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pagesfromhome's review against another edition
hopeful
fast-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? No
3.75
Spoiler Alert is a wonderful exploration of what it means to be loved and desired for exactly who you are; not fetishized, not begrudgingly, but a confident love. As someone who isn't totally immersed in the fan fiction type of world, I lost a little bit of the joy in that portion, but that is 100% on me and is no reflection of the book itself. In terms of the portions outside of that, I LOVED how incredibly consent is utilized in the sex scenes and do know that these are very NSFW type of sex scenes. It was lovely to read a story that is so focused on taking care of yourself and finding value in exactly who you are.
I loved the body positivity and relationship between Marcus and April, but something about this book just didn't land perfectly for me. I'd recommend it for anyone who is involved in the fan fiction world but go into with care for the content warnings.
I loved the body positivity and relationship between Marcus and April, but something about this book just didn't land perfectly for me. I'd recommend it for anyone who is involved in the fan fiction world but go into with care for the content warnings.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Eating disorder
sunnyreads's review against another edition
funny
inspiring
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
5.0
I wish I could give this all the stars. I laughed, I screamed (like when April told Marcus that she was ULS!) God, I really, really, really loved this one. It made me smile.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Body shaming, Ableism, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Child abuse
Moderate: Eating disorder and Sexual content
vobots's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-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
3.5
This made my little fandom heart soar!!! *crying* I don’t read nearly as much fanfiction as I used to, but man, did this bring back some very happy memories. It’s basically a Game of Thrones spin off (with waaaay too many parallels; I almost didn’t make it past the first chapter because of it) but otherwise so fun!! And such important discussions about body imagery, fat shaming, toxic parents, and not being afraid to love yourself! Ugh loved the memories that came back up for me. I miss my fandoms
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, and Toxic relationship
cmhamper's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia
Moderate: Toxic relationship
lennie_reads's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Thanks to NetGalley and Avon / Piatkus for my ARC.
I absolutely ADORED this book!
We follow April, a 30-something geologist who has a passion for writing and reading fanfiction for the made up show 'Gods of the Gates' and Marcus, an actor in the show who also enjoys reading and writing fanfiction for the aforementioned show, under a pseudonym.
The pair are best friends online but don't know each other's true identities. Marcus doesn't want April to know he's a famous actor and also, as he doesn't agree with the shows direction for the characters, his fanfiction could get him in a lot of legal trouble with the show runners.
April has kept her love for the show (including her fanfiction and cosplaying) a secret as her job is very strict about appearances. However, as she is starting a new job with much more liberal and supportive co-workers, she decides to bite the bullet and post her cosplaying her favourite character in the show (Lavinia). Another reason this is a big deal for April is that she's fat, and upon posting her picture she receives a lot of trolling online. One of the trolls tags Marcus to try and get him to join in with the jokes, he however, thinks she's beautiful and decides that he's not going to let these small minded people win and publicly asks her on a date on twitter. (He is unaware that this is his fanfiction bestie 'UltimateLaviniaStan' or 'Ulsie').
At their date, April reveals her username and Marcus freezes. He wants to tell her who he is but he's too terrified of ruining his career. Another issue is that Marcus has created a 'persona' that portrays him as an unintelligent preening puppy dog because it's easier to deal with the press. This obviously causes problems and as with all good romances, we have the 'lie / omission of truth' situation. In this case, Marcus' secret online identity, that is just waiting to come out and ruin the couple's happiness.
I really enjoyed the POV of both characters and I am obsessed with both of them. April is a total badass whilst also being extremely vulnerable and Marcus is an absolute sweetheart who just wants to be loved. They both have terrible relationships with their parents and no siblings, but also have found family with their colleagues and the GOTG community which I loved.
The book & show, God's of the Gates, to me, seemed very much like a Greek God parody of Game of Thrones. The book does actually also reference Game of Thrones as a parallel.
This book has great disability rep and portrays Marcus' dyslexia in a very accurate and positive light. I also loved the fact that it showed how much he loved audiobooks and the workarounds he uses for reading things digitally (i.e getting the device to read the text aloud).
This book obviously also has fantastic fat rep. The way that April has come so far in loving herself but still has insecurities due to how people have treated her in the past and how some people still treat her now.
And let's not forget the STEAM. OH my. The sex in this book was fantastic. Very focused on making each other feel sexy and comfortable. I also loved seeing Marcus' POV and how much he adored April.
I also loved the fanfiction references to pegging as it's not something that's mentioned often. Alex (Marcus' costar) could've been precious and hyper masculine about it but instead he embraced the direction of his character in fanfiction and even decided to write his own. And I'm super excited to read the next book which is kind of a sequel but focuses on Alex and is called 'Slow Burn'.
I could just ramble on about this book for ages but if you love open door romance and are familiar with the fanfiction community I'd 100% recommend this book.
CW: fatshaming, toxic relationships, insecurities, eating disorders, mental illness, body shaming, ableism, emotional abuse, child abuse, bullying, sexism
I absolutely ADORED this book!
We follow April, a 30-something geologist who has a passion for writing and reading fanfiction for the made up show 'Gods of the Gates' and Marcus, an actor in the show who also enjoys reading and writing fanfiction for the aforementioned show, under a pseudonym.
The pair are best friends online but don't know each other's true identities. Marcus doesn't want April to know he's a famous actor and also, as he doesn't agree with the shows direction for the characters, his fanfiction could get him in a lot of legal trouble with the show runners.
April has kept her love for the show (including her fanfiction and cosplaying) a secret as her job is very strict about appearances. However, as she is starting a new job with much more liberal and supportive co-workers, she decides to bite the bullet and post her cosplaying her favourite character in the show (Lavinia). Another reason this is a big deal for April is that she's fat, and upon posting her picture she receives a lot of trolling online. One of the trolls tags Marcus to try and get him to join in with the jokes, he however, thinks she's beautiful and decides that he's not going to let these small minded people win and publicly asks her on a date on twitter. (He is unaware that this is his fanfiction bestie 'UltimateLaviniaStan' or 'Ulsie').
At their date, April reveals her username and Marcus freezes. He wants to tell her who he is but he's too terrified of ruining his career. Another issue is that Marcus has created a 'persona' that portrays him as an unintelligent preening puppy dog because it's easier to deal with the press. This obviously causes problems and as with all good romances, we have the 'lie / omission of truth' situation. In this case, Marcus' secret online identity, that is just waiting to come out and ruin the couple's happiness.
I really enjoyed the POV of both characters and I am obsessed with both of them. April is a total badass whilst also being extremely vulnerable and Marcus is an absolute sweetheart who just wants to be loved. They both have terrible relationships with their parents and no siblings, but also have found family with their colleagues and the GOTG community which I loved.
The book & show, God's of the Gates, to me, seemed very much like a Greek God parody of Game of Thrones. The book does actually also reference Game of Thrones as a parallel.
This book has great disability rep and portrays Marcus' dyslexia in a very accurate and positive light. I also loved the fact that it showed how much he loved audiobooks and the workarounds he uses for reading things digitally (i.e getting the device to read the text aloud).
This book obviously also has fantastic fat rep. The way that April has come so far in loving herself but still has insecurities due to how people have treated her in the past and how some people still treat her now.
And let's not forget the STEAM. OH my. The sex in this book was fantastic. Very focused on making each other feel sexy and comfortable. I also loved seeing Marcus' POV and how much he adored April.
I also loved the fanfiction references to pegging as it's not something that's mentioned often. Alex (Marcus' costar) could've been precious and hyper masculine about it but instead he embraced the direction of his character in fanfiction and even decided to write his own. And I'm super excited to read the next book which is kind of a sequel but focuses on Alex and is called 'Slow Burn'.
I could just ramble on about this book for ages but if you love open door romance and are familiar with the fanfiction community I'd 100% recommend this book.
CW: fatshaming, toxic relationships, insecurities, eating disorders, mental illness, body shaming, ableism, emotional abuse, child abuse, bullying, sexism
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Toxic relationship, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Body shaming, Ableism, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, and Bullying
naika's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
3.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Fatphobia, and Toxic relationship
caseythereader's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
✨MINI REVIEW✨ [ @harpercollins #partner ]
Marcus Caster-Rupp has a secret. While the world knows him as Aeneas, the star of the biggest show on TV, Gods of the Gates, he's known to fanfiction readers as Book!AeneasWouldNever, an anonymous and popular poster. April Whittier has secrets of her own. A hardcore Lavinia fan, she’s hidden her fanfiction and cosplay hobby from her “real life” for years—but not anymore. (via Goodreads) 📚
•
What I liked:
📚 Marcus and April felt like real people with real lives and traumas and insecurities.
📚 Watching April set her own boundaries was a joy.
📚 I loved that April would have been perfectly fine living her life without Marcus - having a great relationship with him was just the cherry on top of a fulfilling life.
📚 Felt like the author really knows and loves fanfiction culture.
📚 I've never watched Game of Thrones (I KNOW, SORRY) but it was still a treat to see this book take the final seasons of that show to task through Gods of the Gates.
•
What I didn't like:
📚 I'm usually pretty good at accepting unrealistic situations in romance novels, but it was often hard to suspend my disbelief here.
📚 This is completely a personal preference, but I really dislike when the plot hinges on one big secret the hero or heroine is keeping from the other.
📚 Some of the sexytimes moves read awkwardly or painfully when they clearly weren't meant to (that last bit in the epilogue, augh no why!).
•
Content warnings: fatphobia, fat shaming, dyslexia, parental estrangement.
Marcus Caster-Rupp has a secret. While the world knows him as Aeneas, the star of the biggest show on TV, Gods of the Gates, he's known to fanfiction readers as Book!AeneasWouldNever, an anonymous and popular poster. April Whittier has secrets of her own. A hardcore Lavinia fan, she’s hidden her fanfiction and cosplay hobby from her “real life” for years—but not anymore. (via Goodreads) 📚
•
What I liked:
📚 Marcus and April felt like real people with real lives and traumas and insecurities.
📚 Watching April set her own boundaries was a joy.
📚 I loved that April would have been perfectly fine living her life without Marcus - having a great relationship with him was just the cherry on top of a fulfilling life.
📚 Felt like the author really knows and loves fanfiction culture.
📚 I've never watched Game of Thrones (I KNOW, SORRY) but it was still a treat to see this book take the final seasons of that show to task through Gods of the Gates.
•
What I didn't like:
📚 I'm usually pretty good at accepting unrealistic situations in romance novels, but it was often hard to suspend my disbelief here.
📚 This is completely a personal preference, but I really dislike when the plot hinges on one big secret the hero or heroine is keeping from the other.
📚 Some of the sexytimes moves read awkwardly or painfully when they clearly weren't meant to (that last bit in the epilogue, augh no why!).
•
Content warnings: fatphobia, fat shaming, dyslexia, parental estrangement.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Fatphobia, and Toxic relationship
Toxic relationship meaning between the main characters and their parents, not that their relationship is toxic.
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