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ashleyvharris's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
In All the Feels, Olivia Dade unapologetically puts her fat, selfless heroine in the spotlight with a famous and disgustingly attractive man as her enthusiastic love interest.
This book was such a fun read and a welcome departure from its current peers in the contemporary romance genre. Dark/tortured/serious men seem to be in favor at the moment with romance readers, but damn if Alex Woodroe doesn’t make me change my mind. He is so joyously ADHD and cares about others so fully and without hesitation. Not to mention his very kinky taste in fan fiction for HIS OWN GODDAMN CHARACTER. It’s a breath of fresh air or rather a gulp of fresh air after laughing too hard.
Wren’s character is oh so relatable, both as a fat woman and as someone who has perfected the art of making themselves less than for the benefit of others. Wren’s character struggles felt authentic and were portrayed with care. I sincerely appreciate the message that Wren doesn’t need someone to always defend her, but instead learns that she is WORTH defending herself.
While I value the narrative of supporting domestic violence victims, it came across a bit heavy handed and misguided at times. Alex’s guilt over his mother’s abusive relationship makes sense given his lack of understanding about DV. But, with the exception of the auction, it felt like his charity support was more like throwing his money at the issue instead of being a voice and actually learning about what DV is and the work that goes into helping victims. It would’ve been so good to have a scene where Alex takes Wren to one of the shelters he supports and they get the chance to interact with people there. Building a stronger connection between his charity work and Wren’s ER clinician background could’ve further established a common ground and sensitivity between the two.
I’m a little disappointed that we don’t get a scene with Wren confronting Ron . It would’ve been lovely to get closure there and see Wren come full circle with one of her childhood bullies.
Overall, this was a hilarious, unique, and big-hearted romance that makes room for people with different bodies and minds. Dade’s message is clear: you are worthy of love and ALL the good things this life has to offer. Period.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Cursing, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Bullying, Fatphobia, and Physical abuse
Minor: Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, and Mental illness
briannareads1342's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Cursing, and Body shaming
Moderate: Gaslighting, Fatphobia, Bullying, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Grief, Emotional abuse, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Death
purplepenning's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, and Sexual content
Moderate: Alcohol, Cursing, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, and Physical abuse
Minor: Ableism
ahrensnug's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I was personally thrown off by this book because the main characters have my name and my sibling's name.... And I couldn't see myself being friends with either of the main characters in real life. The continued references to fanfic were still delightful. The conflict at the end felt unbelievable after their honesty throughout the rest of the book and I had to skip a few pages to get past the drama and back to the reunion.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Fatphobia, Sexual content, and Body shaming
Moderate: Domestic abuse
shamelesslyash's review against another edition
emotional
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I waited SO long for this! And while in the end I ended up loving it, I didn't care for it much at the beginning. Mostly I think because I knew the pegging scene wasn't in it. I just felt like there wasn't much to look forward to if the pegging scene wasn't there. (Though it is now online and you can read it).
I did like how the story isn't the exact timeline of the first book, <i>Spoiler Alert</i> and that we didn't get a lot of rehashing. We already know what happened, but we got to dig deeper into Alex after hearing about him from Marcus. I found Alex's love for fanfic, a tad overboard but nothing takes away from the story.
In the end this is still a sweet, slow burn romance that will keep you entertained.
I did like how the story isn't the exact timeline of the first book, <i>Spoiler Alert</i> and that we didn't get a lot of rehashing. We already know what happened, but we got to dig deeper into Alex after hearing about him from Marcus. I found Alex's love for fanfic, a tad overboard but nothing takes away from the story.
In the end this is still a sweet, slow burn romance that will keep you entertained.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia
Moderate: Body shaming
Minor: Domestic abuse and Cursing
kbrimull's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Cursing
Moderate: Fatphobia
Minor: Domestic abuse
uranaishi's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Cursing
Moderate: Body shaming, Domestic abuse, and Physical abuse
Minor: Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexual harassment, and Sexism
katsbooks's review against another edition
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
“Carry yourself with the confidence of a mediocre white man.”
“The best thing the world offered an ugly little girl was indifference. Pity stung exactly as much as insults, if not more, so she tried to avoid either. She tried to avoid notice. Even as a child, she’d understood it was important to stay quiet. Unobtrusive. And above all, undemanding.”
I was so excited for this book and it didn't disappoint. I would say that tit wasn't as good as Spoiler Alert but it was a strong follow-up. The body positivity and ADHD representation was great and I enjoyed the fan-fiction subplot, as well. I sometimes found the characters a little cringy but that's mainly because I found the characters to be overly-emotional. I honestly feel like that says more about me than it does about the book. I can actually appreciate how emotional Alex was, especially. That's definitely not a depiction that you see very often. And overall, I just really liked how their characters were depicted. They just came off as so kind and generous and loving. There was also something that was referenced often but never actually happened (at least on page) and so that was disappointing. I won't spoil it but if you know, you know. I also don't know if the forced proximity trope really worked here. It made their relationship feel a little forced. (The road trip is what really made me buy their relationship.) And while, I loved Alex, I didn't love how he would constantly say negative things about and to Lauren. I get that it was supposed to feel bantery, and it did at times, but sometimes it felt like just a bit too much. Definitely a fun romance but didn't quite live up to the first companion novel.
“The best thing the world offered an ugly little girl was indifference. Pity stung exactly as much as insults, if not more, so she tried to avoid either. She tried to avoid notice. Even as a child, she’d understood it was important to stay quiet. Unobtrusive. And above all, undemanding.”
I was so excited for this book and it didn't disappoint. I would say that tit wasn't as good as Spoiler Alert but it was a strong follow-up. The body positivity and ADHD representation was great and I enjoyed the fan-fiction subplot, as well. I sometimes found the characters a little cringy but that's mainly because I found the characters to be overly-emotional. I honestly feel like that says more about me than it does about the book. I can actually appreciate how emotional Alex was, especially. That's definitely not a depiction that you see very often. And overall, I just really liked how their characters were depicted. They just came off as so kind and generous and loving. There was also something that was referenced often but never actually happened (at least on page) and so that was disappointing. I won't spoil it but if you know, you know. I also don't know if the forced proximity trope really worked here. It made their relationship feel a little forced. (The road trip is what really made me buy their relationship.) And while, I loved Alex, I didn't love how he would constantly say negative things about and to Lauren. I get that it was supposed to feel bantery, and it did at times, but sometimes it felt like just a bit too much. Definitely a fun romance but didn't quite live up to the first companion novel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Fatphobia, and Sexual content
Moderate: Body shaming, Abandonment, Cursing, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Grief
the_vegan_bookworm's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This was a fantastic sequel to Spoiler Alert! I adored Alex and Lauren, and I laughed constantly throughout the book.
Sometimes the dynamic between Alex and Lauren felt a little mean, and the continued emphasis on how ugly Lauren was physically got a bit tiresome as the book went on. Despite this, it was still a delightful read!
Sometimes the dynamic between Alex and Lauren felt a little mean, and the continued emphasis on how ugly Lauren was physically got a bit tiresome as the book went on. Despite this, it was still a delightful read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, and Sexual content
alyssasaurus's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Body shaming, Cursing, and Sexual content
Moderate: Domestic abuse
Minor: Self harm