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leahrosereads's review against another edition
funny
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
I really enjoyed this one. Loved the characters, their struggles and strengths, and how the story progressed. The writing is excellent, and I loved seeing a fat woman who loves her body on page and completely unapologetic!
Not a huge fan of the fandom aspects, and I ended just skimming those pages, but if you like those elements (fanfic and movie script blurbs), I think this will probably be an easy 5 star read for you!
Not a huge fan of the fandom aspects, and I ended just skimming those pages, but if you like those elements (fanfic and movie script blurbs), I think this will probably be an easy 5 star read for you!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
ashleycmms'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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Emotional abuse, and Fatphobia
stayshomeandreads's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Bullying, Fatphobia, and Sexual content
quasinaut's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
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? Yes
4.25
Fun and heartwarming! I appreciated how the story addressed the fatphobia from fans, from April's parents, and from her past self. I'm not sure I was sold on the likelihood that April and Marcus would meet/have already met online but I'm not about to poke a ton of holes in a fun, fandom-y romance. (Maybe I should stop expecting realism in my romances... That's on me.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Fatphobia, and Sexual content
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders
rollinginbooks's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia
Moderate: Ableism
megloveswords12's review against another edition
funny
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Ableism and Fatphobia
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: Ableism, Body shaming, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Eating disorder and Sexual content
malex's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
THIS BOOK Y'ALL. THIS BOOK.
It mixes some light and funny moments (the <i>Game of Thrones</i> shade is *on point*) with more deep and important topics like fatphobia, diet culture, ableism (Marcus has been diagnosed as dyslexic late in life). These issues are addressed head on but with a great level of care.
I really enjoyed reading about characters that are a bit older than what I usually pick up (they're both in their late 30s). The romance is great, at times I felt like Marcus was making this way more difficult than they needed to be but all in all their relationship is pretty healthy.
Also: April is phenomenal, she felt so real and relatable, she's a gem. Probably the best fat rep I've read in a really long time if not ever. And I appreciated that Olivia Dade did not shy away from "showing" April's body in the sex scenes either.
I love this book so much 💜 Please read it!
It mixes some light and funny moments (the <i>Game of Thrones</i> shade is *on point*) with more deep and important topics like fatphobia, diet culture, ableism (Marcus has been diagnosed as dyslexic late in life). These issues are addressed head on but with a great level of care.
I really enjoyed reading about characters that are a bit older than what I usually pick up (they're both in their late 30s). The romance is great, at times I felt like Marcus was making this way more difficult than they needed to be but all in all their relationship is pretty healthy.
Also: April is phenomenal, she felt so real and relatable, she's a gem. Probably the best fat rep I've read in a really long time if not ever. And I appreciated that Olivia Dade did not shy away from "showing" April's body in the sex scenes either.
I love this book so much 💜 Please read it!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Body shaming, and Fatphobia
minervadashwood'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
What I really liked about this book:
- representation around every corner, especially the leads being, respectively, neurodivergent and plus size
- nods to the asoiaf fandom, especially the braime shippers
- beautiful prose that works just as well describing deep emotions as it does fanfiction excerpts
- writer clearly has mastery of of her craft; i will read more of her work
What I didn't care for:
- the resolution came to close to the end, not allowing for a proper denoument
- i didn't find some of the knee-jerk reactions believable when
Marcus told april his online alter ego. at that point, i would think she'd understand and be more forgiving
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Cursing, and Fatphobia
kelligrace's review against another edition
emotional
funny
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism and Fatphobia
A main character is dyslexic and was belittled by his parents for not being smart enough for them the entire book. The fat phobia is not at all featured in the relationship, it comes from characters outside the relationship (parents, exes, strangers, etc).