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kennim's review against another edition
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia and Emotional abuse
There are a few explicit sex sceneslindseyisreading's review against another edition
emotional
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Fatphobia, Emotional abuse, and Ableism
sam_maree's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
A happy ending romance, a definite comfort read. Plus size women with confidence and shy handsome actor. Lovable and funny story and characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Ableism, Body shaming, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Sexism, and Sexual content
Minor: Sexual assault
reading_historical_romance's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fatphobia, Cursing, Bullying, Body shaming, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Emotional abuse
owlphabetical's review against another edition
funny
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fatphobia, Emotional abuse, and Body shaming
vaguely_pink's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Eating disorder, Ableism, Sexual content, Cursing, and Fatphobia
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Mental illness
Minor: Sexism, Abandonment, and Alcohol
emilywrayburn's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The first third or maybe half was good. The smut was really good. Then the characters started really bugging me. This was going to get a lower rating from me but it redeemed itself a bit in the end when the characters actually acknowledged some of their flaws that were really bothering me.
Marcus was too perfect. April's characterisation was a bit inconsistent. I didn't entirely buy the romance. They just seemed to go from not particularly attracted to one another to super-duper attracted to one another in a very short amount of time, without anything to really suggest why. And Marcus held off on telling her about his fandom persona for so long.
I liked what the book did with themes of emotional abuse (and how you don't owe family anything just because they "love you") and fatphobia and dealing with that. Though Marcus' parents were so awful they felt like caricatures.
The scripts, excerpts from fanfics and scenes from previous fandom server chats somewhat served a purpose but only just.
I have never watched Game of Thrones so I didn't pick up the parallels between this book and GoT fandom, but it skeeves me out if this book in itself is a bit of an author self-insert fic with the serial numbers filed off? Too meta! And a bit weird. Even when I was involved with fandoms, I could never quite warm to real person fic.
Marcus was too perfect. April's characterisation was a bit inconsistent. I didn't entirely buy the romance. They just seemed to go from not particularly attracted to one another to super-duper attracted to one another in a very short amount of time, without anything to really suggest why. And Marcus held off on telling her about his fandom persona for so long.
I liked what the book did with themes of emotional abuse (and how you don't owe family anything just because they "love you") and fatphobia and dealing with that. Though Marcus' parents were so awful they felt like caricatures.
The scripts, excerpts from fanfics and scenes from previous fandom server chats somewhat served a purpose but only just.
I have never watched Game of Thrones so I didn't pick up the parallels between this book and GoT fandom, but it skeeves me out if this book in itself is a bit of an author self-insert fic with the serial numbers filed off? Too meta! And a bit weird. Even when I was involved with fandoms, I could never quite warm to real person fic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Sexism, and Sexual content
bethanycrowepowell'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
4.0
This tropelicious romance marries fandom escapism with intensely felt angst in a sweet (if well-spiced) fast read.
I am a fan of Talia Hibbert's Brown Sisters books, and found a great companion to them in this series, launched by our fabulous fat cosplaying heroine April and dyslexic fake-Hollywood-himbo secret fic-writer Marcus. I enjoyed the fact that even while trope-aware some of the turns in their relationship that are so clearly mapped out by good drama writing were delivered on fully. I'm a sucker for alter egos as romantic rivals, and the angst of having kept a big secret (of the alter ego) was on point.
Good fun, with neat representation that grappled with real world issues in a nuanced way.
I am a fan of Talia Hibbert's Brown Sisters books, and found a great companion to them in this series, launched by our fabulous fat cosplaying heroine April and dyslexic fake-Hollywood-himbo secret fic-writer Marcus. I enjoyed the fact that even while trope-aware some of the turns in their relationship that are so clearly mapped out by good drama writing were delivered on fully. I'm a sucker for alter egos as romantic rivals, and the angst of having kept a big secret (of the alter ego) was on point.
Good fun, with neat representation that grappled with real world issues in a nuanced way.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fatphobia and Sexual content
Minor: Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Bullying, and Body shaming
Our heroine knows she's taking a risk posting her cosplay, but it's never treated as foregone conclusion that she gets online hate for it. She grapples with parental body shaming from a standpoint of having worked hard to accept herself but having to draw boundaries to protect herself. Her partner is always affirming, and she confronts folks in her fandom about fatphobic tropes in their writing to mostly positive responses. This series represents different levels of comfort and acceptance of bodies and neurodiversity, which I appreciate, and while Marcus and April both deal with unaccepting parents, other protagonists deal with different kinds of emotional baggage. I love when an author is thoughtful on a level of their body of work, not just at a book level.maggies'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? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I can't believe I slept on this book...possibly because I'm not a fanfic writer or reader, but maybe I should be! Such a refreshing story, with characters who actually have and enforce boundaries, communicate effectively (no ridiculous miscommunications here!), and understand the benefit of therapy. I could swoon, it was so lovely. Fair warning though: the writing style read, by my untrained eye, like fanfic itself. I didn't mind it so much in this context, but I probably wouldn't have enjoyed it in any other book that wasn't so heavy on fandom/fanfic plot. The very end was also a bit out of left-field for me, given there had previously been no references to Little Red Riding Hood, and then all of a sudden they're role-playing as Grandma and the Wolf??? Weird but not worth docking a star lol
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Sexual content, and Ableism
Minor: Stalking
nana629's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
reflective
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting