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Member Reviews

-loved the opening, i LOLed at the shock
-bit confused on the timeline, i’m curious to see if the final copy will have headers telling you when things are happening? by 20% i had figured things out
-really enjoyed the past cast interactions we got to see, as well as the current ones, especially with marcus and alex who we know and love already
-pacing was a bit off sometimes, but didn’t deter from my enjoyment
-it’s so lovely to see a couple with healthy communication, even when they don’t agree
-i really hope we get more in this universe!

thank you to Avon and Netgalley for the eARC

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I received a DIGITAL Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I don't know why but I wasn't expecting to like this book as much as Spoiler Alert and All the Feels, I am so happy that I was extremely wrong. I loved the main characters' relationship and their personalities. They work so well together and their banter is smile inducing.

My only complaint (and it's not even a real complaint) is there isn't as much involving fan fiction in this one. I thought that the inclusion of that in the other books was hysterical and loved seeing that corner of the world in a book. But at the same time I can see how this one didn't need it.

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This was by far my favorite book in the series. I LOVED the first two but I ADORED this one. An unapologetically plus sized MC whose story wasn’t about her weight? THANK THE GODS OF THE GATES!! More of this please. Please.

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When it turns out Maria's one night stand is her new co-star on the incredibly popular Gods of the Gates TV show, things are awkward. Maria tries to keep things civil, but Peter makes that very hard. Despite the fact that there are some hard feelings at first, Maria and Peter soften towards one another, and eventually become friends. Best friends, in fact. They both can't forget their one steamy night, but neither are willing to chance a relationship that may ruin their time as Cassia and Cyprian.

Spoiler alert (hehe): They wait SIX YEARS (!!!) to finally start a relationship, but things unravel quickly. Can they get over their insecurities and baggage to go the distance?

I had such a great time reading this book, and I can't wait to read more from Olivia Dade. In her author's note, she mentioned she's working on a new series! If you're a fangirl of any sort looking for rom-coms, this is certainly the book for you!

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If you haven’t seen any of my updates, this book ripped my heart out, reformed it stronger l, and put it back in my chest…in the best possible way.

Listen, I am obsessed with both Maria and Peter. Do I want to be them or be with them I’m not sure but I definitely want to head and pre-ordered the special edition of this that comes with animated book plate. Because I need more of these two, and stat .

Honestly I don’t even know where to start… This book was immaculate from start to finish. Every sex scene, every bit of conflict, every cozy minor interaction was penned with thoughtfulness towards who these characters are and what the overall plot is.

I don’t know that I’ve ever read a book so cohesive.


I love the unapologetic way that Maria held herself. I love the way that Dade interwove social political commentary, and how this impacted the conflict in no small way. I loved The tie ends to the other book in the series that felt like secret nods to those of us who read them all. And Peter, tender scared Peter. How o adore thee.

I’m not one to go over a “book boyfriends” but Peter might prove the exception to that rule. With a big heart, filthy mouth, and apparently gorgeous thighs, what’s not to love? In many ways this was his book more than Maria’s, which was an interesting slip of storytelling that I really enjoyed. It also helped that I deeply resonated with many of his struggles and wounds. Feeling like an outcast? Check. Worried about financial stability? Check. Deeply aware that everything you have could be ripped away in an instant? Check Check.

I realize that this review doesn’t really tell you much about the book, and is just me waxing poetic. But what I’m left with at the end of reading this is all the vibes and feels, and not a lot of coherent thought. And that’s a good thing to me. This book moved me and I highly recommend savoring it.

CN: adoption, emotional neglect, depression, social anxiety
Sex tags: yes, everywhere , inspired by fanfic that Alex sends because ofc he does

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This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and it did not disappoint. The Spoiler Alert series is one of my favorites so I was very excited there was going to be a third book about Peter and Maria. Especially because their relationship interested me so much when I read the first two books.

This book wasn't what I was expecting it to be like but I enjoyed it all the same. The pacing was pretty good but it did feel like it could drag on at times. I liked how the story followed Peter and Maria's first time meeting to their time working on Gods of the Gates to after Gates as it allowed you to see their relationship grow and develop as well as see them grow as people. The way the story is written is very well done and Oliva Dade does an excellent job at balancing the romance aspect of the book while still having characters that are well developed. I like how Peter and Maria were opposites in many ways but still very similar.

