This is a new to me author, and I was happy to have jumped into it. I think our client base who enjoys rom coms will be interested in this- will have to check out her other titles as well now.

4.5/5 stars

I honestly don’t even know where to start. This was my first Olivia Dade book and I absolutely loved it. I can’t wait to go back and read the first two in the series. Maria and Peter are a one-night stand turned into television co-stars. The story jumps around a bit between their first meeting and their six years of filming in Gods of Gates (an epic fantasy show) on a remote Irish island together. While their one night stand didn’t end well, their relationship develops over the next half a decade and turns into something more.

This book is beautiful. I absolutely loved the fat representation in Peter and Maria. Their chemistry jumps off the page and I would absolutely ship them if I was watching their show (I shipped them anyway). I loved that they both showed personal growth and I loved how they grew together. Both of them had their own childhood traumas from the loss of a parent or parents and I loved how the book openly discussed their therapy and personal growth, as well as how they still had to figure out how to grow together.

The banter in this book is so good. I legitimately laughed out loud at so many parts. Maria is hands down one of my favorite female main characters I’ve read this year. The way she stood up to the Hollywood bs made me absolutely root for her so hard. And while I struggled to understand Peter in the beginning, he really ended up growing on me and making me root so hard for their relationship.

I think the only thing that I didn’t really like was some of the fluff used to fill the story - I loved the fan comments, but could have gone without all of the fanfiction in place of more of Maria and Peter’s actual love story.

Thank you Net Galley, Avon, and Harper Voyager for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Ok first page unexpected beginning, but omg loved this book, I like the subjects it touch and the two MC , the body positive message. The story too . Totally recommend.

This was the third Olivia Dade book I’ve read and, as always, it did not disappoint. This trilogy has fun nods to fanfiction, but it also challenges fatphobia—especially in the Hollywood setting. This story, much like the first two, was refreshing in promoting themes of body positivity and featured two plus-sized main characters (Maria and Peter).

As always, Dade’s writing carried charm and humor. It was easy to lose yourself into the pages of this book, especially with Dade’s well-rounded writing. A reader is never starved for setting descriptions, feeling character’s emotions, or learning new vocab along the way. Seriously, I lost track of how many words I added to my reading tracker’s dictionary as worked through this book—it’s safe to say I will be learning many new words in the future.

I will be the first to admit that the plot structure wasn’t how I initially imagined it, based off the synopsis’ outline. Now that I have finished reading the book, I do appreciate how it spanned six years of Gods of the Gates, as it gave us further insight into the antagonism of the showrunners (the ongoing “enemy” from the first two books), but it also gave a better glimpse into the minor characters that brought their own natural charm to the page. However, that first six years of Maria and Peter knowing each other did feel rushed. I’ve seen how well Dade can write a slow-burn romance and she had the perfect set up for that slow burn here. While that first 30% served well to set up the Act III conflict (the last 20%), there was still another 50% of novel that needed more conflict.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed this book. However, I can't deny that the narrative felt empty. There was a lot of fluff content (again, do love!), but I was also craving more tension and conflict from the story. Apart from some pining, most of the middle was fluff content. We watched Maria and Peter go on a press tour (kind of, the scenes focused outside of the press events). We weaved in and out of the events of Spoiler Alert and All the Feels (which did give great timeline context to this book). But, there wasn’t true conflict for that middle 50%, which meant there wasn’t much tension driving the story forward. Did we get to know the two characters better? Sure. But I wish there was more conflict present to push the characters further into their development.

Maria and Peter were great leads for this novel! They were the definition of “opposites attract,” with Maria being outgoing and charming, while Peter was introverted and reserved. I appreciated seeing how they teased the better parts out of each other and truly grew to be a great couple and acting duo. It was also refreshing to see their relationship go from lovers to friends to lovers. That’s not something I’ve seen often in contemporary romance!

The true strength of their characterization was seen during the dreaded third act (breakup). At that point, the reader saw their belief systems at work. Maria needed to live close to the people she loved, whether that be her family or her found family. And Peter was unable to listen to her needs while simultaneously wanting to provide for her in physical ways. (Although I will admit I was slightly confused by Maria’s sudden motivation to leave Peter. I’m unsure if that was due to poor set-up, or if it’s because I felt more connected to/understanding of Peter.) The only critique I have was wishing this conflict was drawn out more. I would have loved just one more chapter to truly get a handle on Maria and Peter’s motivations/internal belief system before they came to understand the miscommunication.

Before I wrap up this review, I have to give a shout out to the Wisconsin rep. It’s not often my home state gets a spotlight in a novel, and it made me smile to see parts of my state represented here. Although I could tell it was from an outsider’s perspective, it was nice to see love and positivity for this state. (But it did make me hungry for Culver’s, so that’s the one downside.)

It’s bittersweet to be saying goodbye to the Spoiler Alert universe, but I know this isn’t forever. I will definitely be returning to all three of these books in the future. What can I say? They are the ultimate comfort, fluff read a girl needs on her bookshelf.

TW: fatphobia (challenged on page)

Thank you to Avon, Harper Voyager, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon publishing for giving me a copy of Ship Wrecked! This review is my own thoughts and opinions

Wow, this really snuck up on me. It feels a bit strange to say this as this is the third book in this series, especially one that I'm already a huge fan of (And pre-ordered) but the deft character work Dade does in this book is just outstanding to me.

Maria is amazing, fat and strong, confident and smart, just ICONIC. I want her to be my love coach. Peter, on the other hand.. It took me a while to love Peter compared to the insta-love I had for Maria. He's a quiet, awkward man and proud moments. He's also so desperate for this particular role in Gods of the Gates (The Game of Thrones-eque show that's a massive garbage fire) that he essentially abandons Maria a few times. Still, slowly, he redeems himself and I fell in love with him along with Maria.

What was interesting to me is how despite spending as much time with these characters, they still played things close to the chest Peter is a quiet person but Maria is seenmingly an open book (She regularly talks about how she doesn't understand prud-ish Americans because EVERYONE HAS NIPPLES, YOU GUYS! Stop being weird about it!) As a writer myself, I'm pretty observant about character motivations and I'm not often surprised by curveballs but ugh, this got me good. Dade handles these characters with such skill that I felt like I knew them. Only to be slammed by particular sentences and revelations about them. After finishing the book, I spent the next day analyzing certain scenes with new eyes and it's just so good!

And the humor! I loved the "pet-names" our pair called each other and the island shenanigans (DOLPHY MCBLOWHOLE!!) The parts with the other Gods of the Gates cast (Including my sweet boy Marcus and beloved chaos Demon Alex) was a blast. I'm actually tempted to reread the series now that I know what all happening behind the scenes.

That said, this isn't the slam dunk Spoiler Alert was for me. I'm not big on slow burn (6 YEARS OF YEARNING, Y'ALL!!) and the time jumps were a little weird to me but those are absolutely a me thing rather than the fault of the book.

In conclusion, this might not be my favorite of the series but wow, this might be her best work yet.. I can't wait to read more from her.

TW: Off screen death of parent(s), fatphobia, misogyny,

Loved it. I like the one-night-stand turns into someone who will be in your life setup. The characters were very real, it felt like they were dealing with real issues. Details of the show and their lives were glossed over, but it felt appropriate. It effectively set up the history of their relationship across years. The heat level was good, emotions were high, and it felt very real-world. I read it very quickly, I was pulling for these characters to work it out. Maria and Peter were described as having real bodies as well, that was refreshing. This was my first Olivia Dade book, and I will look for more from her.

*I was provided an advanced copy for free in return for a review. This opinion is my own.

I''d read the first two books in Dade's "Spoiler Alert" series, and thought a re-visit to the world of the actors and friends in the "Gods of the Gates" TV series would be fun.

However, this installment didn't really work. I initially liked the main characters Peter and Maria alright, but their behavior & communication just eventually got really repetitive and felt juvenile at times - their conflicts & obstacles were fabricated from the flimsiest premises, were mostly ridiculous and could have been solved by a bit of communication, empathy and/or compromise. By the last one (where Maria insists he doesn't go away and work for 3 years to do a job he's worked hard for, because she needs him stuck to her like glue and then turns around and accepts a project that interests her that requires 3 months away & they all rationalize it away, I was beginning to really tire of these guys.

The timeline also gets a bit whiplashy -- we're going along fine as they film on a remote island, but then jump forward 6 years, but then have sporadic random leaps back in time for small anecdotes or text conversations or interviews.... but are missing a big part of the build up of Peter and Maria's relationship.

Part of what made the first two books in the series fun is the camaraderie of the cast, but that isn't present much here - I always enjoy texting or group chat installments in books & we only get very few of the Gods of the Gates cast group chat here, and not much interaction with the rest of the group.

The book also feels about 1/3 too long for the ground it covers - there's a lot of repetition and telling/rationalizing what the main characters are feeling and by the end I really didn't like these 2 all that much, and was happy to have finished the book.

I found myself enjoying this book and the characters but not falling for them as quickly as usual. I found some of the book to be predictable in what was going to occur next. I do have to applaud you on how you used the main characters to stand behind and encourage body positively. Thank you for the enjoyable read:)

Ship Wrecked by Olivia Dade was one of those books that catch you on the first page and don't let you go until you're done! Maria Ivarsson and Peter Reedton have an amazing one night stand, which Maria leaves without word or a note for Peter. Surprisingly, she sees him again the next day...when she is cast opposite him for a six year stint on a show called "Gods of the Gates" where they will be filming, just them and the crew on an isolated island. When they get there, as tempted as they may be, Peter puts his foot down...no sex for the duration of filming, because if they break up, it will make things horrible on set for them and the crew. However, once filming is over, all bets are off!

This book has enough sexual tension to choke a horse, but you have to stick with it to see what happens when the six years of filming are done...trust me, it's worth it! You will definitely enjoy this one!

Thanks to the author, Avon and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Olivia Dade's books are definitely not for those that are looking for lighter romances. The language and graphic sex scenes might be a turnoff for some readers, but for those who enjoy some explicitness in their romance, especially with lots of body positivity and snarky, witty banter, will love this book. The main characters are well-developed and extremely likeable. Readers of Dade's earlier books will also enjoy cameos from some of her other characters. Overall this was a very enjoyable read.

I really enjoyed Peter and Maria’s story. This book kicks off with a bang and literally never stops. And the mutual pining in this book is absolutely top tier.

I really enjoyed Maria’s character out of all the heroines in this series so far. And Peter was a welcome chance from Marcus and Alex (not that they weren’t great) but having an introverted character after Alex was a wonderful change in pace.

All in all Dade has done it again with a wonderful ensemble of characters and a love story that grips you from page 1. Here’s hoping this isn’t the last we see of the Gates crew.

Love friends to lovers? Coworkers to lovers? Romance novels set on TV sets? Romance novels with plus-sized heroines? Look no further!

Shipwrecked is a fun romance full of...
- pining
- unlimited affection
- lists of Wisconsin foods
- jokester swedes
- deserted islands
- Swedish fish

& more!

Overall, I didn't love this one as much as I liked the first two books in the series, but it was still an enjoyable read. My favorite part of the story was definitely when they visited Peter's father in Madison and listed off Wisconsin foods. While it felt a little like reading a Wikipedia article on Wisconsin, it was still a lot of fun to read about my home state. Heads up fellow Wisconsinites, they do go to Culvers but they do not mention Kwik Trip.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I wish I could say I unabashedly loved this. Mostly because a romance in which both leads are fat and is not centering around body issues is rare and needs to be a more normal thing! I actually liked Maria and Peter and I also liked their romance...so what was bad?

Despite the book starting with our couple hooking up, this feels like a slow burn. It's not, it just FEELS like it. I just couldn't care about them playing their parts in Gates of the Gods even if it was what the book passed as them falling in love. I also wasn't jiving with the extensive monologue delivery of their trauma and how they have the exact same setup with both characters. We meet the family and in a moment when they are alone and reeling from the meet-up - EXPOSITION. It took me out of the story and didn't allow me to connect to the content of the backstories.

I have loved the other entries in this series and was very excited by this new book, but I can safely say this is my least favorite of the books. I applaud what it was trying to do while not enjoying how it did it. It isn't actually anything horrible here, and I'm sure many will love this story, I just found it a little too boring to fully enjoy.

Ship Wrecked is the fun third book in the Spoiler Alert series by Olivia Dade. In this installment, we met Maria, a Swedish actress out to prove herself, and Peter, an actor who has been trying to land a big role for years. They are cast to star on Gods of the Gates (the same show from the first two books) and end up filming for six years on a remote island. Once filming has ended, will they finally find their way together? I really enjoyed this one, especially with the found family they create on the island. This is a great series if you're looking for something fun and light.

So far this is my favorite in this series by Olivia Dade. It’s heartbreaking and laugh out loud funny. Maria is a gorgeous Swede and outspoken on body issues and her backstory as being adopted as a child into her now loving family will make you cry. Peter is a gruff introvert loner who just wants to prove to his dad that he’s a big successful actor. I think this one should have been titled All the Feels. It’s hot and steamy in many places in this book but the real heart is the relationships between Maria and Peter and their made family of fellow actors from the Gods of the Gates show. This book is sexy and so well written like all of Olivia Cade’s books with characters who draw you in to make you laugh and break your heart but you’ll always come back for more.

•“That glow was her. Her charm. Her vivacity. Her humor. Her interests in others.”•

Maria and Peter were a phenomenal duo! Especially loved how unique they both were by being comfortable in their own skin. While they had some underlying matters to work through they represented characters that are not often portrayed in a flattering light and I truly admired that.

After reading All the Feels though, I did feel like this one lacked on that incredible dialogue. I would’ve liked to have seen more banter between the two because the glimpses we did get were hilarious and so witty. This book is very inner monologue heavy which IS very well written but because of this it does get a bit mundane when again, there is no real conversation to be had except a line or two.

Overall, the characters were absolutely hysterical and I fell in love with all of them (main and background), the plot and story itself, was as I expected, incredibly well written and I really did enjoy and love the book.

I love this series so much, but unfortunately this one fell flat for me. I felt like a lot happened off page and with the time jumping, the story and relationship building between Maria and Peter was hard to follow. I almost felt like I was missing a chunk of the book. I loved their scenes together, but wanted more on page! The last 1/3 of the book was so good, but leading up to it was harder to read and believe.

Thanks to NetGalley for the free arc!

I think this is my favorite book in the Gods of the Gates universe. Maria is a body positive goddess and Peter is the king of finding is vulnerability. Their slow burn is sigh inducing and their eventual love story is steamy and beautiful. I stan hard.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publishers who gave me a free copy of the ebook in exchange for an honest review! This one is closer to 3.5 stars for me.

This was the first book I have read by Olivia Dade and it was pretty darn cute. I really appreciated the body positive representation and all of the characters were really fun.

There were definitely a few things I struggled with. The main thing was the direct correlation with everything that happened with the last season of Game of Thrones. It seemed pretty thinly veiled, especially when discussing leaked scripts and lackluster final seasons. My brain also struggled a bit with the time jumps and determining who was narrating each chapter. It took a beat to level set and work through it, but overall I enjoyed the story.

I was delighted to see another entry into this series and to return to the world Olivia Dade has created. This entry didn’t disappoint, though I could have done with some more steam!