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instalovewithbooks's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I absolutely adored this brilliant book. Oh my god. It was AMAZING! 5 stars. If I could rate it higher, I would. One of my top five reads for 2021!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, and Sexual content
danileah07's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia and Sexual content
Moderate: Emotional abuse
mandaraffe's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Fatphobia, and Sexual content
Moderate: Bullying, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, and Toxic relationship
le3713's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, and Sexual content
allisonwonderlandreads's review against another edition
emotional
funny
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
4.0
Yaaaaaaaaay a scientist/fangirl protagonist. This is what dreams are made of. The nerdiness is 10/10, which is exactly at my level, of course. April is a geologist who writes fanfiction and cosplays for her favorite show. When she is fat-shamed on Twitter for a cosplay picture, the lead actor of her favorite show publicly asks her out. Also, neither know that they have been online friends for years in the fanfiction community.
There are SO MANY great one-liners in this book. Whether I was having a wry chuckle or a full belly laugh, this book put me through my paces in a fun way. I loved the use of other media to break up the storyline and provide context and background for the characters or their fandom. Some of the shared fanfics were awesome, some were (intentionally) hilarious, and all had startlingly specific and amusing tags. Alex's contributions were so off-the-wall funny that I eagerly await his own story.
The steam was exquisite. April has decreed you can't call it slow-burn if they bang in the first chapter, and I would like everyone to take notes on that point.
The feels were meaningful and heartwarming, and the characters' struggles were deep-seated and thoughtful from Marcus' teacher parents' certainty that his slow academic progress was due to laziness rather than a condition like dyslexia to the fat-shaming April experiences, even from loved ones. Their journeys are messy, sometimes aligned, and sometimes causing conflict. They respect one another and keep an eye always on consent, whether it's physical or emotional.
This was a satisfying read for me all around, and I can't wait to read more by this author.
There are SO MANY great one-liners in this book. Whether I was having a wry chuckle or a full belly laugh, this book put me through my paces in a fun way. I loved the use of other media to break up the storyline and provide context and background for the characters or their fandom. Some of the shared fanfics were awesome, some were (intentionally) hilarious, and all had startlingly specific and amusing tags. Alex's contributions were so off-the-wall funny that I eagerly await his own story.
The steam was exquisite. April has decreed you can't call it slow-burn if they bang in the first chapter, and I would like everyone to take notes on that point.
The feels were meaningful and heartwarming, and the characters' struggles were deep-seated and thoughtful from Marcus' teacher parents' certainty that his slow academic progress was due to laziness rather than a condition like dyslexia to the fat-shaming April experiences, even from loved ones. Their journeys are messy, sometimes aligned, and sometimes causing conflict. They respect one another and keep an eye always on consent, whether it's physical or emotional.
This was a satisfying read for me all around, and I can't wait to read more by this author.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Racism
forgottencupoftea's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
(to the friends who recommended this book, I'm sorry?)
I don't know? I thought I liked the book in the beginning, mostly because it included things we so rarely see: a plus-size protagonist with a great/serious job, a positive view of the fanfiction world/genre, characters slightly older than they usually are in romances...
But, I very quickly grew bored? I have a couple of theories as to why this happened.
First, the entire plot is based on a show that is essentially Game of Thrones, and Marcus, the love interest, is essentially one of Game of Thrones' actors (I won't name him because reasons, but I'm sure you'll have no problem figuring out who it is). It is all very obvious, it doesn't take a genius to notice and it made me a bit uncomfortable. I have seen Game of Thrones, I'm aware of how most fans (me included) were disappointed with the way the show went, I'm also aware of how some actors felt about it. It was essentially like reading a "big fix-it fic" about how GOT ended a couple of years ago.
Second, though I really wanted to love the protagonists I didn't? I thought they fell a bit flat? and were always reduced to certain aspects of their personalities. She is a fat woman, who works as a geologist, she also writes fanfiction. He is a dyslexic actor, who's playing dumb but is actually smart, he also writes fanfiction (about his own show). They keep being very dramatic about those different personalities they have, and I just wanted to scream at them.
Finally, there was little to no chemistry between April and Marcus? There were lots (like loooots) of sex scenes, but I really struggled to see any romance/love between them?
I did like a couple of things. The author did manage to fit in a couple of interesting points about boundaries and knowing what you deserve. I loved the body positivity! (though maybe April could have been described as something else than "round")
Overall: it was cute at times, no denying, but not really what I expect from a good romance.
I don't know? I thought I liked the book in the beginning, mostly because it included things we so rarely see: a plus-size protagonist with a great/serious job, a positive view of the fanfiction world/genre, characters slightly older than they usually are in romances...
But, I very quickly grew bored? I have a couple of theories as to why this happened.
First, the entire plot is based on a show that is essentially Game of Thrones, and Marcus, the love interest, is essentially one of Game of Thrones' actors (I won't name him because reasons, but I'm sure you'll have no problem figuring out who it is). It is all very obvious, it doesn't take a genius to notice and it made me a bit uncomfortable. I have seen Game of Thrones, I'm aware of how most fans (me included) were disappointed with the way the show went, I'm also aware of how some actors felt about it. It was essentially like reading a "big fix-it fic" about how GOT ended a couple of years ago.
Second, though I really wanted to love the protagonists I didn't? I thought they fell a bit flat? and were always reduced to certain aspects of their personalities. She is a fat woman, who works as a geologist, she also writes fanfiction. He is a dyslexic actor, who's playing dumb but is actually smart, he also writes fanfiction (about his own show). They keep being very dramatic about those different personalities they have, and I just wanted to scream at them.
