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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
This book is a f*ing MASTERPIECE!!
Probably the best of 2020 and it also has a SEQUEL!!!
READ THIS DAMN BOOK WHEN IT COMES OUT
--------------------------
I received an e-ARC from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. Review can also be found on *Milky Way of Books*
So what can I say about this book? Should I speak about the beauty of the writing? The amazing characters or their love for fanfiction and how pretty much embody the true spirit of a fan?
Both Marcus and April are people with their own insecurities and every day lives. But both are connected via their love for writing fanfiction about their favorite tv series...which is something akin to the final season of Game of Thrones? (you know what I mean admit it).
The problem is that Marcus is the leading actor in the series and April is also a cosplayer for her favorite female character...and they don't know that they are also friends under different names in the fanfiction site they both write on.
I loved this book! It was funny, sexy, and swoony and filled with vulnerability about both characters who despite their outside confidence deserved each other and a big hug.
The book chapters have also commentary of their messages in the fanfiction server they write which also gives clues to their true personalities. The comedy is very refreshing and I also saw in the end of the bok that there would be a sequel following another set of characters! I can't wait to read that one!
I do not need to emphasize it but...READ THIS BOOK!
Probably the best of 2020 and it also has a SEQUEL!!!
READ THIS DAMN BOOK WHEN IT COMES OUT
--------------------------
I received an e-ARC from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. Review can also be found on *Milky Way of Books*
So what can I say about this book? Should I speak about the beauty of the writing? The amazing characters or their love for fanfiction and how pretty much embody the true spirit of a fan?
Both Marcus and April are people with their own insecurities and every day lives. But both are connected via their love for writing fanfiction about their favorite tv series...which is something akin to the final season of Game of Thrones? (you know what I mean admit it).
The problem is that Marcus is the leading actor in the series and April is also a cosplayer for her favorite female character...and they don't know that they are also friends under different names in the fanfiction site they both write on.
I loved this book! It was funny, sexy, and swoony and filled with vulnerability about both characters who despite their outside confidence deserved each other and a big hug.
The book chapters have also commentary of their messages in the fanfiction server they write which also gives clues to their true personalities. The comedy is very refreshing and I also saw in the end of the bok that there would be a sequel following another set of characters! I can't wait to read that one!
I do not need to emphasize it but...READ THIS BOOK!
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I cannot accurately describe how 'for me' this book is. I don't care that you didn't like it; it wasn't for you. It was, however, absolutely for me. Please remove yourself from the premises while the rest of us have a fun, silly little time with this fun, silly little book.
I was initially scared about the inclusion of fanfiction in this book because it does mean so much to me, but I was so pleasantly proven wrong. When AO3 is as much of a character as the main leads, you can sign me the fuck up. There are so many accuracies with the fanfiction in this book, from the way the fanfic pages are set up to the way April and Marcus talk about it, that I KNOW this author wrote fanfic. Not only that, but I felt like this book is such a love letter to fanfiction and fandom communities. Olivia, girl, please tell me what your AO3 username is. I need to know.
Now for the couple of the hour—April and Marcus. I normally don't love instalove, but suddenly the instalove is happening to a plus-size girlie, and I'm eating up every second. Like yesss, of course, you fell head over heels in love with her immediately; she has the hips of a Roman goddess and the face of a cherub; what's not to love? As someone who has struggled with thoughts of not being enough for someone to love truly, I found their love story to be completely sweet and wholesome with important themes of body positivity/neutrality and acceptance and healthy communication and boundaries with peers and family. April is a lovely, smart, beautiful, and big girl. Not a curvy or full-figured girl, but a BIG girl who wanted and fought to be loved just as she was. She was desirable and sexual, and I ate up every word. The wish fulfillment of this book and of this universe was exactly what I needed, and I don't care if it's unrealistic or too overt for some people.
Clearly, Spoiler Alert resonated with me personally and emotionally. It's a true powerhouse of a story and easily one of my favorite contemporary romances of the year. All hail April Whittier!
I was initially scared about the inclusion of fanfiction in this book because it does mean so much to me, but I was so pleasantly proven wrong. When AO3 is as much of a character as the main leads, you can sign me the fuck up. There are so many accuracies with the fanfiction in this book, from the way the fanfic pages are set up to the way April and Marcus talk about it, that I KNOW this author wrote fanfic. Not only that, but I felt like this book is such a love letter to fanfiction and fandom communities. Olivia, girl, please tell me what your AO3 username is. I need to know.
