island for SIX YEARS after a one-night stand! we get forced proximity, workplace, and found family, which are some of my absolute favorite tropes. there are a lot of interesting, nuanced conversations about existing as fat actors in hollywood and bodily autonomy included as well. maria is unapologetically herself and is skilled at bringing peter out of his shell. i liked that they were well-rounded characters, with backstories that informed their present-day choices.

unfortunately, the timeline and pacing felt very choppy and confusing to me. the first portion of the book details their time filming the show. however, this features a six year time jump, which cut out a lot of the tension and pining that could've been developed over that time. the third act conflict also didn't quite work for me either, as it felt like the root of the problem was a facet of their jobs that they knew and could've discussed from the start.

*thank you to Avon and Netgalley for the eARC!

Rating: 3.25

Ship Wrecked was an okay read. I will be honest and say though, I was just expecting a bit more from the story and romance.

While, this book is a standalone it is part of the interconnected series, Spoiler Alert. So I would recommend just reading the prior books first for better context and backstory on certain events and characters.

It is dual POVs of the main characters (Maria and Peter) and has some great tropes like: a one-night stand, a workplace romance, an age gap, close proximity and a found family. I would suggest checking the content and trigger warnings before reading as well.

The overall premise was okay. This was more of a character driven story to be honest, as plot-wise nothing really happened. There were also several subplots not fully developed and a bit unresolved at the end. The time jumps throughout the story were also a bit confusing.

However, the one aspect I did absolutely love was all the body positivity and the plus size representation. Just so incredible and nice to see in a book.

The romance was a bit underdeveloped in my opinion. Even though Maria and Peter had history and were costars for over 6 years, I didn’t really feel their connection. I was just somewhat confused if they were even friends or really knew each other during that time. Their relationship was very much physical, which I didn’t mind. But I would have liked for more development or communication between them.

The conflict and separation was also not my favorite to be honest, as the reasoning just felt quite weak. But the epilogue was pretty heartwarming and a nice wrap up to the series. Overall, just a quick and fairly decent read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.