The relationship between Peter and Maria is just so good. Their banter, the sexual tension, and the slow burn are actually everything. My favorite part about Olivia's writing is her inclusion of text messages between Maria and Peter and the Gates group chat in between the chapters. I also enjoy the short fanfic blurbs, they're a nice little break between chapters.

Overall, I enjoyed this book a lot and think it's a very cute, heartwarming, funny, romantic comedy that is just so so good. Thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyage for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

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Stop everything and go buy this book! The characters, the plot, the backstories, literally everything about this book I loved. You’ve got the burly, bearded introvert main male character who has a tortured past and just wants to find love and companionship. Then you’ve got a strong, independent and insanely confident main female character who has her priorities and refuses to bend those priorities for others. The character development throughout this story is some of the best I’ve read in a while. I wish I could reread this again for the first time. I fell in love with both characters so much! The fun and comedic banter throughout the book was just another thing I adored about this story! Oh, and did I mention both main characters are plus sized. The way their size was written into the story wasn’t cringe-worthy or just there to entice plus size readers. It truly enhanced the plot and story line. I can’t say enough good things about this story. 5 ⭐️

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager and the author for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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A great addition to this series. I especially enjoyed reading about how the main characters fit into the overall plot of the series while being in a completely different location

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After reading both of Olivia Dade's previous novels in her fanfic-inspired series, I was excited to see where "Ship Wrecked" would lead especially with two plus-size love interests. While the pair have lots of pent-up tension in this second chance romance with a close proximity trope, I found it kind of hard to follow. While it's told in two interesting points of view, they jump around mid-chapter which makes it hard to follow and thus confusing. As a result, I found it hard to get into and really dig into it. Then, the timeline does feel a bit jumpy, like, I'm not sure when things jumped ahead and almost as if I'm missing pages or a descriptor. It makes things feel fuzzy and clunky to me. But, that being said, it is well-written and fits in perfectly with Dade's previous works. All in all, it's fine and that's about it.

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I was into the story for awhile, but I lost interest around 20%. There were cute moments and some steamy scenes, but I just didn’t care anymore. I love the cover art for this book and the idea was super interesting, but ultimately, it didn’t keep my attention!

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This was such a cute read with great romance and fluff. It also tackled family trauma and the way growing up can determine how you view love. Both Peter & Marias are the epitome of grumpy/sunshine. I love when fat characters are unapologetically comfortable in their skin. I felt like this book took that confidence to a new level with both characters being fat in Hollywood. This story did include a huge time jump that I was not expecting. I do think this time jump added to the plot I just wish we got to see more of Peter and Maria's friendship develop during that time. Overall I loved this book and would definitely recommend it to my library.

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Peter and Maria have very real, very relatable problems and conflicts. The fat representation is done really well. Maria is such a powerhouse that I almost started disliking this book because I thought Peter wasn't good enough for her. 😁 But he definitely grew on me and both of their backstories made me really connect with the story. The chemistry was fire-y and the couple is sexy. I haven't read any other books in the series but didn't get too lost. It does well as a standalone. I'd recommend to anyone wanting a sexy romance with a lot of ups and downs and a lot of heart.

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Maria never thought she would see Peter again after a one night stand, but she is faced with filming the next six years of her life with him as co-stars. Trying to forget what they shared together, they focus on the task at hand- work. But will they ever really be able to move past the chemistry they so obviously have together?

This was a cute book, with a surprising amount of depth to the relationship, as well as a healthy dose of spice added in. I enjoyed it and will recommend it to others, as well!!

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This was a fun follow up to Olivia Dade's earlier two books in this series. I enjoyed the world that Dade created that revolves around a fictional TV show and this was a fun, sexy read. I also loved that both of the main protagonists were fat, great representation in a genre that is often lacking it.

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To start, I want to thank Harper Collins Publishers for this ARC — it was a fun wrap-up as the third in a series of body positive books.

I appreciated that this book was less of a forced feeling when it came to fat acceptance and body positivity. Both of the main characters were thicker (though I wish more than just “round” was used to describe them…) but it wasn’t their WHOLE story. I enjoyed that it was just a part of them but not the most important piece.

That being said, this was a little slow for me. I didn’t love how it skipped forward without some kind of warning — just, boom, next chapter … forward 6 years explains throughout the chapter but not just titled that way. It was a cop out way to get the couple together.

Because of that and the slow pace, I am giving this one a 3/5. It was good but not better than Alex’s book (book 2).