Finally, there was little to no chemistry between April and Marcus? There were lots (like loooots) of sex scenes, but I really struggled to see any romance/love between them?
I did like a couple of things. The author did manage to fit in a couple of interesting points about boundaries and knowing what you deserve. I loved the body positivity! (though maybe April could have been described as something else than "round")
Overall: it was cute at times, no denying, but not really what I expect from a good romance.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia and Sexual content
Moderate: Ableism and Emotional abuse
casey_sunshine's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Ableism, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Sexism, and Toxic relationship
jas_kv's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Fatphobia
divine529's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
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
I really loved this book. If you know me, I'm not a huge romance novel person (I usually prefer it in other forms for whatever reason), but this one won my heart (and when I read the author's note and saw it was basically a Braime fix-it (I kind of saw that anyway) I loved it even more).
This book follows our two main protagonists; Marcus - an actor from a well-known GoT-like TV series (it's an Aeneid retelling), and April a geologist. Both of them are involved in the Gods of the Gates fandom - writing and reading fanfic, going to cons, part of an online community...when April, who is fat, posts a picture of herself cosplaying on of her favorite characters from the show on twitter, and gets hate for her body, Marcus asks her out on a date, and things go from there.
The writing was well done, pacing was pretty good and I loved the dual perspectives we got with excerpts from fanfic, DMs and scripts for extra immersion.
The plot was pretty much what I mentioned above and primarily follows their relationship with each other, but also with their parents and coworkers.
The setting was really great. Most of it takes place in CA in various ways, but it was also great seeing the fandom things. Clearly the author has been involved in fandom life in the past because it was some of the best fandom representation I've arguably ever seen - from the servers to the toxicity, to fawning over the actors, complaining about content, fanfic, all of it. That aspect was one of the things that drew me to the book in the first place.
Finally, the characters. I really loved both April and Marcus, flaws and all. They're both highly flawed characters, but that's what made it feel real. Both of them have a lot of baggage from their pasts that cause some bumps along the road of their relationship, and overall I really love how that was handled. Several of the side characters were also great, but the book was primarily about April and Marcus and their journey. The fat representation was really strong, I didn't always love how it was executed, but that doesn't mean it was bad by any means, it was some of the best I've seen in books and done in a really respectful way (and it might be own voices?). I also liked the dyslexia representation. That's not something that always makes an appearance in books, or is done well. Here, it was both and I really appreciated it.
I had a few issues with the book like the lawyer stereotyping (very much a personal thing) and classics stereotyping (also very personal thing), but it was pretty minor, so it didn't detract from my experience much. Finally, some aspects of their relationship got under my skin from time to time, but that mostly goes to the flawed characters thing. They didn't always make the best life choices. Also I should say, if you're not a fan of smut, or steamy romance scenes, this might not be the best choice for you.
All in all, this was a fantastic read, and one I struggled to put down. I'm definitely going to reread it again in the future.
This book follows our two main protagonists; Marcus - an actor from a well-known GoT-like TV series (it's an Aeneid retelling), and April a geologist. Both of them are involved in the Gods of the Gates fandom - writing and reading fanfic, going to cons, part of an online community...when April, who is fat, posts a picture of herself cosplaying on of her favorite characters from the show on twitter, and gets hate for her body, Marcus asks her out on a date, and things go from there.
The writing was well done, pacing was pretty good and I loved the dual perspectives we got with excerpts from fanfic, DMs and scripts for extra immersion.
The plot was pretty much what I mentioned above and primarily follows their relationship with each other, but also with their parents and coworkers.
The setting was really great. Most of it takes place in CA in various ways, but it was also great seeing the fandom things. Clearly the author has been involved in fandom life in the past because it was some of the best fandom representation I've arguably ever seen - from the servers to the toxicity, to fawning over the actors, complaining about content, fanfic, all of it. That aspect was one of the things that drew me to the book in the first place.
Finally, the characters. I really loved both April and Marcus, flaws and all. They're both highly flawed characters, but that's what made it feel real. Both of them have a lot of baggage from their pasts that cause some bumps along the road of their relationship, and overall I really love how that was handled. Several of the side characters were also great, but the book was primarily about April and Marcus and their journey. The fat representation was really strong, I didn't always love how it was executed, but that doesn't mean it was bad by any means, it was some of the best I've seen in books and done in a really respectful way (and it might be own voices?). I also liked the dyslexia representation. That's not something that always makes an appearance in books, or is done well. Here, it was both and I really appreciated it.
I had a few issues with the book like the lawyer stereotyping (very much a personal thing) and classics stereotyping (also very personal thing), but it was pretty minor, so it didn't detract from my experience much. Finally, some aspects of their relationship got under my skin from time to time, but that mostly goes to the flawed characters thing. They didn't always make the best life choices. Also I should say, if you're not a fan of smut, or steamy romance scenes, this might not be the best choice for you.
All in all, this was a fantastic read, and one I struggled to put down. I'm definitely going to reread it again in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Fatphobia, and Sexual content
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, and Sexism
patandbooks's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I loved this book! Right from the get go, the heroine, April, was able to tell that the hero, Marcus, was more than what meets the eye and his persona. The chemistry between them is amazing! I loved it. They are so obviously physically attracted to each other but still took time to get to know each other more personally. They communicated so well, except for that one thing that was predictably what the final conflict will be about. However, I liked how we get to that conflict because it didn't feel formulaic in that I expected it to happen and it did. The build up to it was great, and it although it was the main conflict, it was part of a larger one (if that made sense). I also related so much with April's struggle with her being plus-size and how her relationships with her parents are in relation.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia
Moderate: Body shaming and Emotional abuse