Now for the couple of the hour—April and Marcus. I normally don't love instalove, but suddenly the instalove is happening to a plus-size girlie, and I'm eating up every second. Like yesss, of course, you fell head over heels in love with her immediately; she has the hips of a Roman goddess and the face of a cherub; what's not to love? As someone who has struggled with thoughts of not being enough for someone to love truly, I found their love story to be completely sweet and wholesome with important themes of body positivity/neutrality and acceptance and healthy communication and boundaries with peers and family. April is a lovely, smart, beautiful, and big girl. Not a curvy or full-figured girl, but a BIG girl who wanted and fought to be loved just as she was. She was desirable and sexual, and I ate up every word. The wish fulfillment of this book and of this universe was exactly what I needed, and I don't care if it's unrealistic or too overt for some people.
Clearly, Spoiler Alert resonated with me personally and emotionally. It's a true powerhouse of a story and easily one of my favorite contemporary romances of the year. All hail April Whittier!
Please tell me people who look like us can be loved.
Please tell me people who look like us can be desired.
Please tell me people who look like us can have happy endings.
Firstly: Hot. So hot.
Second: Fat representation in romance gives me a feeling that is incredibly difficult to describe. Seen. Accepted. Every woman of every size deserves to feel wanted and loved as a whole person.
I loved the characters - their wounds, their tenderness, their humanness. The sex scenes were steamy in all the right ways, and I was completely on board for the story. The fanfic aspect was interesting, and I had to ask a few friends some clarifying questions, so if you're not familiar with the fanfic realm, that's something to consider.
Overall, definitely worth my time. And batteries.
Second: Fat representation in romance gives me a feeling that is incredibly difficult to describe. Seen. Accepted. Every woman of every size deserves to feel wanted and loved as a whole person.
I loved the characters - their wounds, their tenderness, their humanness. The sex scenes were steamy in all the right ways, and I was completely on board for the story. The fanfic aspect was interesting, and I had to ask a few friends some clarifying questions, so if you're not familiar with the fanfic realm, that's something to consider.
Overall, definitely worth my time. And batteries.
Cute story, fun concept. I'm not a fanfiction writer myself but my dear friend is, and it's a fun idea for a story.
emotional
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:
Yes
I normally cringe at writing surrounding internet culture and fandom but this was well done!
I'm such a sucker for books about fandom although I confess I also approach them generally with some trepidation, but this was exactly what I needed in 2020 and took me completely by surprise. This is a very loving look at the (messy) world of online fandom, delightfully tongue in cheek at times, and if it pokes fun at anything it's at certain real world franchises (and, er, their showrunners, perhaps...) parodied in this book treating their actors, staff, and fans badly, which delighted my inner (or maybe just outer!) pettiness.
The leads are both really likable and interesting, particularly their fraught relationships with their respective families (the author's note at the end about some of the fandom spaces she had been spending time in before writing were so fun to read - you can absolutely see the influences but until I read that, I don't think I would have picked up on it, I loved how Dade took some aspects of those characters but hasn't at all reproduced them) and perfect foils for each other. I was impressed by how much I liked Marcus, the way he keeps his secret identity secret (and vice versa) is one of those situations that has strong 'yikes' potential, but Dade writes it so nicely that I didn't find that at all.
The leads are both really likable and interesting, particularly their fraught relationships with their respective families (the author's note at the end about some of the fandom spaces she had been spending time in before writing were so fun to read - you can absolutely see the influences but until I read that, I don't think I would have picked up on it, I loved how Dade took some aspects of those characters but hasn't at all reproduced them) and perfect foils for each other. I was impressed by how much I liked Marcus, the way he keeps his secret identity secret (and vice versa) is one of those situations that has strong 'yikes' potential, but Dade writes it so nicely that I didn't find that at all.
I've never read fan-fiction before, so I was a bit lost at some of the acronyms and the extensive amount of time dedicated to that side of the story, but overall I thought this was a cute story. I did think it paralleled the end of Game of Thrones TV show a bit too closely... the hyphenated male lead; the showrunners with names that started with the same letter; the rage of dedicated book-readers that were disappointed with the ending; etc. I liked April and Marcus both, but the chemistry didn't leap off the page for me. Marcus just seemed sooooo bland, while April was so vivid and well-written. I'm looking forward to reading Alex's story when it comes out.
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes