Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade

14 reviews

monicalaurette's review against another edition

emotional funny inspiring lighthearted sad fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

I thought this book was so fun and cute and I really wish now that I had read all of these books in the publication order. I devoured this book so quickly and there were so many cute moments between the two.

The declaration of love at the end of the book during the Con of the Gates was also really sweet and I really liked how that was the way Dade chose to bring them back together because it was, at least to me, a unique way to do that. Even though Marcus fell for April a lot faster than she did for him, I loved how head over heels he was for her and allowed his walls to crumble. Now we just need to work on men in romance books to use COMMUNICATION AND ALL OF THEIR WORDS BEFORE IT’S THE BAD TIME. 

Should Dade write more in this interconnected world I’ll be one of the first to grab it because I loved all of these characters so much and I want to know more about what they are all doing. Mainly the biography MacKenzie is writing for Whiskers - I STILL WANT THAT!

I think it’s so funny that when we meet both Marcus and April they are covered in mud and dirt of some sort that is very specific to their careers. I think that it helps to tie them together even more.

THE LEAKED SCRIPTS WERE BECAUSE IAN STOPPED PAYING THE TUNA MAN!?

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Fatphobia, and Sexual content

Moderate: Ableism

Minor: Child abuse

for the 'Child abuse' one: it's more of how the parents spoke to the main characters while growing up instead of physical. so more mental/emotional abuse but it started when the characters were kids so yeah

diana_raquel'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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

“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.” 

This book has been on my radar for quite some time, due to the fact that involves the world of fan fiction. As a fan girl myself I found myself attracted to it. And the plus size representation was a plus! 

I really enjoyed this book. Is it the best goddam romance that I ever read? No. But it is a light, cute, heartwarming romance about a fan girl meeting her celebrity crush that its also her online best friend. Its a good summer reading! 

Tully recommend it if you want a light, cute summer reading!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fatphobia, Emotional abuse, Ableism, Cursing, Sexual content, and Body shaming

Moderate: Child abuse, Bullying, Toxic relationship, and Eating disorder

just_klaudia's review against another edition

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Fatphobia, Toxic friendship, Child abuse, Body shaming, and Bullying

notsobinaryart's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Fatphobia, and Ableism

Moderate: Emotional abuse

Minor: Misogyny, Eating disorder, Blood, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Toxic relationship, Sexism, Alcohol, and War

jucolo's review

adventurous 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

3.75

This was a great book, I can't recommend enough. This book proves that romcom-esque stories can be emotionally impactful, thoughtful AS WELL AS somewhat spicy. The spice in this (considering it's not published on AO3) is pretty good.

I also loved that the story centered around important and nuanced conversations around fatphobia, neurodivergence, fanfiction/fandom culture and parental relationships.

I want to  emphasize that there may be triggering content in this book (which I go into below), but those triggers don't preclude the story from being thoughtful and caring for its characters. Oftentimes, I feel that with romance-type books, the triggers we list are because the author is engaging with certain problematic tropes (which, I will still read; I'm not judge-y). With Spoiler Alert, however, this is not the case. The triggers here portend well-crafted, three-dimensional character building. These characters have complicated histories, but they are both striving to do better and work on themselves. The triggers don't arise from shoddy writing, but rather from in-depth conversations on crucial topics. Unbelievably refreshing. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism and Fatphobia

Moderate: Sexual content and Child abuse

The MC is fat. Dade (the author) does a good job (IMO) in explaining why "fat" isn't a negative word without the story feeling like an infographic. She handles conversations around fat liberation well. It was refreshing to have an MC who looks like a real person. It was especially refreshing for the lead guy (noted for being stereotypically Hollywood handsome) to find the MC sexy/hot/beautiful. This is what SHOULD be happening in books. We see it happen in real life, for crying out loud! I tagged for fatphobia because

although our MC loves her body and doesn't view "fat" as an insult, insulting behavior does happen to her. There are a few difficult scenes between her and her mom/family that could potentially be triggering.

The lead guy struggles with self-esteem issues stemming from a childhood with undiagnosed dyslexia. I tagged for ableism (which fatphobia is also a part of, I might add) because

there are flashbacks to his parents being emotionally abusive due to their inability to accept his neurodivergence. That neglect strains the relationship he has with them during the story.

cristinareading's review against another edition

lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse

Moderate: Fatphobia and Ableism

valeroyeaux's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fatphobia and Child abuse

kylieqrada's review

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? Yes

4.5

4.5 ⭐s. It took me way too long to finish this one. I started it on audio in the spring and had to return it to the library when my loan expired. When I fell into the Great Romance Reading Marathon of 2021, I checked it back out again, this time on ebook. It didn't take long for me to remember why I was loving this book. While I don't adore the fame trope, Marcus as a hero definitely works for me. The characterization of both Marcus and April is so multidimensional and rich, and I loved seeing the dyslexia rep along with Olivia Dade's classic body diversity. The fandom elements were really fun and not cheesy at all, and the non-romance plot threads, especially the family drama, made me feel all the things. Love love love this book and love Marcus and April together. Plus this book is v v v spicy for those of you who like to get down with the sickness. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Emotional abuse, and Fatphobia

Moderate: Child abuse, Mental illness, and Ableism

thelittlebookishcorner'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? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

I will sit down and re-read this one. I enjoyed April and Marcus and their chemistry, and the spice was good ;) 

~ spoiler free ~
I loved reading about a plus size main character who didn't want to alter or change her body for her partner. April was a strong woman who liked herself and her body and who enjoyed her sexuality. Marcus was a kind and sensitive partner, who had his own self worth issues and body image issues. I enjoyed the spice and how much Marcus appreciated April and made her feel loved. I thought the side characters (Alex, and the rest of Marcus' cast mates) were interesting and I will seek out the rest in the series. It was cute, funny, and had some good spice.

~ spoilers below ~
More things I liked:
- April setting boundaries with her parents and other people who made her question her self worth. 
- Marcus setting boundaries with his parents too. 
- I loved their love scenes
- Alex was a fun side character - he is a little shit and I cannot wait to read the next book which is about him. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, and Eating disorder

ginadapooh's review

emotional hopeful 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body shaming, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, and Fatphobia

Minor: Domestic abuse and Child abuse