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I'm a huge fan of this series and was really excited to pick this one up. Peter and Maria have a steamy one night together before they realize they've just been cast as costars on a deserted island in a popular fantasy series. They spend the next 6 years as friends and once the show wraps, all limitations are out of the way.

I liked this book. It was funny, it was charming, and it was a fun glimpse behind the scenes of filming a show. I felt the jump in time was a little clunky. Maybe it'll change with the final released book but the beginning chapters didn't clearly show where they were in the timeline (1 year in, 2 years in, etc). Once you got into the real relationship building stuff I was audibly cheering for them. Some more things I loved: heavier characters. Older characters. A celibate hero. Slow burn. Supportive family. Found friends family.

All in all, this was a great book and I can't wait to read more from Olivia Dade.

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This was cute and sweet. I loved how Peter and Maria grew throughout the book. The slow burn pining — six years of if! — was great.

I was a little thrown off by the number of secondary characters. I couldn’t keep them all straight.

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I think this is my favorite of this trilogy (so far? Maybe there will be more??). I really liked that some of the plot actually unfolded on set, especially since the first two books give a lot of context for Gods of the Gates (a Game of Thrones-esque epic television show), but not much actual action from the set. This book also spans more than 6 years, the entirety of the show's run, but focuses almost exclusively on two actors - Maria and Peter, two fat actors cast as shipwrecked Vikings on the show. Because of the setup, the two of them film almost exclusively together, on a remote Irish island, separated from the other actors. Unfortunately, right before they're both cast, they have a hot one-night stand and Maria leaves Peter without a word - something that unfortunately triggers some major flashbacks to a failed engagement and causes him to resent her and treat her like crap at the start of their professional relationship. Slowly, they build a strong friendship but avoid any kind of romantic entanglement while they're working together. Both Maria and Peter have some abandonment issues, which cause some of the conflict that moves the plot along, but I liked that they have this in common as it feels like kind of an equalizing factor in their friendship. I liked both characters a lot and appreciated that both the male and female MC are fat and hot. The first two in the series featured fat female MCs and it was nice to see a fat male MC to normalize the idea that you can be fat, healthy, hot, and successful, all at the same time.

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Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the review copy! Overall rating: 4.5

I previously read (and absolutely adored) Spoiler Alert and All the Feels by Olivia Dade, and I was really excited for this third installment in the Gods of the Gates saga. And while I will say that this is probably my least favorite of the three, I still loved it.

Peter and Maria are both compelling main characters and they have fantastic chemistry. So much flirting and teasing and bickering! Their relationship unfolds so satisfyingly, over a period of several years, and none of their ups and downs or inevitable miscommunications feel manufactured or tired. Something that has impressed me about Dade's writing through the whole trilogy is that the story never feels formulaic despite hitting all the requisite beats for a romcom.

Something I especially loved about this book is just...Maria. She knows what she wants, what she expects out of a partner, and most importantly, she damn well knows what she deserves and she will accept nothing less.

(Also, Alex continues to have my entire heart.)

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Ship Wrecked is the third book in a series about the cast of a popular tv series (very much GoT) finding love, this time beginning with a one night stand turned years long partnership. Peter, long-time actor and loner finally getting the role that promises to change his career trajectory forever, meets Maria, Swedish theater ingenue and body confidence maven more committed to family than craft. After an impassioned and anonymous meeting, the two assume they’ll never see each other again, until they both walk into the same audition. Needless to say, there is some serious chemistry, and some serious tension.

I wanted to love this, but almost immediately, I was confused. There are several big time jumps in this story, so it ultimately spans about 6 years in its 400 ish pages. The time they spend apart is not used to develop their characters in any key ways and no great detail is provided about what that experience is like, it’s just - oh and now I see him/her again, can’t believe it’s been six years. While I appreciated Peter’s commitment to the bit, the idea of him allowing their friendship/relationship to stagnate for that long didn’t curl all the way over, especially because some of the crucial conversations they have at the 6 year mark should long preceded any notion of loving someone - it feels like they both devote an incredible amount of meaning to a spark but do no real work to fan it until the 40% mark.

Things that worked for me: Maria’s refusal to compromise her body in the face of professional pressure. The cast of side characters cheering them on - more behind the scenes folks than the other actors (I can do without the fanfic/costars). The entire Sweden montage of scenes was beautifully domestic. The Kauffman cover and pairing of two fat people who are just fat, not conveniently ~slightly~ larger than the other characters. I don’t know if this is the close of this series, but I think it could and should be - the couples in the first two books appear and a pretty neat bow is tied on the show.

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